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Spark Etail buys Frank & Faith
Contact centre and fulfilment firm Spark Etail, which owns Ethical Superstore, Natural Collection and Spirit of Nature, has bought ethical fashion label Frank & Faith. The acquired business will now operate from Spark Etail's Gateshead base. 

Muddy Puddles is sold by TP Toys 
TP Toys, the outdoor toys supplier, sold mail order catalogue Muddy Puddles to a newly incorporated company Muddy Puddles Online. TP Toys, which called in the administrators on 6th December, was acquired by manufacturer and distributor Mookie Toys on 4th January. 

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Enter the ECMOD Direct Commerce Awards
What makes a winning catalogue or ecommerce site? You tell us. It’s time to start preparing your entry for the ECMOD Direct Commerce Awards 2012. With categories designed for those targeting sales to businesses as well as for companies selling to consumers, this year the awards also seek to celebrate the achievements of businesses of all scales and at all stages of development. Visit www.ecmod360.co.uk/awards for more information and for details on how to enter, or simply click here to download the awards brochure. But hurry; deadline for entries is 28th February. Good luck!  

La Senza’s UK operations bought by Alshaya
Kuwait-based retail franchise operator Alshaya has taken control of the ongoing La Senza business in the UK. Following an agreement with administrator KPMG, Alshaya UK has acquired the exclusive franchise rights for the lingerie retailer as well as 60 of its stores, a move that saves around 1,100 jobs.

The Entertainer reveals strong growth
Toy retailer The Entertainer has bucked the current gloom on the high street following a 10.1 percent like-for-like sales growth in the five weeks to 31st December, including a 36.7 percent increase in online sales. The company plans to open 12 new stores in the coming year.

Sales up at N Brown but margins take a hit
N Brown Group, the parent of JD Williams, saw total group revenue increase by 2.3 percent in the 19 weeks to 7th January, with online sales growing by 9 percent during the Christmas period to represent almost 50 percent of total sales. Due to agressive promotional activity during the second half of the year, margin will be impacted by approximately 1 percentage point.

La Poste and Swiss Post combine international operations
French postal operator La Poste and Switzerland’s Swiss Post are to merge their cross-border mail activities this year. The partnership will form a joint venture company equally owned by La Poste and Swiss Post and will combine all cross-border mail activities, except for inbound and outbound cross-border mail business in France and Switzerland.

Feelunique and Lush’s bumper sales
Online beauty products etailer Feelunique saw turnover grow 50 percent on last year, with online sales of £3.2 million, compared with £2.2 million in 2010. Fellow cosmetics retailer Lush also saw a sales increase, with total UK retail sales growing 13.8 percent on December 2010. Excluding new and relocated stores, like-for-like sales were up 5 percent.




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. 

JD Sports acquires Blacks Leisure
JD Sports, the sporting goods retailer, has bought all the assets of Blacks Leisure, including 302 Millets and Blacks stores, out of prepack administration.
 
Game Group sales plunge
In a trading statement for the 49 weeks to 7th January, PC and video-game retailer Game Group said group sales were down 14.7 percent, with sales in its UK & Ireland stores plumeting 17.6 percent. The company has now announced that it will likely breach its banking covenants when it doesn’t meet its EBITDA targets when they are tested next month.
 
Strong online growth at Marks & Spencer, Debenhams
Marks & Spencer’s total UK sales grew 1.8 percent in the 13 weeks to 31st December thanks to a 4.5 percent increase in sales of food. Direct sales were up 22.4 percent during the period following the launch of the online “Christmas Food to Order” service, which contributed to a 12 percent increase in orders. Similarly, Debenhams’ like-for-like sales grew 1.4 percent in the 18 weeks to 7th January, with online like-for-like sales increasing by 34.8 percent.
 
Supergroup's super Christmas
At Superdry owner Supergroup, total group sales reached £79 million in the nine weeks to 1st January—an increase of 22 percent on the same period last year, with like-for-like sales—including online—up 5.8 percent for the period and December sales up 9.3 percent.
 
Sainsbury's best Christmas ever
Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s revealed that for the 14 weeks to 7th January, total sales rose 7 percent, making 2011 its best Christmas ever. It recorded its biggest ever week, day and hour for sales and delivered a record 160,000 online grocery orders per week over the Christmas period.
 
More retailers see December sales rise
Aurora Fashions, which operates fashion retailers Coast, Oasis and Warehouse, reported that total sales in the five weeks ending New Year’s Eve were up 13.5 percent compared to the same period last year. Womenswear and maternity brand Isabella Oliver saw sales in December increase 120 percent year-on-year. While Littlewoods and Very owner Shop Direct Group announced that sales in the six weeks to 31st December were up 9 percent on last year. However, Shop Direct warned that overall sales in 2012 will be lower than 2011.




December Catalogue Log
Are marketers finally recognising that consumers are leaving Christmas shopping to the last minute? Our data indicates so, with catalogue volume up 67 percent on the previous year. For Direct Commerce’s exclusive analysis of December’s catalogues, as well as of all 1,419 catalogues we received in 2011, visit catalog-biz.com.