Retail Week
July 8 2011
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20 stores a day shut by multiples, report says
Multiple retailers closed 20 stores a day on average between January and May as they slashed costs amid punishing trading conditions. -
Ahold appoints former Tesco and Carrefour exec
Grocer Ahold has appointed former Tesco and Carrefour executive James McCann to a newly created role on its corporate executive board as chief commercial and development officer, effective September 1. This position will help drive the retailer’s growth strategy. McCann will focus on developing “innovative ways to serve customer needs, build customer loyalty and broaden Ahold’s offering”. He will be responsible for leading ecommerce initiatives and strengthening the online business globally. -
Alexon explores new financing options as like-for-likes remain flat
Fashion group Alexon’s like-for-likes have remained flat and it is exploring new financing options to invest in turnaround. -
Amazon to open new UK fulfilment centre
Online giant Amazon is to open a 700,000 sq ft fulfilment centre in Rugeley, Staffordshire. -
Asos to open Marketplace to international sellers
Asos is to open up its Marketplace virtual market to international sellers after its success in the past six months. -
BACI comes to Cardiff
US lingerie brand Baci is opening its first UK store at St David’s in Cardiff. -
Bank founder launches online store
The founder of Bank, the JD-owned young fashion chain, is to launch his new online retail business targeting the young womenswear fashion market in September -
Battle for Brazil heats up with Carrefour merger
Carrefour’s board has signed off on a plan to merge its Brazilian assets with the local grocery market leader Grupo Pão de Açúcar (GPA), in which its French rival Casino Group has a minority stake. -
Body Shop profits up by a third
The Body Shop has lifted profits by a third to £45.6m in the year to January 1, according to documents filed at Companies House. -
Bolland and Green present prizes at Fashion Retail Academy’s awards
Marc Bolland and Sir Philip Green were among those presenting the prizes at the Fashion Retail Academy’s awards day this week. -
Boots and Dixons pull News of the World advertising
Health and beauty and electricals market leaders Boots and Dixons have both decided to pull their advertising in the News of the World. -
Boots' Tim Stacey joins DFS in new online role
Sofa giant DFS has appointed Boots UK’s director of healthcare services and solutions Tim Stacey as its online and business development director. -
Boulanger receives approval for acquisition
Consumer electronics retailer Boulanger has received the approval of the competition authorities for its acquisition of Metro Group’s Saturn stores in France. The purchase price of the transaction has not been made public. In order to get the approval of the competition authorities, HTM Group, the owner of Boulanger, has committed to sell five Saturn stores. HTM also said that it had to give up plans for a Saturn stor -
BrightHouse to launch transactional website
Rent-to-buy electricals and furniture retailer BrightHouse is to launch a transactional website to better serve its increasingly tech-savvy customers. -
Carrefour and Pixmania sign strategic agreement
Carrefour and Dixons Retail-owned Pixmania in France have signed a strategic agreement in the non-food product segment. Under the agreement, Pixmania will develop and deliver a multichannel website in a number of European countries for Carrefour’s non-food offer.Pixmania will also support a marketplace platform for Carrefour customers to access a range of additional products from third pa -
Carrefour to increase private labels
Carrefour chief executive Lars Olofsson has confirmed that he wants its private labels in France to account for 40% of its turnover, up from 25% currently. For this aim, more than 1,500 new products will be launched before the end of the year with the packaging being revamped.Furthermore, consumers will be involved in the selection and design of the private labels. All the Carrefour products will be gradually tested by consumers and -
Cath Kidston poaches Claire's Stores boss to be chief executive
Quintessentially English fashion and homewares specialist Cath Kidston has named Kenny Wilson chief exective. -
Competition system needs flexibility
The OFT needs to be allowed to take a broader view when making decisions, says Ian Cheshire -
Coop Italia reports gross sales growth
Italian market leader Coop Italia has reported gross sales grew by 1.1% to E12.9bn (£11bn) in 2010, while its operating margin grew 0.7%.The retailer opened 37 stores which led the network to 1,444 stores in total. Coop’s private labels generated sales of E2.7bn (£2.3bn), a share of 25% of the total sales. According to Coop Italia president Vincenzo Tassinari, 2011 will be a difficult year, due to the continuing financial crisis. Forecasts therefore remain cautious as Coop expects an o -
Dudley. Now more?
Asda has opened its first batch of high street stores following its Netto purchase. John Ryan reports on the Dudley store and how it has already become a hit with local shoppers. -
Duke Street pulls out of Bonmarche sale talks
Private equity firm Duke Street has abandoned interest in acquiring the Bonmarche business from value fashion group Peacocks. -
Eastgate Quarters retail centre given go-ahead
Leeds City council has approved construction of a retail centre as part of Hammerson’s proposed £600m regeneration scheme for the city’s Eastgate Quarters. -
Edinburgh Woollen Mill
The unassuming woollens and knitwear retailer recently caught the headlines by snapping up the Jane Norman brand, but its history shows it is no stranger to acquisitions -
End of an era at Clinton
Troubled retailer mulls appointing outsider as managing director after decades of being family run -
Food inflation jumps to 5.7% in June
Food inflation jumped to 5.7% last month, compared with 4.9% in May. -
Forever 21 signs blogger Bip Ling as its new face as it gears up for Oxford Street opening
US fashion giant Forever 21 has signed fashion blogger Bip Ling as the new face of its brand as it prepares to open its Oxford Street flagship. -
Former F1 champion opens his own butchers
Former Formula One champion turned butcher Jody Scheckter has opened his first shop in Twickenham. -
GA Europe acquires TJ Hughes debt and will run clearance
Restructuring specialist GA Europe has acquired private equity firm Endless’s debt in TJ Hughes, the discount department store group which is in administration. -
Gap to open stores in Africa
US clothing retailer Gap said it will open its first stores in Africa this year, with its first Gap store opening in Egypt next month and its first Banana Republic and Gap stores in Morocco in October. The company began shipping products to Egypt, Morocco and South Africa last year, but these are its first stores on the continent. The Egyptian store will be in the Mall of Arabia in Cairo, followed in October by one at Cairo’s City Stars Mall and -
Garden Centre Group sales up 8% in first half
The Garden Centre Group, formally known as Wyevale, has revealed an 8% jump in revenues to £152m in the six months to June 30. -
High street profit warnings soar
Listed retailers issued more profit warnings in the first six months of the year than the whole of 2010 and double the number of 2009. -
Hilco sells Habitat European arm to Cafom Sa
Habitat’s European business has been sold by Hilco to Cafom SA, a French international home furnishings retailer. -
HMV appoints former Waterstone's man as commercial director
HMV has appointed former Waterstone’s commercial director Michael Neil to the same position at the entertainment group. -
Hobbs aims to expand stores as range grows
Mainstream womenswear retailer Hobbs wants to more than double the footprint of its existing stores as it prepares to introduce a full occasionwear sub-brand to its offering. -
Homebase interested in failed Moben and Dolphin
Homebase is mulling acquiring some of the Homeform brands that collapsed into administration on Wednesday. -
Hornbach reports sales increase
Home improvement retailer Hornbach said consolidated sales for the first three months of the financial year to May 31 rose 11.1% to E918.1m (£795m). Net income for the period rocketed by 30.6%. Sales at the 92 DIY stores in Germany grew by 10.7% overall, and by 7.7% on a like-for-like basis.Hornbach Holding chairman Albrecht Hornbach said: “In 2011 we have seen a pleasing revival in the renovation and new construction markets.” -
How can we cut rising energy costs?
Rising energy costs are becoming a real problem for us. Are there any simple and effective methods for cutting our costs? -
In focus: French Connection
French Connection is restructuring and Retail Week Knowledge Bank’s profile update analyses its progress. -
In light of new EU regulations on the use of cookies, how can I avoid breaking the law?
We use internet cookies to log our online user preferences. In light of new EU regulations on the use of cookies, how can I avoid breaking the law? -
In pictures: M-local from Morrisons
Grocer Morrisons today opened its first convenience store as it prepares to chase growth in the fast growing market in which rivals Tesco and Sainsburys have already established powerful positions. -
Inflation in June slightly down on May
Inflation in June stood at 4.2%, down from 4.5% the previous month, according to the Office of National Statistics. -
Jigsaw launches m-commerce site
Fashion retailer Jigsaw has introduced an m-commerce site comes after figures showed it was losing traffic when customers realised its online shopping website was not optimised for mobiles. -
JJB makes "good progress" in its turnaround plan
JJB is making “good progress” in its turnaround as sales in the 22 weeks to July 3 met its expectations. -
June retail sales less bad than feared
Retail like-for-like sales fell 0.6% year-on-year during June but increased 1.5% in total, helped by the early launch of Sales. -
Kingfisher gets go-ahead on Focus stores deal
The Office of Fair trading has cleared Kingfisher’s acquisition of 30 Focus DIY stores from the latter’s administrators . -
Local loyalty schemes boost independent retailers, study shows
Local loyalty schemes can help boost high street trading in independent stores, a study has shown. -
M&S cruising?
Marks & Spencer’s army of private shareholders will descend on the Royal Festival Hall on Wednesday for the usual beanfeast. -
Making payroll easy
A mobile payroll system has helped enable growth at Hallett Retail. -
Middle march
Despite consumer belts tightening and rising commodity prices, middle-market retailers are capitalising on the climate with flexible price architecture and brand recognition. George MacDonald reports -
Moben, Dolphin and Kitchens Direct shut as Homeform is put into administration
Bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchens retailer Homeform has gone into administration and Moben, Dolphin and Kitchens Direct businesses have been closed down. -
Morrisons to open first of c-store chain
Grocer Morrisons is due to open the first of a chain of convenience stores in the affluent Yorkshire town of Ilkley today. -
Mulberry founder to open shopping village
Roger Saul, the founder of Mulberry, is to open a designer shopping village alongside the luxury brand’s Somerset-based factory later this month. -
Music to Halfords’ gears
Whose customers have the best sense of humour? -
My-Wardrobe targets the Middle East
Luxury fashion etailer My-Wardrobe is aiming to “double or treble” sales in the Middle East region in next 12 months as it ramps up its marketing. -
N Brown grows sales, but margins at risk
N Brown’s margins may slip further as the home shopping group deploys promotions to drive sales, analysts believe. -
N Brown signs Flintoff as new face of Jacamo
Former cricket ace Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff has signed up to be the new face of N Brown menswear brand Jacamo, which is aimed at big and tall men aged between 30 and 45. -
Next hangs up on call centre business for £65m
Fashion group Next’s sale of its third-party customer service business Ventura was welcomed by analysts -
OFT casts eye over Amazon's acquisition of The Book Depository
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is considering whether to investigate etail giant Amazon’s acquisition of online bookseller The Book Depository. -
Paul McGowan
The Hilco boss has an uneviable reputation as the ‘undertaker’ of the high street, but the bad press is only one side of the story. Nicola Harrison reports -
Pets at Home profits rise as spending on pets holds up
Chief executive Davies cautious despite 10% increase in both sales and EBITDA in year to March. -
Reliance Retail appoints two ex-Walmart executives
Reliance Retail has appointed two ex-Walmart executives to run its operations in the country, according to local press. Reliance has named former Walmart China chief operating officer Rob Cissell as the chief executive, and former vice-president of store operations Shawn Gray as chief operating officer, said company officials.The newly appointed executives are expected to begin their roles from September. -
Retail climbs but fails to match the market
Food and general retailers alike climbed over the week but failed to match the rise clocked up by the market overall. -
Retailers react to campaigners' calls to reconsider News of the World advertising
Retailers are closely monitoring developments in the News of the World phone-hacking scandal as campaigners put pressure on big companies to reconsider their advertising with the Sunday tabloid. -
Retailers value in-store technologies to compete with the internet
High consumer expectations because of the significant improvements in online services has caused retailers to turn to technology to make shopping in-store as appealing as shopping online. -
Rob Moss
Marketing director, My-Wardrobe -
Sainsbury's ditches News of the World advertising
Sainsbury’s has become the first big grocer to suspend advertising in the News of the World as the phone-hacking scandal engulfing the tabloid worsened. -
Sales and market share rise at Dunelm
Value homewares group Dunelm has posted a sales increase and claimed greater market share. -
Shoppers want service, not self-service.
A US retailer has called time on self-service checkouts, but is this the right thing and will there come a point when we embrace the potential speed that DIY transactions offer? -
Sir Stuart Rose on Mr Porter
Struggling in the sartorial department gents? -
Sports Direct staff in line for £87.5m pay-out
Sports Direct staff are in line for a pay bonanza this week as £87.5m is set to be dished out under its staff incentive scheme. -
Sports Direct takes control of Sir Tom Hunter's USC
Tycoon Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct has bought a majority stake in Sir Tom Hunter’s branded fashion business USC and luxury retailer Cruise Clothing as it extends its retail reach. -
Sports Direct to beef up fashion portfolio with Van Mildert chain
Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley is believed to be on the brink of adding Northeastern mini-chain Van Mildert to his fledgling branded fashion portfolio as he seeks to replicate the success of rival JD Sports. -
Steady profits rise for Jacques Vert
AIM-listed womenswear retailer Jacques Vert managed a 3.1% increase in full-year pre-tax profits to £5.3m despite turbulent trading conditions. -
Sun European expected to buy part of Homeform in prepack deal today
Private equity firm Sun European Partners is expected to buy parts of the Homeform business in a prepack administration deal later today. -
Talking about their generation
What do young people think about retail? How do they decide where and how they shop? Charlotte Hardie talks to them and reveals what you need to know about the next generation -
Technology products key as HMV sets sights on recovery
Analysts remained bearish on HMV after the entertainment group revealed full-year profits had slumped and set out recovery plans -
Tengelmann Group to withdraw from US
Germany-based Tengelmann Group is apparently looking to withdraw from the US after 32 years of operation by selling its stake in bankrupt grocer A&P.Tengelmann joint chief executive Christian Haub said: “From today’s point of view, it seems rather unlikely that we will continue to hold a stake in A&P.”Tengelmann is reportedly in conflict with A&P management over struggling Pathmark, which Tengelmann would prefer to see sold off.A&P currently operates a por -
Tesco applies feng shui as it opens Asian retail academy
Tesco has opened a retail academy in South Korea to train its 100,000 staff in Asia – a sign of the increasing importance of the region to the retail giant. -
The Body Shop first half like-for-likes up 2.6%
The Body Shop has reported like-for-like sales for the first half of 2011 to June 30 up 2.6%. -
The challenge of multichannel pricing
Multichannel retailers have converged on a simple axiom for pricing across channels: in-store prices and web prices must be the same -
The great space race
Supermarkets are opening up new stores at ever faster rates, but is there much space left in the crowded market and are there enough sales to support the growth? Rebecca Thomson reports -
The Power List is an anti-climax
The Retail Week Power List has been issued and frankly I feel it’s an anti-climax. -
Theo Fennell eyes international expansion as its pre-tax losses grow
Luxury jeweller Theo Fennell is eyeing international expansion as its pre-tax losses grow -
Tsvetnoy Central Market, Moscow
There aren’t many opportunities to build a department store from the ground up these days. -
Video: Tesco develops technology for groundbreaking ‘shopping wall’
Supermarket giant Tesco has developed the technology to sell online using a ‘shopping wall’. -
Waitrose boss says that impact of food inflation is being overstated
Waitrose managing director Mark Price has criticised figures released this week claiming that food price inflation soared in June -
Walmart considers entering Nepal
Walmart is considering entering Nepal through a partnership with a Nepali department store operator. Walmart India executive RP Singh expressed interest in expanding into Nepal at a meeting with officials. She also discussed the legal issues of expanding into the country. “On behalf of Walmart, Singh showed keen interest to enter into a joint venture with a Nepali retail store,” said Chandra Kumar Ghimire, joint se -
Waterstone’s borrows its latest idea
Waterstone’s sales performance has been none too spectacular, but will marketing like this be helping? -
Weekly sales fall at John Lewis
Sales at department store chain John Lewis tumbled 3.4% last week but the year-on-year comparison was muddied by the timing of its Sale. -
WH Smith sales fall, but margins up
WH Smith has reported a 4% fall in like-for-like sales in the 18 weeks to 2 July. -
What it’s like to work at Countrywide
The inside view from head of HR and training Michelle O’Connor -
Wickes joins Co-op and Aldi in suspending News of the World ads
DIY retailer Wickes has become the latest retailer to suspend advertising in the News of the World, following the same decision by the Co-operative Group and Aldi. -
Yoox.com expands mobile app portfolio
Online fashion retailer Yoox.com has launched an Android application for customers to download to their mobile phones. -
Youth of today will still want stores tomorrow
Understanding how customers behave today is vital for retailers
