All articles by Planet Retail – Page 18
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H&M plans South American flagship
Swedish clothing retailer H&M plans to open its first store in South America in the first half of 2013.The store will be a full flagship located at the Costanera Center shopping mall in Santiago.H&M chief executive Karl-Johan Persson said: “It is our first step into the Southern Hemisphere, and we ...
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Massmart plans Makro warehouse revamp
Walmart-controlled Massmart plans to revamp 10 of its 17 Makro warehouse clubs to boost their appeal to private customers as well as cut energy costs.Although the new generation of stores will still resemble wholesale outlets, shoppers will be able to buy single items alongside bulk packs.To reduce energy costs, skylights ...
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Harvey Norman reports net profit decrease
Consumer electronics specialist Harvey Norman described its year to June 30 as one of its most difficult.The retailer reported a 32% fall in net profit to AUD172.5m (£111.3m) compared with the previous year. The drop was blamed on soft consumer sentiment and discounting.Chief executive Gerry Harvey was more positive about ...
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Fashion retailer Uterqüe opens China stores
Inditex-owned fashion retailer Uterqüe has opened its first two stores in China.The openings come as the Spanish fashion giant continues to take advantage of the growing preference for Western fashions in many Asian markets.The first store opened last month in the IFC Mall in Hong Kong. The second is at ...
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Media Markt launches Spanish transactional website
Electronics retailer Media Markt, owned by Metro, has launched its transactional website in the Spain.The website offers more than 3,500 items. The retailer plans to expand that to more than 100,000 over the next two years.At present the website is only operated in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.
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Peapod launches click-and-collect service
Online grocer Peapod has launched a click-and-collect service in partnership with Ahold’s Stop & Shop chain.Shoppers can order groceries online through Peapod and then go to stores for collection. They must live within 10 miles of the store to use the service and payment is made online. Customers can shop ...
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Frozen food retailer Picard enters Belgian market
French frozen food retailer Picard has entered the Belgian market with the opening of its first store in Waterloo.As part of a joint venture with local partners, Picard is expected to open further shops in the country in coming weeks. The retailer is reportedly now considering the takeover of stores ...
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Auchan to open electronics and home appliances store
Auchan has revealed plans to open its first electronics and home appliances store in Russia later this month under the Elektrodiscont banner.The first shop will be in Altufevo, north of Moscow, and further stores will follow if it is a success. The shop will have a multichannel focus.Auchan also plans ...
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Woolworths reports group turnover growth
Food and clothing retailer Woolworths reported group turnover growth of 11.8% to ZAR28.6bn (£2.15bn) for its financial year ended June 24. Operating profit was up 26.6% to ZAR2.7bn (£203.2m), and profit after tax increased by 25% to ZAR2.1bn (£158m).At Woolworths’ African food and clothing operations, total sales increased by 11.6% ...
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Net income plunges at Best Buy
Consumer electronics specialist Best Buy’s net income plunged 91% to $12m (£7.6m) for the three months ended August 4.That compares with $150m (£94.8m) in the same period a year earlier. Second-quarter adjusted operating profit fell 52% to $124m (£78.3m), hit by restructuring including store closures and job cuts.Total revenue fell ...
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Bookseller Barnes & Noble narrow net losses
Bookseller Barnes & Noble recorded a 2.5% increase in consolidated revenues to $1.5bn (£948.4m) for its first quarter ended July 28. Net loss narrowed to $41m (£25.9m) as a result of cost savings. Sales at the retailer’s stores rose 2% during the period, or 4.6% on a like-for-like basis, benefiting ...
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Massmart reports group sales growth
Walmart-controlled Massmart reported 15.6% growth in group sales to ZAR61.2bn (£4.61bn) for the year ended June 24.Operating profit increased 21% to ZAR2.1bn (£158m), or 3.7% when costs related to the Walmart transaction were taken into consideration. Sales in foreign markets represented 7.8% of total sales.Sales at Massdiscounters, comprising Game and ...
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Amazon launches Indian Kindle Store
Amazon has launched an Indian Kindle Store on Amazon.com. The India Kindle Store offers more than 1 million books, now priced in Indian rupees, including 70 of 100 Nielsen Bestsellers. Customers can now purchase the Kindle ereader at Croma stores across India.Amazon vice-president of Kindle Content Russ Grandinetti said: “We ...
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Hollister to open first Australian store in 2013
Abercrombie & Fitch-owned US fashion brand Hollister will open its first Australian store next year. It comes as several international clothing retailers plan to enter the market, including Uniqlo, H&M, J Crew, Banana Republic and Forever 21.The Hollister brand will launch in a mall to test the market before an ...
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Grocer Delhaize posts sales growth
Grocer Delhaize posted sales of e11.17bn (£8.84bn) for the first half of 2012, representing growth of 10.1% compared with the same period the previous year. Operating profit was e207m (£163.8m), down 51.5%.In the US, revenues fell 2.2% to $9.35bn ($5.91bn). Excluding the 126 stores closed in February, sales increased 0.5%.In ...
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Zara to launch Chinese online store
Inditex-owned clothing retailer Zara will strengthen its presence in the Asian market with the launch of its online store in China on September 5.The Spanish group’s objective is to consolidate its foothold in China, a market that is already the most important for the retailer outside Europe.
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Rossmann to introduce Rossmann Express banner
Watson-affiliated drugstore group Rossmann is introducing the Rossmann Express banner to the 20 railway station stores it recently bought from insolvent competitor Schlecker’s Ihr Platz in Germany.The concept will follow the former Ihr Platz Express model, comprising a range of ambient, chilled and frozen foods in addition to the drugstore ...
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Grocery retailer Ahold reports sales increase
Dutch grocery retailer Ahold’s sales increased 8% to e17.4bn (£13.76bn) in the first half of 2012.At constant exchange rates, that was a rise of 2.8% compared with the same period last year. Operating income was e724m (£572.8m), up 3.2%.Chief executive Dick Boer said: “We expect market conditions to remain difficult.”
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Target reports second-quarter sales increase
Target’s second-quarter sales rose 3.5% to $16.5bn (£10.51bn). Like-for-like sales were up 3.1% on top of a 3.9% gain a year ago. Net earnings remained flat at $704m (£448.6m).During the quarter, Target added eight new stores, including its first three CityTarget stores. The retailer’s REDcard loyalty scheme penetration reached 12.8% ...
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Walmex to face fresh investigation by US Congress
Walmart’s Mexican subsidiary Walmex is facing fresh investigation by the US Congress, which says it has documents suggesting that the retailer may have engaged in tax evasion and money laundering.This follows probes over allegations that the retailer bribed local Mexican officials to open stores more quickly.Congressmen Elijah Cummings and Henry ...