Another eco-friendly brand has joined the Spark
Etail family. The contact centre and fulfilment firm,
which owns Ethical Superstore, Natural
Collection and Spirit of Nature, has
acquired ethical fashion label Frank & Faith.
The business moves to Spark Etail’s base in Gateshead. Frank &
Faith was launched in 2006 by Anya Pearson and Mark Swire
(formerly a financial director at ethical fashion retailer
Adili). Spark Etail plans to continue supporting
Frank & Faith’s “made in Britain” ethos through
introducing new designers and adding more stock. It will also
redevelop the brand’s website.
Alshaya, a Kuwait-based retail franchise
operator, has taken control of the ongoing La
Senza business in the UK. Under an agreement with
administrator KPMG, Alshaya UK acquired the exclusive franchise
rights for the La Senza brand in the UK as well as 60 stores-a
move that saves some 1,100 jobs and the continuation of the La
Senza brand on the high street. Alshaya says it plans to invest
around £100 million in the UK retail sector in the next two
years. Alshaya’s other UK connections include franchise
operations for Mothercare, Debenhams, Boots, Next, River
Island, Topshop, Miss Selfridge and The Body
Shop.
All the assets of Blacks Leisure, including 302
Millets and Blacks stores, have
been sold by administrator KPMG to sporting goods retailer
JD Sports. No staff redundancies were made by
the administrator. Commenting on the deal, Richard Fleming, joint
administrator and UK head of restructuring at KPMG, says,
“A sale via ‘pre-pack’ administration was required to
rescue as much of the business as possible.” The
acquisition secures the continuation of the Blacks and Millets
brands on the high street and “draws a line in the sand
[allowing] the business to put its best foot forward.” KPMG
says it spoke to 50 interested parties and received four placing
offers at the final bidding stage last Friday.
In a statement, rival bidder and Blacks shareholder
Sports Direct said it was disappointed that its
offer of 62p a share back in 2010 was deemed “wholly inadequate”
by the Blacks board. It added, “Even before yesterday’s
announcement by Blacks, it had become clear that there was no
value left in the Blacks shares that we held”. It also
urged the Office of Fair Trading to “look closely at both
the outdoor and sports retail markets to ensure they operate in
the best interests of the consumer”.
Total UK sales at Marks & Spencer inched up 1.8
per cent in the 13 weeks to 31st December thanks to a 4.5 per cent
increase in sales of food. Direct sales were up 22.4 per cent
during the period driven by the launch of the online
“Christmas Food to Order” service, which contributed
to a 12 per cent increase in orders.
It was a similar story at Debenhams, where group
like-for-like sales increased 1.4 per cent in the 18 weeks to 7th
January. Its online business performed strongly, with
like-for-like sales increasing by 34.8 per cent. The weather
hindered Debenhams in October and November, with unusually warm
weather impacting sales of winter clothing. However, December
trading was notably stronger (compared with the snow-hit sales of
last year) with growth in group like-for-like sales for the five
weeks to 31st December of 6.5 per cent.
Over at Majestic Wines, total UK store sales
were up 8.4 per cent for the nine weeks from 1st November to 2nd
January 2012.
In a trading statement for the 49 weeks to 7th January, PC and
video-game retailer Game Group said group sales
were down 14.7 per cent, with sales in its UK & Ireland stores
plunging 17.6 per cent. The company has now announced that it will
likely breach its banking covenants when it doesn’t meet its
EBITDA targets when they are tested next month.
Birmingham-based office supplies retailer WAE+
has launched its first eCommerce website with plans to grow
market share in the £450 million office supplies market. The
company has no plans to use printed catalogues, opting instead
for a new website and dedicated account handler to service
customer orders.
Maxymiser, a provider of multivariate testing
and online personalisation services, has secured an investment of
$12 million (£7.8 million) from new investor, Investor
Growth Capital (IGC), along with additional investment from the
company’s Series A investor, Pentech Ventures. The funding will
enable Maxymiser to expand internationally with a focus on the
North American market.
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