Retail Week
August 5 2011
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A new normal required
No sanctuary should be given to those who make it their business to ignite buildings, loot retailers and shock communities. -
Aldi Süd adds leading brands to product ranges
Hard discounter Aldi Süd has added a number of leading manufacturer brands to its private label dominated product ranges in Hungary.New products comprise soft drinks from Coca Cola, a baking product from Dr Oetker and Nutella hazelnut spread.Aldi Süd extended the brand offer in Hungary six months ago, including Heineken’s Soproni beer and several Danone products including Activia -
Arcadia profits to fall by a third
Profits at fashion giant Arcadia will fall steeply this year, owner Sir Philip Green has told staff. -
Argos tunes in to new Emmerdale ad tie-up
Argos is to promote its new catalogue on TV tonight through an innovative tie-up with broadcaster ITV and soap Emmerdale. -
Bharti Walmart embarks on first major investment
Bharti Walmart, an equal joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and Walmart, is the first major investment made by the partners together.The partners have issued 120 million new shares from unissued share capital with a face value of INR10 (£130,000) each. Walmart will purchase 60 million shares for INR600m (£8.2m) through its holding company, Walmart Mauritius, while Bharti will make a direct -
Bieber fever at HMV
If you thought one Justin Bieber was scary enough, HMV made it a hundred times worse when it allowed fans to queue up for an early DVD release with Bieber masks on. -
Blacks Leisure chairman David Bernstein resigns
Blacks Leisure chairman David Bernstein has resigned. -
Blacks rise continues in spite of retail’s fall
Outdoor specialist Blacks bucked a general retail share price dive to be the biggest riser for the second week running. -
Bookseller The Works targets online to ‘turbo-charge’ growth
Discount bookseller The Works is seeking to buy an online business to bolster its ecommerce offer as it moves its focus away from opening physical shops. -
Borders collapse hits Paperchase’s profits
Greetings cards and stationery retailer Paperchase’s profits took a hit last year as it suffered amid the troubles of its former US parent Borders Inc. -
Borders Group US lives on
Borders Group US is preparing for a sale that could see its brand live on despite liquidators clearing books from its shelves and shutting its stores. Executives plan to auction off the company’s intellectual property, including the Borders.com website, on September 14. The move follows other now-defunct retailers such as Circuit City and Linen ’n Things, whose brand names continue to attract online customers. -
Box ticking is thwarting growth
Government must curb the corporate governance merry-go-round, says Sir Geoff Mulcahy -
Brand Alley turns on TV web channel
Designer discount etailer Brand Alley has launched an online TV channel. -
Chinese authorities investigate copycat Apple stores
Chinese authorities in the southwestern city of Kunming have launched an investigation of electronics stores after media reports said one retail outlet seemed to be copying Apple’s store format.The inspections follow media attention around a Kunming store that appeared to be nearly identical to Apple’s highly stylized Apple Stores, including a winding staircase, blue employee T-shirts and nam -
City forecasts difficult times for Carpetright
The City expects the retail outlook to remain difficult for Carpetright after it reported an improvement in like-for-likes at the expense of margins. -
Clinton boss to add fresh perspective
Clinton Cards new chief executive will “help galvanise the business to help it achieve greater profitability”, says the retailer’s group managing director Clinton Lewin. -
Clinton Cards improves stock accuracy with wifi
Clinton Cards has improved stock data accuracy with wireless technology that has allowed the company to automate its stock management. -
Cocosa raids Asos for new managing director
Online retailer Cocosa has poached a top Asos executive to lead the business. -
Credit insurer cuts Dreams' supplier cover
Suppliers to beds specialist Dreams have had credit insurance withdrawn by Euler Hermes. -
Credit insurers pay out to Superquinn suppliers
Suppliers to Superquinn who lost out when it was placed in receivership last month are set to be recoup monies from credit insurance policies. -
Delhaize Group completes acquisition of Delta M
Delhaize Group has completed the acquisition of Serbian retail group Delta M. Delhaize said that over the next several quarters it will focus on the development of strategic plans for pricing, branding, as well as format management to ensure growth in the region.The retailer’s target is the generation of more than E20m (£17.53m) in net annual EBITDA synergies. Delhaize Group chief executive Pierre-Olivier Beckers said: “The addition of Delta Maxi combined with Delhaize’s businesses in -
Desigual, Oxford Street
Desigual is one of those curious beasts where you tend to look at the shop ahead of the stock. -
Distress specialists exit battle to buy Comet
Distress specialist bidders are understood to have exited the battle to buy struggling electrical firm Comet. -
DIY retailer Bauhaus launches drive-through concept
DIY retailer Bauhaus has launched a drive-through concept, which has been rolled out at its major stores.Customers can drive through a special area of the store designed to accommodate cars and small vans, and will be directed to the relevant products.Mobile scanners are used for checkout and staff members are on hand to offer assistance. Bauhaus has rolled out its drive-in concept in 43 stores in Germany. -
Findel group sales ahead by 1.1%
Home shopping group Findel said group sales are ahead of the prior year by 1.1% in its interim management statement though with some pressure on margins which it said is offset by cost savings. -
Flying Brands steadies ship following first-half ‘mistakes’
Home shopping group Flying Brands’ new contract wins have encouraged house broker Singer, despite the retailer plunging into the red after making big business errors in its first half. -
Food inflation slows in July
Food inflation slowed in July to 5.2% from 5.7% the previous month. -
Footfall declines in July
Shopper traffic fell 2.2% year-on-year in July, Experian’s Retail Footfall Index showed. -
From coffee to cards
The appointment of Darcy Willson-Rymer as chief executive of Clinton Cards could not be a more definitive sign of change at the retailer, which for the first time will be run by someone from outside the founding family. -
Good news for fashion as Next signals end of cost price inflation
A year of punishing cost price inflation for fashion retailers is coming to an end, fashion giant Next has signalled. -
Government plans to curb town centre parking fees
Local government secretary Eric Pickles has revealed plans to curb town centre parking fees in an effort to encourage people to shop in their town centres. -
Grocer Coles reports fourth quarter sales increase
Grocer Coles reported fourth quarter sales of Aus$6.2bn (£413.6bn), up 5.2% like-for-like. Store development and operations director Stuart Machin said continued rises in the cost of living have made customers watch how they spend their money more closely. “Our lower prices and our ‘down down’ campaign has been well received and appreciated,” he said.Coles is entering its fourth year of turnaround – so far it has refitted 147 stores, completed its roll-out of automated ordering, develo -
Grocery retailer Casino announces sales growth
Grocery retailer Casino has announced its second-quarter and half-year results for 2011. The retailer reported that consolidated net sales for the quarter rose by 18.8% to E8.3bn (£7.2bn) – a 4.7% rise achieved in the first quarter.The growth reflected the consolidation of the Casas Bahia electronics chain in Brazil within Grupo Pão do Açúcar’s operations and Carrefour Thailand’s Big C stores. Sales in France rose -
Grocery retailer Spar launches pilot convenience store
Grocery retailer Spar has launched a convenience store pilot intended for busy inner city locations in Vienna. The 2,690 sq ft store is located right in Babenbergerstraße 9, and employs a staff of 22.The new concept is called Food in the City and offers takeaway food as well as fresh lunch menus that can be consumed in an in-store seating area. The store opens from 7.30am to 8pm. Spar plans to open three more stores in Vienna in 2012, before bringing the new concept to other cities in -
Harvey Nichols’ Martin Schofield exits
Harvey Nichols retail operations and IT director Martin Schofield, effectively number two to chief executive Joseph Wan, is to leave the department store group. -
HoF clicks into a new gear
Department store group to take multichannel leap with new format click-and-collect store in Aberdeen -
House of Fraser to open new format click-and-collect store
House of Fraser is to open a new format click-and-collect store in Aberdeen next month. -
How do I shorten the online payment process?
I want to shorten the time taken for my online customers to complete the payment process. How can I achieve this? -
How to cope as budgets shrink
IT budgets have fallen to a record low. Rebecca Thomson finds out how IT directors are ensuring projects remain value for money -
In focus: Signet
Signet’s Bermuda registration, plus changing its primary listing to the NYSE, makes performance analysis no easier for a group whose UK operations, whichever way they are calculated, account for a declining proportion of the total. -
In pictures: stores ransacked in London rioting
Many shops in London have been looted and some destroyed during two nights of rioting in the capital. -
India paves way for more direct foreign investment
A government panel recently approved a proposal to allow further foreign direct investment (FDI) into India’s retail sector, a move aimed at opening the country’s huge retail market to foreign retailers. -
In-store shopping experience needs attention
In 1990 I started my first job, as a Saturday girl in Adams Childrenswear. -
Investment key as new TJ Hughes owner plans to rebuild the chain
TJ Hughes’ new owner has vowed to invest in the stores to revive the department store retailer in a bid to rebuild it into a nationwide chain within five years. -
Investor confidence in SuperGroup returns
Fashion retailer SuperGroup appears to have won back investor confidence after a series of upsets and after its stock rose more than a third over July. -
Join Retail Week's fantasy league
Do you fancy yourself as the next Sir Alex Ferguson? The pit yourselves against retail’s finest football brains by joining Retail Week’s Premier League fantasy football mini-league. -
Larry Meyer
In suitably tough, no-nonsense New York style, the Forever 21 boss has signalled the US fast fashion retailer’s intent to take the UK by storm. Gemma Goldfingle reports -
Liberty answers demand for kidswear
Department store Liberty is to open a kids department in February. -
Lipsy strikes deal with Alhokair to open 40 international stores
Fashion retailer Lipsy, which is owned by Next, has signed a deal with Middle Eastern trading house Alhokair to launch franchised stores in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia. -
Lombok mulls further store closures as it shuts half its estate
UPDATED: Furniture chain Lombok has closed half its shops and is mulling the closure of more amid punishing trading conditions in the big ticket sector. -
Mothercare appoints non-exec chairman
Mothercare has appointed Alan Parker CBE as non-executive chairman. -
Next reports resilient first half sales
Next has reported soaring Directory sales which offset a dip in retail revenue in its first half. -
Nicole Farhi relocates flagship London shop
Luxury retailer Nicole Farhi is to open its new flagship store on Conduit Street this week, relocating from New Bond Street after 17 years. -
Ocado to open spoke in Oxford
Ocado is to open a distribution spoke in Oxford. -
Olympic logistics
On the day we heard that “the Games of the 30th Olympiad are awarded to the city of London”, I was visiting a Woolworths store – God rest its soul. -
Pandora boss exits as two thirds of jeweller's value wiped out
Pandora has dismissed its chief executive as EBIDTA plunged 6.2% in its second quarter, and UK sales plummeted 13.1%. -
Paul Kendrick
N Brown, group development director -
Pick n Pay extends sale deadline by two months
South African retailer Pick n Pay has extended the deadline for the sale of its supermarket banner Franklins to Australia’s third-largest grocer, Metcash, by two months.The sale has been opposed by the the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission due to concerns it would lessen competition in Franklins’ operating region. -
Portas to meet Justin King to discuss future of high street
Mary Portas is to meet Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King as part of her high street review. -
Poundland to open in Ireland under Dealz fascia
Single price point retailer Poundland is to expand into the Republic of Ireland trading under the name Dealz. -
Pushing the envelope
Card Factory has been one of the unsung retail success stories of recent years. In a rare interview, Nicola Harrison finds out the secrets of its prosperity from chief executive Richard Hayes -
Retail destinations of tomorrow take shape
One of the unknown effects of multichannel revolution has been what it means for the shape of physical retail. -
River Island ups ante with return to print advertising
Creative director keen to grab market share with autumn collection ads in September’s fashion bibles -
Sir Tom Hunter buys shares in Sports Direct
Entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter has bought a £1m stake in Sports Direct. -
Super fashion in supermarkets?
As Waitrose gets ready to sell clothing, how do the big supermarkets deal with the matter of selling fashion? John Ryan travels to Milton Keynes to find out -
Tesco beefs up clothing team
Tesco has promoted UK buying director for clothing Jan Marchant to a European role and drafted in former Marks & Spencer director Bernadette Lusher to bolster its fashion team. -
Tesco blames technical glitch for pricing error
Supermarket group Tesco has blamed a technical error for lower prices on some products in Scottish stores, in breach of an industry agreement. -
Tesco to open retro store
Tesco is to open a retro 1960s store at vintage motor festival Goodwood Revival next month. -
Tesco to test Fresh & Easy Express
Fresh & Easy, Tesco’s US operation, is to test smaller format Fresh & Easy Express shops later this year. -
This Asda be a joke
Everyone in business needs to take the new Bribery Act seriously, but it comes as no surprise that it’s an American-owned retailer which has taken it one step further. -
TJ Hughes stores start to close
Administrators to TJ Hughes will kick off closing down Sales immediately and stores will start to close from next week for 22 of the shops. -
Tough trading is set to continue, says Spindler
Trading at value department store group Original Factory Shop has improved in the new financial year, but chief executive Angela Spindler said retail conditions remain tough. -
Weekly sales 'slack' at John Lewis, but first-half ends well
Sales growth at department store chain John Lewis slackened last week as the good weather put consumers off visiting stores, but the retailer said it has had a good first-half. -
What are my rights concerning unsatisfactory quality?
What steps should I take if a supplier delivers goods that are not of a satisfactory quality? -
WHSmith potential lies in travel arm
Bookseller and stationer WHSmith is undervalued according to broker Panmure, which reiterated its buy stance on the stock. -
Wickes gains market share as like-for-likes stall
DIY chain Wickes like-for-likes edged up 0.3% in the six months to June 30. -
Williams-Sonoma
The US homewares group has a strong reputation and is eyeing the UK market. But where would it sit in this struggling sector and what is its point of difference? -
Xtra-vision set to benefit from €8m digital investment
The owners of Xtra-vision are to invest up to €8m (£6.9m) in the Irish entertainment retailer, which emerged from creditor protection last week. -
Zara to launch online in the US next month
Zara has confirmed the launch of its US website for September.
