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 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.

Flagging Sales and Profits for Flying Brands

Multititle cataloguer Flying Brands post an 8-percent decline in annual revenue, to £42.5 million for fiscal 2008. More damning is that profit before tax for ongoing businesses plummeted by 53 percent, from £3.2 million in 2007 to £1.5 million. In its financial statement, the company said that it will seek additional cost reductions, though it did not specify in what areas. Flying Brands’ titles include Flying Flowers, Gardening Direct, and Listen2.

Argos Sales Decline Smaller Than Expected

Argos outperformed expectations by posting a decline in like-for-like sales of only 1.6 percent for the eight weeks to 28th February. Analysts had expected a sales decline of roughly 7.5 percent, in keeping with the cataloguer/retailer’s 7.5-percent drop in sales for the 18 weeks ended 8th January. Sister company Homebase, however, saw sales drop by 10.2 percent. And parent company Home Retail Group warned that the fiscal year would be an “extremely challenging” one.

sponsors message

Other news

Catalogue Exchange website goes live!

The Catalogue Exchange has launched the first phase of its new website. Members will have access to an exhaustive library/research centre, extensive supplier directory, engage in online discussion forums, find out about live events and catch up with other members’ news. If you are interested in joining the Catalogue Exchange contact us 0871 855 5545. Client side membership for small businesses (under £1 million sales) is offered at just £245 per year; and larger client side businesses pay just £495. Visit catalogueexchange.co.uk

February Web Sales Up 13 Percent

February online sales grew 13 percent from last year, according to IMRG Capgemini. Electricals enjoyed the greatest year-on-year growth--28 percent--followed by clothing, footwear, and accessories, with 21 percent. February web sales were down 11 percent from January’s, however.

WHSmith Launches Entertainment Site

High-street mainstay WHSmith has launched an ecommerce site, WHSmithEntertainment.co.uk, that sells movies, music, games, and electronics exclusively. Its flagship website, WHSmith.co.uk, now specialises in books, gifts, and stationery. A tab on the main site labelled “DVDs, Music & Games” takes you to a landing page with multiple links to the new site.

John Lewis Preparing Fashion Website

Department store John Lewis is setting up a speciality ecommerce site of its own, to sell fashion exclusively. The site, whose name has not yet been disclosed, is expected to debut in the autumn.

Mobilis Healthcare, Stroke Association Debut Web Shop

StrokeShop.org.uk, an ecommerce joint venture of Mobilis Healthcare and The Stroke Association, has gone live. The Stroke Association receives a donation for every sale of disability aids and mobility products from the website.

Coming in the April issue of Catalogue e-business

• Special focus on the distribution centre: a 12-step cost-cutting plan, picking practices, warehouse automation, and our annual operations software roundup.
• Step by step: How Foot Shop has grown from a niche cataloguer to a multititle, multichannel merchant – and an ecommerce and fulfilment provider to boot.
• How to remove the dross from your house file.
• Q&A with The Hut Group’s CEO, a review of the Seraphine catalogue, the latest news, and much more.