Retail Week
September 9 2011
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Dollar General launches ecommerce site
Discount retailer Dollar General has launched an ecommerce site to allow it to reach customers outside its 35-state market. It offers both brand name and private label merchandise, including health and beauty products, cleaning supplies, baby items, toys, holiday merchandise, home decor, stationery and snacks. The site also has online-exclusive items, which will not be available in-store. -
Uniqlo to open its largest global flagship store
Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo, owned by Fast Retailing, is to open its largest global flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York on October 14. This will be followed one week later by a similar store on 34th Street, New York on October 21. The retailer opened its first global flagship store in the US in New York’s SoHo district in 2006, and in London in 2007, Paris in 2009 and Shanghai and Osaka in 2010. It will also open in Taipei in September 2011. -
99p Stores secures £20m banking facility to double size of business
99p Stores is gunning to double the size of its business and has secured a £20m extended banking facility with Barclays Corporate as its first two Irish stores open today. -
A golden opportunity
With Westfield Stratford City on the doorstep of the Olympic Park and set to be a major destination for athletes and spectators alike at Games-time, east London is at the start of an exciting new journey. -
Acting on impulse
What constitutes impulse shopping? Is it just as prevalent at a time when budgets are tight? Charlotte Hardie finds out how retailers can boost the number of products bought on a whim -
Alexon calls in KPMG to advise on restructuring options
Alexon Group has appointed KPMG to advise on its restructuring options. -
Amazon launches new front in fulfilment war
Etail giant makes physical debut with lockers in London shopping centre -
Ann Summers teams up with TOWIE to launch first TV ad campaign
Lingerie specialist Ann Summers is to launch its first television campaign teaming with reality programme The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE). -
Are you being served?
Customers increasingly want to serve themselves rather than wait in a queue, but they expect fast, reliable systems. Alison Clements looks at whether self-service technology is meeting their expectations -
Asda makes two promotions to strengthen its board
Asda has made two promotions to its board. -
Auchan posts consolidated revenue increase
Auchan has posted a 5.8% increase in consolidated revenue, excluding fuel, to E21.2bn (£18.6bn) for the first half of 2011. Like-for-like sales were up 1.3%. Revenue trends varied, however, by country. In France Auchan delivered a revenue increase of 3.3%. Sales from the retailer’s other Western European markets fell 0.8%. In contrast, revenue in Central and Eastern Europe, and in Asia continued to grow sharply, rising by 16.8%. -
Aurora gets closer to self-checkout as it trials mobile payment in shops
Aurora Fashions is trialling mobile payment in eight shops in a move towards potentially offering self-checkout. -
B&Q hires from within as it makes two board appointments
B&Q has made two board appointments as director of store operations Damian McGloughlin is promoted to operations director and trade director Ian Herrett moves into the newly-created role of business development manager. -
Bank holiday boosts John Lewis weekly sales
Shoppers turned out in force over the August bank holiday, enabling department store chain John Lewis to generate sales up 7.1% to £61.1m. -
Boden profits surge 13% in 2010
Home shopping giant Boden like-for-likes grew 5% in first half of the year as it reports a profit surge in 2010. -
Booths refinances for store expansion
North-west grocer Booths has refinanced its £56m debt facility and extended its credit by a further £37m to support expansion. -
Breaking the mould
Plans to regenerate the Stratford City site have been a long time coming and with the Olympics round the corner, Tim Danaher explains why the retail industry has confidence in the scheme -
Building an infrastructure for international trading
Building an infrastructure for international trading is a challenge. Glynn Davis looks at how it should be done -
Can cloud computing help save money?
As IT budgets come under ever greater strain, Jessica Twentyman asks if cloud computing can really help save money -
Canadian Blockbuster closes its remaining stores
Blockbuster in Canada, which went into receivership in May, is to shut down all its remaining stores after failing to find a suitable purchaser. This follows the disposal of 140 stores earlier in the year. Blockbuster is now winding down the video store’s operations and closing the remaining 253 stores. -
Carpetright appoints Darren Shapland to its board
Carpetright has appointed former Sainsbury’s director Darren Shapland to the board as an independent non-executive director. -
Cencosud launches virtual shopping system
Cencosud has launched Jumbo Mobile, a virtual shopping system located in Santiago’s underground rail network. The initiative will allow underground passengers to access more than 100 items via virtual shopping aisles by scanning in the QR codes using their mobile phones. The system will initially be available at the Escuela Militar and Universidad de Chile stations, and is designed to allow customers to use their commuting time to make top-up purchases. -
Debenhams’ profit forecast slashed
Debenhams’ new chief executive Michael Sharp, who took over on Monday, would have hoped for a better City start to his tenure. -
Directors incentivised to turn round JJB’s fortunes
JJB directors are to be incentivised with a reward scheme that would result in them winning as much as £73.5m in shares if they succeed in turning around the fortunes of the sports retailer. -
Dobbies recruits operations director
Tesco-owned garden centre group Dobbies has hired Michael Hughes, former general manager of operations for Australian grocer Coles, to help drive its business. -
Doubts emerge over Comet sale
The sale of electricals retailer Comet looks increasingly unlikely to go ahead as it understood the two remaining potential bidders are seeking a dowry in the region of £150m-£200m. -
Exiting international markets
Tesco’s retreat from Japan is further evidence of how hard it is to grow businesses in the country -
Franchises to guide Thorntons’ future
Thorntons wants to maintain a presence in locations where it shuts its company-owned stores via franchise partnerships. -
Great expectations
It’s not an easy time for retailers, and by proxy it’s a particularly challenging time for retail IT directors. -
Grim outlook for Alexon after profit warning
Brokers warned of an increasingly difficult outlook for fashion group Alexon after the retailer issued another profit warning. -
Harsh trading conditions prompt redundancies at Arcadia
Fashion giant Arcadia expects to make redundancies at its head office to improve efficiency and make best use of resources in tough trading conditions, but the retailer will continue to invest in growth. -
HMV confident of turnaround despite sales fall
Entertainment specialist HMV has posted a like-for-like sales fall of 15.1% in the first quarter but insisted that measures being taken to improve the business are bearing fruit. -
How can I protect my business against late payments?
I’m finding that many of our bills are being paid up to a month late. How can I protect my business against late payments? -
Ikea lets Aussie blokes have a play in Manland
Ikea in Australia has come up with a novel idea of keeping men happy when they’re out shopping with their partners. -
In focus: Uniqlo
Uniqlo UK is the main European component of Fast Retailing, Japan’s casualwear phenomenon of the 1990s that broke its domestic market mould by sourcing from China, working closely with a handful of suppliers to wow the Japanese with low price but good quality clothing. -
In pictures: First look at Westfield Stratford City
Westfield Stratford City opened to hordes of shoppers on 13 September 2011. -
In pictures: M&S shows off first new-look store
Marks & Spencer has unveiled the first in-store changes initiated by chief executive Marc Bolland designed to better present brands, showcase the retailer’s exclusivity and make stores more easily shoppable. -
In pictures: Retail Week Rising Stars Awards 2011
Last night’s Retail Week Rising Stars awards showcased the brightest and best of upcoming talent in the industry. -
In pictures: The Retail Week Supply Chain Awards
Judged by the industry’s leading experts, these new awards are dedicated to the retail supply chain network, but who was nominated and which companies snagged the top prizes? -
In pictures: Waitrose opens first Food, Fashion & Home store
Waitrose opened its first Food, Fashion & Home store this morning at its revamped Canary Wharf shop. -
In pictures: Westfield Stratford City to showcase new store formats
Westfield Stratford City is to open next Tuesday with department store John Lewis – opening the doors to its 260,000 sq ft store – as one of the complex’s main anchors. -
Intermarché launches new marketing campaign
Independent grocery chain Intermarché has launched a marketing campaign that offers to refund the price difference on 250 brands if customers find them cheaper at rival stores. The campaign began at the end of August in time for the back-to-school and back-to-work period in France, and will run for a month. -
Investor worry grows as trading stays tough
Grocers, led by Tesco, bucked a gloomy market, but it was a poor week for general retailers as investors continued to wring their hands about general prospects, not helped when fashion group Alexon warned on profits. -
Jessops confident as it posts full-year figures
Cameras specialist Jessops posted a gross profit of £87.7m last year and is confident of renewal of banking facilities in November. -
Jim Sinegal to step down from chief executive role at Costco
Warehouse club operator Costco revealed that Jim Sinegal will step down from his role as chief executive on January 1, 2012. He founded the company with Jeff Brotman, currently chairman of the board, in 1983. Sinegal will be succeeded by Craig Jelinek, who at present serves as president and chief operating officer. In February 2010, the board of directors established an office of the president to co-ordinate important company matters. Jelinek and Sinegal have worked together in this office al -
Joint venture between Woolworths and Lowe’s opens
Woolworths and US DIY retailer Lowe’s have opened their first store in Melbourne, Australia. The joint venture is a 145,315 sq ft hardware warehouse, and is the result of three years of planning. The store represents Lowe’s first foray outside North America and is the first joint venture of this kind for the firm. The companies plan to open about 15 to 20 stores in the first 18 months, with the -
Justin King: Retail’s role in rebuilding
Big retailers can make a real difference in communities hit by the riots, says Justin King -
Kew unveils store revamp
Jigsaw sister brand Kew 159 has unveiled the first of its revamped stores under its new fascia in London’s Kensington High Street. -
Kingfisher to expand in Russia
Kingfisher is to invest £150m expanding its presence in Russia. -
Kingfisher turns the page
The collapses of furniture retailers such as Floors2Go in the last month served to show that the furniture and home sectors are in a run-down state – a verdict reinforced by the BRC retail sales data this week. -
Larry Meyer
Chief executive, Forever 21 -
Laura Ashley half year profits soar 28%
Laura Ashley half year profits surged 28% making the retailer confident about prospects despite the punishing trading environment. -
Legislate to revive empty shops, says Portas
High street tsar Mary Portas will recommend legislation to force landlords and banks to be more flexible about bringing empty shops back into use, she said this week. -
Like-for-likes slide 7% at Dixons
Electricals group Dixons, owner of Currys and PC World, has posted a 7% fall in group like-for-like sales but will meet full-year profit expectations -
London's vacancy rates fall again
London remains a “shining beacon” amongst the gloomy performance in the UK retail market according to property firm Colliers International. -
Marks & Spencer is to invest £600m in store revamps
Marks & Spencer is to invested £600m into revamping its stores. -
Matalan to trial management scheme
Value fashion and homewares group Matalan is to launch a bespoke training scheme to ensure all its retail managers are trained to a standardised level. -
Michael Sharp
After almost 15 years at Debenhams the new chief executive is well placed to pick up where Rob Templeman left off. George MacDonald reports -
Morrisons hires Apple director to lead online food launch
Morrisons has hired a digital heavy-hitter from Apple to lead its online food launch as it takes its next steps into etailing. -
Morrisons hires head for its new asset management team
Morrisons has hired former LaSalle Investment Management fund manager Charles McKendrick to head up its newly created asset management team. -
Morrisons to combine store trials in two test shops
Morrisons is to combine the trials it is running on fresh food and space allocation at stores in St Albans and Wrexham. -
Multichannel is trumping pure-plays, says Browett
Big electricals brands are increasingly offering multichannel retailers preferential terms over pure-play etailers, Dixons boss John Browett has revealed. -
MyDeco gets backing of Groupon investor
MyDeco.com, set up by LastMinute.com co-founder Brent Hoberman, has been boosted by investment from eVenture Capital Partners, a backer of Groupon. -
Net-a-Porter makes first bricks-and-mortar move with pop up interactive shop
Luxury fashion etailer Net-a-Porter.com made its first move into bricks-and-mortar last night with an augmented reality pop-up window shop. -
New Look to streamline its store portfolio after review
Fast-fashion retailer to ‘hone’ estate by closing 10% of its stores and bringing in new concessions -
Next sows new seeds of growth
Its foray into diversification may have faltered in the 1980s, but Next’s latest move into garden and home may be on the money. By Gemma Goldfingle -
Not On The High Street raids Amazon for new COO
Notonthehighstreet.com has hired three new senior managers from online giants Amazon, Google and Paypal. -
Pick n Pay to invest in Sub-Saharan operations
Grocery retailer Pick n Pay has confirmed it will use the Aus$215m (£141m) generated from the sale of Franklins in Australia to invest in its Sub-Saharan operations. The retailer will focus on growth, customer loyalty and improved distribution. The confirmation comes two months after Walmart’s entry into South Africa, which is expected to trigger a push towards modernisation in the country’s reta -
Primark operating margins to be hit by high street discounting
Primark’s operating margin is expected to be hit slightly in its full year results after a higher level of discounting than is normal on the UK high street towards the end of the summer. -
Property firm CBRE buys niche retail agency
Property firm CB Richard Ellis has bought niche retail outfit Michael Peddar & Company. -
Re-evaluating the store
Five years ago, a typical non-food prime site retailer starting out and looking to reach its optimum market might have targeted as many as 200 sites to trade from. -
Reinventing Waitrose
Almost four months, £15m of capital expenditure and a lot of hard work later, the refurbishment of Waitrose’s Canary Wharf flagship is complete. John Ryan visited before the grand reopening -
Reliance Footprint plans store expansion
Reliance Footprint is planning to double its number of footwear stores in the next six months. The company’s chief executive Gopalakrishnan Sankar said: “We are present in 37 cities across 15 states and want to expand our business to Tier II cities in the coming years. The company has taken the franchisee route to expansion and will soon open its first franchisee store in Calicut.” -
Retail excellence will make all the difference
The 0.6% like-for-like sales decline recorded by the BRC this week was reassuringly not too bad. -
Sainsbury’s talks turkey and gets it in the neck
Sainsbury’s is taking an interesting approach to promotions in these tough economic climes. -
Sale unlikely for troubled Comet chain
Talks between Kesa and potential buyers of its troubled Comet chain had all but collapsed as Retail Week went to press, and the retailer was preparing to embark on its own turnaround plan. -
Sales slide at Argos
Argos suffered another big sales decline in its second quarter, but the retailer is confident that consumers will spend this Christmas. -
Shop price inflation slows in August
Shop price inflation slowed in August to 2.7% compared to 2.8% in July. -
Shop vacancy rates stabilise at 14.5% in 2011
Shop vacancy rates stabilised in 2011 but the gap between the best and worst performing towns widened. -
Sir Philip Green argues riots were culmination of year of civil disobedience
Sir Philip Green has said the occupation of the Fortnum & Mason store earlier this year by protesters encouraged last month’s rioters and looters. -
Sports Direct conducts strategic review for new lifestyle division
Sports Direct is carrying out a strategic review of its new acquisitions, USC and Cruise, and will unveil its plans for its newly established premium lifestyle division in December. -
Sports Direct profits dip
Sports Direct gross profits suffered a dip after sales remained flat. -
SuperGroup flagship to help brand expand product range
Superdry’s new Regent Street flagship store will allow the SuperGroup-owned brand to expand its product range, including a move into formalwear, according to chief executive Julian Dunkerton. -
SuperGroup sales continue to soar
SuperGroup sales soared 66% to £54m in its first quarter in the three months to July 31. -
Sweden’s Monki vies for a London flagship
Quirky H&M-owned girls’ clothing specialist Monki is on the hunt for a London flagship following its entry into the UK last week with its Selfridges concession. -
Tesco strikes back in JS Ulster price tussle
Tesco has gone head to head with Sainsbury’s in Northern Ireland following Sainsbury’s launch of its price guarantee scheme last month. -
The face of east London retail
As Westfield Stratford City gets away from the blocks, why have retailers chosen to be present and what are they doing to ensure that they are successful? John Ryan reports -
The Museum of Everything, Selfridges, London
This is a first for Selfridges – store windows that contain no product. -
The Oxford Summer School: A week immersed in retail
The Oxford Summer School is a once-in-a-career experience, says Tim Danaher -
The positive power of retail
After a summer of economic uncertainty and civil unrest, UK retail needs a lift. The opening of the £1.45bn Westfield Stratford City is exactly that tonic. -
The secret to being a successful founder
In 1997, Michael Dell infamously said if he was in charge of Apple he would “shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders”. -
Thorntons pre-tax profit dips after impairment charges
Thorntons has reported a dip in pre-tax profit but the chocolatier remains confident its turnaround plan will create a revitalised business. -
Top five technology innovations for retailers
What are the most important technology innovations to have hit retailers in the past few years? Sarah Butler finds out -
Topshop opens in Chicago
Fashion giant Arcadia took another step forward internationally with the opening of a flagship Topshop/Topman store on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. -
Up and running
The road to Westfield Stratford City has been a long one and owing to its unique situation, it has been more problematic than usual. But how have retailers, shopfitters and the developer dealt with creating a mega mall from scratch? John Ryan reports -
VIDEO: M&S unveils new autumn TV ads
Marks & Spencer has unveiled its new womenswear autumn TV ads which will be screened on ITV1 from tonight (September 7). -
Waitrose to trial convenience shops at Shell petrol stations
Waitrose is to trial opening its Little Waitrose convenience shops at Shell petrol stations. -
Walltastic serenades directors
It can be hard getting yourself noticed as a supplier. -
Waterstone's to launch e-reader
Bookseller Waterstone’s intends to launch an e-reader next year, managing director James Daunt has revealed. -
What it’s like to work at L’Occitane
The inside view from HR director Chris McManus -
What must be removed from premises to give vacant possession?
We have served a notice to terminate a lease. What do I have to remove from the premises in order to give vacant possession? -
Which retailers are capitalising on m-commerce?
After years of hype, momentum is building behind m-commerce. Glynn Davis finds out how retailers are capitalising on mobile -
Whistle while you work
Womenswear retailer Whistles only recently became operationally independent of former owner Aurora Fashions. Rebecca Thomson finds out how the IT team managed the transition -
Wickes sets up advice website for tradesmen
DIY retailer Wickes has launched an online advice hub for tradesmen to help improve their business skills and drive its sales. -
Will Westfield Stratford work?
It’s a tough time to open a megamall and the economic indicators are stacked against success, so has Westfield Stratford got what it takes?
