- Asda chief Andy Bond set out plans to make the workings of his business transparent and open it up to scrutiny from customers as part of a culture he called “democratic consumerism”.
- Boots and Waitrose struck a deal to sell each other’s products in their shops, and Waitrose eyed a 300- strong convenience store network.
- Amazon shook up the book market in the run-up to Christmas with the world launch of its Kindle e-reader.
- Co-op kicked off a project to roll out its EPoS system to the old Somerfield stores as part of a £25m initiative to fully integrate the businesses.
- M&S said it would review its 668-store portfolio to take account of the rise of online retail.
- Aldi was set to appoint the managing director of its Australian business to the same position in its UK operation following the departure of Paul Foley.
- Argos revealed it would revamp its brand after sales rose 1.7% in the first half of the year.
- Clinton Cards posted better than expecting full-year trading and said it wanted to grow its store base from 876 to 1,200 sites within six years.
- John Cleland - who turned around Somerfield - took a hands-on role at First Quench Retailing to facilitate radical restructuring as it teetered on the brink of administration.
- In the wake of the Royal Mail postal strikes, an ICM poll for Retail Week revealed half of shoppers would buy less online or by mail order if the strikes continued into Christmas.
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