Sales at Flying Brands continue to free-fall
following the divestment of its retail brands. The company, which
completed the sale of its Garden Bird Supplies,
Garden Centre Online and
Listen2 business earlier this month, reports
that orders for the three month period to 31st March were down 35
per cent from £10.8 million last year to £7 million,
comprising £3.2 million for the sold businesses. Poor
weather, the uncertain economic climate and the abolition of
low-value consignment relief for Channel Islands businesses are
to blame, said a company statement.
Beauty products etailer Feelunique.com is
planning a website revamp to extend its worldwide offering over
the coming months. The retailer will roll out on-site search and
navigation and merchandising tools that will allow shoppers
around the world to find items faster and benefit from a more
enjoyable user experience. Feelunique intends to have all the
developments, delivered by eCommerce technology company
Fredhopper, in place by September. In the year ending March 2012
Feelunique.com’s turnover increased 63 per cent to £26.7m.
The Direct Selling Association (DSA) has released new figures
showing a significant rise in the number of people turning to
direct selling as a way to earn additional income. There are now
395,000 direct sellers in the UK, 20,000 more than the 2009
figures. The rise in direct sellers mirrors the recent
unemployment figures, which saw self-employment rise by 89,000 to
a record high of 4.16 million. In addition to an increase in
sellers, DSA members-companies such as Avon,
Kleeneze and The Pampered
Chef-have reported a 120 per cent increase in revenues
generated via party sales between 2009 and 2011. Home selling
parties now account for 27.8 per cent of the DSA’s member
companies’ £1.4 billion revenue and are worth £390
million to the UK economy annually. By comparison in 2009, home
selling parties accounted for 14 per cent of the £1.2 billion
industry at the time.
To help UK retailers better meet the delivery needs of the
growing number of online shoppers from Australia, Royal
Mail has extended its international tracked service,
Airsure to the area, flying into four major gateways to ensure
fast delivery across the country. The news follows statistics
released by HM Revenue and Customs that show the UK’s non-EU
exports rose by 16 per cent (£1.9 billion) between March 2011
and March 2012. The export levels are the highest since the
figures were first published in 1993, demonstrating that
businesses are expanding their global reach.
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