All General merchandise articles – Page 200
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News
Luke Johnson mulls bid for HobbyCraft
Entrepreneur and former Borders UK owner Luke Johnson is considering bidding for arts and crafts retailer HobbyCraft after it was put up for sale this week.
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News
Asda ploughs into online greetings card market
Asda has waded into the online personalised greetings card arena in a tie-up with manufacturer Hallmark.
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News
Scottish retail sales record worst decline in six months
Scottish retail sales fell 0.6% on a like-for-like basis in November, the worst decline since May.
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News
HobbyCraft to be put up for sale
Arts and crafts retailer HobbyCraft is to be sold for £70m after it appointed Grant Thornton to consider its strategic options.
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News
Retailers confident of improving Christmas trade
Retailers are confident that this Christmas will be no worse than last year, according to British Retail Consortium figures.
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News
Halfords upbeat on festive prospects
Halfords is hopeful of a strong Christmas trading period as it ramps up its multichannel marketing.
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Gallery
Steamer Trading: A cook shop worth its salt
Kitchen retailer Steamer Trading has opened an architecturally bold store that is sure to impress. John Ryan gets a tour in historic Guildford.
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News
Dyson creates pop-up shop at Bluewater
Upmarket vacuum cleaner brand Dyson has opened its first bricks-and-mortar shop, with a 1,200 sq ft pop-up store at Bluewater that opened yesterday.
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News
Paperchase eyes 200 stores despite Borders collapse
Paperchase has insisted it will remain largely unaffected by the administration of Borders UK despite operating 38 concessions in the collapsed chain.
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News
VAT to return to 17.5% in January
Chancellor Alistair Darling has confirmed in his pre-budget report that VAT will return to 17.5% on January 1, 2010.
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News
Specsavers on course for strong year as value strategy pays off
Specsavers is confident of hitting a £1.4bn turnover in its full year to the end of February after reinforcing its value credentials.
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News
Bicycle etailer Wiggle gunning to double sales
Online bikes retailer Wiggle is aiming to double its turnover within the next two to three years and is not ruling out opening shops.
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News
Argos uses voice direction tool for store deliveries
Argos hopes to improve efficiencies by rolling out a voice-directed put-away system to its entire estate following a successful trial.
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News
Clintons set for Christmas after Halloween bonanza
Analysts are “cautiously optimistic” for Clinton Cards’ crucial Christmas trading period after the greeting cards retailer revealed solid trading in recent weeks.
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News
Black Friday shoppers hunt for bargains
Sales on one of America’s busiest shopping days, Black Friday, were marginally ahead of 2008, but shoppers steered clear of higher priced items to hunt out bargains.
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Analysis
Woolworths’ property portfolio: Well worth it?
Woolworths’ collapse left a scar on hundreds of high streets as 807 stores shut. One year on, Sara McCorquodale investigates what has been re-let and who has benefited
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News
Halfords first-half profits power on
Motoring and leisure group Halfords is confident of meeting full-year profit expectations after reporting a strong first half.
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Opinion
Woolworths stood still for far too long
Woolies didn’t need the big central infrastructure and West End head office, nor did it need shops in expensive prime locations or grand multichannel plans. Its future lay in being the biggest store in the smallest towns.
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Gallery
Better by design: New uses of former Woolworths
When you look at the retailers that have replaced Woolworths, it’s a wonder the general store had any shoppers at all. John Ryan reports on how the new guard are making use of Woolies’ former branches.
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News
HobbyCraft on course for its ‘best ever year’
Arts and crafts retailer HobbyCraft is heading for its “best ever year” as the trend for low-cost family activities continues to grow.