Outdoor toys supplier TP Toys has been acquired
out of administration by manufacturer and distributor
Mookie Toys. The new owner says it will continue
to maintain all business relationships and fulfil all existing
orders. It has also said it’s committed to continue developing
and introducing new products to the TP brand. The acquisition did
not include mail order catalogue Muddy Puddles,
which saw its shares sold by Tube Plastics (TP Toys) to a newly
incorporated company called Muddy Puddles Online Ltd.
Christmas was a cracker at Littlewoods and
Very owner Shop Direct Group, which reports that
sales in the six weeks to 31st December 2011 were up 9 per cent on
last year. Sales via mobile and web were particularly strong
during the period: online sales grew 20 per cent with 74 per cent
of all sales completed online. Sales via mobile devices accounted
for 11 per cent of all online transactions, a 40 per cent increase
on last year. However, group chief executive Mark Newton-Jones
noted that Christmas may have been so strong because customers
chose to defer autumn/winter purchases until the peak Christmas
period. As a result, he says, “this level of sales is not
representative of 2011 as a whole or what we expect to see in
2012.” Shop Direct is, therefore, forecasting lower overall
sales for 2012.
The Scotsman reports that
Morrisons is weighing up the option of buying
“several” Best Buy stores to grow
its Kiddicare business. According to the
article, Morrisons is in talks with Carphone Warehouse to take 11
Best Buy stores after the retailer announced it was exiting the
“big box” format in the UK.
Fourteen more Hawkin’s Bazaar stores have
closed, affecting 123 employees. Administrator Zolfo Cooper also
confirmed that 17 additional staff at Tobar’s
head office have been made redundant.
Hardware chain Robert Dyas is back on the
market, reports the Mail. It writes that owner Lloyds is looking
for £25 million.
In a trading statement covering the first half of the year to
September, pet-supplies retailer Pets at Home
reported a sales growth of 6.4 per cent, thanks to contribution
from new stores. The company is confident in its store opening
programme and has planned to open a total of 32 new stores in
fiscal 2012. In its last financial year to 31st March 2011,
EBITDA was £93 million, up 10 per cent on the previous year.
Total sales were up 10.7 per cent to £517.8 million.
LoveFilm, the Amazon-owned
online DVD-rental business, says it now has 2 million
subscribers, driven by a record number of sign-ups in the fourth
quarter of 2011. This is the fastest customer growth rate
LoveFilm has experienced since 2009.
JD Sports has confirmed it is “in advanced
discussions” with Blacks in relation to an offer
for certain of its assets. Outdoor gear retailer Blacks fell into
adminstration last week.
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