Retail Week
April 8 2011
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Amazon Checkout
Launched last week, Checkout by Amazon allows the etailer’s customers to make purchases on another retailer’s website using the delivery addresses and payment information stored in their Amazon account. -
Ann Summers hit by rising product costs
Ann Summers has reported a 3% increase in sales but a dip in profits for its full year, as rising product costs reduced its gross margins. -
Aurum up for sale for £200m but management team will stay put
The management team at jewellery giant Aurum is expected to remain at the helm to lead its international expansion after the business is sold. -
Bad news hammers store stocks yet again
General retail stocks had a poor week as a raft of bad news from non-food retailers brought home just how tough trading is. -
Beales targets a return to profit after buying Anglia Co-op stores
Beales chief executive Tony Brown has vowed the department store chain will return to profit within 18 months following the acquisition of 19 stores from Anglia Regional Co-operative Society (ARCS). -
Better week for John Lewis, but sales fall at Waitrose
John Lewis recorded its highest weekly sales of its first half so far last week, but Waitrose experienced a rare fall in sales, which it attributed to the timing of Easter. -
Consumer Rights Directive changes
The European Parliament has recently approved an amended Consumer Rights Directive that means online retailers will face extra costs for returns -
Could JJB CVA start a trend?
JJB Sports was handed a lifeline when its landlords voted in favour of its second CVA. -
Eileen Fisher debuts in Covent Garden
US womenswear retailer Eileen Fisher is set to debut in the UK, with two high-profile stores in London. -
Energie and Miss Sixty Carnaby Street
Energie and Miss Sixty are two gender-divided sides of the same coin, from the same Italian company. -
Experian Footfall: Week 14, 2011
Experian Footfall index data for the week ending April 10, 2011 -
French renaissance: Marks & spencer returns to paris
Marks & Spencer has confirmed plans to re-enter France, starting with a 15,000 sq ft womenswear and food store on the Champs Élysées, which will open towards the end of this year. -
Game to appoint former Ladbrokes boss as chairman
Game is set to hire Chris Bell, the former boss of Ladbrokes, as its new chairman. -
Harvey Nics to trial new formats as market slows
Luxury department store to open beauty standalone as part of innovation plans -
Hawkin’s Bazaar aims to double store count
Hawkin’s Bazaar plans to have up to 170 shops in the long term as it scouts for 60 temporary stores to open in time for its crucial Christmas trading period. -
HMV ‘must shut more shops to survive’
HMV needs to close more stores to ensure its survival following a third profit warning this year, according to analysts. -
Holland & Barrett pilots loyalty scheme
Health food retailer Holland & Barrett is piloting a customer loyalty programme. -
How can we compete with retailers that run more promotions than we do?
How can we effectively compete with retailers that run double the number of in-store promotions that we do? -
Iceland founder's Everest expedition in jeopardy
Iceland founder Malcolm Walker’s charity expedition to Everest is hanging in the balance following an accident close to the Nepal/ Tibet border. -
If customer data is lost by another company can we make an insurance claim?
Another company processes all our credit card transactions. If customer data is lost or stolen, can we make a claim against their, or our, insurance policy? -
In Focus: Blue Inc
The news that menswear fashion chain Blue Inc has taken on 46 Officers Club stores following the latter’s administration reminds me of when I first tried to find out about Blue Inc’s predecessor, Mr Byrite, a regional chain shrouded in secrecy. -
Inflation rate falls to 4% in March
Inflation fell to 4% in March, down from 4.4% in February. -
Lakeland bolsters etail as sales move online
Homewares retailer Lakeland is ramping up its online offer with targeted merchandising on its website, as its non-store sales migrate from mail order to online. -
Lush turnover ahead 8% after store openings
Ethical cosmetics retailer Lush has reported turnover is 8% ahead in the first eight months to February 28. -
M&S appoints Morrisons man to head convenience and catering
Marks & Spencer has poached the executive who designed Morrisons’ convenience stores to run its Simply Food and catering operations. -
M&S moving steadily through choppy waters
It’s been quite a few months for Marks & Spencer. -
M&S posts steady update but warns of drop in confidence
Consumer confidence has stabilised at a low level but will fall further this year, Marks & Spencer chief executive Marc Bolland warned this week, as the company issued a robust fourth-quarter update. -
Management buys 144-store newsagent Rippleglen
Confectionery, tobacco and news business Rippleglen has been sold to its management, backed by Lloyds TSB, for an undisclosed sum. -
Matalan to appoint former Asda director Blackhurst as chief executive
Matalan is poised to appoint former Asda executive Darren Blackhurst as its new chief executive. -
Morrisons picks upmarket towns for c-store pilot
Morrisons is to target well-heeled customers with its new convenience store format, with the first to open in the affluent Yorkshire town of Ilkley. -
New Look holds fire on sale of French chain Mim
New Look founder Tom Singh is believed to have postponed the sale of its French basics chain Mim after kicking off a review of the New Look business. -
Ocado appoints eBay Europe boss to board
Online grocer Ocado has appointed an eBay boss to its board as a non-executive director. -
Oddbins in administration following a thwarted CVA
Oddbins’ administrator Deloitte is in discussions with a handful of trade and private equity buyers to rescue the 89-store chain. -
Peacock Group enters talks to sell Bonmarché to Duke Street
The Peacock Group has entered exclusive talks with private equity investor Duke Street about a sale of its mature womenswear business Bonmarché. -
Primark to open in retail park
Primark, the value chain, has set its sights on opening its first store in a retail park. -
Promotions hit Sunglass Hut’s profit margins
Sunglass Hut profits slumped in 2010 as its focus on promotions hit margins. Despite sales nudging ahead from £35.6m to £35.9m, operating profit dropped 16% to £2.6m. -
Rampant Sporting opens first store
Sports heritage brand Rampant Sporting opened its first store this week with plans for further expansion. -
Record companies relax terms to help HMV cashflows
HMV suppliers are set to agree to slash upfront payments for CDs to help boost the troubled retailer’s cashflows as the possibility of pulling off a rights issue fades. -
Retailers suffer worst monthly sales fall since 1995
Retail sales collapsed in March, when the stores sector suffered the worst plunge in 16 years. -
Self-help is the key to success
Tough times demand that retailers must innovate to generate growth, says Ian Cheshire -
Shop Direct says sorry for Mother’s Day blunder
Online retail giant Shop Direct suffered the wrath of irate customers at the weekend when a computer glitch prevented flowers being delivered on Mother’s Day. -
Snap happy
Jessops has unveiled a ‘centre of excellence’ in Birmingham that provides a rallying point for the chain. John Ryan reports -
Sorry? Jack Wills...scandalous?
Where should the line be drawn between “flirtatious fun” and inappropriate material? -
Space race
Two more retailers have signed to Land Securities’ Buchanan Street development in Glasgow, meaning it is already 75% let by space. -
Sports Direct signs former minister
Sports Direct has appointed former EU commissioner Charles McCreevy as non-executive director as it plots its European expansion. -
Stationer Blott targets aspirational shoppers
A co-founder of TV shopping channel Sit-up has launched a new stationery chain, Blott. -
Tengelmann targets rising number of senior shoppers
A&P, the bankrupt Tengelmann-controlled retailer, is targeting a growing segment of the US population with a special discount scheme for seniors at all its Pathmark stores. -
Tom Singh lures Horspool back to New Look
Barbara Horspool, New Look’s group design director who quit last month ahead of a spectacular shake-up of personnel at the value chain, has been persuaded to stay at the business in an elevated role by chairman and founder Tom Singh. -
Top retail head-hunter Fran Minogue resigns
One of retail’s best-known headhunters, Fran Minogue, is standing down from Heidrick & Struggles after 10 years. -
Trend to reduce debt adds more pressure to retailers
Retailers must brace themselves for further falls in consumer spending as people opt to pay down debt as they tighten their purse strings -
Uniqlo reports lacklustre UK sales
Uniqlo has reported a lacklustre performance from its UK stores in the six months to February. -
Urban Outfitters plots UK expansion
US lifestyle retailer Urban Outfitters is set to grow its UK store numbers and increase the wholesale of its premium womenswear brand Free People. -
Using the screening tool
The screening tool is a powerful facility that allows users to compare and analyse companies across a broad range of measures such as sales, profit margins and store numbers. -
Values retailer
Asda is implementing a ground-breaking efficiency programme in Bangladesh. Jennifer Creevy visits the factories for an exclusive look -
Waitrose sales soar 23.7% with barbecue and picnic fare
The soaring temperatures helped lift Waitrose sales for the week ending Saturday April 10 by 23.7%. -
WHSmith launches legal services in store
WHSmith is to offer a legal advice service in its stores. -
Why long-haul can be too short-term
There is an increasing trend for retailers to move sourcing closer to home. -
Working their way up
Government plans for more work placements will help retailers to recruit, finds Joanne Ellul
