Company results: 

Clothing, Footwear & Accessories 

• Cath Kidston have appointed Melinda Paraie as their Chief Executive Officer with effect from 18 June 2018. Melinda brings with her a range of experience in the fashion sector, having also held roles at J.Crew, Gap, Barneys and Express. (Source: Retail Gazette)

• Debenhams have teamed up with Estee Lauder to trial an interactive beauty counter called the Beauty Hub in their Stevenage store. The counter will sell products by Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown and Clinique, and offer make up advice. (Source: GlobalData)

• Inditex have announced the appointment of Max Nutz as their new Managing Director with immediate effect. Nutz, who took over from de Llano, takes over the UK business. (Source: Retail Week)

• John Lewis have announced plans to refurbish their 40 year old department store at Brent Cross, as a part of the North London shopping centre’s £1.4bn redevelopment plan. John Lewis’ site at Brent Cross will be undertaking a major overhaul as Brent Cross looks to double the size of their centre to meet customer demand. (Source: Retail Gazette)

• MSGM, the Italian fashion brand, have chosen London’s Brompton Cross as the locations for their first UK store. The 2,000 sq.ft. store will be adjacent to the likes of Acne, Philip Lim, Carven, IRO and Maje. Other tenants in the area include Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Stella McCartney. (Source: Retail Bulletin)

• Shoe Zone have plans to acquire 10 Maplin stores across the UK as they continue their expansion drive. The stores are typically 4,000 sq.ft. to 5,000 sq.ft. of sales floor space. (Source: Retail Gazette)

• Shop Direct have announced plans to merge their luxury fashion proposition, Very Exclusive, with their main fashion platform, Very. The aim of the merger is to allow customers the chance to shop Very’s entire range in one place online. (Source: Company Press Release)

• The Perfume Shop have announced plans to open a new store at the Crowngate Shopping Centre in Worcester on 01 June 2018. The new shop will stock a wide range of fragrances including best sellers and high-end brands such as Chanel, Dior and Mugler. The store will also be offering a free gift wrapping service and click and collect option. (Source: Retail Bulletin)

• Yoox Net-A-Porter have appointed Emma Mortimer as their new Managing Director with immediate effect for the designer fashion outlet, The Outnet. In the newly created position, Mortimer will be responsible for The Outnet’s buying, merchandising, sales, marketing and creative teams. (Source: Retail Gazette)

Electrical & Entertainment

• Carphone Warehouse have announced plans to close their 92 shops in order to cut costs and improve gross margins. (Source: Retail Gazette)

• Hamleys have joined the Bandai Namco Amusement, a game and theme park operator, to open their first stores in Japan in 2018. The British toy retailer has 133 stores in 19 nations. (Source: GlobalData)

Food & Drink

• Booths have increased their support for local food banks in a bid to tackle widening levels of poverty. All 28 stores of the supermarket chain are now partnered with a local food bank or associated charity that provides food parcels and meals to those in need of support. (Source: GlobalData)

• House of Fraser have plans to open more champagne and gin bars in a bid to attract shoppers. The chain launched a gin bar in a Glasgow store in 2017, which has proved a success, and has a popular champagne bar in their Belfast store. (Source: GlobalData)

• Iceland have opened their first store in Norway in the Greater Oslo region. The 280 sq.mt. shop, which is operated by Iceland’s new franchise partner Ice Nordic, has 33 freezer cabinets carrying a range of Iceland’s own label frozen food, groceries and a selection of locally produced products. (Source: Retail Bulletin)

Household

• BHS.com have announced plans to close trading on 27 June 2018, following a review by their Qatar based owner AL Mana Group as the group is focussing on store based business which includes franchises outside the UK under the name of BHS International. (Source: Drapers)

• Harveys and Bensons for Beds have appointed Alison Hill as the brands’ Creative Director with immediate effect. Alison will work across both Steinhoff-owned retail chains to bring to life their commercial vision, support new innovation and steer the creative product development strategy. (Source: Retail Gazette)

Motor

• Hendy Group have plans to expand their used car business with the acquisition of the Unbeatablecar Portsmouth outlet. The dealer already operates Ford, Honda, Kia and commercial vehicle businesses in the city. The new site will be rebranded and open for business as Hendy Car and Van Store on 01 July 2018. (Source: Motor Trader)

• Mercedes-Benz have opened a pop-up store in Westfield shopping centre in London. The store is a joint project between Mercedes-Benz Cars UK and the factory-owned Mercedes-Benz Retail Group. (Source: Motor Trader)

• Ruislip Honda have opened their newly refurbished Thames Ditton showroom to enhance the customer experience. The company has also completed enhancement in their Thames Ditton aftersales premises, which enables them to display the Honda range in a bright and modern environment. (Source: Motor Trader)

Courtesy of ‘Barclays‘