Retail news

• Metro AG: birds of a feather

  06-01-2020 18:31
  Wonky wheels on German group’s cart have left it directionless for some time
  
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• Kingfisher appoints new chief customer & digital officer

  06-01-2020 15:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Kingfisher, parent company of B&Q & Screwfix, appoints Jean-Jacques Van Oosten as chief customer and digital officer
  // He joins most recently from Lego, where he was chief digital officer
  // It’s not his first time with Kingfisher, having previously held a role there as group IT director from 2005-08Kingfisher has announced the appointment of Jean-Jacques Van Oosten as its new chief customer and digital officer.
  Van Oosten joins the parent company of B&Q and Screwfix from L
  
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• Bonmarche administration wipes out creditors’ £24m

  06-01-2020 13:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Bonmarche creditors are owed £23.9 million following its administration
  // Suppliers, are owed £12.6 million, and HMRC is owed £1.1 millionBonmarche’s creditors are unlikely to retrieve the £23.9 million they are owed, as there may not be enough cash to make any distributions.
  The fashion retailer appointed business advisory firm FRP after falling into administration in October last year.
  FRP said in a report that it could not guarantee that unsecured creditors c
  
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• Waterstones posts flat sales during “nerve-wracking” Christmas

  06-01-2020 12:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Waterstones registers flat Christmas sales
  // CEO James Daunt said Waterstones had to work harder as there was not a “blockbuster” book to be sold during the festive period
  // Waterstones’ online and click-and-collect sales grew at around 20% over the calendar yearWaterstones has recorded flat sales for the Christmas period despite earlier predictions, the general election and bad weather.
  Waterstones chief executive James Daunt said the book retailer’s Christmas sales
  
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• Tesco unfolds fresh round of price cuts

  06-01-2020 10:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Tesco to slash prices on hundreds of products this month
  // Members of Tesco’s Clubcard loyalty scheme will be able to benefit from its price reductions
  // 24% of Brits said they would look for deals to save money in 2020Tesco has slashed prices on hundreds of products as part of its ongoing centenary celebrations, marking “100 Years of Great Value”.
  Members of Tesco’s Clubcard loyalty scheme will be able to benefit from dozens of further price reductions as part of th
  
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• Amazon to open physical stores in Germany

  06-01-2020 10:37 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Amazon is planning to open physical stores in Germany marking the latest battleground in its bid to establish itself as a bricks-and-mortar retailer.
  Germany, Amazon’s second largest market after the US, is likely to be the next country to see one of the online retail giant’s numerous fascia’s hit its high streets, according to its Germany chief executive Ralf Kleber.
  “The fact is that we know that customers shop offline and that they like variety,” Kleber told Germ
  
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• Retail CVAs are prolonging “inevitable future failure”

  06-01-2020 10:23 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // CVAs are delaying “failure” according to Colliers International
  // Since 2016, 13 out of 23 large businesses to have launched CVAs have gone on to file for administration
  // Some of the most notable retailers to have collapsed after launching a CVA include BHS, Toys R Us, and MothercareCVAs are prolonging “inevitable future failure” rather than helping retailers secure longer-term futures, new research has suggested.
  Since 2016, 13 out of 23 large businesses to ha
  
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• Mountain Warehouse posts 22nd straight year of record Christmas sales

  06-01-2020 10:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Mountain Warehouse’s total sales for 13 weeks ending December 29 surges 16.2% to £95.8m
  // Boosted by 21.6% uptick in online sales, Neon Sheep sales more than doubling to £3.2m & busiest Black Friday ever
  // Mountain Warehouse now on track to for record full-year profitsMountain Warehouse has posted record Christmas trading for the 22nd year running, as the retailer opened a slew of new stores and enjoyed its busiest Black Friday ever.
  The outdoor clothing and equipment
  
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• Debenhams reveals locations of 19 stores due for closure

  06-01-2020 09:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Debenhams will close 19 stores across the UK this month
  // The department store chain officially launched its CVA in late April
  // Debenhams will aim to shut down 50 of its worst-performing stores in a bid to reduce debtDebenhams has revealed the locations of the 19 stores which are due to shut in the UK this month – resulting in 660 job losses.
  The department store chain which entered administration in April 2019, officially launched its CVA later during the same month, and speculation
  
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• HMV warns of store closures & job cuts if landlord negotiations unsuccessful

  06-01-2020 09:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // HMV warns of job losses & 10 store closures unless it secures new deals with landlords
  // It confirmed that a further 3 stores will shut at the end of the month
  // The brand new HMV Vault, which opened in Birmingham in October last year, will not be affectedHMV has warned of job losses and the closure of up to 10 stores unless it is able to secure new deals with its landlords.
  The music retailer confirmed that a further three stores will shut at the end of the month, with new tenants alre
  
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• Aldi sales reach record £1bn at Christmas as it opens more stores

  06-01-2020 09:23
  
  Retailer says it sold 55m mince pies and 22m pigs in blankets in run-up to ChristmasChristmas sales at Aldi topped £1bn for the first time, as the German-owned discount supermarket continued its rapid expansion in the UK.Sales in UK in the four weeks to Christmas Eve rose by 7.9% compared with the same trading period of the previous year, the grocer said on Monday. The company did not report a like-for-like sales figure. Continue reading...
  
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• Aldi rakes in £1bn in record-breaking Christmas sales

  06-01-2020 09:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // UK sales in Aldi’s four weeks to December 24 topped £1 billion for the first time
  // This marked a 7.9% rise on the same Christmas period in 2018
  // Aldi sold 55m mince pies, 22m pigs in blankets, and more than 2m Christmas puddingsAldi sold 55 million mince pies over a boozy Christmas which saw British shoppers spend record amounts at the German discount grocery chain.
  UK sales in the four weeks to December 24 topped £1 billion for the first time in the retailer’s his
  
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• Debenhams appoints Abigail Comber as chief marketing officer

  06-01-2020 09:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Debenhams appoints British Airways veteran Abigail Comber as its new chief marketing officer
  // She will join the department store on January 7
  // She spent 24 years at BA, with highlights including the airline’s sponsorship of Team GBR at the 2012 London OlympicsDebenhams has appointed British Airways veteran Abigail Comber has its new chief marketing officer.
  She will join the department store on January 7 and will take over the marketing function currently being managed on an interim
  
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• Aldi’s Christmas sales growth slows despite breaking £1bn

  06-01-2020 08:48
  New store openings and premium ranges drive increase in UK
  
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• Aldi faces slowdown in sales growth over Christmas period

  06-01-2020 08:48
  New store openings and premium ranges drive revenue increase
  
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• Mountain Warehouse boosted by record Christmas trading

  06-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Outdoor retailer Mountain Warehouse has said it saw record Christmas trading with sales up 16.2% to £95.8 million in the 13 weeks to 29 December. The... View Article
  
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• M&S hires interim chief financial officer

  06-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Marks & Spencer has appointed David Surdeau as its interim chief financial officer. Surdeau will join the business on 7 January and will work in the... View Article
  
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• Kingfisher hires chief customer and digital officer

  06-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  B&Q owner Kingfisher has hired Jean-Jacques Van Oosten as its chief customer and digital officer. Van Oosten has joined the business from The LEGO Group where... View Article
  
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• HMV warns of store closures

  06-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  HMV could close up to 10 stores across the country unless it can secure new deals with its landlords. The entertainment retailer has confirmed that an... View Article
  
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• Debenhams to close 19 stores this month

  06-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Department store Debenhams is to shut down 19 UK stores this month as part of its previously announced plans to close 50 of its worst performing... View Article
  
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• Debenhams appoints new chief marketing officer

  06-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Debenhams has appointed Abigail Comber as its chief marketing officer. Due to join the department store chain on 7 January, Comber previously worked with British Airways... View Article
  
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• Aldi delivers record Christmas sales

  06-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Aldi UK has said it achieved its best-ever Christmas after sales in the four weeks to 24 December broke the £1 billion barrier for the first... View Article
  
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