PUBLISHER’S NOTE reliably informing the entire direct commerce community Tryzens delivers new website for Joseph Joseph


International kitchenware retailer Joseph Joseph has partnered with Tryzens, for its new website, built on the Magento platform. Te revitalised website will


aid the retailer’s international growth plans, while also reflecting its evolving brand. Joseph Joseph turned to Tryzens to aid in support of a rapid internationalisation plan, a more flexible system that would enable site upgrades directly from the web team and a website that more accurately reflects the brand’s innovative design credentials.


Mike Warwick, Head of


Online at Joseph Joseph, explained: “We needed a site that would become the font of all knowledge for our products and brand, that would develop in line with our ambitious growth plans and help us to achieve penetration into various global markets.. On top of all of this, we needed a cost effective system that would give us a site that reflected our brand ethos and collaborating with Tryzens has enabled this. With the Magento platform, we can localise storefronts for different countries, bringing


the website in-line with our international ambitions. Tryzens’ in-house design team has worked closely with our own experts to develop a website that really captures the appeal of our brand. Our new site not only suits our expanding business goals, but is also much more in-line with our ongoing branding activities.” Founded in 2003 by twin


brothers Anthony and Richard, Joseph Joseph specialises in creating design-led products for the kitchen and home with a strong emphasis on form,


Worldstores takes Achica


Te future prospects for the Achica brand are strengthened following the takeover of the member-only flash sales retailer by Worldstores. A spokeperson has said that “Following


our internal review of the Worldstores brands since the purchase of Achica (in December) we have made the decision to consolidate Achica and Casafina into one,” adding “Due to the significant awareness built by Achica, the new combined offering will trade under the Achica brand with Casafina ceasing to operate as a flash sales brand.” Of the many reasons


Findel sells Kitbag to Fanatics


After a lengthy wrangle with Sports Direct, Findel has achieved a sale of its Kitbag business to American business which operates as an online seller of licensed sports team merchandise. Te sale was agreed for


a consideration of £11.55 million and will enable Findel to focus on other


business interests which include Express Gifts and its educational supplies division. Acquiring Fanatics’ business head, Doug Mack views Kitbag as being entirely complementary to its offering, bringing as it does a number of high profile UK and European football club brand partnerships as well as


Issue Number 230 March/April 2016 ISSN 2049-8993 www.directcommercemagazine.com


strong UK and international customer base. Meanwhile Findel has decided not to go ahead with its plan to recruit a chief executive, saying that instead it will seek an executive chairman to replace David Sugden. Tis in turn has sparked rumour that Findel may now seek a buyer for its education division.


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mooted for Achica ‘s poor performance, it had experienced problems when re-platforming its website which caused a substantial drop in sales. Balderton Capital, which backs both businesses, brokered the rescue in December. Worldstores management has been reluctant to share plans for the future but confirmed that Steve Robinson and other Achica staff members have transferred to Worldstores. “We are currently going through the process of consolidating the Achica and Casafina brands and will make further announcements in the coming weeks” they said.


Spring 2016 has certainly sprung some high profile sideways moves, hirings, mergers, partnerships and some pretty audacious bids to take control of significant businesses. Te market is in bullish mode once


functiona fllity and quality. As


one of the fastest growing companies in the worldwide homewares market, the brand has earned global recognition for its multi-award-winning designs.


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more and, to date at least, seems not to be phased or held back by the imminent referendum which will determine whether the UK population wants to remain part of the EU community, or plough its own furrow. Tere is a contingent of business leaders who see no true benefit in remaining, just as there others who have put their names to a high profile campaign to stay. It is a very mixed bag of opinion. Many relish the thought of reductions in red tape and a return to true national governance believing that the UK economy can and will flourish without being part of the EU. Ten there are those who have benefited massively from EU grant aid who are deeply concerned that they will lose those advantages. In turn, some fear that there is a risk of a huge backlash against British brands which will impact sales revenues and that overseas conglomerates will move operations out of the UK and into mainland Europe (lured by EU subsidies). Te reality some righly argue is that demand for British brands goes way beyond Europe to much larger markets. Investing the net monies that currently go to the EU “pot” where it is needed within the UK is more equitable for the UK population. Generally the shared concerns


revolve around the pressure the UK’s infrastructure is under and the lack of capacity to cope with the ever increasing


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16 CUSTOMER RECRUITMENT UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT 24 CASE STUDY: EVANS CYCLES 25 ECMOD DIRECT COMMERCE AWARDS 28 MOVERS & SHAKERS - APPOINTMENTS 30 INSIDE THE COLOURFUL WORLD OF JOE BROWNS 32 LIST, MEDIA & AFFINITY OPPORTUNITIES 34 EXPERT ROSTER 38 THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH ABOUT LOST SALES ONLINE 39 VIEWPOINT:


demand for NHS services, education, and housing. Te swelling tide of economic migrants headed for Europe now has the populace of most destination countries on the back foot and it is clearly becoming a massive problem for all of them. It is likely these primary concerns about the wellbeing of the UK and its future will influence which way the UK populace will vote. Te media coverage is already causing many in other EU countries to question why they too are not being given an option to vote on their own country’s future membership. Even some of the most liberal individuals I know personally in Te Netherlands, Belgium and Germany believe that the days of the EU in its current form are numbered and that it is no longer fit for purpose. Tey anticipate that the publicity surrounding the UK’s negotiations and referendum will spark similar demands and action by their own respective Governments which could, they believe, bring the EU to its knees. Some European countries are already restricting migrant numbers and have reintroduced border controls. Tere probably isn’t a single country, or individual for that matter, comfortable to deny refuge to the genuinely persecuted and most agree this should be a priority, but sadly those fleeing for their lives are now vastly outnumbered by those seeking a share in the riches of Europe. 2016 will be a year of great change. In our next issue we will be focusing on international markets and the campaigns and opinions which will shape the results of this all important referendum. JRH


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CHINESE MARKETPLACE STILL STRONG FOR WESTERN RETAILERS 40 DIRECT COMMERCE ASSOCIATION UPDATE


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