All General merchandise articles – Page 161

  • News

    Target reveals net earnings increase

    2012-05-25T07:00:00Z

    Mass merchandiser Target revealed that net earnings for the first quarter of 2012 rose 11.5% to $697m (£441.5m) year on year. Sales increased 6.1% from $15.6bn (£9.88bn) to $16.5bn (£10.45bn) due to a 5.3% rise in like-for-like sales and the contribution from new stores. EBIT was $1.12bn (£709.4m), an uplift ...

  • The 60-store maternity specialist believes multichannel is key to its growth
    News

    Mamas & Papas to sell product on Amazon and Tesco sites

    2012-05-25T00:00:00Z

    Mamas & Papas has identified digital marketplaces as central to its online growth strategy.

  • The punk soundtrack is a counterpoint to the nostalgic imagery
    Analysis

    Campaign of the week: Halfords, A Summer to Remember

    2012-05-25T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • The retailer has filled the toy gap
    News

    Sales soar at The Entertainer as sector rivals close down

    2012-05-25T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • Walmart has renewed its commitment to everyday low prices in the US
    Analysis

    Walmart prospers in US but stuggles with digital

    2012-05-25T00:00:00Z

    Recording its third consecutive quarter of positive comps growth, it appears Walmart has finally found momentum in the US by going back to basics Walmart US reported a 2.6% rise in first-quarter like-for-like sales, excluding fuel, last week.

  • Hilco will run Birthdays and Clinton closure programme
    News

    Hilco hired to shut Birthdays and Clintons stores

    2012-05-24T14:45:00Z

    Restructuring specialist Hilco has been drafted in to close Birthdays and Clintons stores

  • Nick Bubb's verdict: Mothercare - can a new broom sweep clean?
    Opinion

    Nick Bubb's verdict: Mothercare - can a new broom sweep clean?

    2012-05-24T14:34:00Z

    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.

  • JavierPerez
    News

    Mastercard loses appeal against card transaction charges

    2012-05-24T11:37:00Z

    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 ...

  • Mothercare posted a full-year group loss before tax and after exceptional and other items of £102.9m today
    Analysis

    Mothercare: What the analysts say

    2012-05-24T09:30:00Z

    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

  • Calver will be 'ruthless' on non-store costs
    News

    Calver: ''Give me three years to turn around Mothercare"

    2012-05-24T08:33:00Z

    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.

  • News

    Off-price retailer TJX reports increase on first-quarter earnings

    2012-05-24T07:00:00Z

    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% ...

  • M&S faces staff revolt after bonus slash
    News

    M&S faces staff revolt after bonus slash

    2012-05-23T09:08:00Z

    Marks & Spencer is facing a revolt by its shopworkers after annual bonuses were slashed to just £100.

  • Pets at Home
    Analysis

    Achieving a happy workforce

    2012-05-23T07:00:00Z

    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.

  • News

    Bharti Walmart to open Best Price Modern Wholesale store

    2012-05-23T07:00:00Z

    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 ...

  • Bolland: progress being made at M&S
    News

    M&S presses button on new phase of store revamps as profits fall

    2012-05-22T08:01:00Z

    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.

  • Poundworld
    News

    Poundworld launches wholesale website

    2012-05-21T13:20:00Z

    Poundworld has launched a wholesale website to cater for small retailers in what it believes is an “untapped” market.

  • Shoppers
    News

    Footfall drops 2% in first quarter

    2012-05-21T09:35:00Z

    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.

  • Jessops snaps up £10m investment from Canon
    News

    Jessops in line for £10m investment from Canon

    2012-05-21T08:58:00Z

    Jessops is set to receive a £10m investment from camera manufacturer Canon to help prop it up.

  • London News Company
    Gallery

    Travel retail: Airports and railway stations

    2012-05-21T07:00:00Z

    Travel retail is picking up pace at railway stations and airports. John Ryan assesses some retail offers for those on the move.

  • Amazon now sells everything from DIY products to consumer electronics
    News

    Amazon: Investing in its future

    2012-05-18T00:00:00Z

    The internet powerhouse Amazon is investing to fund its expansion into new categories.