Retail Week
April 1 2011
View all stories from this issue.
-
A return to park life
Retail parks were early victims of the recession with vacancy rates rising to nearly 12% in 2009, but the market is making a comeback. Mark Faithfull finds out why and takes a look at which retailers are driving the renewed the activity in the out-of-town world -
Abercrombie & Fitch predicts rapid sales growth
American casualwear giant Abercrombie & Fitch has forecast its sales will double to $7.5bn (£ 4.6bn) by 2015. -
All Saints enters exclusive talks with US private equity firms
Private equity firm MSD Capital has teamed up with Goode Partners to enter exclusive talks to buy struggling fashion chain All Saints. -
All Saints Lebanese deal off: new suitors in the wings
All Saints’ sale deal with M1, a Beirut-based business co-founded by the likely next Lebanese Prime Minister, has collapsed. However US investment firms Goode Partners and MSD Capital are understood to have stepped up their interest in buying the young fashion chain. -
All Saints lender appoints advisors
Lloyds Banking Group, the main lender to All Saints, has appointed accountancy firm KPMG to advise on its options should it fail to attract a buyer in the next week. -
Alliance Boots in no rush to replace departed CEO Hornby
Alliance Boots is unlikely to appoint a successor to departed group chief executive Andy Hornby in the near future, following his sudden exit last week. -
Alon Holdings Blue Square
Alon Holdings Blue Square has reported its financial results for the year ended December 31 2010. Revenues soared 25.6% to ILS9.2bn (£1.6bn).The supermarket segment increased revenue by 0.5% from ILS6.9bn (£1.2bn), while the non-food segment had a revenue drop of 5.5%, mainly due to poor homewares sales.Alon Holdings Blue Square chief executive Zeev Vurembrand said the results reflected the launch and expansion of formats such as Mega Bool, the introduction of a loyalty scheme a -
Alworths goes into administration
Alworths, the ‘son of Woolworths’ chain launched by a former Woolies director, has collapsed into administration, Retail Week has learned. -
American Apparel in bankruptcy warning
American Apparel, the beleaguered US fashion chain, has warned that it might be forced to file for bankruptcy if performance does not improve following poor sales in 2010. -
Bank holiday battle
Retailers join forces to fight proposed bank holiday switch from May to October -
BDO High Street Sales Tracker
BDO High Street Sales Tracker data for the week ending March 27, 2011 -
Beales set to buy Co-op department stores
Beales is set to buy 19 department stores from the Anglia Co-op. -
Bimba & Lola hunts for London store
Spanish fashion retailer Bimba & Lola is eyeing high-profile London locations for its first UK store. -
Blackwell’s on track for profit by 2013
Blackwell’s, the academic bookseller, aims to return to profitability by 2013, and has halved annual losses and launched a text-book rental service. -
Blue Inc takes on Officers Club stores
Fashion retailer Blue Inc intends to rebadge 20 of the 46 Officers Club stores it has bought out of administration to its own fascia within three months. -
Boux Avenue store opens in Glasgow's Buchanan Galleries
Boux Avenue, the lingerie chain owned by retail entrepreneur Theo Paphitis, has opened its first store in Glasgow’s Buchanan Galleries. -
Carpetright warns on profits
Carpetright has issued a profit warning, its second of 2011. -
Clicks Group turnover up 14.7% to £881m
Health and beauty retailer and wholesaler Clicks Group posted a preliminary retail turnover increase of 14.7% year on year to ZAR9.7bn (£881m), and an increase in group turnover of 9% to ZAR13.3bn (£1.2bn) for the first half of its 2010/11 financial year ended February 28.“The results have been driven by the continued strong performance from the core Clicks chain and the ongoing benefits of the group’s capital management programme,” the group said. -
Clinton Cards fights profit fall with loyalty scheme
Clinton Cards is launching a loyalty card in June in an attempt to win customers in a difficult market after group pre-tax profit slumped from £20m to £12m in the first half to January 30. -
Consumer confidence remains low, GFK says
Consumer confidence remained at the same low level in March as it was in February, according to GFK/NOP’s respected Consumer Confidence Monitor. -
Co-op focuses on non-food as grocery growth slows
The Co-operative Group is to ramp up its online non-food online operations but expects the grocery market to remain tough. -
Deichmann targets 200 stores within 10 years
German shoe retailer Deichmann has said it is targeting 200 stores within 10 years in Turkey, and is making an initial investment of E6m (£5m) to open 20 new stores.Last year the retailer opened 44 stores in 23 Turkish cities. Deichmann Turkey managing director Atilla Ozkul said thatthe chain experienced 68% revenue growth last year, and that Turkey was one of its strongest performing markets. -
DFS half year EBITDA flat as sales rise 1%
Sofa giant DFS adjusted EBITDA remained flat at £41.2m in the 26 weeks to January 29. -
DFS planning to capitalise on bank holidays
Sofa giant DFS is aiming to make the most of the extra bank holiday weekends as it revealed adjusted EBITDA remained flat at £41m in its first half. -
Dixons ecommerce boss leaving, as company issues profit warning
Electricals group Dixons’ ecommerce director David Walmsley is leaving the retailer. -
Dixons not alone as the freeze sets in
At least the Nordics were OK. You can always rely on that from a Dixons trading update. But there was no disguising the awfulness of the UK and Ireland performance that prompted Wednesday’s profit warning. -
Dixons warns on profits after dire trading
Electricals market leader Dixons has issued a profits warning and detailed an emergency plan to put the business on track after dire trading. -
DW Sports joins buying group Intersport
DW Sports, set up by JJB Sports founder Dave Whelan, has joined sportswear buying group Intersport. -
Etail delivery costs to soar under EU proposals
EU Legislation proposals could cost online retailers an extra £8.8bn in delivery charges per year and threatens to derail the growth of e-commerce. -
Experian Footfall: Week 10, 2011
Experian Footfall index data for the week ending March 13, 2011 -
Experian Footfall: Week 12, 2011
Experian Footfall index data for the week ending March 27, 2011 -
Food inflation drops as grocers ramp up promotions
Food inflation dropped in March as grocers ramped up promotions, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium. -
Forever 21 to open at Bluewater
US fashion giant Forever 21 has signed for a store at Bluewater shopping centre, Retail Week has learned. -
Fortnum boss demands protest crackdown
Fortnum & Mason chief executive Beverley Aspinall has demanded tougher action to manage marches in London after the attacks on West End shops last weekend. -
Freemans chasing £40m in sales from new plus-size site Curvissa
Freemans Grattan Holdings has launched online plus-size women’s fashion brand Curvissa, which it estimates will achieve sales of up to £40m within three to five years. -
Furniture chain Easy Living collapses
Sofas UK, which trades as Easy Living Furniture, has become the latest victim of the consumer downturn and was put into administration today. -
Game staff bought up Tesco stocks of Nintendo 3DS
Game told its store staff to buy up Nintendo 3DS consoles from Tesco as it aimed to keep a steady supply in stores. -
Goldsmiths-owner Aurum up for sale
Jewellery group Aurum, part-owned by collapsed Icelandic bank Landsbanki, is up for sale. -
Google AdWords and trademarks
An ongoing legal battle over trademarks being bought as AdWords highlights the need for retailers to tread carefully when it comes to possible infringements -
Government clamp down on red tape
Government is urging businesses and individuals to give their views on overregulation via a new website. -
H&M profits nosedive 30% as cotton prices soar
H&M’s global profits plummeted by 30% in its first quarter as cotton prices soar. -
Halfords Q4 retail like-for-likes down 6.8%
Halfords has reported a tough fourth quarter with retail like-for-likes down 6.8%, and the cycles and automotive retailer is implementing a share buyback programme of up to £75m. -
HMV gives Mamut 15 days to secure Waterstone's deal
Russian Oligarch and HMV shareholder Alexander Mamut has been given just 15 days to agree a deal to buy HMV’s bookselling business, Waterstone’s. -
HMV issues another profit warning
Beleaguered entertainment and book retailer HMV has issued its third profit warning this year, but its lenders have extended the period over which its banking covenants will be tested by two months. -
House of Fraser scouting for small click-and-collect stores
Smaller shop formats planned for collection of online orders as customer demand grows -
I want to assign my shop lease to another group company and refit it, can I just proceed?
I want to assign my shop lease to another group company and refit it. The lease says I can assign within the group and carry out alterations without the landlord’s consent. Can I just proceed? -
In Focus: FOCUS
Recently I highlighted the exceptional £4,900 per sq ft sales densities achieved by Richer Sounds. This time it is the opposite end of the density spectrum. -
Is eBay trying to be Amazon?
The purchase of ecommerce provider GSI Commerce by eBay has stirred up the ecommerce industry, but what does it mean for retailers? -
Jack Wills banned from re-printing 'provocative' catalogue
Young fashion chain Jack Wills has been banned from re-printing its latest catalogue after complaints the images it featured were inappropriate for young teenagers. -
James Geller
Retail director, Dwell -
JJB Sports to improve 'retail basics' with £65m fundraising
Sports retailer JJB Sports has said its intended £65m fundraising will help provide management with greater operational flexibility and the money to fund to its turnaround plan. -
JJB Sports: not many reasons for visiting
A quick visit is enough to say all that needs to be said -
John Lewis suffers 3.8% weekly sales fall
Sales at department store chain John Lewis fell 3.8% last week, partly the result of a calendar effect because of this year’s later Easter and Mothers’ Day. -
Kantar Worldpanel: Grocery market share data
Kantar Worldpanel Grocery market share data for the 12 weeks ending March 20, 2011 -
Kiddicare’s growth spurt
The trailblazing etailer is in for a busy year. As well as launching Morrisons.com it has big expansion plans of its own, all hinging on innovative use of technology. By Rebecca Thomson -
Kingfisher aims to grow by attracting reluctant DIY-ers
DIY giant Kingfisher is prioritising making DIY easier for customers and continued global expansion as it approaches the next stage of its strategy under boss Ian Cheshire. -
Laura Ashley celebrates record profits
Fashion and homewares group Laura Ashley has posted record profits and is confident about prospects despite the punishing trading environment. -
Lingerie etailer BeCheeky.com on brink of liquidation
Online lingerie retailer BeCheeky.com is close to liquidation. -
M&S general merchandise suffers but food holds up
Marks & Spencer has reported a dip in general merchandise like-for-likes but food sales held up. -
Marks & Spencer considers new pay structure
Marks & Spencer has started consulting shareholders over a new pay structure which could see executive remuneration linked more closely to performance, according to reports. -
Marks & Spencer unveils bricks and clicks launch in France
Marks & Spencer is to return to France a decade after shutting its operations in the country. -
Metro Group announces record earnings for 2010
Germany’s Metro Group announced record earnings in 2010, with all banners contributing to this growth. -
Midcounties Co-operative profits up 35%
The Midcounties Co-operative has reported a 35% increase in trading profit to a record £26m. -
Money matters
Employees who feel financially secure make for an excellent workforce, finds Joanne Ellul -
Moss Bros narrows pre-tax losses
Menswear group Moss Bros narrowed its pre-tax losses from £3.9m to £2.7m in the year to January 29, as like-for-likes moved into positive territory. -
Multichannel gets more complicated
Just as retailers really start to understand what multichannel means to their business and how to capitalise on that, it gets more complicated -
Multichannel integration
What are the common problems encountered by retailers trying to manage inventory across many different sales channels and how can integration help? -
National Minimum Wage increase 'out of step with reality'
The National Minimum Wage increase of 2.5% to £6.08 is “out of step with reality”, according to retailers. -
New owners attempt TJ Hughes turnaround
TJ Hughes’ new owners are making efforts to put the value department store group on a firmer financial footing. -
New Range ads pitched to drive summer spend
Home and garden retailer The Range has launched its first national TV ad campaign to encourage viewers to spruce up their homes for summer. -
Next to ramp up online and Directory overseas
High street fashion giant Next is to further expand its online and mail order Directory business overseas as it aims to quadruple international sales in the next two years. -
Oddbins expected to file for administration on Monday
Wine retailer Oddbins is expected to go into administration on Monday after it was unable to proceed with a company voluntary arrangement. -
Oddbins in administration
Off-licence chain Oddbins has entered administration. -
Park Group Christmas 2011 orders up 5% and expects full year trading to be in line with expectations
Christmas hampers and voucher specialists Park Group said it expects trading to be in line with market expectations for its year ending March 31 and Christmas 2011 orders are up 5% year-on-year. -
Phones 4U to double store openings in 2011
Phones 4U is ramping up its store expansion programme under its new owners to take advantage of customers who prefer to buy phones in shops rather than online. -
Play.com seeks investors as it looks to expand
Online retailer Play.com is hunting for investment to fund its European-wide expansion. -
Public retailers in pole position
There’s no doubt that 2011 is shaping up to be a somewhat punishing year for retailers and store stocks have consequently been under pressure. -
Putting the super into Superdrug
Asking shoppers to ‘take another look’ and then getting them to love the Superdrug brand is what the refurbished Wimbledon store is trying to achieve. John Ryan reports -
Retail sales growth picks up but underlying trend remains subdued
Retail sales growth picked up in March but the underlying trend remains subdued, according to the CBI. -
Retailers' confidence rises for first time in four quarters
Retail business confidence has risen for the first time in four quarters as store groups expect improvements in gross profit and turnover this year. -
Rob Feldman
Chief executive, Brand Alley -
Running up the down escalator
Retailers are in unknown territory, but it is areas such as cost-cutting and multichannel that will mark out the winners. Nicola Harrison reports -
Sharp sales rise and profit gain at Ted Baker
Quirky fashion retailer Ted Baker’s sales grew ahead of expectations last year and the retailer reported a 24.2% surge in profits. -
Shopping centre development at lowest level for 16 years
Shopping centre space increased at the slowest rate for 16 years and development is set to remain subdued over the next few years. -
Signet UK like-for-likes fall 1.4% in 2010 as tough trading continues
Signet UK like-for-likes dropped 1.4% in its year ending January 29 as tough trading continues in 2011. -
Sports Direct appoints former Irish politician as non-exec director
Sports Direct has appointed former Irish politician Charles McCreevy as non-executive director. -
Stephen Craig
He’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but the All Saints boss is not concerned with making friends. As Jessica Brown reports, his aim is to ‘do a Burberry’ with the high street retailer -
Store stocks up ahead of Dixons profit alert
Despite bearish comments from Next boss Simon Wolfson, general stores outperformed the market over the week - but that was ahead of a profit warning from electricals giant Dixons. -
Stricter rules for pre-packs
New rules for pre-pack administrations could make it harder for owners to regain control of failing businesses. -
Supermarkets to collect customers plastic packaging on-site in recycling breakthrough
Supermarkets have vowed to collect customers’ thin plastic packaging, such as bread bags and cereal liners, on-site in a major recycling breakthrough. -
Svyaznoy revenue up 21% to £1.2bn
RUSSIA -
Tesco enters used car market
Grocery giant Tesco has begun dealing in second hand cars as it continues its march into non-food retailing. -
Tesco forced to cap PriceCheck refunds
Tesco has shrugged off initial teething problems with its new PriceCheck guarantee and said it remains committed to the promotion, despite having to cap refunds after some shoppers were making claims of more than £100. -
Tesco launches Easter Clubcard Voucher Exchange
Tesco is launching an Easter Clubcard Voucher Exchange in a bid to ramp up sales over the bank holidays. -
The challenges of multichannel
Multichannel means different things to different businesses. But what difficulties are directors facing during multichannel projects, and how are they overcome? Rebecca Thomson finds out -
The changing face of eBay
One year on since the launch of its fashion Outlet, eBay has emerged as an unlikely ally in offloading end-of-line and clearance stock. Charlotte Hardie reports -
The compliance costs of devolution
I sense that devolution is entering a distinctly different and more vigorous phase of its development. The reasons aren’t the same in every nation but there’s a growing feeling of muscles being flexed. -
The Co-op profits soar despite like-for-like dip
The Co-operative Group’s food business operating profits soared 33.3% in 2010 despite a 2.5% drop in like-for-likes which it blamed on disruption from the Somerfield integration. -
The multichannel shopper
Patterns of consumer behaviour develop all the time - especially in the world of multichannel. Liz Morrell outlines what retailers need to know about today’s shopping habits -
Time Out owner mulls offer for HMV Live
HMV’s live venue business is being eyed by the founder of Oakley Capital, which has a stake in Time Out magazine. -
Tom Singh
New Look’s founder is once again in charge of the fast-fashion retailer, and in the face of stiff competition it needs his product expertise now more than ever. -
Topps Tiles on course for strong results
The City welcomed Topps Tiles’ “solid” update this week, as it revealed like-for-likes will have risen about 1.8% in the first half. -
UK remains tough for Mothercare, but international strong
Mothercare’s like-for-like sales in the UK slipped in its fourth quarter, but the performance of its international business remained strong. -
US DVD rental business Blockbuster sold to satellite broadcaster
US DVD rental business Blockbuster, which went bankrupt last year, has been bought by US satellite broadcaster Dish Network after it won a $321m (£196m) auction. -
Video: Gerald Ratner at the Retail Week Conference
Gerald Ratner speaking to delegates at the Retail Week Conference 2011 -
What are the pros and cons of a retailer raising money through asset-based lending?
What is asset-based lending, and what are the pros and cons of a retailer raising money this way? -
What it’s like to work at Joules
The inside view from HR director Liz Jewitt-Cross -
What it’s like to work at Red5
The inside view from operations manager Chris Martinez -
Where next for the sons of Woolworths?
Last week ‘son of Woolworths’ Alworths went into administration after weeks of uncertainty. Does its collapse prove right those who said the variety store format is dead? Rebecca Thomson investigates -
White Stuff chief denies sale process underway
Lifestyle retailer White Stuff has strongly denied weekend reports that it is preparing for a sale or floatation. -
White Stuff prepares for sale or flotation
Lifestyle fashion retailer White Stuff is reported to be preparing for a sale or floatation. -
Why Wi-Fi will win
As more in-store services move online, Rebecca Thomson looks at whether retailers will need to invest in providing free customer Wi-Fi -
Wilkinson trials contactless payment
Variety chain Wilkinson is to trial contactless payments across 25 stores, ahead of a potentialroll-out of the technology across its 350 stores.
