All Home & DIY articles – Page 241
-
NewsMixed start for Wickes as full-year profits rocket but like-for-likes slip
DIY retailer Wickes experienced a 2.4% decline in like-for-likes in the seven weeks to February 20, but full-year profits soared as the chain grew its market share.
-
NewsDunelm’s value proposition drives growth
Dunelm has reported like-for-like sales up 15.4% in its interim results, bolstered by its “simply value for money” proposition.
-
NewsEthel Austin and Au Naturale to shut 114 stores and make 1,048 redundancies
The administrators of value clothing chain Ethel Austin and sister homewares retailer Au Naturale have confirmed the closure of 114 stores and 1,048 redundancies.
-
NewsTJX Europe full year like-for-like sales ahead 5%
TJX Europe, the operator of off-price retailer TK Maxx, said like-for-like sales rose 5% in the full year to January 30.
-
NewsHabitat makes redundancies as prelude to growth
Furniture and homewares retailer Habitat has unveiled a voluntary redundancy programme to cut costs, alongside a trading uplift and expansion plans.
-
NewsWickes full year profits soar
DIY retailer Wickes experienced a 2.4% decline in like-for-likes in the seven weeks to February 20, but full year profits soared as the chain grew its market share.
-
NewsIconic Liverpool department store Lewis’s to close
Lewis’s, the 154-year-old department store in Liverpool, will close in June with the loss of 200 jobs.
-
NewsOnline retail sales hits lowest-ever annual growth in January
Online retail sales growth slowed to its lowest-ever level in January, up just 5% like-for-like to £4.3bn.
-
NewsB&Q sets out plan for blog-style tool to forge online community
B&Q plans to bolster customer interaction on its website in a bid to drive sales and develop its online community.
-
NewsElectricals etailer Ebuyer plots growth
Vida Capital Partners is confident of a strong 2010 as it ramps up its two retail businesses, etailer Ebuyer and kitchens retailer Wrens.
-
NewsB&Q sales hit by snow
B&Q has reported the snow at the beginning of the year affected trade as it recorded like-for-like sales fell 3.5% in its fourth quarter.
-
OpinionOn consistency
If you happen to stroll into Habitat’s Tottenham Court Road flagship, the chances are good not only that you’ll find what you what, but that the service will be helpful, well-informed and that the store environment will encourage you to hang around. But it’s a somewhat different proposition elsewhere.
-
News
HobbyCraft top target on Halfords acquisition list
A raft of potential buyers are circling HobbyCraft, including cycling and motoring accessories specialist Halfords and private equity house Isis, ahead of a February 26 deadline for first-round bids.
-
News
Lakeland plans website revamp to aid expansion
Kitchen and homewares specialist Lakeland intends to relaunch its website this year as it lays out plans for expansion in the UK and the Middle East.
-
News
Lowe’s opens first store in Mexico
US-based home improvement chain Lowe’s has opened its first store in Mexico, in the northern industrial city of Monterrey.The retailer has made a $100m (£61.6m) investment in the Latin American country and plans to open five stores in the Monterrey area over the next few years.
-
NewsPeterborough Garden Park opens this week
Garden Park Investments’ £25m Peterborough Garden Park opened its doors this week.
-
NewsJohn Lewis simplifies multichannel system
John Lewis is implementing an order management system to improve its ordering and returns operation in an effort to offer a seamless service across its shopping channels.
-
OpinionMultichannel retail’s pioneers
A decade after the dotcom crash, online and multichannel retail are firmly established. But as entrepreneurs quest for transformational business models, the multichannel merits of older companies should not be overlooked
-
OpinionWhen good news is bad news
Croydon has been waiting years for the arrival of John Lewis. The fact it’s going out of town is a hammer blow to the town centre.
-
NewsJohn Lewis to invest a further £7.5m in home format
John Lewis will open its second home store, John Lewis at home, in Croydon in the autumn and has committed to investing a further £7.5m in the format.