Retail Week
December 9 2011
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10% of online sales made through click and collect
One in 10 online sales are made via click and collect, according to new figures from ecommerce trade body IMRG. -
2012 will be all about winning share
With Christmas just over a fortnight away and the die seemingly cast, it is time to look ahead and see what is in store for the sector next year. -
A new customer is for life, not just for Christmas
As is fairly obvious, I don’t need my looks to earn my living – if I did, I’d have been through a CVA some time ago. However, I do try my best to look after myself. -
Aldi and M&S lead way with vow to absorb Irish VAT rise
Big-name UK retailers act to appeal to Irish consumers as austerity bites in the Republic. -
Amazon continues international expansion
Amazon plans to continue its international expansion by launching operations in Latin America in 2013, according to local press. Although the etail giant has not confirmed plans, Kindle content director Pedro Huerto was quoted telling delegates at a book fair in Santiago, Chile, that Amazon expected to enter the region. Huerto indicated that the first markets to be targeted may be A -
Amazon rewards shoppers who walk out of stores
Online giant Amazon is to reward consumers who leave bricks-and-mortar stores without making a purchase. -
Auchan to open six hypermarkets in 2012
Auchan will open six hypermarkets in Russia in 2012, Auchan Russia chief executive Jean-Pierre Germain has revealed.“We will open six classic hypermarkets next year and continue to work on projects that are not yet complete,” Germain said.The hypermarkets will be located in Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, Tyumen, Ulyanovsk, Volgograd and Rostov-on- the-Don. -
Barnes & Noble narrows net loss
Bookseller Barnes & Noble narrowed its net loss from $12.6m (£8m) to $6.6m (£4.2m) for its second quarter ended October 29. Sales dropped 0.6% to $1.89bn (£1.21bn), with a decline in physical book sales offset by growth for its Nook product family. The retailer said that its Nook tablet has become the fastest-selling product to date. Total sales from its Nook e-reader business grew 85% to $220m (£140m). Barnes & Noble also saw a positive impact from the liquidation of rival -
Barratts Priceless 'nears administration'
Barratts Priceless is reportedly close to appointing administrators for the second time in two years. -
Barratts Priceless plunges into administration
Shoe specialist Barratts Priceless Group has collapsed into administration for the second time in two years. -
Big Price Drop affects Tesco market share
The impact of Tesco’s Big Price Drop has resulted in less cash going through the grocery giant’s tills but more shoppers, market monitor Kantar has reported. -
Big Price Drop drives volume growth at Tesco
Tesco like-for-like sales in the UK, excluding petrol and VAT, fell 0.9% in the third quarter. -
Bleak sales growth adds to retail woe
It was another frustrating week for investors in retail companies as food and general merchandise groups put in a lacklustre showing versus a wider market advance. -
Boots tailors its offers at the tills
Boots is producing personalised messages and coupons at the till as part of a drive to improve its loyalty programme. -
Boxpark
Newly opened Boxpark is described as the world’s first pop-up mall. Will its focus on theatre and smaller brands be a recipe for success? -
Carpetright focused on the future
All eyes will be on floorings giant Carpetright next week, as it is expected to report its worst first-half figures as a listed company. -
Celesio sets sights on Latin America acquisitions
German pharmacy retailer and wholesaler Celesio has set its sights on more acquisitions in Latin America to offset sluggish growth in its home market. Chief executive Markus Pinger revealed the plans and said that he would expect to be ready to expand in 2013 and 2014 – giving the company next year to focus on improving internal efficiency. Pinger said he could imagine the retailer expanding in a Latin American country, citing Colombia, Argentina, Peru and Brazil as attractive target countrie -
Christmas adverts: Who are the winners and losers?
Retail’s latest batch of Christmas ads have both riled and delighted TV viewers in equal measure. Rebecca Thomson and Richard Huntington sort the crackers from the turkeys. -
Costcutter hits acquisition trail
Costcutter is to hit the acquisition trail and launch three new fascias in 2012. -
Delhaize accelerates store openings
Delhaize plans to speed up store openings in its new markets and new formats to achieve annual sales growth of 5% to 7% in three years. The retailer expects to open about 450 stores in its newer operations by 2014. Store openings will include expansion of its Bottom Dollar Food stores in the US, which have delivered positive results. Additional cost savings to fund its plans will be made. Delhaize is now halfway through a three-year programme to generate e500m (£429.3m) in annual savings and -
Direct Golf chases private equity
Specialist retailer Direct Golf is eyeing private equity investment as it looks to replicate the success of fellow fast-growing sports chain Go Outdoors. -
Dr Martens to open Scottish store
Dr Martens is to launch its first Scottish store in the St Enoch Centre. -
Dune Group sales fall
Footwear business Dune Group has posted a slight increase in pre-tax profits from £6.42m to £6.47m for the year to January 29, 2011. -
Dunstone laughs off mobile phone blunder
It’s a classic social faux pas – somebody’s mobile phone going off in the middle of a speech. -
Everything Everywhere to launch transactional site
Everything Everywhere, the company formed after the merger of mobile phone firms Orange and T-Mobile, is to launch a transactional site. -
Ex-Uniqlo man becomes Body Shop UK boss
Cosmetics specialist Body Shop has hired former Uniqlo director Simon Coble as its new UK boss. -
Figleaves, SaveMe4Later
On the surface, the new Figleaves ad looks fairly standard for a lingerie retailer. -
For sale sign raised over Blacks
Outdoor specialist Blacks Leisure has put itself up for sale after concluding that previous fundraising plans were unrealisable, but investors may get nothing from a disposal. -
Geoff Quinn
TM Lewin has just broken the £100m sales barrier. Its chief executive wants to add the same again through international expansion, he tells Alex Lawson. -
Gilly Hicks opens with a splash in Cardiff
Abercrombie & Fitch owned lingerie, beach and nightwear brand, Gilly Hicks, has opened at the St David’s Centre in Cardiff. -
Globus launches first click-and-collect store
Hypermarket operator Globus launched its first click-and-collect store, called Globus Drive, on December 1.The first pilot is in Ensdorf, Saarland, close to the French border. Customers can select from a range of 6,000 products online for collection.Globus has invested e3m (£2.6m) in the standalone warehouse, which will serve up to 300 customers a day. The retailer plans to open a second drive-in outlet in Rhineland-Palatinate next year. -
Grocery price rivalry is no marketing trick
In the week that investigative TV programme Panorama attempted to pick apart the big grocers’ promotional practices, industry data told a different story on supermarket prices and their effect. -
Grocery spending stalls in November, Nielsen reports
Grocery spend stalled in November despite price-cuts, money-off vouchers, fuel discounts and other promotions by the big four grocers. -
Headhunter Shipley to leave Odgers
Sue Shipley, one of the best known retail headhunters, is to leave search firm Odgers Berndtson at the end of the year. -
How do I establish my brand presence for online orders?
When fulfilling online orders, what can I do to establish my brand presence on the consumer’s doorstep? -
Ikea clarifies Russian market plans
Ikea has clarified its plans for the Russian market over the next few years and expects to invest e180m (£154m) to open three new stores. The shops will be located in Moscow, St Petersburg and one of the country’s other ‘megacities’ with a population over 1 million. The Moscow store is understood to be a 123-acre store just north of the city, which will be Ikea’s largest in Europe a -
In pictures: Peter Marks drums up Christmas single
The group chief executive of The Co-operative Group and a cast of colleagues have launched a Christmas charity record in aid of Mencap. -
Indian retail investment talks suspended
The Indian government has suspended talks to allow foreign investment from the world’s largest retailers with no clear timeframe in place to re-start discussions. -
Irish Government scraps plans to change upward only rent reviews
The Irish Government has scrapped plans to ban upward-only rent review clauses from existing leases. -
Kesa chiefs confident of Comet sale
Directors of electricals group Kesa are confident that the sale of UK business Comet will go ahead as planned. -
Kindle is setting Amazon’s Christmas trading on fire
Amazon is a company that always does well at Christmas, but this year’s growth could be bigger than ever as the internet giant looks likely to receive a boost from its recent investment. -
Lakeside £180m extension proposed
Capital Shopping Centres (CSC) has submitted a planning application for an £180m investment which would increase the size of the Lakeside centre by a third. -
Mulberry profits soar 231%
Profits at Mulberry, the luxury brand and retailer, rocketed 231% over the last six months boosted by strong growth overseas. -
New Look's Will Kernan jumps ship to White Company
New Look’s chief operating officer Will Kernan has become the latest director to exit the embattled fashion retailer. -
November retail like-for-likes down 1.6%
Retail like-for-like sales in November fell 1.6%, the weakest performance since May. -
Our online images are being used without permission. How can we stop this?
Some of our online images and logos have been lifted directly from the site and are being used by an independent retailer without our permission. How can we stop this from happening? -
Park Group upbeat despite loss
The Christmas hamper, voucher and gift seller Park Group has remained upbeat despite reporting a widening pre-tax loss. -
Paul Wheatley
UK property director, Lush -
Peacocks 'considering 200 store closures'
Value fashion group Peacocks is considering closing up to 200 stores as part of a restructuring plan. -
Poundland to open first Dealz store outside Ireland
Value retailer Poundland will open its first Dealz store outside Ireland, on the Isle of Man this week. -
Record online demand at John Lewis
Sales at John Lewis department stores are up 3.7% so far this week, helped by the biggest ever day of online demand on Monday. -
Retail can raise the UK’s spirits
By having the best product, availability and service retailers can lift the mood, says Mark Price -
Retailers pilot Google’s new indoor mapping function
Ikea, Macy’s and Home Depot are piloting Google’s new indoor mapping functionality to help shoppers find products in stores. Shoppers with Android smartphones will be able to use the tool, which forms part of the newly released Google Maps 6.0. The functionality works like Google’s outside mapping service and can identify which floor a person is on in a store.Google will rece -
Retailers raise a glass to Clarity
Well-known retailers pitched up to toast the success of renowned headhunter Fran Minogue’s launch party for her executive search business, Clarity, at her Maddox Street offices. -
Return ruled out for Ex-Thorntons director
Former Thorntons chairman Peter Thornton has failed in his attempt to rejoin the troubled chocolatier. -
Sainsbury's expects last minute Christmas shop dash
Sainsbury’s expects shoppers to push their main festive shop closer to Christmas than ever before. -
Sale on cards as profits rise at food specialist Abel & Cole
Profits have surged at grocery home shopping specialist Abel & Cole and the retailer could be put up for sale next year. -
Selfridges: All set up for Christmas
Selfridges’ UK managing director Anne Pitcher reveals what sets the business apart from others this Christmas. By Gemma Goldfingle. -
Shop price inflation falls to 2% in November
Overall shop price inflation dropped to 2% last month, from 2.1% in October, representing the lowest rate for 12 months as the supermarket price war kept prices down. -
Sites: Firebox Vs The O2
Rick Evans, Creative director at (untitled) London, shares his view of good and bad websites. -
Stormtroopers visit Dixons Christmas bash
Electricals group Dixons attracted some guests from a galaxy far, far away to its Christmas drinks bash at the Tottenham Court Road store last week. -
Svensk Tenn, Stockholm, Sweden
Sweden is known for its interior design, and in a retail context, this usually means stripped back minimalism with a lot of wood to emphasise the natural qualities of the great Scandinavian outdoors. And to an extent, the newly refurbished Svensk Tenn store in Stockholm is a case in point. -
Tesco director: Big Price Drop is no quick fix
Tesco has warned the market not to judge its Big Price Drop too early as it is a “medium term strategy”. -
Tesco veteran David Potts to stand down
Tesco veteran David Potts is to stand down from the grocer after 13 years on its board. -
Toys R Us introduces QR codes to showcase best-sellers
Toys R Us has introduced QR codes to billboards in the New York metro area to encourage mobile shopping. Commuters and travellers will be able to use their mobile phones to scan codes on posters located at airports and 40 transit stations, which showcase some of the retailer’s best-selling items.Toys R Us spokeswoman Katie Reczek said: “As consumers increasingly turn to their -
UK Uncut targets Topshop in Christmas protest
UK Uncut, the organisation that occupied Fortnum & Mason’s store this year, is targeting what it calls “tax-evading” retailers Boots and Topshop, among other Arcadia-owned stores, for demonstration’s during the Christmas shopping period. -
Waitrose: A Bracknell beauty
Bracknell may be the home to Waitrose HQ, but it had lacked a Waitrose store. Now it can boast the grocer’s greenest shop and a standout for the area. John Ryan reports. -
Walmart introduces first social shopping app
Walmart has introduced the first social shopping app from its recently formed @WalmartLabs division. Known as Shopycat, the tool allows Facebook users to find gifts for friends and family based on the interests posted on their profiles. It then recommends items from Walmart’s stores, Walmart.com and other sites including RedEnvelope, Barnes & Noble and ThinkGeek. Venky Harinarayan, senior vic -
Weekly sales rise 5.7% at Waitrose
Sales at Waitrose rose 5.7% to £112.6m last week, when home and leisure was the best performing category. -
West End sales fall in November
Sales in London’s West End fell in November but are set to bounce back in December. -
Where will shoppers spend this Christmas?
Are your shops still eerily quiet in the run-up to Christmas? Then consider this; one in five shoppers intends to buy presents after December 25th in order to get the best possible bargain. -
Wiggle bought by Bridgepoint in £180m deal
Cycles etailer Wiggle has today been acquired by private equity firm Bridgepoint in a £180m deal. -
Wiggle to focus on stores and M&A following sale
Large destination shops on the agenda for cycles etailer following £180m deal. -
Zulily recruits Kirby ahead of UK launch
US online private Sales site Zulily is to launch in the UK and has hired former Monsoon digital chief Kristine Kirby to head the operation.
