All International articles – Page 256
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NewsIBM to run Carrefour's IT systems in France
International retail giant Carrefour has signed a €180m (£155m) agreement with IBM, that will see the technology services provider take over the transformation, management and maintenance of Carrefour’s IT infrastructure and applications in France.
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OpinionNow the UK needs a ban on upward-only rent reviews
There hasn’t been much cheer coming out of Ireland over the last year, but the news that upward-only rent reviews have been banned in the Republic of Ireland will definitely have heartened retailers with stores there.
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NewsFirst overseas Matalan store opens
Matalan opened its first store outside the UK last week, in Amman, Jordan.
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NewsClem Constantine takes over as Marks & Spencer international boss
Marks & Spencer property director Clem Constantine has assumed responsibility for the retailer’s international division.
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X5 Retail to slash prices after Vladimir Putin visit
X5 Retail is slashing prices after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin scolded its bosses on a visit to one of its Perekryostok supermarkets.Putin said the retailer, which is Russia’s biggest grocer, was charging too much for sausages and meat in front of astounded shoppers. X5 has since announced a “grand Sale”, ...
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Retail sales drop in Japan again
The country’s retail sales dropped 2.8 per cent in May – the ninth consecutive monthly slip. Analysts had forecast a 2.6 per cent decline. Falling wages and rising unemployment have resulted in consumers tightening their purse strings. The jobless rate rose to 5 per cent in April – the highest ...
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Auchan to undergo restructuring
Auchan is to undergo a restructuring affecting 1,400 jobs up to 2012, according to French press reports.There will be 2,500 jobs created in a distribution project but jobs will be cut in its 116 hypermarkets and logistics operations.Separately, the retailer said it will develop new offers, such as a shopping ...
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Brian Dunn officially takes up Best Buy chief executive role
Brian Dunn has officially taken up the position of chief executive of Best Buy. Dunn, a 24-year veteran of the consumer electronics retailer, had been the president and chief operating officer. He succeeds Brad Anderson, who served as Best Buy’s vice-chairman and chief executive for seven years.Dunn joined Best Buy ...
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NewsCastorama holds firm as French DIY sector shrinks
Castorama holds firm as French DIY sector shrinks
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Meijer to test a smaller format grocers in Chicago suburb
Meijer is to test a smaller format grocery-focused shop in the Chicago suburb of Niles.The 102,000 sq ft shop is about half the size of most Meijer supercentres and will open in the first quarter of 2010. Alongside grocery, it will also have a pharmacy and some general merchandise. The ...
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Colruyt’s pre-tax profits rise
Discount grocer Colruyt’s pre-tax profits rose 8 per cent to €549m (£467m) in the year to March 31, missing forecasts of €559m (£475m). Total sales increased 11.2 per cent to E6.3bn (£5.35bn), in line with forecasts.The retailer said: “Despite the economic crisis the Colruyt Group continues to invest in future ...
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GalleryStore of the week: Esprit, Stockholm
Trying to get shoppers into your store when you’re positioned on the third floor of a glass and steel tower block is probably a matter of having a very substantial shout. In the pedestrianised Drottninggattan area of Stockholm, fashion retailer Esprit has overcome this by making a feature of the ...
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Sobeys reveals net profit hike
Grocer Sobeys has revealed a net profit hike of 21.1 per cent to C$226m (£118m) in the year to May 2.Like-for-like sales increased 5.2 per cent while total sales climbed 7.2 per cent to C$14.76bn (£7.7bn) as a result of new stores and extensions, as well as sales and ...
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Pre-tax profits rise at H&M
Pre-tax profits at H&M rose 6 per cent to Skr5.78bn (£452.9m) in the second quarter to the end of May. Sales excluding VAT soared 23 per cent to Skr26.5bn (£2.1bn), an 8 per cent increase in local currencies and a decline of 2 per cent on a like-for-like basis.Gross margins ...
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Wesfarmers sells shops and supermarkets
Wesfarmers has sold 45 of its Coles supermarkets and eight Liquorland shops to independent grocer FoodWorks.The deal will reduce Wesfarmers’ costs and allow it to invest in other Coles stores. FoodWorks, which now has 750 Australian stores, paid around Aus$35m (£17m).The shops sold generated a combined annual turnover of around ...
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NewsCrabtree & Evelyn files for bankruptcy protection in the US
The US arm of Crabtree & Evelyn has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
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NewsKmart cuts prices for the unemployed
US retailer Kmart has launched a money-off programme for the jobless in its original home state of Michigan.
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NewsEuropean Union approves state loan for Arcandor
The European Union has given approval for the German state to loan insolvent retailer Arcandor €50m (£43m).
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NewsTesco refutes global trade union claims
Tesco has refuted claims from an international trade union which criticised the grocer’s employment practices in some of its overseas markets.
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NewsMamas & Papas unveils Japanese expansion deal
Maternity specialist Mamas & Papas is to launch in Japan after striking a distribution deal with local nursery goods group Pigeon Corporation.