Furniture retailer, John Lewis of Hungerford, has launched its Christmas advertisement, created by TMW Unlimited. And, while this John Lewis ad is full of the heartstring-tugging, tear-jerking spirit of Christmas, this time there’s not a penguin in sight. The ad is set
Following on from the success of it’s first TV campaign, iconic British design brand Habitat once again teams up with creative communications agency Portas for its second advert in the ‘Habitat Voyeur’ series, ‘Home Alone’, shot by acclaimed photographer and
This year Vitra UK will bring together the three divisions of Vitra Home, Vitra office and VitraShop, operating as a single entity once again after more than 30 years apart. Vitrashop is a holistic retail design and installation solution group formed of three
The IKEA Group net income amounted to €3.3bn for the financial year 2014. According to the retailer, market conditions continued to improve with strong performance in China and North America, and an upward trend in Europe. There were 716m visits
Home furnishings company IKEA today announces a successful trading performance for the first 16 weeks of the financial year, which saw the company break its own record for sales performance for the post-Christmas sale period. The first 16 weeks of the
UK retail sales were flat, at 0.0%, on a like-for-like basis from October 2013, when they had increased 0.8% on the preceding year, according to the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. On a total basis, sales were up 1.4%, against a 2.6%
Cdiscount is expanding its operations with moncornerdeco.com, a speciality website that is claimed to be the perfect blend between online store and interior design webzine. Thoroughly in step with the latest trends, Cdiscount said moncornerdeco.com offers unique products at preferential prices and magazine
Home furnishing retailer IKEA has announced total sales of £1.41bn in the UK for the financial year ending 31 August 2014, an increase of 11.3% on the previous year. Following an ambitious pledge last year by UK country retail manager,
UK retail sales were down 2.1% on a like-for-like basis from September 2013, when they had increased 0.7% on the preceding year, according to the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. On a total basis, sales were down 0.8%, against a 2.4%
Argos is heralding the launch of Heart of House, its first ever home and furniture power brand, with a through-the-line campaign, kicking off with TV advertising on 25 August 2014 and running across press, digital, social and PR. The campaign, which was
UK retail sales were down 0.3% on a like-for-like basis from July 2013, when they had increased 2.2% on the preceding year, according to the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. On a total basis, sales were up 1.3%, against a 3.9%
Since Will Hobhouse took the helm as chairman last year, Heal’s has appointed key industry figures to oversee the development of some of the brand’s core departments. Michelle Alger has been appointed head of home with responsibility for all non-furniture
Consumer spending in the UK continued to grow strongly in July 2013, according to Barclaycard’s monthly analysis of UK spending. Total spending for the month was up 4.8% on the same month last year, driven by spending on groceries, petrol
Barker & Stonehouse, one of the UK’s leading independent furniture retailers, is to open its first London store this summer. The new £1m showroom will be in Battersea in South West London and is scheduled to open in early July
Retailers saw sales volumes remain flat in April, defying expectations of growth, according to the CBI’s latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey. The survey, which had 62 respondents from the retail sector, saw little support to sales growth from the Easter
Retailers saw sales volumes continue to strengthen on a year ago in the first half of February 2013, although the pace of growth slowed once again, the CBI said today (Tuesday). The CBI’s latest quarterly Distributive Trades Survey, which covers
Aamir Ahmad is to step aside from his role as managing director at furniture retailer Dwell but will retain a significant financial interest in the business. Ahmad will be replaced by Rebecca Cotterell, formerly CEO of Adams Childrenswear and British Shoe Corporation.
Online home furnishings retailer, Wayfair.co.uk, has reported record growth one year after the company consolidated multiple homeware sites and launched under the unified Wayfair brand. Wayfair said it has experienced significant growth over the past year, in the UK and
Increasing online sales, combined with low levels of retail growth and the shift in market share from homeware specialists to retail generalists, will take their toll on store numbers and selling space with a predicted 4,000 fewer home retail stores by
Furniture retailer Heal’s is partnering with a leading affiliate network, Rakuten LinkShare UK, to increase its presence across the web over the festive period. Heal’s said it wants to align itself with publishers to drive sales and echo the brands’ values and
Furniture retailer Barker and Stonehouse has installed live chat software on its website to improve customer service in the fastest growing area of its business. According to the retailer, the website generates more revenue than any of its bricks and
Trade credit insurer Atradius has released the latest edition of its Market Monitor report, focusing on the market for consumer durables in retail markets around the world. In many countries, the retail industry – especially the sector dealing in consumer
Ikea claims its sales of outdoor furniture rose by more than 400% over the Bank Holiday weekend, as Brits enjoyed a lazy weekend in the sun. Spring bank holidays have become renowned as the time of year when the UK
Homebase is freezing the VAT rate on furniture at 17.5% until the 21 January 2011. The offer excludes Schreiber fitted bedrooms. According to the retailer, most furniture still displays prices including the 17.5% VAT rate. For those products, which
Barry Knight, head of retail at Grant Thornton UK LLP, talks to Retail Times editor, Fiona Briggs, about the likely impact of the VAT hike on retail sales Fiona Briggs (FB): Who will the VAT increase actually hit? From experience,
