Retail Week
September 16 2011
View all stories from this issue.
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Comet deal uncertain as like-for-likes nosedive
Electricals retailer Comet suffered a 22.1% like-for-like sales plunge in its second quarter after suffering a double-whammy of harsh trading conditions and tough comparatives. -
"Retail retains a clean and unsullied image"
Do things the right way to avoid the scandals that have tainted other industries, says Neil Gillis -
A newish look for New Look
Young fashion retailer New Look has changed a few details for its Stratford store, to good effect. -
Albert Heijn launches mobile payment pilot
Albert Heijn has launched a mobile payment pilot in co-operation with Rabobank at its AH To Go outlet in the World Trade Centre, Amsterdam.Payments are triggered by scanning a barcode from a decal attached to the shopper’s phone. The system is based on Rabobank’s mobile wallet MiniTix. Customers who want to participate in the trial receive a starter pack at the store. They activate the wallet through Rabobank’s website and can load up a maximum of e300 (£257). Ahold-owned Albert Heijn -
Alexon moves forward with sale process
Troubled womenswear group Alexon has moved forward with its sale process and is considering an offer at a “significant” discount to the current share price. -
Amazon installs collection lockers in office blocks
Amazon has installed collection lockers in office blocks in London as it seeks to make deliveries more convenient. -
Amazon to launch pure-play ecommerce services
Amazon is expected to launch its pure-play ecommerce services in Spain by the end of this year. Several Spanish publishers have already signed distribution agreements with the internet retailer, but it is likely that Kindle ebooks will be introduced at a later date.Amazon.es is expected to launch with an offering including books, music, film and electronics.However, un -
Asos chairman pockets £14m in share sell-off
Asos chairman Waheed Alli has cashed in nearly half of his £30m stake in the online fashion retailer. -
Avon appoints new boss for UK and Ireland
Beauty specialist Avon has appointed a new boss for its UK and Republic of Ireland business. -
Banks call in KPMG over Peacocks debt fears
Lenders to value fashion group Peacocks have called in KPMG to conduct an independent business review as fears grow that the retailer is in danger of breaching its banking covenants. -
Bargain hunters hit Boden profitability
Boden chief executive Julian Granville has warned that its customers are being “squeezed”, proving that the middle classes are not immune to the tough climate. -
Best Buy launches online Marketplace
Electronics retailer Best Buy has launched an online Marketplace in the US.The service offers products from third-party sellers in order to expand the range of items and brands available on Bestbuy.com.Overall, Best Buy Marketplace will increase the number of products available through the company’s website by about a third. -
Blacks finance director to step down
Blacks Leisure finance director Marc Lombardo is to the leave the retailer at the end of this year. -
Boots support Macmillan charity
Hundreds of Boots colleagues, including chief executive Alex Gourlay, are donning their green wigs to trek ‘Miles for Macmillan’. -
Brenda thanked for giving rioters the brush-off
We’re delighted to report that Debenhams has managed to track down Brenda, the self-effacing pensioner who ‘delooted’ its Clapham store and helped clean up after last month’s rioting. -
Burberry hires digital marketing head
Luxury retailer Burberry has created a new role to focus on marketing across its digital platforms. -
Carrefour announces plans to operate 46 drive-in stores
Grocery giant Carrefour has announced plans to operate 46 drive-in stores in France by the end of the year, following the opening of its second drive-in store last week.Customers order their groceries online, then drive to the stores and collect the items, which have all been packed beforehand.The retailer announced it plans to open 22 drive-in stores at its hypermarkets and 24 at its supermarkets across Fr -
Complete our survey to win an iPad
Does technology matter to fashion retailing? Complete our quick survey for a chance to win an iPad. -
Co-op food boss Tim Hurrell steps down
The Co-operative Group food retail division chief executive Tim Hurrell is to step down from his role at the end of the year. -
Costcutter modernises with new store fascias
Costcutter is to introduce two new store fascias next year as part of a modernisation plan for the symbol group. -
CPI inflation rate reaches 4.5%
The rate of inflation rose to 4.5% in August from 4.4% in July as clothing prices climbed, the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) showed. -
Debenhams extends m-commerce offer
Department store group Debenhams has laid claim to being “the first on the high street to offer a complete mobile package across all mobile technologies” after launching a mobile-enabled site. -
Debenhams to beat profit expectations after strong final quarter
Department store group Debenhams expects to report profits ahead of consensus expectations after a strong finish to its financial year. -
Debenhams veteran Nigel Palmer to leave
Debenhams veteran retail operations director Nigel Palmer is to leave the department store group after almost 30 years at the business. -
Discounting hits Primark’s operating margin
Primark’s operating margin is expected to take a hit over the full year following a higher level of discounting on the UK high street towards the end of the summer. -
Dixons’ Nordic business impresses
Electricals group Dixons showed off its Nordic business, Elkjøp, last week, when it hosted an analysts’ visit in Sweden. -
DIY retailer Leroy Merlin to enter Romanian market
French DIY retailer Leroy Merlin is set to enter the Romanian market with the opening of a 183,000 sq ft store in Bucharest this month.The company has reportedly invested e6m (£5.1m) in the store, which will employ 250 staff and be managed by a team of French and Romanian staff.Leroy Merlin Romania general manager Philippe Hauville said it was the first time the company had entered such a crowded market. He said he anticipated restructuring within the DIY sector in the next five -
Does the digital age mean the end for traditional store formats?
As multichannel retailing continues to make rapid progress forwards, Ben Cooper asks if the digital age spells the end for traditional store formats? -
Dunelm profits up 9%
Dunelm has reported pre-tax profit up 9% to £83.6m in its full year results despite the challenging consumer backdrop. -
Economic recovery in jeopardy from planning system, say leading retailers
Britain’s economic recovery is being put in jeopardy by a “creaking” planning system which is frustrating investment and excluding many businesses, a group of leading retailers said. -
'Empty shelves' fear unless delivery restrictions lifted for Olympics
Industry body the BRC has expressed concern to London mayor Boris Johnson about potential transport disruption during next year’s Olympics and Paralympics which could leave store shelves empty. -
European expansion
With no new developments opening in the UK next year, many of the more expansionist retailers are looking across the Channel for growth. They will find some markets in robust form, says Mark Faithfull -
F Hinds profits slip as input costs rise
F Hinds’ profits dipped in its last financial year as the jeweller grappled with maintaining margin in the face of rising input costs. -
Fast Retailing plans Asian expansion
Fast Retailing plans to open more than 100 Uniqlo stores in Asian countries outside of Japan in the year ending August 2012. This would represent twice as many openings than in the previous fiscal year. The retailer operates approximately 160 Uniqlo stores in the region, mainly in China and South Korea.Uniqlo’s first Thai store opened this month, with two more set to open by -
French Connection sets sights on overseas growth as profits rise
Fashion group French Connection has posted a first-half profit after tax for the first time since 2008 and has flagged potential for further international expansion. -
Future retail leaders will need "new leadership skills" to meet multichannel challenges
Future retail leaders will require a new set of leadership skills in order to adapt to the changing dynamics in the fact paced industry, according to speakers at the Retail Leadership Forum. -
Gap opens first franchised Banana Republic store in Russia
Clothing retailer Gap has opened its first franchised Banana Republic store in Russia, in AfiMall City, Moscow.Gap began offering its Gap and Banana Republic products online to Russian consumers through its international online shipping provider in 2010.Fiba Holding will manage the store under Gap’s existing franchise agreement. -
General stores win out over the grocers
As hordes of shoppers flocked to the opening of Westfield Stratford City, showing that willingness to spend has not entirely evaporated, general retailers ended the week up overall. -
Google enters the store
With the long-awaited launch of its Google Wallet mobile app for contactless payment, the internet giant is trying to take a slice of store sales. -
Graduate Fashion Week appoints Rob Templeman as chairman
Former Debenhams chief executive Rob Templeman has been appointed chairman of Graduate Fashion Week, following Terry Mansfield’s decision to step down after seven years. -
Harvey Nichols Foodmarket, Liverpool
The traditional Scouse-Manc rivalry has taken a new twist since the beginning of this month, when Liverpool at last got a taste of luxury eating Harvey Nichols-style as the retailer opened a ‘Foodmarket’ on St Peter’s Lane. -
High level of promotions pushes down grocery spend
A high level of promotions has resulted in a lower average spend per visit at the big grocers, despite inflation. -
High street price increases slow fashion sales
Shoppers are finding it increasingly hard to keep up with the latest fashion trends because of increases in clothing prices. -
HMV plans for further Christmas pop-up stores
Entertainment specialist HMV is to open more pop-up shops this Christmas after last year’s success. -
Home Retail appoints managing director for Habitat
Home Retail has appointed a managing director for Habitat, the furniture brand it acquired in June, Retail Week can reveal. -
Homebase launches painting and decorating service
Homebase is to launch a painter and decorator service to cash in on Britons who prefer not to do it themselves. -
How can retailers stay relevant?
Building longevity into a brand and staying one step ahead of both demanding consumers and the competition is a constant challenge. Rebecca Thomson asks how retailers can make sure they’re still relevant and still here in years to come -
How to snare student shoppers
The half a million undergraduates preparing to start higher learning in the UK are a valuable customer group for retailers and the secret to their wallets is all in communication. Rebecca Thomson reports. -
Iceland auction hits setback
The information memorandum for the sale of Landsbanki’s share of Iceland Frozen Foods is expected to go out within the next two weeks but upheavals in the financial markets threaten to derail some bids. -
Improvement in sales continues for John Lewis
John Lewis continued its better start to September with another week of improved trading in the seven days to September 10. -
In focus: C&J Clark and Robert Dyas
What have C&J Clark and Robert Dyas in common? Apart from long histories, each has been led more recently by Roger Pedder. -
International growth crucial for ActivInstinct
Online sportswear retailer ActivInstinct is to push international growth as it aims for overseas sales to overtake domestic revenue within 18 months. -
Ireland's food retail market is a winner
Ireland’s economic woes have been well documented but in food retail it’s not all doom and gloom. -
Is a transactional Facebook store worth the investment?
Will setting up a transactional Facebook store drive loyalty to a retailer’s brand in the long term, and is it worth the investment? -
Is recycling cost effective?
We’ve looked into recycling more but it’s easier and costs the same to send all of our rubbish to landfill. Will recycling ever make sense? -
It’s time for everyone to think differently
How we can help the industry to become more resilient and collaborative, and come up with new ideas -
Jessica DeLuca Moore
Chief executive, Cult Beauty -
John Lewis posts sharp drop in operating profit amid highly competitive environment
John Lewis has posted a sharp drop in operating profit in its first half as it matched the scale of discounting on the high street with its ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ commitment and invested in the business. -
John Lewis Stratford City opens
John Lewis’ 260,000 sq ft Stratford City store has opened. -
John Lewis tweaks At Home
Department store group John Lewis has admitted its At Home stores are performing below expectations in a tough market and will tweak the format to broaden the offer. -
Joules hires Marc Lombardo as FD
Lifestyle retailer Joules has appointed Marc Lombardo as finance director, who moves from Blacks Leisure. -
Kingfisher first half profits soar
DIY giant Kingfisher group adjusted pretax profit soared 24% to £439m in the 26 weeks to July 30, with two thirds of profits coming from outside the UK. -
Laura Ashley to extend gifts category
Laura Ashley is to widen its gifts offer after customer feedback. -
Lev Khasis joins Walmart
International grocer Walmart has appointed Lev Khasis as senior vice-president and chief leverage officer.Khasis is the former chief executive of Russia’s largest retailer, X5 Retail Group. He will report directly to Doug McMillon, who heads Walmart’s international division, and will be responsible for integrating new retail acquisitions and combining purchasing across Walmart’s internatio -
Lloyds extends American Golf sale deadline
Lloyds Development Capital (LDC) is understood to have extended the timeframe for the sale of American Golf as interest from an unknown American trade buyer emerges. -
Long queues form as Westfield Stratford City open its doors
Marks & Spencer chief executive Marc Bolland opened proceedings at the new Westfield Stratford City shopping centre this morning declaring that the M&S store will “carry the torch for the best of UK retailing”. -
M&S brand to challenge rival supermarkets
Marks & Spencer’s pilot new format stores, launched this week, aim to distinguish between the identity of its fashion brands such as Per Una, Autograph and Limited as well as emphasise the uniqueness of its offer in food. -
M&S’s strongest brand is Marks & Spencer
An £8.99 jar of peaches in moscato or a £4.99 bag of pasta might sound more at home in Harrods food hall than in Stratford E15. -
Mackays beats tough conditions to post profits rise
Mackays Stores, one of the UK’s biggest privately owned clothing retailers, has posted an increase in profits despite having to cope with rising commodity prices. -
Mary’s regal retail roadshow in Rotherham
Mary Portas is touring the country on her review of the high street. Tim Danaher joins her in Rotherham for an insight into her thinking -
Morrisons and Sainsbury's winners in latest Kantar data
Morrisons and Sainsbury’s emerged as the market share winners among the big four grocers according to latest industry data, which also showed consumers buying fewer items and making more shopping trips. -
Morrisons strengthens marketing team
Morrisons has made two appointments in its marketing division to help it with initiatives such as the roll out of its convenience stores and its ‘store of the future’ formats. -
Mothercare shop collapses in Bishop Auckland
Mothercare shoppers had to be led to safety when a building containing a branch of the maternity specialist collapsed in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. -
New Look m-commerce sales rocket
Fashion retailer New Look has revealed surging sales through its m-commerce site. -
Newness is the talk of New York
Goldman Sachs’ 18th Annual Global Retailing Conference in New York last week was held against a sombre backdrop of US economic indicators: consumer confidence lowering to near recession levels; disposable incomes and unemployment both stagnating; and a stock market in decline for the fourth consecutive month. -
Next signals end of price inflation as profits rise
Fashion giant Next has reported a 8.5% rise in first-half profits and signalled an end to price inflation. -
No wonder shoppers are retreating when the news is so gloomy
Looking at a newspaper the other day, what struck me was that almost every headline included words such as “crisis”, “worst ever”, “collapse”, “dire” and so on. I’m normally a glass-half-full person but it felt as if the end of the world was truly nigh. -
Ocado sales up 19.5% but warns margins expected to be lower
Ocado has reported gross sales up 19.5% to £444.6m in the 36 weeks to August 7, but warned that investment in customer service means full year margins are likely to be slightly lower than expected. -
Online fulfilment
Amazon’s launch of collection lockers reflects the growing recognition that better fulfilment is crucial for the future of online retailing -
Online sales up 14% in August
Online sales were up 14% to £5.3bn in August as fashion drove sales. -
Play.com to be bought by Japanese investor for £25m
Entertainment etailer Play.com is on the verge of being bought by a major Japanese online investor as part of a rapid global expansion by the company. -
Priority for Olympic traffic to cause distribution headache for retailers
Retailers this week warned that transport disruption during next year’s Olympics and Paralympics could leave store shelves empty. -
Profit growth expected at Karen Millen
Premium womenswear chain Karen Millen is expected to report profits of £21m for the year to February 2011 when it publishes its annual accounts next month. -
Profit growth for Morrisons despite savvy shopper effect
Morrisons has observed the rise of the “professional” shopper in the face of the biggest hit to consumer spending power in a generation. -
Profits surge at JD Sports
JD Sports has reported pre-tax profit up 20.6% to £20.1m in the 26 weeks to July 30 despite being hit by the August riots when £700,000 worth of goods was looted from 16 stores. -
Retail Week Interiors
Read the latest issue of Retail Week Interiors as a fully digital edition. -
Retail Week Property
Read the launch issue of Retail Week Property as a fully digital edition. -
Retail Week Technology
Read the latest issue of Retail Week Technology as a fully digital edition. -
Retailers 'filling hole in Scottish Government's budget'
The Scottish Government has a “hole in its budget and has chosen the retail sector to fill it”, according to the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) -
Retailers provided over 40% of new jobs among young people in last year
Retailers provided more than 40% of all new jobs in the UK among 16 to 21 year-olds over the last 12 months, figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reveal. -
Riots cloud picture on August retail sales
The value of retail sales rose year-on-year during August but was flat month-on-month in a period when rioting disrupted trading. -
Sainsbury's launches new strapline 'Live Well For Less'
Sainsbury’s is promising customers they can ‘Live Well For Less’ after unveiling the phrase as its new strapline. -
Sales continue to fall at Argos owner Home Retail
Argos owner Home Retail’s shares fell after a second-quarter update showing a continued like-for-like sales fall at the flagship chain and deterioration in trading at stablemate Homebase. -
Scottish Government to impose levy on supermarkets
The Scottish Government is planning to increase business rates for large retailers of alcohol and tobacco in Scotland, meaning major food retailers would have to pay an extra half a billion pounds in tax over the next four years. -
Searching for new footfall drivers
A shift in the number of anchor tenants available and consumer desire for differentiation means shopping centres are searching for different footfall drivers. But Mark Faithfull questions whether the UK’s most-wanted retail tenants will look beyond the big cities and shopping centres -
Selfridges hires food executive
Selfridges has hired former Marks & Spencer executive Nicola Waller as its head of food buying and merchandising. -
Shop void rates likely to rise, BCSC warns
The number of empty stores on the high street is unlikely to fall and may rise to unprecedented levels, research published by the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC) has shown. -
Simon Thompson
Morrisons has secured a coup in recruiting a former senior figure at Apple to spearhead its online food plans. Jennifer Creevy reports -
Student fees to hit young fashion, Wolfson warns
Younger chain Lipsy to be hit as effects of debt start being felt by 16 to 22 year olds -
Tesco clothing boss Richard Jones exits
Tesco clothing boss Richard Jones has left the retailer and is understood to be taking up a role with Irish supermarket Dunnes. -
Tesco eyes Garden Centre Group
Tesco is understood to be gearing up for a bid for some or all of the Garden Centre Group. -
Tesco speculation prompts price war fears
Speculation is mounting that grocery and general merchandise giant Tesco is preparing to launch a price offensive next week, sparking concern of a new price war. -
The Entertainer profits slip after investment
Toy chain The Entertainer suffered a fall in profits last year as it invested in the business. -
The global shopping centre
Tuesday’s thronged opening of Westfield Stratford City showed that the right stores in the right locations will continue to seduce shoppers. -
The new shape of retail
These are pivotal times for the retail property world. -
The streets of San Francisco
A small area in the centre of San Francisco has all of the major US brands that characterise the country’s retail activity. They are also where US retail puts its best West Coast foot forward. By John Ryan -
Toys R Us reports net sales growth
Toy retailer Toys R Us has reported a 3% growth in net sales for the second quarter ended July 30, driven by store openings and favourable exchange rates at its overseas operations.However, like-for-like sales fell 2.2% in the US and international markets. The company widened its net loss to $34m (£21.4m) compared with $14m (£8.8m) in the second quarter of last year, which it -
UK-only lines for Forever 21
Forever 21 is to launch fashion lines exclusively for the UK. -
US homewares retailer Jonathan Adler comes to UK
US homewares retailer and designer Jonathan Adler is to open its first store outside the US in London’s Sloane Avenue at the end of this month. -
Waitrose confident for Christmas despite fall in first-half profits
Waitrose managing director Mark Price has promised to be the best performing grocer once again this Christmas and to steal further market share. -
Waitrose weekly sales up 10.7%
Waitrose has reported total sales up 10.7% in the week it reopened its flagship Canary Wharf store as its first Food, Fashion & Home shop. -
Westfield sets up warehouse near Stratford to overcome delivery restrictions
Westfield has set up a distribution centre close to its Stratford City site to help retailers overcome delivery restrictions. -
Westfield Stratford City opens
Westfield Stratford City will this morning open its doors. -
What makes a successful retail scheme?
Development largely disappeared in the wake of the recession and remains subdued. What will be the characteristics of those schemes that get off the ground? Tim Danaher reports -
White Stuff brewing up another chari-tea day
Quirky fashion chain White Stuff has brewed up another eccentric initiative as it gears up for its National Wear a Tea Cosy on Your Head Day on September 22. -
White Stuff chief exec Bailey wins Private Business Woman of the Year
White Stuff chief executive Sally Bailey has won the PwC Private Business Woman of the Year Award. -
Why leisure is becoming more important than ever
Leisure components have become embedded in the fabric of most decent-sized shopping centres but just why are restaurants, cinemas and gyms becoming more important than ever? Mark Faithfull reports -
Win a bottle of champagne with Retail Week Knowledge Bank
Have you explored the Retail Week Knowledge Bank yet? It’s a treasure trove of retail data that will help you make the best-informed business decisions. -
Woolworths confirms expansion plans
South African retailer Woolworths has confirmed it plans to expand its presence in Sub-Saharan Africa by more than doubling its store numbers on the continent. The move comes in response to Walmart’s African market entry in June.Woolworths spokesman John Fraser said: “We are now getting very -
Zara aims to use the web to crack the US market
Last week, Inditex, the world’s leading clothing specialist, launched a transactional website for its Zara chain in the US. -
Zara-owner Inditex posts 14% rise in profits in first half
Spanish clothing giant Inditex has recorded a 14% jump in profits in its half year results as it benefitted from expanding into overseas markets and growth in online sales.
