Top Stories...
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My-Wardrobe secures £6 million investment
Luxury-fashion etailer My-Wardrobe.com has raised £6 million via an investment round led by Balderton Capital. The money will be used to extend My-Wardrobe’s product offer, as well as fund its expansion into international markets. The business has its sights set on being the leading European player in the “accessible luxury” market by 2015 and to this end will accelerate its investment in online and offline marketing channels to drive awareness and increase sales.
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Amazon goes live with UK grocery store
Amazon.co.uk has launched a grocery store selling dried goods, beverages and fresh food including fresh meat and fish. Mail order butcher Donald Russell and fishmonger The Fish Society are among the merchants selling through the site. Customers benefit from all of Amazon.co.uk’s delivery options including unlimited free one-day delivery for an annual fee of £49 with Amazon Prime.
Amazon has had a fresh-food offering in the States since 2007, but had been playing down rumours of a UK launch ever since. The news comes as grocery etailer Ocado prepares to float on the stock market later this month.
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Other news...
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Lloyds sells TM Lewin stake
Lloyds Banking Group has sold its portfolio of 40 private equity investments to a new joint venture called Cavendish Square Partners for £332 million. The JV, in which Lloyds holds a 30 percent stake, is majority owned by Coller Capital. Among the businesses is shirtmaker TM Lewin.
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Sales and profits rise at Pets at Home
Sales for the 52 weeks ended 25th March at Pets at Home rose 15.7 percent to £467.7 million, whilst like-for-likes climbed 8.8 percent. Pretax profit jumped 36 percent to £54 million.
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High & Mighty adds electricals to online range
In addition to apparel for big and tall men, High & Mighty’s new website also sells TV and home cinema products, fragrances, shavers, and hair trimmers. The range extension, according to a statement, makes High & Mighty a “one-stop lifestyle channel for online shopping”.
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Sales up at M&S
Like-for-like UK sales at Marks & Spencer for the 13 weeks to 3rd July rose 3.6 percent. Total UK sales grew 4.8 percent. In a company statement, M&S said its direct business had a strong quarter with sales up 49 percent. Its multichannel ordering service “Shop Your Way” was increased to 400 stores during the period.
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Growth slows at N Brown
Trading at multibrand cataloguer N Brown was below expectations in the 18 weeks to 3rd July. Like-for-like sales increased just a scant 0.1 percent during the period amid consumer uncertainty following the general election. In its latest trading statement, the company, which operates the Jacamo and Marisota catalogues, announced it was beefing up its recruitment activities “beyond the budgeted level” to boost the customer database.
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Travis Perkins takes BSS
Travis Perkins, the builders’ merchant owner of Wickes, is to buy plumbing supplies distributor BSS for approximately £557.6 million. According to a joint statement, the deal will create “the leading plumbing and heating trade and retail distribution business in the UK”.
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Schuh delivers record performance
Schuh posted a strong performance in the year to 28th March—turnover rose 8.7 percent to £146.5 million and EBITDA improved by 21.2 percent to £17.3 million. Operating profit rose 26 percent to £13.6 million.
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Catalogue Exchange/ECMOD Supplier of the Year Awards
The prestigious Supplier of the Year awards will be presented at a glittering ceremony at Chelsea Old Town Hall, London, which will also celebrate the 20th anniversary of ECMOD. The event will take place on Wednesday 6th October, during the annual ECMOD Exhibition and Conference on October 6th and 7th. Companies are invited to nominate supplier businesses which have been pivotal to their success over the past 12 months. Tickets for the joint awards and 20th birthday party are just £95+vat, per person. Tables of ten are available at a discounted rate of £850+vat. To book places, or to download the nomination form, click here.
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CatEx Customer Service Forum - Book now!
There's not long left to secure your place at the next Catalogue Exchange event on Wednesday 21st July. The Customer Service Forum is being hosted by board member Tim Curtis and his team at multi-channel mail order company Lands’ End. This lively and interactive day will take place at the firm's European Headquarters in Oakham, in rural Rutland, and will focus on all aspects of customer service. Tickets cost £77+vat for CatEx members and £177+vat for non-members. To book your place now, visit the CatEx events pages here, or contact Naomi at the Catalogue Exchange on 08718 555 545.
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ECMOD2010
As it celebrates its 20th anniversary year, it's set to be an exciting ECMOD Exhibition and Conference in 2010. The show takes place on October 6th and 7th at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. Speaker opportunities are available in the exhibition floor theatres, over the two days. Companies can also hire the CatEx Seminar Theatre for one-and-a-half hour slots. Stands and sponsorship options are also on offer, though space is booking up fast. To discuss availability, call the ECMOD sales team now on 01271 866112. Visiting the exhibition is FREE. To register, visit ecmod360.co.uk.
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June Catalogue Log
Catalogue volume continued to decline in June. We received and logged just 75 catalogues in June 2010, compared with 129 this time last year. However, of those 75 catalogues, 60 percent carried some sort of special offer—including sales or discounts, free delivery or a free gift. For a further breakdown of the data click here.
Five questions to ask before moving to a new web platform
As online retail businesses mature, they find that the systems and applications that helped them whilst in start-up mode may not be robust enough to carry them through the next stage of growth. This is especially true with web platforms, where is it difficult to gauge exactly what functionality you’ll need in six months’ time, let alone three years’ time. Because choosing a web platform can be such a complicated process, here are five questions you should ask yourself before committing to a new system.
And don’t forget…In addition to the monthly print magazine, there’s the Catalogue e-business website at www.catalog-biz.com and you can catch up with us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/catalogbiz too.
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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Merchandiser Required for The Handpicked Collection
The Handpicked Collection is a fast growing, forward thinking e-commerce and catalogue gift company which specialises in seeking out best of breed, unusual products and strives for the best customer experience in the business.
Now in our 3rd year of trading, we need a dynamic new team member to set up a merchandising and stock management system to assist our ambitious growth plans. As this is a new role, we are looking for an ambitious self-starter who is wanting a new challenge in an entrepreneurial company where they can forge a pivotal role. We’re a fun, creative office united by our sense of passion for the company and the fact that we all love to love our jobs. Please send your CV to natasha@handpickedcollection.com
www.handpickedcollection.com
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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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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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