Company results:

Clothing, Footwear & Accessories 

• Bamford have announced plans to open their first standalone Bamford Grooming Department shop. The shop will stock Bamford’s range of men’s grooming products as well as a selection of gifts, leather accessories and watches. (Source: Retail Bulletin)

• Joules have announced that their Chief Customer Officer, Lysa Hardy, has stepped down from her position with immediate effect. Chief Commercial Officer, Kara Groves, is also set to leave the business in the summer for a new role at upmarket womenswear brand Mint Velvet. (Source: Retail Week)

• Missguided have appointed Robin Gartshore as their Chief Trading Officer. Gartshore will join the retailer on 08 May 2018 and will directly report to online chief executive Gareth Jones. (Source: Retail Gazette)

• Topshop have appointed Johanna Lightfoot as their new head of merchandising with immediate effect. (Source: Retail Gazette)

• The Hut Group have acquired Eyeko, a specialist eye cosmetics brand, for an undisclosed sum. The deal will further strengthen The Hut’s position as one of the world’s largest online beauty and wellbeing businesses. (Source: Company Press Release)

• SKYLENCE  a newly emerging designer brand has just launched in London this week. It is an international cultural fashion brand that combines modern Western, traditional Chinese and attributes from other culture and ethnicicies—blending Chinese luxury with an international outlook. They specialise in beautifully designed womenswear.

Electrical & Entertainment

• WH Smith have opened three stores at Malaysia’s Senai International Airport. The retailer will operate a combined store area of over 900 sq. mt. across the international and domestic departure lounges, as well as a landside store. (Source: Retail Bulletin)

Food & Drink

• Sainsbury’s have announced plans to merge with Asda. Sainsbury’s and Walmart, Asda’s owner, have agreed terms upon which they hope to create a new combined and enlarged business that will be a “dynamic new player in UK retail with an outstanding breadth of products, delivered through multiple channels”. As part of the deal Walmart will hold 42% of the issued share capital (but not more than 29.9% of the total voting rights) of the combined business and receive £2.975bn in cash, valuing Asda at around £7.3bn. (Source: Company Press Release)

• M&S have launched a customer engagement campaign that harnesses the endorsement power of their 53,000 Foodhall colleagues to shine a spotlight on their favourite M&S Food. Running in over 1,000 M&S stores, the “My M&S Favourite” campaign involves M&S staff wearing personalised badges showing details of their favourite M&S products. (Source: Company Press Release)

• Ocado have announced their partnership with ICA Group to develop ICA’s online grocery business in Sweden using the Ocado Amart Platform (OSP). Under the terms of the agreement, Ocado will launch “end-to-end” solutions for ICA’s online services, including a website and the construction of an automated warehouse designed for ecommerce. (Source: Company Press Release)

Household

• House of Fraser have announced plans to file a company voluntary agreement (CVA) in June 2018. The retailer’s CVA is subject to creditor approval and the store restructuring is expected to conclude in early 2019. (Source: Retail Gazette)

• House, the Australian homewares retailer, have announced plans to open their third UK store in Sheffield’s Meadowhall shopping centre next week as they continue their expansion into the British retail market. (Source: Retail Gazette)

• The Original Factory Shop have announced plans to close 220 stores and negotiate cheaper rents as a part of a turnaround plan to rescue the business. The retailer would also receive a £10m cash injection from their private equity owner, Duke Street Capital, as part of the plan. (Source: Retail Gazette)

• Shop Direct have appointed Henry Birch as their Chief Executive Officer with effect from 14 May 2018. Henry will take the reins from interim CEO and group finance director Derek Harding, who will continue to work closely alongside him in his role as group finance director. (Source: Company Press Release)

Motor

• Agnew Group have opened their revamped Newtonabbey Volkswagen dealership with the addition of a commercial vehicle operation as part of a £2.3m investment in the franchise. The retail group followed up their recent opening of a new Porsche Centre in Belfast with the completion of the 8,000 sq.ft. Volkswagen van centre and car showroom. (Source: AM Online)

• Hendy Group have announced plans to expand their portfolio with the addition of a new Mazda franchise in Turnbridge Wells. The move will follow the end to operations at the existing Tunbridge Wells Mazda franchise in the town, which had been operated by the Cambria Automobiles-owned Invicta Motors Group. (Source: AM Online)

• Meridien Modena have announced plans to open a new Ferrari service centre, based near their showroom in Lyndhurst, Hampshire. Located on the Hounsdown Business Park, the 14,000 sq.ft., two floor service centre provides an additional servicing facility enabling the dealer to complete restorations, pioneering technical refurbishments, as well as routine scheduled servicing on Ferrari vehicles. (Source: AM Online)

• Motorline have acquired a freehold car dealership site in Worcester, which was previously home to Nissan and Renault franchises operated by the Hylton Group. The freehold purchase comprises of two dealerships on a plot of 2.3 acres with parking for 155 vehicles and is within walking distance from Motorline’s existing Toyota dealership. (Source: AM Online)

• Now Motor Retailing have announced that they have gone into administration. However their five Vauxhall dealerships have been rescued by PSA’s own dealer group, Go Motor Retailing, and Eden Motor Group. The deal adds Kingston, Heathrow, Hayes and Staples Corner to Go’s existing operations, which now total 12 locations, many of which are in Greater London. (Source: AM Online)

• Pendragon have appointed Chris Caygill as their used car Director with immediate effect, to head up the rollout and delivery of their used car business. Caygill has been working in retail and distribution for the past nine years. Before that he was with Porsche Retail Group for eight years as general manager responsible for the factory-owned retail sites within the UK. (Source : Motor Trader)

• Read Motor Group have completed the acquisition of the Hyundai franchise of Burrows Motor Company, based in Doncaster. The deal comes two months after Stoneacre Motor Group acquired the Doncaster-based group’s Hyundai and Fiat franchises on Penistone Road, Sheffield. (Source: AM Online)

• Startin Group have purchased St. Peters Peugeot and Suzuki dealership from Hylton Group Limited. The assets purchase, means the disposal of the last trading business from the Hylton Group. (Source: AM Online)

Courtesy of ‘Barclays‘