All International articles – Page 255

  • Crabtree Evelyn
    News

    Crabtree & Evelyn to focus on heritage

    2009-08-07T00:00:00Z

    Natural beauty retailer Crabtree & Evelyn has restructured its management and will be led from London rather than the US as it refocuses the brand around its English heritage.

  • News

    Revenues at PPR decline

    2009-08-07T00:00:00Z

    Revenues at retail and luxury group PPR declined 3.6 per cent to €9.2bn (£7.9bn) in the first half.At its entertainment fascia Fnac, sales in its home market were down 5 per cent. Fnac’s operations in Belgium, Portugal and Brazil showed solid growth, whereas sales in Spain continued to deteriorate, dropping ...

  • News

    Metro's EBIT plummets

    2009-08-07T00:00:00Z

    Metro’s EBIT plummeted 20 per cent to €307bn (£260.99bn) in the second quarter due to costs associated with its efforts to restructure the business.Sales for the period dropped 3.8 per cent to €15.3bn (£13.1bn) because of currency fluctuations in Eastern Europe.Over the first half, group sales slid 3.2 per cent ...

  • News

    Retail sales fall in Germany

    2009-08-07T00:00:00Z

    Retail sales fell 1.8 per cent month on month in June as the global crisis maintained its grip on Europe’s biggest economy.The drop followed a 1.3 per cent decline in May and contrast with economists’ expectations that the country’s sales would improve slightly or, at worst, be flat in June.On ...

  • Primark Bremen exerior
    Gallery

    Primark sets sail for new shores

    2009-08-07T00:00:00Z

    Germany is the latest step on Primark’s path to world domination and, judging by the value-fashion retailer’s debut store in Bremen, its appeal should translate. John Ryan goes to take a closer look

  • Spotify hopes to challenge iTunes with an iPhone application
    News

    Spotify attracts high profile investors

    2009-08-04T09:17:00Z

    Spotify, the digital music download service, is close to securing new funding from investors including the charitable foundation of Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing.

  • News

    Bharti Retail to open up to 100 EasyDay stores

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Bharti Retail plans to open between 75 and 100 EasyDay stores in 25 cities in northern India by the end of this financial year.The retailer said it will focus on a mixture of small and medium-sized formats in “tier 1 and tier 2” cities.Bharti Retail is also planning to open ...

  • News

    Loblaw to acquire T&T Supermarket

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Grocer Loblaw is to acquire Canada’s largest Asian food retailer, T&T Supermarket, comprising 17 stores and four distribution centres.The retailer will add about C$500m (£280.1m) in sales to Loblaw’s business, which is paying C$225m (£126m) for the deal, which is expected to complete before the year end.Like-for-likes at Loblaw rose ...

  • News

    Top property agent to head Apple growth plans

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Apple is expected to ramp up its European property strategy by appointing a leading agent to head its growth plans.

  • News

    Savola Group to buy all Géant hypermarkets in Saudi Arabia

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Saudi-based Savola Group, owner of Panda retail group, has agreed to pay SR440m (£71.1m) to buy all 11 Géant hypermarkets in Saudi Arabia owned by the Fawaz Alhokair Group, a Casino franchisee.The acquisition will enable Panda to increase its share of the Saudi retail market and lift turnover by 13 ...

  • News

    Metro considers alternatives to merger

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Metro is considering alternatives to formally merging its Kaufhof department store chain with Karstadt, the department store retailer owned by insolvent group Arcandor.Metro is examining the possibility of renting selected properties directly from owners once Karstadt goes into bankruptcy. A Metro spokesman said the retailer was interested in acquiring the ...

  • Zappos
    News

    Amazon takeover to open Zappos up to new markets

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    E-tailer Zappos has been a household name in the US for some time. The shoe specialist has been on a phenomenal growth path, with sales skyrocketing from $1.6m (£969,820) in 2001 to more than $1bn (£606.1m) last year.

  • News

    Avon plans job cuts

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Mail order and door-to-door beauty specialist Avon is planning to cut 1,200 jobs over the next four years in a major cost-saving drive.The retailer expects to take on a second-quarter charge of about $90m (£54.5m) for its restructuring plan. The overhaul – which includes focusing on streamlining the business and ...

  • News

    Best Buy is trials sale of discounted laptops with internet contracts

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Electricals giant Best Buy is trialling the sale of discounted laptops with internet contracts, echoing a similar initiative used by joint-venture partner Carphone Warehouse in Europe.Customers at selected stores can buy lower priced laptops if they sign up for two years with a broadband provider. Best Buy chief executive Brian ...

  • News

    Book Depository to take on US market

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Online retailer The Book Depository has revealed a 50 per cent hike in revenue to £62m in the year to June 30 as it lays out plans to take on the £9bn US book market.

  • News

    Costco to invest in New South Wales expansion

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Costco – the US-based international chain of membership warehouses selling food, general merchandise and electricals – plans to invest Aus$120m (£59.8m) in expanding into New South Wales, Australia.It will open its first discount warehouse in the region at Auburn in western Sydney. Costco, which may open more stores in the ...

  • Jaeger
    News

    Jaeger to make Hong Kong debut

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Fashion retailer Jaeger is extending its international reach with plans for its first Hong Kong opening in September.

  • Joules
    News

    Joules eyes Dubai as it plans overseas stores

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Lifestyle and fashion retailer Joules has set its sights on international expansion as its sales continue to soar.

  • News

    Eldorado’s like-for-like sales slump

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Electricals retailer Eldorado’s like-for-like sales slumped 21.7 per cent in the first half of this year.Total sales plummeted 29.4 per cent to RUB39.6bn (£782.1m), compared with the same period last year. The retailer revealed it grew EBITDA to RUB2.7bn (£53.3m) compared with a loss of RUB1.9bn (£37.5m) last year.Eldorado operates ...

  • News

    Vente-privee enjoys a sales increase

    2009-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Private sales website Vente-privee has enjoyed a sales increase of 40 per cent in the first half of this year. Sales rocketed to £290m for the period as shoppers took advantage of goods with more than 70 per cent off normal retail price.The Paris-based retailer, which launched a UK site ...