All General merchandise articles – Page 160
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NewsSales soar at The Entertainer as sector rivals close down
Specialist toy retailer The Entertainer posted a surge in sales in its first quarter as it filled the gap left by closed Woolworths, Early Learning Centre and Hawkin’s Bazaar stores.
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AnalysisCampaign of the week: Halfords, A Summer to Remember
Halfords’ Christmas advert was a successful attempt to make the retailer’s advertising more emotive – it showed a little girl enjoying her Christmas bicycle throughout the year – and the bike and car parts retailer has chosen a similar approach for its spring and summer advert.
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NewsMamas & Papas to sell product on Amazon and Tesco sites
Mamas & Papas has identified digital marketplaces as central to its online growth strategy.
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NewsHilco hired to shut Birthdays and Clintons stores
Restructuring specialist Hilco has been drafted in to close Birthdays and Clintons stores
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OpinionNick Bubb's verdict: Mothercare - can a new broom sweep clean?
New chief executives of troubled companies always enjoy a brief honeymoon period, when they can enthusiastically set out their “three year turnaround plan” and implicitly rubbish everything their predecessors have done.
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NewsMastercard loses appeal against card transaction charges
Mastercard has lost its appeal against a European Commission ruling which declared charges imposed on UK retailers for processing credit and debit card payments from other EU countries were anti-competitive and unlawful.The European Union General Court today upheld the European Commission’s 2007 ruling.The cross-border fees, known as interchange rates, mean ...
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AnalysisMothercare: What the analysts say
Mothercare posted a full-year group loss before tax and after exceptional and other items of £102.9m today while new chief executive Simon Calver outlined a three year turnaround and growth plan. The City reacted to the news
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NewsCalver: ''Give me three years to turn around Mothercare"
New Mothercare boss Simon Calver said it will take three years to turn around the troubled maternity specialist’s core UK business, which plunged into the red last year.
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News
Off-price retailer TJX reports increase on first-quarter earnings
Off-price retailer TJX reported that first-quarter earnings soared 58% compared with the same period a year earlier. For the quarter ended April 28, TJX recorded a profit of $419.2m (£265.5m), up from $266m (£168.5m) in the prior year. Sales rose 11% to $5.8bn (£3.67bn) while gross margin climbed to 28.2% ...
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NewsM&S faces staff revolt after bonus slash
Marks & Spencer is facing a revolt by its shopworkers after annual bonuses were slashed to just £100.
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News
Bharti Walmart to open Best Price Modern Wholesale store
Walmart’s joint venture Bharti Walmart is to enter Gujarat with a 50,000 sq ft Best Price Modern Wholesale store, to open later this year.The retailer said: “We plan to open 12 to 15 Best Price Modern Wholesale stores in 2012, mainly in south and west India.” It also plans a ...
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AnalysisAchieving a happy workforce
Achieving the status of ‘great employer’ demands balancing employee expectations, leadership development and financial incentives. Liz Morrell explores how retailers can get the mix right.
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NewsM&S presses button on new phase of store revamps as profits fall
Marks & Spencer has reported a fall in full-year profit but said strategic progress is being made and that remodelled stores are outperforming the rest of its estate.
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NewsPoundworld launches wholesale website
Poundworld has launched a wholesale website to cater for small retailers in what it believes is an “untapped” market.
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NewsFootfall drops 2% in first quarter
Footfall has dropped 2% in the first quarter of 2012 as the wet weather and changes to the calendar impacted shopper behaviour, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)/Springboard-ACTM Footfall Monitor.
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NewsJessops in line for £10m investment from Canon
Jessops is set to receive a £10m investment from camera manufacturer Canon to help prop it up.
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GalleryTravel retail: Airports and railway stations
Travel retail is picking up pace at railway stations and airports. John Ryan assesses some retail offers for those on the move.
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AnalysisProfile: Zev Weiss, chief executive, American Greetings
The collapse of Clinton Cards has put the boss of Ohio-based supplier American Greetings at the centre of the controversy.
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NewsAmazon: Investing in its future
The internet powerhouse Amazon is investing to fund its expansion into new categories.
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NewsClinton Cards to close 350 stores as Birthdays leaves the high street
The administrators of Clinton Cards are to shut 350 stores, including the entire Birthdays chain, starting next week after concluding the retailer is “burdened with an untenable retail estate”.

















