Share this newsletter...


Top Stories...

Piper takes stake in Celtic Sheepskin
Cornwall-based apparel cataloguer Celtic Sheepskin has sold a minority stake to private equity firm Piper. The investment sees the £8 million company through its next stage of growth, which will include introducing an additional catalogue for autumn/winter and recruiting more staff. The company will now start the search for a managing director, senior buyer and senior merchandiser.

Simply Be to test concept stores
Plus-size catalogue Simply Be is to move from clicks to bricks this year with a trial of three “concept stores”. The stores, in as yet undisclosed locations, will test whether the cost of a retail presence is justified by the incremental customers and revenue generated by a multichannel offering. In 2010, the N Brown-owned brand reached revenues of £100 million for the first time. Total group revenue at N Brown increased by 4.2 percent to £718.8 million in the 52 weeks to 26th February. Operating profit rose 5.1 percent to £102.6 million, while pretax profit was up 5.5 percent to £98.2 million.

sponsors message


Other News...

Confetti to expand into Ireland
Dublin-headquartered WeddingsOnline, an online community and supplier directory of wedding dresses, venues, photographers, bands and videos, has acquired a 25 percent stake in wedding-supplies website Confetti. The deal sees WeddingsOnline directors Peter Bryans and Robert Truesdale sit on the Confetti board and will allow the Irish business to reach the UK wedding market--estimated to be ten times larger than in Ireland. It will also see Confetti’s online shop opened up to Irish customers and as a result will create 20 new roles at Confetti, predominantly in sales.

CatEx unveils new postage deal
Catalogue Exchange, which has been offering a discounted postal rate for members since April 2010, has announced that postal operator Citipost was retained to run the project for a further two years. Citipost was among three suppliers to tender for the project, which is already saving CatEx member companies thousands of pounds a year on their mailings. The negotiated group discount on postage rates combines the bulk-mail volume of CatEx member companies and allows them access to lower prices than they could receive on their own.  

Viking Direct rebrands
Stationery cataloguer Viking Direct has revamped its logo and dropped the Direct from its name to make it more appealing to consumers. In addition it has overhauled its website and catalogues and will embark on a national TV and Radio ad campaign on 16th May. 

Register now for your free copy of the ECMOD Direct Commerce Year Book! 
This year's Year Book is a real “keeper” and a valuable reference tool for its 10,000 recipients. Containing all the latest research, viewpoints from 100 sector business leaders, a meaningful roundup of the key news & developments from 2010, profiles on all the ECMOD Direct Commerce Awards winning businesses, AND a truly extensive Supplier Directory, you can't afford to miss out. To register for your free copy email amy@ecmod.com or for last minute advertising opportunities email stuartmartin@ecmod.com or call 01271 866112.   

Debenhams taps DHL for ecommerce fulfilment
Debenhams has awarded DHL Supply Chain the contract to carry out fulfilment for its direct division. DHL will manage order receipt, picking, packing and returns processing. Debenhams expects to despatch 2 million parcels this year, growing to 4 million over the next three years.  

Catalogue Exchange announces annual summit speakers 
The Catalogue Exchange has unveiled its line-up of speakers for this year’s CatEx Annual Summit which takes place on Tuesday 7th June at Kensington Town Hall in London. The summit is the key event of the trade body’s year and offers a unique day of timely, constructive discussion and debate for all. The theme for this year’s event is Customer Recruitment and a number of speakers will be discussing the topic on the day.  Each will focus on their approach to customer acquisition and share their experiences, insights and future development plans. For a detailed list of speakers click here or for tickets and more information email naomi@catalogueexchange.co.uk. 




The power of data to predict the future
The challenge for online retailers is that while content and application-rich websites may create a more satisfying customer experience, they also raise the performance stakes by introducing more potential IT hiccups via third-party providers and other enhanced features. Understanding performance and usage patterns and establishing a "normal" behaviour pattern or profile is therefore essential in detecting subtle anomalies in ecommerce websites when it comes to performance management. To find out more visit catalog-biz.com.

Lower subscription rate!
This month sees Catalogue e-business relaunch as Direct Commerce.  As part of the revamp, we’ve reviewed our subscription rate—and lowered it! A year’s subscription is now just £65. That’s our best price yet and a £20 saving on the previous annual rate.

To subscribe and take advantage of our new lower rate, call 01271 866221, or email subs@catalog-biz.com.

Follow Direct Commerce...

         

Marketing Manager, PR Manager & Customer Services Manager Roles
at The Handpicked Collection

ECMOD award winners, The Handpicked Collection are recruiting for three key positions within their fast-growing business.  Ideal candidates will have experience within the ecommerce and mail order industry and will be looking for a challenging role in which they can make a significant impact during an exciting period of growth within the company. 

For more information please email jobs@handpickedcollection.com 

Follow ECMOD Exhibition
& Conference on twitter