All articles by Planet Retail – Page 19

  • News

    Aldi Süd extends Austrian traceability system

    2012-08-24T07:00:00Z

    German discounter Aldi Süd has extended its Austrian traceability system for meat products to Hungary. The scheme allows customers to scan an item’s QR code with a smartphone or enter a product code on the website of Aldi’s Hungarian supplier Master Good to discover information about a product’s origin and ...

  • News

    Toys R Us opens first China store

    2012-08-23T07:00:00Z

    Toys R Us has opened its first stores in Northern China at two locations in Beijing.The retailer is expanding aggressively in the region after buying a majority stake in its Greater China and Southeast Asia business from Li & Fung in October. Two more shops will open next month.The retailer ...

  • News

    Carrefour opens Click & Drive in Indonesia

    2012-08-23T07:00:00Z

    Carrefour has opened its first drive-in service in Indonesia at the flagship Lebak Bulus hypermarket, south of Jakarta.The initiative, named Click & Drive, enables customers to shop online, choose a time slot and then pick up their goods at a dedicated parking location.Unlike its European equivalents, the drive-in service does ...

  • News

    Abercrombie & Fitch to open Australian Hollister store

    2012-08-23T07:00:00Z

    Abercrombie & Fitch will open its first Australian Hollister store next year. It comes after a number of international clothing retailers have said they will open stores in the market. Uniqlo will open soon, along with retailers including H&M, J Crew, Banana Republic, Sephora, Victoria’s Secret and Forever 21.Abercrombie & ...

  • News

    Netflix to launch in Scandinavia

    2012-08-22T07:00:00Z

    US entertainment specialist Netflix plans to launch in Scandinavia by the end of this year.Netflix will offer streaming services in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland and promises a wide range of Hollywood, local and global TV shows and movies.In Scandinavia, Netflix will face competition from Amazon’s LoveFilm subsidiary, which operates ...

  • News

    Supermarket operator Zielpunkt to introduce ‘innovation shelf’

    2012-08-22T07:00:00Z

    Supermarket operator Zielpunkt is to introduce an ‘innovation shelf’ in stores to try new products and reduce the risk of a product launch failure. The retailer will test the idea at 40 supermarkets in and around Vienna.The shelf will be used to test sales of product innovations from the retailer’s ...

  • News

    Lidl “first and fastest” to open on Sundays

    2012-08-22T07:00:00Z

    Schwarz Group’s Lidl has begun opening on Sundays in anticipation of changed legislation in Denmark.As of last week, all Danish Lidl stores were open on Sundays, the retailer has said, adding that it has been the “first and fastest” to do so.The new laws on store opening hours that will ...

  • News

    Douglas installs multimedia terminals in its perfumeries

    2012-08-22T07:00:00Z

    Shoppers at perfumery retailer Douglas can test make-up in stores and share photos with friends on Facebook, according to trade magazine Lebensmittel Zeitung.Douglas has installed multimedia terminals in 15 of its perfumeries, which it has called ‘Girlfriends Tables’. Each has a webcam allowing customers to take photos and share them ...

  • News

    Major retailers begin test-selling through eBay

    2012-08-17T07:00:00Z

    Major retailers Target, Best Buy, Walgreens and Macy’s have begun test-selling through eBay in San Francisco. Shoppers can order products with the new ‘eBay Now’ app, available for Apple devices.Local stores’ inventory data is uploaded to the online marketplace Milo – acquired by eBay in late 2010 – with the ...

  • News

    Real appoints chief executive for domestic and international business

    2012-08-17T07:00:00Z

    Metro Group-owned hypermarket chain Real has appointed Didier Fleury as its new chief executive for domestic and international business, Lebensmittel Zeitung has reported.Fleury was previously chief operating officer at the company. The former banner director for Real Germany, Roland Neuwald, remains with the company as sales director, replacing Bernd Mediger ...

  • News

    Apple authorises US store employees to offer iPhone discounts

    2012-08-17T07:00:00Z

    Apple has authorised its US store employees to offer discounts on iPhones in an unprecedented move by the retailer.The initiative will allow Apple to match promotions offered by wireless carriers and third-party retailers, according to The Wall Street Journal.Employees may now offer discounts of up to $49 (£31) on the ...

  • News

    Net sales increase for Pantaloon Retail

    2012-08-16T07:00:00Z

    Future Group-owned Pantaloon Retail’s full-year net sales for the core retail business rose by 7% to INR117.9bn (£1.36bn), compared with INR110.1bn (£1.27bn) last year. Net profit grew to INR2.85bn (£33m) compared with INR766.7m (£8.81m).The retailer added 2.37 million sq ft in the year, taking its total retail space to 16.71 ...

  • News

    Woolworths launches drive-through supermarket

    2012-08-16T07:00:00Z

    Australian retailer Woolworths has launched the nation’s first drive-through supermarket. Customers are able to collect an order placed online without having to leave their car. The free service is being offered at the Warringah Mall in Sydney.

  • News

    Migros tests convenience store concept, Migros-Express

    2012-08-16T07:00:00Z

    Swiss retailer Migros is testing a convenience store concept called Migros-Express. The stores are located near railway stations and will be open all week, including Sundays.The product range is targeted at the commuter market. After the first openings in Rapperswil and Luzern, Migros opened a third store in Zürich-Altstetten with ...

  • News

    Esprit appoints new chief executive officer

    2012-08-15T12:46:00Z

    Listed clothing retailer Esprit has appointed Jose Manuel Martínez Gutiérrez as its new chief executive officer.The appointment, effective from the end of September, comes after the resignations in June of Esprit’s chief executive Ronald van der Vis and chairman Hans-Joachim Körber.Martínez was most recently group director of distribution and operations ...

  • News

    H&M to open first Malaysian store

    2012-08-15T12:44:00Z

    Swedish fashion retailer H&M will open its first Malaysian store in Kuala Lumpur on 20 September.The new 36,000 sq ft store will offer the latest collections for women, men and children. A second store is due to open in the city’s new Setia City Mall later this year.

  • News

    Ikea plans move into hotels and student accommodation

    2012-08-15T12:43:00Z

    Ikea plans to construct budget hotels and student accommodation in university cities across western Europe.LandProp Holding, the Ikea real estate development arm behind the London Strand East project, will develop accommodation under the brand Ulito.Harald Müller, managing director of LandProp and business development manager of Inter Ikea, said the developments ...

  • News

    Sales fall at department store group JCPenney

    2012-08-15T12:41:00Z

    Department store group JCPenney’s sales fell 22.6% to $3.02bn (£1.92bn) for the second quarter ended July 28. Like-for-like sales were down 21.7%. Online sales were $220m (£140m) in the period, a fall of 32.6%. The retailer said the results included the effects of its exit from its outlet business and ...

  • News

    Gap posts second-quarter revenue increase

    2012-08-10T07:00:00Z

    Clothing retailer Gap has posted second-quarter results for the period ended July 28.Revenues increased by 6% to $3.58bn (£2.3bn) from $3.39bn (£2.18bn) in the same period in 2011. The retailer’s second-quarter comparable sales were up 4% compared with a 2% decrease in the second quarter last year.Chairman and chief executive ...

  • News

    Richard Schulze in bid to purchase Best Buy

    2012-08-10T07:00:00Z

    Best Buy founder Richard Schulze is vying to buy the electronics giant in a $9bn (£5.8bn) deal.Schulze, who was ousted as chairman in June, already owns 20% of the retailer and is looking to team up with private equity firms to buy the remainder.Schulze’s financial adviser Credit Suisse said it ...