Bloomberg mulls the potential of Japanese
online marketplace Rakuten buying
ASOS, Play.com or some of
Redcats’ brands as it seeks to extend its
European reach.
Operating income at Amazon fell from $394
million (£239 million) to $322 million (£195 million)
in the first quarter, compared with $394 million in first quarter
2010. Net income decreased by a third to $201 million (£122
million). The Financial Times attributes this decline to
Amazon’s investments in new warehouses and technology which
“eclipsed a rise in sales”. In its international
segment, which includes the UK, sales benefited from favourable
exchange rates, rising 31 per cent to $4.39 billion (£2.66
billion) during the quarter.
Like-for-like sales at Game Group, a retailer of
PC and video games and hardware fell by 8.3 per cent in the 52
weeks ended 31st January–from £1.78 billion to £1.63
billion. Operating profit before nonrecurring costs plunged from
£94.8 million in 2010 to £43.2 million this year. To
improve its trading prospects for the future, Game says it is
working on integrating web and stores “to create a truly
joined-up proposition”. It has also announced that chairman
Peter Lewis will retire this year. Succeeding him after the
annual general meeting in June is Chris Bell, currently the
company’s senior independent director.
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