Find out which retailers are innovating in the on and offline retail space and what they are doing to keep ahead of the curve in this dynamic and highly competitive sector. Read the financials and analysis of the large multiples, the smaller chains to independent retailers, wholesalers and suppliers
Kiddicare, the online nursery and baby equipment supplier owned by Morrisons, reports it has increased sales by 20% over a four-month period by investing in IBM solutions, which have helped drive repeat purchases. The solutions are reported to have enabled
The Co-operative has won two gold awards for an own brand vintage Champagne and is celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a Champagne offer. The Co-operative Les Pionniers 2004 Champagne, which is available in Co-operative food stores across the UK and is named
Top retail brands have signed up to a new app, which encourages social gifting, to drive traffic and sales through their stores and online. Wrapp is a new performance-based marketing channel, which promotes friend-to-friend giving. It has been introduced in
Spar International has reported a 4.6% increase in retail sales to £31.1bn for the year 31 December 2011 and said growth was a result of its multi-channel strategy. Sales rose €1.36bn during the year, delivering a cumulative three-year retail sales
Sainsbury’s is joining the celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by launching 14 products inspired by its British heritage. In store from 23 May 2012 for a five-week period, the range includes jars of vintage sweets such as Liquorice Allsorts
Leading scooter manufacturer Micro Scooters UK has appointed Maxymiser, a specialist in testing, personalisation and optimisation solutions, to optimise its website. Maxymiser will work with the scooter specialist to develop and implement a strategy that identifies the optimum design, content
Dutch brewer Bavaria has launched a new loyalty scheme to encourage independent retailers to stock and sell its range of Bavaria 8.6 beers. According to the company, the promotion of these beers is well timed, with recent market data showing the
Online shopping site, mySupermarket, is on a roll. It is ratcheting up users, adding new brand stores, launching a transactional mobile website and expanding internationally on the back of a recent $10m investment led by WPP. James Foord, vp business
The Co-operative is kicking off Euro 2012 (8 June 2012) with a range of deals on food and drink to help shoppers enjoy Europe’s biggest football tournament. They include a three-for-£10.00 deal available on a selection of products, including The Co-operative Truly
Discount retailer, Poundworld is targeting independent retailers, e-Bay sellers and market traders, with the launch of a discount wholesale website, www.discount-wholesale.co.uk. Launching this week, Poundworld claims the website will help Britain’s small retailers succeed in their business ventures by offering the
Spar International is ending its license agreement with its partner in India, Max Hypermarket, in order to pursue a new growth strategy. Max Hypermarket currently operates 13 Spar branded hypermarkets across five states in India. According to both retailers, all
Leading UK food and consumer goods companies have avoided creating 70,000 tonnes of supply chain waste and are on their way to hitting the target for a reduction of 75,000 tonnes by December 2012, according to figures released by the
Asda claims to be bringing affordable home networking technology to the UK high street by stocking a range of simple connection solutions. The supermarket has teamed up with TP-LINK, a global provider of SOHO and SMB networking products, to make
Sainsbury’s has praised its Brand Match promotion for improving its price perception on branded groceries and helping to deliver a 7.1% increase in underlying profits to £712m in the year to 17 March 2012. Total sales, excluding fuel, rose 4.5%
Pennies, the electronic charity box, reports the number of consumer micro-donations it has received has doubled in the last six months taking the total to two million. According to the company, this has raised £500,000 to support a growing number
WorldPay, a global leader in payment processing, has launched a whitepaper and map of the alternative payments landscape, and the varying cultural preferences of payment types by geography. The alternative payments (AP) market is growing at a phenomenal rate, the
US small business financier, Business Financial Services, has launched a UK arm, Boost Capital, and a £50m fund which it claims will help businesses bolster their cash flow and invest in expansion. Boost Capital enables businesses to use their future
Grocery comparison website, mySupermarket, is supporting the Live Below The Line campaign (7-11 May 2012), which aims to increase awareness of poverty by challenging people to spend five days feeding themselves for £1.00 a day – the UK equivalent of the
Spanx, the shapewear brand promoted by celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba and Oprah Winfrey, has launched a UK website www.spanx.co.uk Spanx reports it has sold more than 5.4m Spanx Power Panties worldwide. Meanwhile, its creator and shapewear guru Sara
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) company Hit Search, reports it is focusing its services to online fashion retailers enabling them to take advantage of current online trends. The emergence of platforms such as Google+ and Video Search, Facebook local search listings,
Spar wholesaler and retailer, AF Blakemore, has relaunched its shopfitting business, Complete Shopfitting, as Blakemore Design & Shopfitting. According to the company, the rebranding heralds a new era of design innovation, workmanship and great customer service. Operating under a new
Online retailer, The Duvet and Pillow Warehouse, has reported a 48% increase in sales and 61% increase in traffic in April 2012, compared to the same period last year. The online sales surge comes as Met Office figures confirm last
Visa Europe is launching a digital wallet service, V.me by Visa, to consumers in the UK, Spain and France in autumn 2012. The company has also announced payments processor WorldPay will be a key development partner in the delivery of
The British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) has launched its Guide to the Storage and Handling of Frozen Foods 2012 edition to continue to facilitate a common approach to the frozen food supply chain in light of recent developments in the
Aurora Fashions, the group behind women’s fashion brands Coast, Oasis and Warehouse, is spearheading the international roll-out of its multiple brand e-commerce site with launches in the US and Australia this month (May 2012). The move will be followed by four
