New Look founder Tom Singh has taken a minority
stake in maternity and nursery cataloguer/retailer JoJo
Maman B�b� through investment vehicle Magenta
Partners.
JoJo Maman B�b� saw a 50 percent increase in sales from £18
million to £27 million in the two years from July 2009 to
June 2011. Pretax profits have increased this year to a forecast
8 percent of turnover, or £2.16 million.
EADT Suffolk magazine reports that seeds and
plants cataloguer Thompson & Morgan is on the
market with a price tag of £25 million. Three private equity
groups, including Bridgepoint Development Capital, GCP Capital
Partners and NBGI Private Equity, are said to be in the running
to buy the business.
Another cataloguer receiving bid approaches is
Aberdeenshire-based Donald Russell. The
speciality-meats catalogue has appointed advisers following
takeover approaches from a “trade buyer and a private
equity group”, reports the Telegraph.
Confectionery retailer Thorntons saw its direct
sales decline 7.9 percent to £2.4 million in the third
quarter with growth in the online consumer sales offset by a
decline in corporate sales. Overall sales are down 2.9 percent
due to unprecedented snowy weather in December and an unusually
warm Easter.
Following its international expansion into Germany and France,
mobile-phone accessories etailer Mobile Fun
appointed Richard Moore as head of international to spearhead the
company’s continuing growth and sales across Europe.
Peter Simon, the founder of apparel chain
Monsoon, received a dividend of £16.4
million after the company tripled pretax profits last year,
reports the Independent. According to the article,
Monsoon Accessorize delivered a pretax profit of
£98.2 million for the year to 28th August 2010, compared to
£27.9 million the previous year. Total sales were up 4
percent to £561.8 million.
The Telegraph reports that womenswear retailer
LK Bennett is on the hunt for a new chief
executive, a year after the departure of Margaret McDonald.
French retail group PPR has acquired
Volcom, an active apparel brand, for $607.5
million (£364 million). The acquired business will sit
within PPR’s sport and lifestyle group, alongside
Puma.
According to US trade magazine Women’s Wear Daily, Amazon
is gearing up to launch MyHabit.com, a
flash-sales website.
Childrenswear cataloguer Green Baby has expanded
its range to launch Green Kids, a new collection for children
aged 2 to 8 years old.
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