Better-than-expected quarter for Home Retail Group
Both Argos and Homebase had “better than expected” first-quarter sales, according to a statement from parent company Home Retail Group. Although like-for-like sales at Argos fell 2.8 percent, the cataloguer’s total revenue for the quarter was up 0.9 percent from the first quarter of last year, to £937 million. Sales from its Check & Reserve service, which enables customers to order online and pick up the goods in-store, climbed 45 percent. At DIY chain Homebase, meanwhile, like-for-like sales grew 3.8 percent, and total sales rose 5.8 percent, to £465 million.

Park Group annual sales up 11 percent
Revenue at Park Group for the year ended 31st March totalled £250.5 million, up 11 percent from the previous fiscal year. Operating profit was down 17.9 percent, to £2.8 million, but pretax profit climbed by 24 percent. Revenue from its Christmas Saving division rose 15.4 percent, to £165.5 million. Sales from its voucher business, which includes High Street Gift Vouchers, rose 4.2 percent, to £85 million.

Sales down, web portal up at Premier Farnell
First-quarter sales at electrical components and industrial products merchant Premier Farnell fell 14.9 percent on a constant-exchange-rate basis, to £204.3 million. But “year-on-year sales performance in April and May showed an improvement over March,” according to a statement. In other news, the company launched a web portal, Element14, to provide industry news and social-networking features for electronic engineers.

M&S extends its global shipping
Marks & Spencer will expand its global shipping programme this autumn, enabling customers in 70 countries to order from its website. It will also cater for tourists from those countries who make their purchases while in the UK. M&S began delivering a selection of its range to Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, and the US in the autumn.

Natural Collection brings fulfilment in-house
Natural Collection, a cataloguer of fair-trade and ethical goods, has relaunched its website with new social-networking features such as customer reviews and an expanded line of food products. The company has also brought product fulfilment in-house. Natural Collection merged with Ethical Collection, which also sells fair-trade goods, in March; Ethical Superstore just launched a print catalogue, “in partnership with Natural Collection”, according to its cover line, this month.

Twitter sells for Dell
If you’re still not convinced that companies can monetise social media, consider this recent news from Dell: Its Dell Outlet Twitter feed, the primary promotional tool for the computer company’s refurbished-machines site, generated $1 million in sales in the past six months. Dell reaped another $1 million in sales from people who came to the outlet site from Twitter but then proceeded to order from the core Dell website.

Driving Profitability theme underpins ECMOD2009
Taking place on 7th – 8th October at Earls Court, ECMOD offers an inspired world class multi-track conference and one of the most focused exhibitions in the market. With its 20 year track record ECMOD is 100 per cent dedicated to providing a forum in which senior level client side delegates can meet their peers and explore what expert suppliers have to offer them.  

The latest companies confirmed to exhibit include TA Design, Post Switch and Integrated DM. Exciting new features for 2009 include the International Boulevard, Catalogue Exchange Village, and a custom built Deluxe Theatre which will accommodate selected sponsor and exhibitor seminars. Companies interested in exhibiting should call 01271 866112 without delay to avoid disappointment.

The main ECMOD conference programme will be released soon with bargain Early Bird rates for everyone and generous additional discounts for all executives from Catalogue Exchange member businesses. Featuring experts from the United States and the UK, the multi-track offering spans all the burning issues, latest developments, new strategies and techniques for driving profitability in b2b and b2c enterprises. Visit www.ecmod360.co.uk/conference for full details.

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.

How to make rich media even richer
Rich media—image zoom, 360-degree product views, alternate views, video merchandising—have been vital to the growth of online selling. But are you certain that your website is reaping all the riches from these applications? For advice on getting the most from rich media, click here.

Getting engaged to—and with—your market
“Engagement marketing” is essentially marketing as a two-way communication process, rather than the traditional one-way messaging from company to consumer. The explosive popularity of user reviews, online forums, and social networking has made engagement marketing possible and, for direct marketers in particular, essential. To find out how you can be certain of engaging with your customers, read our article at catalog-biz.com.

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.