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Travis Perkins buys Toolstation
Builders merchant Travis Perkins has taken full control of Toolstation after acquiring the remaining 70 percent of the business it did not own from Mark Goddard-Watts and his family trusts for £42 million. Travis Perkins, which also owns DIY specialist Wickes, initially bought a 30 percent stake in the multichannel seller of hardware and tools back in April 2008. Toolstation generated EBITDA of £5 million in the financial year to 31 December 2011. The current management team will remain in place. 

Hawkin’s Bazaar, Letterbox fall into administration 
Tobar, which operates multichannel retailer Hawkin’s Bazaar and cataloguer Letterbox, has called in the administrators. Corporate advisory firm Zolfo Cooper was appointed on 30th December and since closed 40 permanent Hawkins Bazaar stores and six concessions, resulting in more than 300 job losses. At Tobar’s Suffolk head office, a further 35 redundancies were also made. 

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Citipost confirmed as ECMOD Awards sponsor
Postal carrier Citipost has renewed its sponsorship of the ECMOD Direct Commerce Awards for 2012.  Citipost will mail entry forms, collect all entries, deliver to ECMOD HQ and then ship verified entries to ECMOD's expert independent judges. Winners will be revealed on 27th March at the Lancaster London hotel where they will receive their trophies from Sky Television newsreader Dermot Murnaghan. Some 500 guests are expected at the gala evening event with a large number of tables already spoken for. Further information on the ECMOD Direct Commerce Awards can be found at www.ecmod360.co.uk. 

Next’s direct sales rise, retail store sales drop
In the period from 1st August to 24th December, Next Directory sales rose 16.9 percent, while retail sales fell 2.7 percent in the run up to Christmas. In addition, despite a good pre-Christmas week, overall November and December sales were disappointing.

John Lewis posts year-on-year sales rise
Department-store chain John Lewis has posted a 9.3 percent year-on-year rise in sales over the Christmas trading period. Sales reached £596 million in the five weeks to 31st December. Store sales were also up 6.2 percent, while online sales grew 27.9 percent during the period.

La Senza and Past Times teeter on the brink
Lingerie retailer La Senza and nostalgia-themed gifts retailer Past Times are both said to be on the verge of confirming the appointment of KPMG as administrator. It is understood that 81 of 146 La Senza stores will close, threatening around 2,600 jobs. According to reports, Past Times’ private-equity owner Epic is set to name KPMG as administrators before 9th January. Past Times was bought out of administration by Epic in 2005.




Save the date
Next year’s ECMOD will take place at Business Design Centre, London on 27th to 28th November and will once again colocate with Rising Media’s Data Driven Business Week. A multitrack conference programme will run alongside the exhibition, and interested parties are invited to put themselves forward as speakers. Email Rhi Leeds (rhi@ecmod.com) with your topic suggestions. For more details, visit www.ecmod360.co.uk. 

More than 1,600 jobs go at Barratts Priceless Group
Following the recent closures of five Barratts and 13 Priceless stores, the administrator of shoe chain Barratts Priceless Group has announced it was unable to find a buyer for the concession business. This latest news means around 1,610 full- and part-time employees working in the various concessions will be made redundant. However, active discussions for other parts of the Barratts Priceless business are still ongoing.
 
Blacks Leisure likely to fall into administration
In yet more gloomy news from the high street, embattled retail chain Blacks Leisure is likely to fall into administration as no buyer has been found for the business. The outdoor clothing group, which owns Blacks outlets and Millets stores, put itself up for sale at the end of last year.
 
Heal’s losses narrow
Losses at furniture retailer Heal’s have narrowed to £2.5 million in the year to 17th September, from £3.7 million the previous year, yet total sales fell 8 percent to £27.3 million, according to reports.




Six tips on choosing an ecommerce provider
Choosing the right ecommerce provider and ultimately the right ecommerce platform on which to run your website can be a difficult decision. But it doesn’t have to be.  Here are a few useful tips to help along the way. Read more here...