ASOS has confirmed that Kate Bostock, former Marks & Spencer executive director for general merchandise, is joining the company in January as executive director, product and trading. Product director Rob Bready has resigned from the board after seven years.
DIY retailer B&Q is making 220 people redundant at its head office. The job losses come as part of B&Q’s restructuring programme to realign the business as a “focused, agile, omnichannel retailer”, said a company statement.
Tattoo supplies business Barber of Sheffield is planning to expand its footprint in Europe after the acquisition of France-based Northstar Tattoo Supply. The Yorkshire Business Desk reports that the firm is looking for target companies in Italy, Germany and Holland and has set up its own operation in Spain with the appointment of an agent and the launch of a Spanish website.
Ahead of the launch of its new website, sales at Thorntons Direct declined by £100,000 to £1.1 million in the first quarter to 6th October. Total sales declined 1 per cent to £46 million, attributed to the effect of store closures in the previous financial year. A company statement reports that trading is nonetheless “in line with management expectations”.
Congratulations to Nick Wheeler, the founder of Charles Tywhitt, who won the consumer products and services category at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2012. Wheeler has taken menswear business Charles Tyrwhitt from his university bedroom in 1986 to a £129 million company today with 20 stores in the UK and America.
PPR has approved the demerger and flotation of Fnac, the France-based home entertainment products retailer. The move follows the divestments of Conforama and CFAO and comes ahead of the sale of its Redcats mail order business. PPR says the Redcats disposal process is underway and that “all options are being considered”.
Marketing automation business Emailvision completed a $30 million equity investment from London-based investment firm, Izurium Capital. The investment aided Emailvision’s recent acquisition of PredictiveIntent last month.
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