Woolworths’ Big Red Book is no more: The Times reports that the company is axing
the catalogue as part of its cost-savings efforts following its
record £99.7 million half-year loss. According to reports
published this morning in some of the papers, The Big Red Book
had been losing £10 million a year.
NBTY Europe, the parent company of vitamins
retailer/cataloguer Holland & Barratt, has acquired the
345-store Julian Graves health-food chain. NBTY, which
also owns GNC, paid Icelandic holding company Baugur
between £10 million and £20 million for Julian
Graves, according to The Telegraph.
Half-year sales at Kingfisher’s three UK brands-DIY
merchants B&Q, Screwfix and Trade Depot–were
“broadly flat” compared with last year, but profits
rose 9.1 per cent. Overall Kingfisher’s sales rose 2.5 per cent, to
£5,130 million, while like-for-like sales fell 2.6 per cent.
Total pretax profit fell 3.7 per cent, to £206 million.
During this time, Screwfix launched a spin-off catalogue,
Plumbfix, targeting professional plumbers.
The Lakeland catalogue has a fan at The Daily Mail. In an article about items
that every woman owns-whether or not she wants to-the Lakeland
catalogue is described as “always a pleasure to browse
though while promising yourself that, one day, you will deserve
both the banana bag and easy-fill jam funnel”.
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