NEWS A stronger Christmas expected continued from cover


types of UK spenders as part of its ‘Where’s Britain Spending?’ report, with the ‘cautiously optimistic’ leading the way, representing almost half of the British population. Te full list of grouping is: • Te confident and affluent (13 per cent of the total) who are couples, often with young children, in their early thirties, whose incomes are rising sufficiently in-line with their living costs and the majority of whom (80 per cent) are confident about their overall financial situation.


• Te cautiously optimistic (44 per cent) who are older - 44 on average, middle-income and whose wages are growing just enough to keep up with their increasing living costs; 41 per cent expect to increase their spending in the next three months.


• Te financially fragile (30 per cent)


are on lower incomes, feel quite a bit less confident about their current financial situation, and have cut back their spending in the face of on-going concerns about the economy and job security.


• Te stressed and cash strapped (13 per cent) are slightly older - 48 on average – and have a lower income still. Just 21 per cent are confident in their overall situation, and a quarter will significantly cut back on their spending in the next three months, as they expect living costs to continue to rise.


When it comes to who’s spending where, Northern Ireland saw the biggest increase in total spend, with a 5.9 per cent rise for the quarter – ahead of London (5 per cent), the North West (4.6 per cent) and the South East (4.5 per cent). Tis can


Shop Direct appoints Deputy CEO


Te UK’s leading multi-brand digital retailer Shop Direct has appointed Gareth Jones as its deputy CEO. Te appointment is in addition to


Jones’s existing role of group retail and strategy director, where he is responsible for ecommerce, customer intelligence, marketing, trading and creative across the group’s six digital department store brands. He is also overseeing the development of Very Exclusive,


the group’s new luxury etail brand. Alex Baldock, group CEO, said: “Tis appointment is recognition for everything Gareth has put in at Shop Direct. He’s a trusted colleague, an outstanding leader, a great ambassador for the business, and is playing a central role in building a world class digital retailer here. I’m delighted for him.”


For more appointments news visit: www. directcommercemagazine.com


One iota : 1,000th store roll out


One iota, the cloud-based multi-channel retail technology specialist in online, in-store and interactive solutions, has reached a significant company milestone by installing its technology in over 1,000 high street stores. Founded in 2010 by Damian Hanson,


CEO and David Hague, CTO, the business has gone from strength to strength. Te now 30 strong One iota team continues to develop innovative retail technology solutions, which help retailers and brands across the UK to drive increased sales in-store and create a seamless shopping experience for their customers. Damian Hanson commented “As shoppers become more and more connected with technology, retailers and brands must ensure that they are capturing every sales opportunity available to them by utilising new technology in-store to engage their shoppers. Every solution we provide increases sales and has a clear return on investment model for our clients. Business


Director: Warehousing & Logistics Swindon, Wilts £ excellent + car & benefits


is going really well and our solutions remain in strong demand.” One iota has delivered a number of


exciting new technologies over the past year, implementing its software on; existing retail tills, iPads carried by sales assistants, in-store kiosks and new technology channels such as touch wall glass panels and interactive walls. Current clients include JD Sports, BANK Fashion, Superdry, Torntons and Quiz Clothing.


Our client is seeking the very best for this rare opportunity to join its highly respected team. With multichannel retail and/or distribution sector experience the successful applicant will be tasked with shaping & delivering a warehouse & logistics strategy which provides individual customers with an exceptional high quality service. As a member of the main board of the Company, the successful applicant will assume the leadership of an established warehouse & operations team, and be keen to make a strong contribution to the overall success of the business.


For further information please call Jane Revell-Higgins on 01271-865922 Or email jane@expertregister.net


Direct Commerce | www.directcommercemagazine.com


possibly be attributed to unemployment decreasing by 6.1 per cent in September alone, as well as economic growth, with some analysts predicting a 2.6 per cent increase in Northern Ireland’s economic growth by the end of the year. Chris Wood, Managing Director,


Barclaycard said: “Consumers are spending more now than they have in four years, suggesting that whilst concerns remain about the cost of living, we’re seeing growing confidence among households. Our research suggests that much of the recovery in spending is being driven by higher income earners. Tere is a new era of financial awareness among consumers, and the search for value appears to be entrenched. Te full benefits of the economic recovery are still to be felt by many, and this ‘new normal’ looks set to continue.”


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