M and M sales up 29 percent, expands into Europe
Discount fashion cataloguer M and M Direct has started selling outside of the UK. Although it hasn’t set up country-specific websites, its core site now offers pricing in euros as well as pounds, and it ships to Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Monaco, and the Netherlands. In other M and M news, the company posted a 29-percent jump in annual sales, to £95 million for the year to February. Profits rose by more than 20 percent, to £10 million.

Long Tall Sally parent buys Oliver Sweeney
Amery Capital, whose properties include speciality-size womenwear merchant Long Tall Sally, acquired men’s footwear brand Oliver Sweeney out of a prepack administration. Oliver Sweeney sells online as well as in its three stores and via selected retailers such as Harvey Nichols. According to a statement, “the company has plans to develop the product range for international and direct sales”.

EU court to hear Interflora/M&S suit
The EU Court of Justice will hear Interflora’s suit to stop Marks & Spencer from bidding on its trademark name as a Google AdWord. The High Court in London passed the case on to the European court after deciding the law was unclear on the matter. Interflora has already settled out of court with Flowers Direct, which it had also sued.

Newey and Eyre launches ecommerce site
Newey and Eyre, a distributor of electrical supplies, safety equipment, and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products, launched an ecommerce site, NeweysOnline.co.uk. The site allows customers to order by 8pm for next-day delivery as well as to collect items from any of the company’s more than 160 bricks-and-mortar branches nationwide.

Purple Pleasures joins Venus Sales
Venus Sales, a sex-toys etailer that trades as Temptations Direct, acquired rival business Purple Pleasures for an undisclosed sum. The combined company will have annual turnover of approximately £700,000 next year.

Derby House debuts ad portal
Equestrian cataloguer Derby House has launched EquineXchange, an online advertising portal for the horse market. The website charges monthly fees for ads selling horses and ponies as well as items such as saddlery and riding holidays. To introduce the site, Derby House is offering free adverts for one week.

Incredible line-up for ECMOD2009 conference!
This year’s ECMOD conference and exhibition is set to be outstanding on all fronts. Taking place on 7th – 8th October at Earls Court, ECMOD is not to be missed. Be sure to book it in your diary & register to visit or book to take part in the best conference in the business.

The latest expert speakers confirmed for the multi-track conference programme include: James Hart (ASOS), Roger Willcocks (Screen Pages), Dean Donaldson (Eyeblaster), Charles Barnett (Lyco Direct), Chloe Thomas (Indium Web Management), Ewald Hoppen (Wehkamp.nl), Glenn Lombino (Partners Ship), James Middlehurst (Fraudscreen), Jason Smith (Shop.com), Julian Moskov (I Want One Of Those), Guy Hipwell, (Liberty), Karen Watson (The Real Flower Co), Ross Stone (Coremetrics), Rosemary Stockdale (Sterling Marketing), Stephen Sacks (Wallace Sacks), Steve Kemish (Adestra), Tim Curtis (Lands’ End) plus many more including the legendary Amy Africa! The full conference programme will be released later today complete with bargain Earlybird rates and special discounts for Catalogue Exchange members. Visit ecmod360.co.uk/conference for full details.

There’s also no let up in stand sales for the exhibition. The latest companies to confirm their presence include Adestra, Catalogues 4 Business and Servebase Computers. New features for 2009 include the International Boulevard, Catalogue Exchange Village, and Deluxe Theatre to accommodate special seminars, and the all important Supplier of the Year Awards. Companies interested in exhibiting should call 01271 866112 without delay to avoid disappointment.

Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates: twitter.com/ecmodshow. Visiting the exhibition is entirely free of charge and you can register to do so now and be kept abreast of all the special deals exhibitors are offering during the show.

Coming Up in Catalogue e-business

• July issue: special focus on email, plus database hygiene, paper options, returns processing, and more. 
• August issue: special focus on customer retention, plus distribution and delivery, small-business spotlight, and more.