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Sales droop at Flying Brands
Flying Brands has issued a profit warning after like-for-like orders to 1st April in its Flowers division were 14.7 percent below last year and orders in the bird food division were 33.5 percent down on last year. Flying Brands blamed wilting sales on reduced consumer spending and increased competition from low-cost operators such as supermarkets. As a result, it will begin discussions with its lenders to renegotiate its banking arrangements.
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International overtake UK sales at Asos
International sales at apparel etailer Asos have exceeded UK sales for the first time. UK sales rose 24 percent during the fourth quarter to £44.9 million, while international sales jumped 161 percent to £48.4 million, accounting for 52 percent of total retail revenue. In a statement, chief executive Nick Robertson said he expects profit to hit the top end of market expectations. |
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Silver lining for Hiho?
Hiho, a jeweller specialising in silver, has fallen into administration. According to a statement on its website, the directors were able to acquire certain assets such as the website and have formed a new company that trades as Hiho 2011. Its 14 stores have all closed down.
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John Lewis launches online customer magazine
John Lewis is launching its first ever online fashion magazine. The Spring fashion special is a new addition to the retailer’s in-store magazine John Lewis Edition and is published by John Brown Media. The magazine will be hosted on johnlewis.com from Thursday, 14th April.
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Place your ECMOD silent auction bid for Macmillan Cancer Support
As well as recognising the business achievements of the multi-channel sector, the ECMOD Direct Commerce Awards aims to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. This year’s silent auction was launched at last week’s glittering ceremony and bids can be placed up until 30th April 2011. Many companies have kindly donated fantastic prizes this year ranging from top class consultancy days to extreme sailing experiences. Download your bidding form here and remember to dig deep for this great cause! |
Sales at Greenfingers and PetPlanet ahead of expectations
Online retailer M8 Group reports that sales for its Greenfingers.com and PetPlanet.co.uk brands exceeded £1.5 million during March—a 55 percent increase on the same period last year. The business is experiencing a 50 percent year-on-year growth in the first quarter and says it is trending ahead of its revenue and profit targets for the year. |
Amendments published to Postal Services Bill
The government has published a number of amendments to the Postal Services Bill that incorporate feedback from MPs, Lords, Royal Mail, other postal operators and the Communication Workers Union. They include giving new powers to regulator Ofcom to allow it to better monitor threats to the universal service (one-tariff-goes-anywhere promise) arising from increased competition. Royal Mail will remain the sole provider of the universal service for at least the next decade and Ofcom will also be required to “have regard” for the universal service provider to have a “reasonable commercial rate of return on the provision of that service”. |
M&A watch: supplier-side acquisitions
Email marketing software provider Emailvision is to acquire SmartFocus, a provider of multichannel marketing and analytics software, for approximately £25.3 million in cash. Ecommerce services provider Snow Valley has been acquired by MICROS-Fidelio UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of US-based MICROS Systems, for an undisclosed sum. |
Jaeger selects ec2i for DAM system
Luxury British brand Jaeger has appointed prepress specialist ec2i to create and manage an asset management system for the Jaeger and Aquascutum brands. The system will initially store images, but can be used to store video and sound as well as collateral from previous campaigns. |
Lovehoney buys BeCheeky domain from liquidators
Sex-toy etailer Lovehoney has bought the domain name of online lingerie seller BeCheeky out of liquidation. BeCheeky ceased trading in March. |
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Saucy Jack Wills catalogue banned
Four pages in preppy apparel retailer Jack Wills’ spring catalogue have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority for showing images of naked teenagers. The ASA upheld 19 complaints objecting to the “offensive and unsuitable” ads. The ASA said that one of the images in particular was “overtly sexual in nature” and presented “a risk to younger teenagers”.
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Sales to hit £1 billion at Electros
In a pre-close trading update, electronic components distributor Electrocomponents said group sales had grown approximately 17 percent in the year to 31st March. As a result, sales for the full year will exceed £1 billion for the first time in the company’s history. Profits will also be slightly ahead of expectations. |
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JD Williams invests in contact management software
JD Williams, the multititle cataloguer part of N Brown group, has installed software to help better manage the volume of catalogues it sends customers and increase the effectiveness of marketing spend. Following a successful trials, JD Williams is licensing Contact Calculus, a software tool developed by TCP Marketing Solutions.
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Abacus signs up to exhibit at the ECMOD Direct Commerce Show
Abacus, one of the UK’s leading transactional data co–operatives, has signed up to exhibit at the ECMOD Direct Commerce Show on 30th Nov & 1st Dec at the Business Design Centre in London. Abacus joins a growing list of companies who recognise the value of involvement with this high profile, international exhibition and conference. To find out more visit www.ecmod360.co.uk or call Stuart Martin on 01271 866112. |
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The March Catalogue Log
At face value, March 2011 and March 2010 look almost identical in terms of catalogue volume. We received 140 catalogues last month, compared with 141 in March last year. But look deeper and you’ll find a number of subtle differences, especially the fact that we tracked a 29 percent increase in the number of catalogues promoting a sale or discount this year. For more stats and insight visit catalog-biz.com.
To subscribe to our print edition, contact Jill Sweet on 01271 866221 or at subs@catalog-biz.com. To advertise, contact the Catalogue e-business sales team on 01271 866112 or at sales@catalog-biz.com.
And don’t forget…In addition to the monthly print magazine, there’s the Catalogue e-business website at www.catalog-biz.com and you can catch up with us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/catalogbiz too.
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Follow ECMOD Exhibition & Conference...
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E-Commerce Acquisition Opportunity
Established retailer of consumer technology products & accessories.
Turnover £3m / NP £0.5m
Strong brand & customer base.
Excellent growth potential (b2c and b2b)
Suitable as a bolt-on acquisition, or as an MBI.
Please contact PO CC41701 for further information.
Interested trade buyers should provide details of their current business and current revenue.
Interested MBI candidates should submit their CV and provide an understanding of their source of finance.
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E-Commerce Executive
Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire
Competitive Salary + benefits
Coopers of Stortford are a leading multi channel retailer, with annual sales of £20m through our well established retail, mail order and online channels.This exciting role will play an important part in further developing our rapidly growing online business. Key responsibilities will include: maintaining and updating web content, broadcasting and analysing email campaigns and managing our reseller channels including Amazon. The successful candidate will ideally come from a retail e-commerce background and should have a good understanding of online marketing techniques as well as a knowledge of HTML and basic Photoshop. Most importantly you will have the drive and energy to thrive in a fast paced and entrepreneurial business.
To apply, please send your CV and covering letter to a.ahmed@coopersofstortford.co.uk
JOBS - Each week we offer companies or individuals the opportunity to advertise their situations vacant. When you are in the market to recruit skilled permanent and interim personnel you need to be sure that your requirement reaches the cream of experienced candidates. With CataloguesCatalogues you can most definitely achieve that, as many reader businesses will attest, at unbelievably low rates. Click here for the latest rates or call us on 01271 866112.
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Are you looking for a new challenge?Advertise in CataloguesCatalogues Talent Shop and you will reach the desktops of thousands of potential employers in the catalogue and home shopping sector. The service is completely free of charge and includes a free confidential reply email address if required.
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Highly Experienced Database Marketing Manager
15 years experience working in multi-channel B2C marketing delivering effective data solutions for both 3rd party and in house teams. An expert at delivering data to develop optimal cross channel customer contact strategy and 360 degree customer view from multiple data sets, including international and across industry sectors. Looking for next challenge in Thames Valley or Central London.
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To find out more about the above adverts, or to place your own in Talent Shop, email your 30 word profile to info@ecmod.com and it will appear in the next available issue.
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