All General merchandise articles – Page 157
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NewsConsumer confidence rises despite the double dip recession
Consumer confidence increased two points month-on-month in May to -29 as people feel more positive about future prospects, according to GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index
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OpinionSurviving the company turnaround
As headhunters we often unsurprisingly nowadays get to work alongside turnaround companies parachuting in either interim or permanent executives to help effect a turnaround.
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OpinionM-commerce puts the high street under pressure
To click or to wander? Last month, Boston Consulting Group published findings stating that the UK has the largest internet economy of the G20.
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News
Discount chain Penny requests supplier contribution
Rewe Group’s domestic discount chain Penny is asking brand and private-label suppliers for a contribution of 2% to 2.5% of their sales to support its refurbishment programme. Penny is offering for suppliers to be featured in promotions and special leaflets in return. Since the end of February, Penny has converted ...
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NewsPoundland launches mobile app
Poundland has launched a mobile app to inform customers about special offers and how to find its stores.
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Target reveals net earnings increase
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 ...
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AnalysisWalmart prospers in US but stuggles with digital
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.
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NewsSales soar at The Entertainer as sector rivals close down
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.
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AnalysisCampaign of the week: Halfords, A Summer to Remember
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.
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NewsMamas & Papas to sell product on Amazon and Tesco sites
Mamas & Papas has identified digital marketplaces as central to its online growth strategy.
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NewsHilco hired to shut Birthdays and Clintons stores
Restructuring specialist Hilco has been drafted in to close Birthdays and Clintons stores
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OpinionNick Bubb's verdict: Mothercare - can a new broom sweep clean?
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.
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NewsMastercard loses appeal against card transaction charges
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 ...
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AnalysisMothercare: What the analysts say
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
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NewsCalver: ''Give me three years to turn around Mothercare"
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.
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News
Off-price retailer TJX reports increase on first-quarter earnings
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% ...
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NewsM&S faces staff revolt after bonus slash
Marks & Spencer is facing a revolt by its shopworkers after annual bonuses were slashed to just £100.
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Bharti Walmart to open Best Price Modern Wholesale store
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 ...
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AnalysisAchieving a happy workforce
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.
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NewsM&S presses button on new phase of store revamps as profits fall
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.