Jessops restructures
Camera retailer Jessops has sold a 47-percent stake in its business to lender HSBC in exchange for cancellation of £34 million of debt. The restructuring enables Jessops to avoid insolvency.

Straight-up sales, profit lift for Straight
For the six months ended 30th June, waste container and recycling products manufacturer/marketer Straight posted turnover of £17.2 million, up 27 percent from the previous year. During the same period, operating profits soared from £100,000 to £900,000. 

Welco seeks buyer
A sister company of storage cataloguer Welco has been bought, but administrator KPMG is still seeking a buyer for Welco itself. Parent company Welconstruct Group fell into administration earlier this month; its Davicon division, which manufactures mezzanine floors, was sold to Grove Industries.

Premier Farnell acquires software firm
Electronic components supplier Premier Farnell has acquired CadSoft Computer, the German developer of computer-aided design engineering software, for €7 million plus additional payments of up to €5 million.

Freebies and competitions abound at ECMOD2009!
A trade show would be incomplete without its share of freebies and competitions, and the ECMOD Conference and Exhibition, which takes place 7th and 8th October in London, is no exception. Here’s a sampling of what’s on offer:

• TA Design is once again offering attendees the chance to win a catalogue redesign worth £7,200. The competition will take place at ECMOD, with the winning company being announced the afternoon of 7th October.
• The Catalogue People will also offer visitors the chance to win a catalogue refresh. It pledged to design and produce a front cover, a contents page, and a product spread from the winner’s raw material, content, and images. To enter, drop by The Catalogue People’s stand and bring a copy of a current catalogue and a design brief.
• Business software provider Caliq is offering a 25-percent discount on its software licence costs for all its services if businesses can prove their environmentally friendly credentials or commitment to reducing their carbon footprint. Caliq, which is involved in a project planting deciduous woodland to offset its activities, is targeting organisations involved in fair-trade, eco-friendly, or green technology products. In an added, tasty incentive, Caliq is running a competition to give away chocolates from Hotel Chocolat.
• Visit ivantage’s stand at ECMOD for a free performance review of your paid-search campaign or web analytics installation.
• ECMOD visitors who sign up with online marketplace Shop.com before the end of October will receive 20 percent off its usual rates.
• Win a full day’s photography commission for a business event or images for your website, brochure, or catalogue by entering the prize draw at the Two Marketing stand.

Entry to the exhibition floor is free, and there are a number of free seminars as well. To register or for more information, visit www.ecmod360.co.uk

The best of both channels
When discussing the benefits of cross-channel marketing, most people focus on how to incorporate the features of bricks-and-mortar stores online. But often retail shops could do with adopting some of the characteristics of print catalogues and websites. See what we mean at Catablogue e-business.

Coming up in Catalogue e-business

• October issue: special focus on marketing 2.0—mobile, social media, video, and more
• November issue: special focus on forecasting and merchandising PLUS a review of postal and carrier options