Join us at the ECMOD Awards - Thursday 2nd April 2009

Have you booked your ticket for the ECMOD Awards? Taking place on Thursday 2nd April at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London this prestigious event is set to be a fun and eventful night!

Proceedings commence at 7pm with a drinks reception. The evening will include a fabulous dinner with wine, the all important Awards presentation, entertainment and dancing. It is a great occasion to celebrate with your colleagues.

The shortlist for entries is expected to be released at close of play on Monday 23rd March and the eventual winners revealed on the 2nd April by the highly polished & personable SKY News & BBC presenter Dermot Murnaghan.

Tickets for this event cost £165+ vat each, tables of ten £1650 + vat. Call Jenny or Sarah on 01271 866112 to book your places, subject to availability.

Supplier organisations wishing to secure one of the few remaining sponsorship opportunities or book tables should call 01271 866112 without delay.

Argos Parent Cuts 300 Jobs

Home Retail Group, the parent company of cataloguer Argos and DIY retailer Homebase, has made 20 percent of the staff at its Milton Keynes head office – 300 workers – redundant. Employees from both brands were affected.

Freemans Grattan Confirms Redundancies

Having warned in late January of “significant” job cuts, multititle mailer Freemans Grattan Holdings confirmed that more than 25 percent of its workforce – 1,000 employees out of 3,800 – would be made redundant. The former Otto UK will close its Bradford call centre, Euston office, and Peterborough warehouse. The company, whose titles include Oli and Kaleidoscope, had been posting losses for several years.

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Other news

Two More Mosaic Brands Sold

Early last week a newly formed holding company, Aurora Fashions, acquired four retail brands from Mosaic Fashions as part of a prepack administration: Coast, Karen Millen, Oasis, and Warehouse. A fifth retail chain, Shoe Studio, was subsequently bought by fellow footwear retailer Dune. And on Friday, department store chain Debenhams bought the stock of a sixth brand, apparel retailer Principles, but declined to buy its stores and concessions, including those in Debenhams stores. Administrator Deloitte has since closed 66 Principles stores and made most of the company’s 2,300 workers redundant, though it will continue to operate 19 stores and 172 non-Debenhams concessions “for the time being” as it seeks a buyer for the remaining assets.

The Consortium Launches Early Years

The Consortium, a supplier of office and educational products, has launched Early Years at Home, a website selling childcare and educational products to consumers and independent child minders. The site is an extension of its Early Years brand, which caters to larger childcare organisations.

Smythson for Sale?

Luxury leather goods retailer/cataloguer Smythson has appointed Cavendish Corporate Finance to advise it on a possible sale, according to The Telegraph, which adds that it has received offers from several prospective buyers.

ELC, Muller Team for Promo

Retailer/cataloguer Early Learning Centre (ELC) and yogurt brand Müller Little Stars are launching a 12-week joint promotion. Yogurt packs will include discount vouchers for ELC as well as the opportunity to win £100 of toys. The ELC website will in turn offer the chance to win a year’s worth of Müller Little Stars products. The campaign is being supported by TV advertising, emails, and inserts in ELC packages.

February Like-for-Like Sales Down

February like-for-like retail sales fell 1.8 percent, according to the British Retail Consortium-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. Total retail sales for February inched upward a scant 0.1 percent.

Catalogue e-business Launches Blog

The editorial team of Catalogue e-business magazine, a sister brand of CataloguesCatalogues, has launched a blog, Catablogue e-business, at http://catalog-biz.blogspot.com. The blog offers “commentary on catalogues, ecommerce, and cross-channel selling”.