All International articles – Page 228

  • News

    Australia’s Metcash acquires Franklins chain

    2010-07-07T16:03:00Z

    Grocer Metcash has agreed to acquire the 85-strong Franklins supermarket chain in New South Wales from South Africa-based Pick n Pay for about Aus$215m (£119m).Following the acquisition, Metcash is planning to sell the stores on to the independent IGA retailers, which it supplies as a wholesaler, with the potential ...

  • News

    Harvey Norman acquires rival Clive Peeters

    2010-07-07T16:01:00Z

    Electricals retailer Harvey Norman has announced that it has bought competitor Clive Peeters following its entry into voluntary administration after a difficult trading period.The company paid A$55m (£30.4m) for the 38 operating Clive Peeters and Rick Hart shops.The deal is expected to add between Aus$300 and Aus$400m (£166.1 and £221.5m) ...

  • News

    Amazon launches food offer in Germany

    2010-07-07T16:00:00Z

    Amazon has launched its online shop for groceries in the country, with 30,000 items, including vegetables, meat, fish and baked goods as part of the offer.The products are offered by Amazon and 60 partners with whom the retailer has teamed up. Delivery will remain the same as Amazon’s normal service ...

  • News

    Germany’s Woolworth emerges from insolvency

    2010-07-07T15:58:00Z

    Variety store operator Woolworth has formally emerged from insolvency, following its integration into the Tengelmann group. Of the formerly about 300-strong portfolio, which was reduced to 162 under administration, about 150 have now been transferred to the new owners.The group of owners consists of Tengelmann and HH Holding, the group ...

  • News

    Sligro set to take over Sanders

    2010-07-07T15:56:00Z

    Grocery wholesaler and retailer Sligro is about to take over regional supermarket operator Sanders. Sligro said it expects that an agreement will be reached on the acquisition of Sanvier, the operator of 22 Sanders supermarkets in the Twente region and a meat processing business. Both Sanders and Sligro are members ...

  • News

    Bed Bath & Beyond to spend £150m on IT and stores

    2010-07-07T15:54:00Z

    Bed Bath & Beyond has announced plans to spend $225m (£150m) on IT, new store openings and a store refresh initiative.The retailer plans to open about 55 to 60 stores across all of its concepts in fiscal 2010.Bed Bath & Beyond co-chairman Leonard Feinstein said: “We continue to work to ...

  • Hollister_NYC_5709.jpg
    News

    Hollister US flagship infested with bedbugs

    2010-07-02T10:35:00Z

    Hollister’s flagship store in New York has fallen victim to an infestation of bedbugs, leading to its closure on Wednesday.

  • International Expansion
    Opinion

    Retail surgery: What help can we get from the Government as we try to expand our business internationally?

    2010-07-02T00:00:00Z

    What help can we get from the Government as we try to expand our business internationally?

  • Roberts_Bryan_cutout.jpg
    Analysis

    Canada’s Sobeys benefits from innovative strategy

    2010-07-02T00:00:00Z

    Sobeys’ results - although by no means spectacular - are thoroughly respectable in a Canadian grocery sector that is becoming ever more competitive.

  • News

    Walgreens Q3 sales up 6.1%

    2010-07-01T09:43:00Z

    Drugstore operator Walgreens has reported $463m (£307m) net earnings for the third quarter ended May 31, down from $522m (£346.5m) in the same period of last year. Third-quarter sales increased 6.1% to a record $17.2bn (£11.41bn). Total sales in comparable stores increased 0.7%, while like-for-like store front-end sales increased 0.1%.Front-end ...

  • News

    Bed Bath & Beyond Q1 sales up 13.5%

    2010-07-01T09:41:00Z

    Bed Bath & Beyond has posted a net sales rise of 13.5% to $1.92bn (£1.27bn) for the first quarter of 2010. Like-for-like sales increased by about 8.4%. Net earnings rocketed 58% to $138m (£91.6m).During the first quarter the retailer opened two Bed Bath & Beyond stores and two Buybuy Baby ...

  • News

    Mercator drops Merkur acquisition plan

    2010-07-01T09:37:00Z

    Mercator, the country’s largest food retailer, has abandoned its plans to buy local rival Merkur due to issues with Merkur’s creditors. Last month Mercator signed a letter of intent to buy Merkur’s retail network, but Merkur’s bank creditors decided against the sale of any part of the company. Merkur, which ...

  • News

    Gap plans to open stores in China

    2010-07-01T09:35:00Z

    US retailer Gap plans to open two stores each in Beijing and Shanghai later this year and will offer online shopping in China.The fashion retailer said the store openings are part of a long-term expansion strategy that involves more stores in major regions, including Hong Kong. The China stores will ...

  • News

    Sa Sa profit up 20.6%

    2010-07-01T09:33:00Z

    Asian beauty retailer Sa Sa reported group turnover for the year ended March 31 rising 13.9% to HK$4.11bn (£350.7m). The group’s profit for the year grew 20.6% to HK$381.1m (£32.5m).In Hong Kong and Macau, the group’s turnover increased 10.3% to HK$3.29bn (£280.8m). Sales in mainland China market increased 61.3% while ...

  • News

    Chen Xiao to step down as Gome president

    2010-07-01T09:32:00Z

    Chinese electronics retailer Gome has announced that Chen Xiao is to step down as president. Xiao will remain as chairman. He has held both roles since January 2009. Wang Junzhou has been named as president.The news follows Gome’s closure of some loss-making stores in recent years.

  • News

    Galeries Lafayette opening stores in China and Indonesia

    2010-07-01T09:30:00Z

    French department store retailer Galeries Lafayette aims to open stores in China and Indonesia. The chain had already opened stores in Beijing, Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo in the 1990s but they were unprofitable and closed down.Galaries Lafayette is taking a more careful approach to Asian expansion this time and has ...

  • News

    H&M Q2 sales rocket 24%

    2010-07-01T09:28:00Z

    Clothing retailer H&M has announced its financial results for the first half ended June 22. Group net sales were up 4% to SEK51.88bn (£4.46bn), while group net profit was SEK8.95bn (£770m). Group net sales for the second quarter jumped 2% to SEK27bn (£2.32bn) and group net profit for the second ...

  • News

    Harvey Norman’s Irish losses mount

    2010-07-01T09:24:00Z

    Blaine Callard, the chief executive of Australian electronics retailer Harvey Norman’s Irish operations, has stated that the company is “not going anywhere” and would persist despite difficult trading conditions.Callard made the comments in spite of a nine-fold increase in losses last year, up to €40m (£33m). He added that the ...

  • Tesco is expected to grow by 50% to become a $146bn (£97m) business by 2014
    News

    Tesco to grow 50% by 2014, report predicts

    2010-06-29T13:52:00Z

    Supermarket group Tesco is expected to grow by 50% to become a $146bn (£97bn) business by 2014, according to Planet Retail’s 2010 Global Retail rankings.

  • Mark Price thinks Duchy Originals will have great international appeal
    News

    Waitrose to take Duchy Originals to America

    2010-06-23T09:35:00Z

    Waitrose is making its first foray into America by selling Prince Charles’ Duchy Originals in the US.