EXCLUSIVE: Homebase announces plans for Habitat brand
Home enhancement retailer will launch 800 Habitat products instore next year, including a branded paint and wallpaper range, while plans for Habitat concessions are being discussed. Homebase managing director Paul Loft told DIY Week this morning that the retailer plans to introduce around 800 Habitat products into Homebase stores from next spring, following its acquisition …
October 26, 2011
Retail theft costs UK stores £4.9bn
Retail crime and administrative errors cost UK retailers £4.9bn in the year to June 2011, according to the latest Global Retail Theft Barometer. Shrinkage as a percentage of sales in the UK was 1.37% on average, up 6.2% compared with 2010. Increases were seen in shoplifting and employee theft, while organised retail crime, defined as …
October 26, 2011
The striking success of Stax Trade Centres
THE ‘NO STRATEGY’ STRATEGY – JOINT MD, DAVID HIBBERT TALKS TO BHETA ABOUT THE STRIKING SUCCESS OF STAX Owner and joint managing director of ‘non-food wholesaler’, Stax Trade Centres plc, David Hibbert was the keynote speaker at BHETA’s DIY and Housewares forum on October 5. In a fascinating analysis of his own business’ …
October 19, 2011
Verdict predicts 'The new normal' at BHETA Forum
At BHETA’s DIY and Housewares forum on October 5, Maureen Hinton, retail practice leader at Verdict, the British Home Enhancement Trade Association’s research partner, presented BHETA members with Verdict’s latest analysis of the state of the retail market. The report majored on DIY, garden and housewares sales and included forecasts to 2015. In a sobering …
October 19, 2011
More help with your kitchen recycling
New kitchen waste separator with three 10 litre buckets launched Managing your domestic waste and separating everything for recycling just seems to get more complicated and time consuming. Local authorities have different kerbside collection policies, and remembering what to put out for the bin men and when, requires a year planner! But in an increasingly …
October 18, 2011
B&Q launches graduate scheme
B&Q is launching a new retail management graduate programme, providing on-the-job retail experience. Kingfisher UK & Ireland chief executive Euan Sutherland announced the new scheme at B&Q’s MPs reception at the House of Commons yesterday. The retailer aims to take on 20 graduates in the first year of the programme’s launch, with plans to offer …
October 11, 2011
Fire breaks out at Dunelm Mill store
More than 80 fire fighters are battling a large fire which broke out at the Dunelm Mill store on Orchard Retail Park in Coventry in the early hours of this morning. The building has suffered a partial collapse and the blaze has also spread to a neighbouring Dreams bed store. The first crews arrived just …
October 7, 2011
Trago Mills fined £200k for illegally dumping waste
South-west superstore retailer Trago Mills has been fined almost £200,000 for illegally dumping and burning waste at two of its out-of-town stores in 2009. Appearing before Torquay magistrates last week, the company pleaded guilty to depositing and disposing of several thousands tonnes of waste, including asbestos, at sites near the retailer’s stores at Newton Abbot …
October 7, 2011
Homebase launches on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
Homebase is making the move into social media today, launching pages on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The retailer now has an official Facebook page, as well as two Twitter accounts, one of which will be dedicated to answering customer service queries. Its existing YouTube channel has been relaunched with a new look and updated videos. …
October 6, 2011
Fermoys food festival pulls 8,000 visitors
More than 8,000 people visited Fermoys Garden Centre in Newton Abbot over the weekend of September 24-25 for the annual Abbfest – which turned out to be Fermoys’ most successful event ever. Abbfest is a local food and beer festival, which brings the whole community together for a weekend of partying while raising money for …
October 6, 2011
