Retail Week
November 4 2011

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99 Cents Only Stores reports sales increase

Discount retailer 99 Cents Only Stores has reported that sales for the second quarter ended October 1 rose 8.8% to $363m (£226m) compared with $334m (£208m) for the prior year period.Total retail sales were $352m (£220m) against $323m (£202m), while like-for-like sales increased 6.7%. The number of like-for-like sales transactions was up 4.7%, and the average transaction climbed from $9.44 (£5.88) to $9.62 (£5.98).For the first half total sales increased 7.6% to $731.4m (£455.3m
£1 rents as landlords try to avoid business rates

Shops are being let for just £1 to retailers on some depressed high streets as landlords try and avoid paying business rates.
01 Nick Robertson

Chief executive, Asos
02 Chris North

Managing director, Amazon UK
03 Laura Wade-Gery

Executive director for multichannel ecommerce, Marks & Spencer
04 Tim Steiner

Founder and chief executive, Ocado
05 Ken Towle

Director of internet retailing, Tesco
06 Scott Weavers-Wright

Chief executive, Kiddicare and Managing director, non-food online, Morrisons
07 David Tarbuck

Multichannel development and operations manager, Argos
08 Andrea O'Donnell

Commercial director, John Lewis
09 Matthew Moulding

Chief executive, The Hut Group
10 Biggest risers

The ten biggest risers on the 2011 Retail Week Etail Power List
10 Robin Terrell

Executive director, multichannel and international House of Fraser
11 Mark Newton-Jones

Group chief executive, Shop Direct Group
12 Alan White

Chief executive, N Brown Group
13 James Hart

Ecommerce director, Asos
14 Simon Wolfson

Chief executive, Next
15 Peter Fitzgerald

Director of retail, Google UK
16 Simon Thompson

Managing director for online food, Morrisons
17 Hash Ladha

Group multichannel director, Aurora Fashions
18 Jon Kamaluddin

International director, Asos
19 Richard Pennycook

Group finance director, Morrisons and Chairman, Kiddicare
20 Claire Gilmartin

EU marketplaces vice-president, EBay
21 David Walmsley

Multichannel development director, Marks & Spencer
22 Mark Sebba

Chief executive, Net-a-Porter
23 Martin Lewis

Founder, Moneysavingexpert.com
24 Sophie Cornish

Founder, Notonthehighstreet.com
25 Doug Gurr

Vice-president, Amazon UK
26 Martha Lane Fox

UK digital champion, and non-executive director Marks & Spencer and Mydeco.com
27 Michael Ross

Co-founder, eCommera
28 Angela Ahrendts

Chief executive, Burberry
29 Jonathon Brown

Head of online, John Lewis
30 Simon Pritchard

Ecommerce director, Arcadia Group
31 Sarah Curran

Founder and chief executive, My-Wardrobe
32 Tanya Lawler

Director, digital and cross channel, Sainsbury’s
33 Dave Hughes

Chief marketing officer, Game
34 Jamie Murray Wells

Founder and executive chairman, Glasses Direct
35 Dom McBrien

Multichannel trading director, Marks & Spencer
36 Miriam Lahage

European general manager of fashion, EBay
37 David Smith

Chief marketing and communications officer, IMRG
38 Robin Phillips

Ecommerce director, Waitrose
39 Rob Feldmann

UK chief executive, BrandAlley
40 Colin Temple

Managing director, Schuh
41 Martin Newman

Chief executive, Practicology
42 David Worby

Director of Harrods Direct, Harrods
43 Simon Forster

Director, Debenhams.com
44 Hiroshi Mikitani

Chairman and chief executive, Rakuten
45 Dan Lumb

Ecommerce director, Reiss
46 Mark Hodgkinson

Marketing and ecommerce director, HMV Group
47 Humphrey Cobbold

Chief executive, Wiggle
48 Alison Lancaster

Cross channel director, White Stuff
49 Nick Lansley

Head of research and development, Tesco.com
50 Carrie Longton and Justine Roberts

Founders, Mumsnet
99p Stores launches discount bra

Single-price retailer 99p Stores is offering ‘smalls’ at small prices with the launch of a bra.
All Saints full year profits plunge

All Saints profits plunged 9% to £21.5m despite soaring sales for the year ending January 2011, according to figures filed at Companies House.
Alshaya to revamp La Senza stores and product as it hires CBRE

La Senza’s new owner Alshaya will introduce new product lines and revamp stores as part of its plan to turn around the ailing lingerie brand.
Amazon profits tumble as it continues to invest

Etail giant Amazon said further investment in the business led to a 73% slump in net income in its third quarter.
Amazon’s profits hit as it focuses on long-term gains

Last week Amazon recorded a 73% fall in net profit to $63m (£39.1m) during its third quarter ended September 30 compared with the same period last year, despite sales jumping 44% to $10.88bn (£6.75bn).
Anders Holch Povlsen

Chief executive, Bestseller
Andrew Wade

Retail equities analyst, Numis Securities
Ann Summers overhauls its website

Lingerie and sex toy chain Ann Summers is overhauling its website to improve functionality.
Argos continues to drag down Home Retail as profits slump

Argos has continued to drag down the performance of its parent Home Retail in the first half, as group pre-tax profit slumped 70% to £28m.
Argos launches TV shopping on Freesat

Multichannel retailer Argos’s TV shopping operation has extended its reach through a tie-up with satellite TV firm Freesat.
Arnu Misra

New business director, Asda
Asda £5 'thank you' offer hailed a success as Morrisons enters Christmas price war fray

Asda’s £5 ‘thank you’ offer that it launched two weeks ago has driven 1 million customers to its Asda Price Guarantee (APG) website.
Asda partners with cookery school Leiths

Asda has partnered with Leiths School of Food and Wine to create and develop its entire Extra Special food range.
Asda teams up with Farmfoods for Iceland bid

Asda has teamed up with the Scottish frozen supermarket chain Farmfoods in its £1.4bn bid for Iceland, it is understood.
Aurora-backed Bastyan brand to open pop-up store

Contemporary womenswear label Bastyan, which is backed by Coast, Warehouse and Oasis owner Aurora Fashions, is to open a pop-up store.
B&Q's oldest employee retires

We’re all going to have to work for longer in years to come, but hopefully not as long as B&Q’s oldest employee Syd Prior who has decided to finally hang up his apron at the age of 96.
Behind the story: September's official retail stats

They may have been less bad than they could have been but no-one will be popping champagne corks following the release of the official September sales figures by the ONS this morning.
Best Buy UK big box stores to shut

Electricals group Best Buy is to close its big boxes in the UK and partner Carphone Warehouse’s will instead focus on developing its ‘connected world’ store model.
Blacks made to look a gift horse in the mouth

Will nobody give poor Blacks a break?
Booths reveals flat sales as trading conditions remain tough

Booths pretax profit rose 7.2% to £8.2m in the year to April 2, however sales were flat and the upmarket northern grocer said current trading has remained tough.
Boots to launch more premium own brand products

Health and beauty retail giant Boots is to introduce new premium ranges of own-brand products to compete with established brands in the market.
BRC calls on Chancellor to tackle 2012 business rates in pre-Budget statement

Chancellor George Osborne must address significant business rate increases, retail jobs and improving access to overseas markets in his Autumn statement, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has urged.
BrightHouse profits up 22% in first half

Rent-to-own electricals and furniture retailer BrightHouse has revealed EBITDA rocketed 21.8% to £20.7m in its first half.
Burberry bolsters senior management team

Luxury retailer and brand Burberry has bolstered its senior management team with the creation of the roles of senior role vice-president, customer insight, and chief technology officer.
Carrefour-Marinopoulos appoints Jerome Loubere as managing director

Carrefour-Marinopoulos has appointed Jerome Loubere as its managing director to succeed Patrice Lespagnol, who was appointed last May.Loubere held the position between 2004 and 2008 but was then made general manager of the Marinopoulos Group in the Balkan region.The retailer believes Loubere’s experience and knowledge will help it to “better understand the consumers in Greece and thus to strengthen its leading position in the Greek market”.
Cheshire: Kingfisher wants 100 stores in Turkey

Kingfisher chief executive Ian Cheshire has said the company plans to open 100 stores in Turkey, saying the country is “one of our big growth opportunities for the future.”
Christmas spending set to slump

Christmas is unlikely to bring much relief to hard-pressed retailer with spending set to slump this year.
Consumer confidence falls in October

Consumer confidence slipped in October to one of its lowest ever levels.
Consumer slowdown is accelerating change

Sitting in a top fashion retailer’s office on Tuesday with the air-conditioning turned up to full blast, it wasn’t hard to see why selling clothes is hard at the moment.
Countrywide ‘For the Country Wise’

Rural specialist Countrywide launched its first TV ad last week to run throughout November.
Crate & Barrel puts UK store plans on hold

American homewares retailer Crate & Barrel has frozen plans to expand into the UK due to concern about current European economic climate, it is understood.
David Beckham appointed Sainsbury's ambassador

David Beckham has been appointed as an ambassador for Sainsbury’s, with the aim of helping to inspire children to be healthier and more active.
Debenhams launches home catalogue to boost online sales

Debenhams has published a catalogue featuring homewares and furnishings for the first time to help drive online sales.
Debenhams updates the military look

Trafalgar Square’s famous landmarks got a makeover thanks to Debenhams last week at the launch of its virtual pop-up store.
Decrease in revenue at DIY retailer Praktiker

DIY retailer Praktiker has revealed revenues dropped 7% to E844m (£735m) for the third quarter ended September 30.Like-for-like sales were also down 7%, while revenues of the Praktiker banner in Germany fell 9%. However, its domestic Max Bahr banner reported revenues increased by 3%. International revenues continued to decline, particularly in Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey by 17%, 15% and 21% respectively.Praktiker also suffered negative third-quarter EBIT of E10m (£8.7m) resulti
DFS profits rise 11.4% as sales slip

Sofas giant DFS has revealed full-year EBITDA growth of 11.4% to £80m in a “very challenging” big ticket environment.
Directory sales power third quarter sales growth at Next

A strong third quarter performance from Next’s Directory business helped compensate for weak store sales and full-year profits are expected to be up.
Do pure-play etailers need stores?

Traditional retailers have long grappled with multichannel strategies, but now it is etailers considering whether they need a bricks-and-mortar presence to compete. Rebecca Thomson reports.
Ecommerce faces rapid change and rising challenges

It takes extraordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things, and the successful individuals profiled in this year’s Retail Week Etail Power List, have all achieved outstanding results. I’m delighted to congratulate them all.
Edwin Booth

The fifth generation of his family to run the eponymous business, the Booths chairman is looking to future expansion. Gemma Goldfingle reports.
Etail gets bigger and better in 2011

Congratulations to everyone who has made it into our second Retail Week Etail Power List.
First M&S Food on the Move store to be trialled in London

Standalone shop will sell hot and cold food from the retailer’s existing ranges targeted at commuters.
First-half sales edge up at Boots

Health and beauty powerhouse Alliance Boots is on track to meet its financial targets this year despite tough trading conditions.
Flying Brands completes refinancing as sales plunge

Home shopping retailer Flying Brands has completed a refinancing as its sales plunge.
Former Marks and Spencer man Sheen to head up Gatwick Airport retail team

Former Marks and Spencer head of retail operations and property Spencer Sheen has flown to Gatwick Airport to take on its newly created head of retail role.
Game launches new payment system to capture digital spend

Game has launched a new way of paying for its products as it aims to capture share in the digital games market.
Gavin Sathianathan

Strategic partner manager, Facebook
Go Outdoors CFO David Hanney to exit

Go Outdoors has suffered another high profile departure as chief financial officer David Hanney prepares to exit next year.
Going for glamour

The department store has repositioned its beauty hall at Manchester Exchange Square, upping the glamour stakes. John Ryan visits.
Government launches consumer information initiative

A number of retailers are in talks to sign up to a Government-backed initiative designed to stimulate innovation and growth by sharing information with consumers about their buying and spending habits.
Grocers eye Iceland as first round bids deadline passes

Grocers Morrisons and Asda have expressed interest in acquiring frozen foods chain Iceland as the deadline for first-round bids passes.
Hard times for Frozen Value

Back in May we noted that the four leading frozen food specialists had collectively been outperforming the wider supermarket sector.
Harriet Williams

Head of digital development, Debenhams
HMV launches first TV ad dedicated to tech products

HMV has launched its first TV ad dedicated to its expanded technology offer, which it is rolling out across it stores as it fights declining sales in its core products.
Hobbs profits soar on record sales

Upmarket womenswear retailer Hobbs’ pre-tax profits soared 137% on record sales in the year to January 29.
How can I plan for point of sale problems?

I need to better plan for possible problems with our points of sale. What can I do to safeguard against it being down?
Iceland bids fall short of asking price

First round bids for Iceland are thought to have fallen short of the £1.5bn asking price.
In focus: Frozen Value

The northern-based frozen food specialist has struggled to capitalise on customers trading down.
In for a pound

Poundland’s popularity has continued to grow thanks to the appeal of its single-price point and broad product range, and now boss Jim McCarthy plans to attract web customers too. By Tiffany Holland.
In pictures: Darth Vader to star in Dixons ads

Electricals group Dixons is to reprise its Star Wars-themed TV advertising , this time featuring arch-villain Darth Vader.
In pictures: First look at Austin Reed's Regent Street flagship

Menswear retailer Austin Reed has opened its new flagship store on Regent Street, which chief executive Nick Hollingworth described as a “stake in the ground” and representative of the future of the fashion retailer.
In pictures: Foyles opens Westfield Stratford City store

Bookseller Foyles has opened the doors of its Westfield Stratford City store, showcasing a design which celebrates books by using them within its structure.
In Pictures: House of Fraser.com, Aberdeen, opens today

House of Fraser has revealed pictures of its click and collect store, House of Fraser.com, which opened today in Aberdeen’s Union Square shopping centre.
In pictures: Retail Week Etail Power List 2011

Retail Week was at the ICA in London to launch the Etail Power List 2011, to annouce the 50 most powerful people in online retail.
Is my trademark protected online?

What are my rights when it comes to internet sites selling counterfeit goods bearing my trademark?
It’s hard to imagine a time when we didn’t shop online

Congratulations to all the members of the Retail Week Etail Power List 2011 who, collectively, are making history and redefining the future of online retail.
Jeremy Fennell

Ecommerce director, Dixons Retail
Jessica Brown

Head of fashion, Amazon
JJB targets women with new ranges and fitness classes as losses widen

Struggling sportswear retailer JJB is aiming to target women as part of its turnaround plan as its losses widen further.
Joanna Robb

Head of multichannel development and strategy, B&Q
Job changes
John Lewis in "Made in UK" product push

John Lewis is to push British-sourced products in its stores to support UK manufacturing.
John Lewis sales up as shoppers feel festive

John Lewis sales rose 9.9% to £62.6m last week as it clocked up the best performance of the half.
John Lewis to open smaller format store in York

John Lewis has revealed plans to open another smaller format department store, in York.
John Lovering board appointment sparks speculation over Peacocks

Serial dealmaker John Lovering has joined the board of Peacocks owner Henson No 1, sparking speculation that he will exert a powerful influence over the embattled value retailer.
Justin Farrington Smith

Justin Farrington Smith Managing director, QD Stores Group
Kesko appoints Arja Talma

Grocery and general merchandise retailer Kesko has appointed Arja Talma as president of Rautakesko and corporate management board member responsible for Kesko’s building and home improvement trade. Talma has been Kesko’s chief financial officer since 2005 after joining the company in 2004.Minna Kurunsaari has been named corporate management board member for the home and speciality goods trade from December 1.
Laying the retail foundations

Oxford Summer School’s new course is set to be the starting point for tomorrow’s retail leaders.
London Olympics will 'keep tourists away'

London could see a dramatic fall in the number of tourists visiting the City during the 2012 Olympics, shattering any hopes retailers may have had for a boost in the lead up to the event.
Losses widen at Austin Reed

Losses have widened at menswear retailer Austin Reed despite sales growing.
M&S steady in rough seas

Amid renewed economic gloom and relentlessly downbeat consumer sentiment, next week brings a chance to gauge the sector’s temperature as some of retail’s biggest beasts report.
Marks & Spencer on the Move

News that M&S is to open a food on the move outlet this week is interesting but what are its chance of success?
Matalan's credit rating downgraded

Matalan’s credit rating was downgraded by Standard & Poor on Tuesday, with one debt facility cut to ‘junk’ status, it is understood.
M-commerce sales to reach £2.5bn by 2016

Mobile retail is expected to grow by 42% per year for the next five years to be worth £2.5bn by 2016.
Metro (Canada) enters into partnership agreement with Marché Adonis

Metro (Canada) has entered into a partnership agreement with Montreal ethnic food retailer Marché Adonis. Metro now holds a 55% stake in both Marché Adonis, which specialises in fresh and Mediterranean products and prepared meals, and its distributor sister company Phoenicia Products.Marché Adonis’ founders have retained a 45% interest and will continue to manage both companies. The transaction includes all four Adonis stores, three of which are located in Montreal and one in Laval, al
Mohamed al-Fayed

Owner, Cocosa
Monsoon hit by another management departure

Womenswear retailer Monsoon Accessorize is to suffer another management departure.
More bad news from Carpetright as sales continue to fall

Carpetright has announced a 5.2% fall in second quarter sales, and warned that full-year profits will come in at “the lower end of current expectations.”
Mydeco.com to launch transactional site

Mydeco.com, the homewares and furniture aggregator website, is transforming itself into a fully fledged retailer when it launches a transactional site later this month, Retail Week can reveal.
My-Wardrobe hunts for chief executive as it looks to global markets

Premium etailer My-Wardrobe.com is looking for a chief executive to take the company to international markets, according to reports.
Netflix to launch in UK next year

Netflix, the on-demand film specialist, is to launch a streaming service in the UK and Republic of Ireland in 2012.
New chief at Clintons reveals recovery plan

Greetings card retailer Clintons is leading a four-pronged strategy to turn the struggling business around, including a property review that could include closing underperforming stores.
New entries
New flagship store for Hallmark

Greetings card retailer Hallmark unveiled its new flagship store in Leeds last week, showcasing its “less formal” brand positioning.
Ocado hit by delivery "blips"

Warehouse “blips” have affected deliveries by online grocer Ocado today, but the retailer insisted only a comparatively small number of shoppers have been affected.
Potential to operate stores in existing countries, says TJX

Off-price retailer TJX has said that it believes there is potential to operate 4,200 to 4,500 stores in its existing countries versus the 2,913 estimated to be in operation by the end of this financial year.The company is looking to have between 300 and 325 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland against 263 currently, 100 to 150 HomeSense stores in the UK versus 24 projected for the end of 2011 and 100
Primark in Selfridges: Selmark?

Selfridges’ decision to allow Primark into some of its stores is a win win for both retailers.
Profits plunge at JJB

Sports retailer JJB has suffered a slump in interim profits and poor second half trading has forced a re-budgeting.
Property and retail

Over the past seven years the relationship between property and retail has improved and some stunning schemes have been built. But there remains much more to do.
Property pipeline

The opening of Parkway in Newbury a week ago heralds the last of the major shopping centres – at least until the economy is back on its feet
Q&A: Alliance Boots' Alex Gourlay

Retail Week speaks to Alliance Boots chief executive of health and beauty Alex Gourlay about how Boots’ retail strategy has ensured it is well-positioned to meet its targets.
Q&A: Philip Clarke, Tesco

Tesco group finance director Laurie McIlwee and group chief executive Philip Clarke faced a grilling from the press after the grocer reported its worst Christmas trading for decades today. Clarke talks the Big Price Drop, a move away from large superstores and why the retailer is not crisis. Alex Lawson reports
Republic poised for cash injection

TPG, the private equity house that owns Republic is poised to inject new cash into the fashion retailer, it is understood.
Retail sales down year-on-year, CBI reports

Retail sales fell in the year to October, the CBI Monthly Distributive Trades Survey showed, and sales volume was the lowest since May 2009.
Retail sales rise in September, but hot weather hits fashion

Retail sales rose in September, with value growth being driven by food inflation, but fashion sales volumes experienced their biggest fall for three-and-a-half years, the ONS said this morning.
Richard Houlton

Director of channels, Clarks UK & Ireland
River Island launches international shipping

Young fashion retailer River Island has introduced international shipping from its website from today (November 1).
Rob Templeman gives first speech as BRC chair

Retail could be the “engine growth for the economy” if the Government helps reduce burdensome business rate increases next year, chairman of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Rob Templeman said in his debut speech.
Rose mobile commerce venture goes live

An innovative mobile payment system fronted by Sir Stuart Rose that launches tomorrow will play a pivotal role in the development of m-commerce, the former Marks & Spencer boss has claimed.
Ruby Victor

Associate director marketing and ecommerce, Liberty
Ruth Spencer

Director of insights, loyalty and multichannel Boots UK
Sales rise at John Lewis as Christmas buying begins

Signs of early Christmas shopping were evident last week at John Lewis department stores and sister supermarket business Waitrose.
Schlecker to close inefficient stores

Drugstore operator Schlecker plans to complete the closure of inefficient stores within the next five to six months as part of its strategy to return to profit by 2012.The retailer believes the move will cut out a 7% to 9% chunk of sales revenue that it regards as unprofitable. Schlecker said it has already remodelled 200 stores.
Scottish government to bring in alcohol pricing bill

The Scottish government is preparing to introduce minimum pricing on alcohol in a bid to improve the nation’s health – a policy that some retailers believe is misguided.
Scottish Government urged to conduct impact assessment on supermarket levy

Scotland’s finance secretary John Swinney must be pushed towards a full impact assessment on proposals for a new levy on retailers selling alcohol and tobacco, the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has urged.
Sears announces launch of new digital local ad programme

Sears has announced the launch of its new digital local advert programme at Sightssearslocalad.com and Kmartlocalad.com.The sites offer shoppers current pricing and promotions as well as real-time stock checks for their local Sears or Kmart store. They also allow customers to shop by category and create item lists that can be shared via email, sent to a mobile device or printed.Members of the Shop Your Way Reward scheme will be able to view upcoming promotions, collect rewards,
Selfridges broadens its brands and appeal

Last week’s news that Primark was to open menswear concessions in Selfridges will no doubt have raised a few eyebrows.
Sharp sets out strategy as Debenhams records 10% profit increase

New Debenhams chief executive Michael Sharp has revealed his growth strategy for the department store, as he revealed full year pre-tax profit jumped 10% to £166.1m..
Sharpest fall in retail employment since 2009

Retail employment dropped by 0.8% in the third quarter of 2011, representing the steepest decline since the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Bond Pearce Retail Employment Monitor began in 2009.
Shop Direct invests £12m in Christmas marketing campaign

Shop Direct Group has invested £12m in Christmas marketing campaigns for its flagship brands.
Shop Direct to launch Very overseas as it cuts group losses

Shop Direct is to launch Very overseas as it cuts group losses to £7.8m over the past year.
Slower but not steady

The growth rate of online sales is slowing in the UK, but there are still plenty of interesting dynamics at play that are likely to revitalise many businesses, finds Joanna Perry.
Sports Direct profits jump 13.3% as sales grow

Sports Direct retail gross profit advanced 13.3% to £119m as sales thrive.
Still deals to be done despite volatility

It is no great surprise that the mergers and acquisitions environment has been getting much tougher over recent months with increasingly volatile trading conditions and darker consumer outlook – but more about that later, what has happened so far this year?
Store Twenty One launches label with Katie Price

Value retailer Store Twenty One has teamed up with model Katie Price to create a new label called Katie’s Boutique.
Store Twenty One to push trend-led fashion

Value clothing and homewares retailer Store Twenty One is to further increase its fashionability after its trendier lines helped it bounce back into the black.
Struggling Clintons suffers profit plunge

Greetings card retailer Clinton Cards has suffered a slide in full-year profits but is embarking on a turnaround programme and has agreed a credit extension with lenders.
Surrey Quays Shopping Centre 100,000 sqft extension plans

The owners of Surrey Quays Shopping Centre in south east London have submitted an application to extend the centre by 100,000 sq ft.
Tesco sets up emergency hubs in wake of Thai floods

Supermarket group Tesco has had to shut some of its stores in Thailand because of flooding affecting the country, and the retailer is helping with the relief effort.
Tesco to make redundancies in fashion department

Tesco is set to make redundancies within its fashion merchandising team following a recent drop in general merchandise sales.
The Hut FD quits after float scrapped

The Hut’s finance director has exited the online retailer after it scrapped plans for a flotation this year.
The Range revamps website

Furniture and homewares retailer The Range has revamped its website to simplify the buying process.
Tim Bunting, Mark Evans and Dharmash Mistry

Partners, Balderton Capital
Time for a guild of retailers

We must unite to create a professional association to raise retail’s status, says Ian Cheshire.
Tom Allason

Founder, Shutl
Top Toys for Christmas revealed

A boardgame called Doggie Doo and a tablet computer for kids are among the top toy picks predicted by toys retailer The Entertainer.
Topshop to launch mobile site as mobile sales climb

Topshop is to launch an app and mobile optimised site in the coming months as mobile becomes an increasingly important channel for retailers.
Topshop, Santiago, Chile

There’s been a lot of news recently about Topshop beaming down in Chicago, but putting the US to one side for a moment, what about Chile?
Tough Christmas ahead for retailers as consumer confidence remains low

Retailers are “braced for a difficult Christmas” after a marginal increase in consumer confidence in the third quarter.
Toys R Us suffers year-end profit slump

Specialist retailer Toys R Us suffered a profit plunge of 27.1% last year.
UK families £15 a week worse off in September

UK families were £15 a week worse off in September according to the Asda Income Tracker, representing the biggest drop since records began.
Uncertain outlook knocks retailers hard

General retailers had a bad week as their stocks declined by twice as much as the wider market, which took a knock as the eurozone crisis dragged on and pundits argued over the UK’s economic prospects.
Uncharitable me

Saying there should be fewer charity shops is viewed a bit like taking sweets from children or not giving up your seat to an old lady on the bus. But Mary Portas is right that too many of them can be a bad thing.
Urban Outfitters removes 'Navajo' name following Native American tribe complaints

US lifestyle retailer Urban Outfitters has removed the word ‘Navajo’ from product names on its website following complaints.
Video: Arsenal reveals Generation Game-inspired Christmas online ad

Arsenal has had a bit of fun in the lead up to Christmas, producing an online ad starring football aces Kieran Gibbs, Andrey Arshavin and Yossi Benayoun.
Video: Boots celebrates 'super hero' women with 'Here come the girls' ad campaign

Here come the ‘super hero’ girls in Boots’ latest Christmas TV ad campaign, celebrating women’s ability to multi-task over the festive period.
Waitrose launches loyalty card

Waitrose has launched a loyalty card to reward customers and get a greater insight into their shopping habits.
Walmart to shut apparel office in New York

Walmart is to shut its apparel office in New York to reduce costs and concentrate on more basic clothing.The office has about 275 workers in areas including product development and buying. These functions will be transferred to Walmart’s home town of Bentonville, Arkansas by February next year.Walmart US chief executive Bill Simon announced the retailer would go back to basics following improved sales of socks, jeans and underwear and its failed attempts to attract more fashion-
Warm weather hits John Lewis half-term sales

Sales at John Lewis fell in the week to 29 October, with takings down in all but one store and much slower growth from the website.
Warren Bennett and David Hathiramani

Co-founders, A Suit That Fits
Watch this space

Kiddicare’s bold plans for 12 superstores are a blueprint for the future of multichannel retail.
Woolworths reports overall sales increase

Woolworths’ overall sales for the first quarter of 2011 were up 4.9% to AUD14.6bn (£9.6bn). Net sales at its supermarket division including fuel grew 5.8% to AUD12.56bn (£8.27bn), bolstered by a 17% rise in revenue from fuel.Its Australian food and liquor sales increased 4.4% compared with the same period last year.

Retail WeekNovember 4 2011

Retail Week
November 4 2011