Company Results

• ASOS have reported a 27.0% increase in retail sales to £1.1bn for the six months to 28 February 2018. UK retail sales increased by 22.0% to £414.5m for the same period. International retail sales increased by 31.0% to £716.8m for the same period.

• Card Factory have reported a 6.0% increase in revenue to £422.1m for the 12 months to 31 January 2018. Underlying profit before tax decreased by 5.5% to £80.5m for the same period.

• Dunelm have reported a 5.1% to £268.2m for the 13 week to 31 March 2018. Total like-for-like revenue increased by 4.6% for the same period.

• Mothercare have reported a 2.8% decrease in like-for-like sales for the 12 weeks to 24 March 2018. UK online sales increased by 2.1% for the same period. UK website sales increased by 7.2% for the same period.

• Nisa Retail have reported a 26.0% increase in sales to £377.0m for the quarter to 01 April 2018. Like-for like sales decreased by 1.1% during the same period. (Source: GlobalData)

• Quiz have reported a 30.0% increase in revenue to £116.4m for the year to 31 March 2018. Online sales stood at £30.6m for the same period.

• Tesco have reported a 2.3% increase in group sales to £51.0bn for the 52 weeks to 24 February 2018. Group operating profit before exceptional items increased by 28.4% to £1.6bn for the same period.

• WH Smith have reported a 1.0% decrease in group profit before tax to £82.0m for the six months to 28 Feb 2018. Group like-for-like revenue decreased to 1.0% for the same period.

Clothing, Footwear & Accessories

•American Apparel have announced plans to launch an online-only offering by 23 April 2018 in the UK. (Source: Retail Gazette)
•Argento, jewellery retailer, have opened a new store at Intu Trafford Centre. The new shop will stock items from high street brands such as Olivia Burton, Nomination and Cluse as well as exclusive ranges of costume and silver jewellery. (Source: Retail Bulletin)
•French Connection have sold its stake in Toast, womenswear and homeware brand, in a bid to free up resources to aid its ongoing turnaround efforts. The retailer, which owns 75% of Toast, sold the brand to Danish fashion house Bestseller for £23.3m. (Source: The Telegraph)

•House of Fraser have announced plans to sell Chinese brands to British consumers as part of a Beijing initiative to boost trade in the region. (Source: The Telegraph)

•Jack Wills have signed up for a 5000 sq.ft. store at Intu Watford’s new extension, as part of a expansion plans of the shopping centre, which also includes Debenhams and Superdry. (Source: Drapers)
•Quiz have announced plans to enter the Chinese market in a bid to power up its overseas sales growth. (Source: Retail Week)
•Tiger have announced that its founder, Philip Bier, will launch a new kids clothing and toys retailer on the British high street, opening the first store in London in May 2018. Philip Bier has agreed a franchise deal with French retailer ÏD Kids to launch the chain in the UK. (Source: The Guardian)
•Ultimo have announced plans to cease trading in the UK and is set to begin winding down while its 11 staff enter a formal redundancy consultation period. The brand will cease trading on its UK website from 15 April 2018 and will cease all operations by the end of June 2018. (Source: Drapers)
•Zara have plans to open a new 39,500 sq.ft. flagship store in Oxford’s newly regenerated Westgate Shopping Centre. Due to open later in 2018, the store will span across three-storeys in the North Arcade of Westgate. (Source: Drapers)

Electrical & Entertaiment

•Card Factory have announced plans to launch their first pop-up and clearance stores in 2018 as part of a new trial. The retailer plans to adopt an aggressive store opening strategy along with opening of additional temporary shops in a number of locations in order to manage seasonal demand. (Source: Retail Week)
•Game Digital have announced that Mike Ashley has become the biggest shareholder at the retailer’s board. Investment vehicle Duodi, which is wholly owned by Elliott International and Elliott Associates, has disposed of its entire 37% stake in Game, leaving Mike Ashley, with 25%, as the largest single influence on its board. (Source: Retail Gazette)

•Hobbycraft have appointed Matt Davies, Tesco’s UK boss, as their new Chairman with effect from 01 May 2018 as it reshuffles its leadership team. The retailer has also announced that Dominic Jordan will be promoted as their new Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. (Source: Retail Gazette)
•Lumitrix, an online photography retailer, have opened their first physical retail space, a pop-up concept called Lumtirix Living in Marylebone. (Source: Retail Gazette)
•Toys R Us UK have announced plans to shut down its 75 remaining shops, including Babies R Us branches, by 24 April 2018. (Source: Financial Times)
•The Works have appointed Gavin Peck as their new Chief Financial Officer with immediate effect as the retailer reportedly gears up for a stock market float. (Source: Retail Week)

Food & Drink

•Bunnings have announced that Wesfarmers’ chairman will tour the UK stores with advisor and turnaround expert Archie Norman to assess the retailer’s UK venture. (Source: The Guardian)
•Conviviality have announced the sale of Conviviality Retail businesses to Bestway Direct Limited, a national retailer and wholesaler of grocery products. This sale secures continued employment for around 2,300 employees of the business. The division comprises high street wine chains Bargain Booze, Wine Rack, Select Convenience and WS Retail. (Source: Company Press Release )
•Iceland have announced new initiatives aimed at safeguarding the environment. The retailer has vowed to stop using palm oil as an ingredient in its own-brand food by the end of 2018, removing the product from 130 food lines, which will reduce demand by more than 500 tonnes per year. (Source: Company Press Release)
•John Lewis have revealed that its new department store in Cheltenham will open on 18 October 2018. The 115,000 sq.ft. shop will be managed by Martin Bundy. (Source: Drapers)

•Lidl UK have launched their first permanent free-from range with prices starting from 79 pence. Stocked in stores nationwide from this week, the range will feature gluten-free items from Lidl’s own range as well as other popular brands. (Source: Retail Bulletin)
•Pep&Co have plans to launch in ten Poundland stores in Yorkshire over the coming months. The ten sites, which include stores in Barnsley, Sheffield, Leeds, Rotherham, Whitby and Doncaster, will generate around 50 new roles across the region. (Source: GlobalData)
•Waitrose have announced plans to stop using disposable coffee cups in a move that will save 52 million cups a year. Disposable cups will be removed from all Waitrose stores by the autumn 2018. (Source: BBC)

Household

•Asos have announced plans to launch own-brand homewares. The retailer, which currently sells a small number of third-party homeware products within its gifting section, is recruiting for a homeware designer to work on the range which is expected to launch in 2019. (Source: Retail Week)
•Carpetright have announced plans to close down more than 90 stores and reduce rents at more than 100 other sites amid restructuring of its property portfolio. The retailer has identified a total of 205 stores across the UK that are underperforming or have unfavourable lease terms. (Source: The Guardian)
•Kleeneze have announced plans to cease trading and enter into administration. The move has put 140 jobs at risk at the company’s head office and warehouse locations near Manchester. The business sells household and beauty products online and through a network of around 5,000 self-employed door-to-door sellers across the UK and Ireland. (Source: BBC)
•Shop Direct have announced plans to close three fulfilment centres at Shaw, Little Hulton and Raven in mid 2020, putting nearly 2,000 jobs at risk, as it unveils plans for a new purpose-built facility. The retailer plans to start work on a new automated distribution centre in the East Midlands in May 2018, which is expected to be fully operational by 2021. (Source: The Independent)

Courtesy of ‘Barclays‘