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VAT to rise to 20 percent
Delivering the coalition government’s emergency budget on Tuesday, Chancellor George Osborne announced that VAT will rise from 17.5 percent to 20 percent effective 4th January 2011.
Retail pundits were quick to comment on the rise. Maureen Hinton, practice leader at retail research firm Verdict, said in a statement that the increase seems “a very fair way of raising taxes” but that it will inevitably have a negative impact on retailers who will have to fight harder to convince consumers to part with their cash. Her view was echoed by the British Retail Consortium, which predicts that a VAT rise will “hit jobs, consumer spending, and economic growth”.
Taking a more positive view, Phil Orford, chief executive of the Forum of Private Business commented that whilst the VAT rise will have an impact on many smaller businesses, “the money to pay off the deficit has to come from somewhere and I expect most would rather stomach a VAT increase than a rise in other taxes, or even greater cuts in public spending.”
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The Hut launches Washbag
The Hut Group, which operates TheHut.com and Zavvi.com, is entering the male grooming market with the launch of its new website Washbag.com. The launch follows the Hut’s successful introduction of MyBag 10 weeks ago. According to Hitwise data, MyBag has already taken a 10 percent market share in the handbag and accessories category.
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Other news...
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Ideal to unveil pet supplies website
TV-shopping company Ideal Shopping Direct is breaking into the pet-supplies market. Animal Bargains, which opens for business in July, will have its own website and shows on the Ideal Shopping channel.
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Rakuten buys PriceMinister
Japanese online shopping mall Rakuten, which acquired Buy.com in May, has announced its latest acquisition, France's PriceMinister website. The deal, worth €200 million (£167 million), sees Rakuten establish a foothold in Europe.
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Findel wipes £6 million from profits
Findel has completed a review of its education division following the discovery of unsubstantiated accounting entries. As a result, profit before tax for the year ended 29th March is reduced by £6.4 million, and benchmark profit is down by £6.4 million. Net assets have reduced by £20.6 million.
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Lancaster joins Feather & Black
Alison Lancaster has joined homeware retailer Feather & Black as marketing director. She continues to work as home shopping director for apparel retailer White Stuff, and will divide her time between the two, spending three day a week at White Stuff and two days at Feather & Black.
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Uniqlo expands ecommerce offering
Fashion brand Uniqlo has announced it is expanding its UK website from offering just a selection of garments to stocking the whole range. The business aims for Uniqlo’s UK site to be the most profitable Uniqlo store by the end of this year and to this end will be recruiting for its ecommerce team.
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Mamas & Papas signs US deal
Mamas & Papas has signed a deal with Babies R US to break into the US market. According to published reports, Mamas and Papas will sell a selection of its products at 23 stores across the United States. If the launch is successful, Mamas & Papas’ range will be extended to all 340 Babies R Us USA stores.
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New CEO at Game
Video-game retailer Game has appointed Vodafone UK consumer director Ian Shepherd as chief executive with effect from 28th June. For the 19 weeks to 12th June, total group sales were down by 11.4 percent and like-for-like group sales for the same period were down by 12.3 percent. In the UK and Ireland, total sales were down by 18.5 percent.
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CATALOGUE EXCHANGE/ECMOD SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
The prestigious Catalogue Exchange/ECMOD Supplier of the Year Awards are to return on Wednesday 6th October 2010. The event aims to recognise the outstanding contribution supplier organisations make to the catalogue and online retail sector. Companies are now being invited to nominate the supplier businesses which have been pivotal to their success over the past 12 months. Nomination forms need to be completed and faxed or posted to the ECMOD offices by Friday 3rd September 2010. For a copy of the entry form, please click here.
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ECMOD 2010 - REGISTER NOW!
The ECMOD Conference and Exhibition is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and the event is set to be bigger than ever. It will take place at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre on October 6th and 7th. Stands are being snapped up in all areas so call the team now to discuss the options still available. There are also opportunities to hire the CatEx Seminar Theatre for one-and-a-half hour slots, throughout the two day event. Again, to discuss availability and costs, call the ECMOD team on 01271 866112. Visiting the event is free of charge. To register, visit ecmod360.co.uk.
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Weak pound, mega bucks
Because the depreciation of the Great British pound against the US dollar and the euro has been fast and inflation has been relatively tame in the last year or so, UK merchants selling overseas are enjoying a genuine competitive advantage. Given the favourable exchange rate and the relative ease of doing web business overseas, it seems that the business case for expanding sales abroad is worth a careful look. It’s important to remember, though, that this price advantage is unlikely to last forever. So for some tips on how to make the most of it while you can, click here.
Here, there, and everywhere
Because Catalogue e-business covers multichannel commerce, it only seems right that you should be able to access us via multiple channels.
In addition to the monthly print magazine (we’re getting ready for Christmas in our July/August issue), there’s the Catalogue e-business website at www.catalog-biz.com.
We also have
To subscribe to our print edition, contact Jill Sweet on 01271 866221 or at subs@catalog-biz.com.
To advertise, contact the Catalogue e-business sales team on 01271 866112 or at sales@catalog-biz.com.
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Advertise your latest vacancies in CataloguesCatalogues. Use this one stop medium to recruit best sector candidates. Click here for the latest rates or call us on 01271 866112.
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Web Marketeer
£Competitive
Experienced B2B mail order product marketer with proven track record in E-commerce, you will be responsible for developing and implementing the strategic direction of the Nisbet group websites.
Adept at balancing multiple priorities you will drive / project manage the execution of all web based projects; optimising analytics and proposing developments, referencing the latest in E-commerce trends and technology to improve the customer experience and sales.
Managing a small team, you will be responsible for;
- Utilising a suite of analytical tools, to track user behaviour and online marketing initiatives.
- Drive traffic to the website(s) through search engine marketing, organic and pay per click, affiliate marketing and social media,
- Collaborate with internal IT and marketing department and implementation partner(s) on architecture and back-end solutions for enhanced site functionalities
- Oversee activities related to content development, product setup and promotion management
To apply, please send your CV and covering letter to HR@nisbets.co.uk
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For permanent, interim and consultancy roles in head office catalogue, home shopping, online and/or retail businesses, take a look at Expert Register
Looking for a new challenge?
We invite you to register with us for permanent or interim roles – the only proviso being that you must have significant experience in head office catalogue, home shopping, online and/or retail businesses - please forward your CV in complete confidence to info@expertregister.net or call 01271 864944 today.
For more details, please visit our website, expertregister.net.
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Are you looking for a new challenge?Advertise in CataloguesCatalogues Talent Shop and you will reach the desktops of thousands of potential employers in the catalogue and home shopping sector. The service is completely free of charge and includes a free confidential reply email address if required.
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Award winning Internet & Direct Marketing specialist
with years of experience in Mail Order is looking for a new challenge.
Hands-on expertise in Internet & IT technologies, graphics & design skills…
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To find out more about the above adverts, or to place your own in Talent Shop, email your 30 word profile to info@ecmod.com and it will appear in the next available issue.
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