from the editor

porated from 28 February to 3 April, thus including part of Easter, unlike the period studied for March last year. Consequently, food and drink sales for the period this year are strong. The BRC said that once Easter was taken out of the equation, like for like sales were still up by around 2 per cent. Helen Dickinson, head of retail at KPMG, which compiles the figures for the BRC, commented: “concern about the future continues to weigh on con- sumers' minds and the outlook for spending re- mains uncertain.”

A month in the life of… Harrods

March 17th

Scouts report to have been turned away from the Knightsbridge store af- ter refusing to remove the scarves and woggles that form part of their uni- form. Security initially said that the youngsters could not enter in groups, but when the Scouts agreed to go in pairs, the doorman requested that they remove their scarves and woggles. A spokesman for the store said an investi- gation had begun, adding, “Whilst we have no record of the incident in ques- tion, we apologised unreservedly to the scout leader if indeed the scouts were asked to remove their neck ties.”

March 30th

Mohamed Al Fayed puts paid to sug- gestions that the store may be up for sale. Speculation previously circulated that he was in talks with a potential buyer for the store, thought to be the Qatari royal family. The store issued a statement confirming that the store is not for sale, and not being sold, but refrained from revealing whether talks had taken place. Fayed has owned the store for 25 years after buying it from the House of Fraser group for £578m.

April 1st

Following a steadily increasing interest in men’s style, Harrods announces that it has teamed up with Esquire maga- zine to launch the UK’s first search for Britain’s Best Dressed Real Man 2010. The competition calls for the country’s best-dressed men to put their best foot forward and offers prizes worth more than £20,000. These include a complete wardrobe from Harrods, grooming treatments at the store’s re- cently opened Gentleman’s Club, a designer watch and a cover shoot for Esquire’s limited-edition October issue.

April 4th

Fayed breaks his silence on the topic of selling Harrods, commenting: “People approach us from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar. Fair enough, but I put two fingers up to them all. It is not for sale. This is not Marks & Spencer or Sainsbury. It is a special place that gives people pleasure. There is only one Mecca.” He explains that for him it is about more than money. “It is a pyra- mid for me: a monument. It is the best department store in the world. I still spend two hours every day walking the shop floors. I am still a young, old guy. Everything is active, everything is up. I have 5,000 people working at Harrods, plus all the other subsidiaries and sup- pliers. It is great to see people working, creating happiness and creating histo- ry. I do not want to just sit and put money in the bank.”

April 8th

A conflict arises between Harrods and Tesco over the sale and prices of the re- tailers’ cherries. The two retailers, diametrically opposed in their offers and identities, are selling Glamour cherries to consumers at staggeringly different prices. The rare Spanish cherries are grown on a single farm and are the only available in the UK this early in the sea- son. Harrods offer them at £225 a kilo, or roughly £3 per fruit, while Tesco is of- fering them for £3.99 a punnet. Harrods defended its position, saying that its cherries are sourced from Paris and had already been on sale for a number of weeks. Matthias Kiehm, general manag- er of catering and entertainment at Harrods, commented: “While we appre- ciate they are on sale at a high price compared with in-season cherries, for a select group of discerning clients they are a delicacy worth paying for.”

diary dates

Month Year

27 - 28 APRIL

Pets & Aquatics show www.patshow.co.uk

HARROGATE

A trade show dedicated to pet and aquatics products. From pet food to pet furniture, there is everything here for those of you that cater to our furry and scaly friends!

13 - 16 MAY

Spirit of Summer Fair www.spiritofsummerfair.co.uk

LONDON, OLYMPIA

A boutique consumer shopping event that combines food, wine, fashion, gifts and housewares for the ultimate in styl- ish summer living.

25 - 29 MAY

RHS Chelsea Flower Show www.rhs.org.uk

LONDON, CHELSEA

The world’s most famous flower show returns, offering all things bright and wonderful from a host of acclaimed garden designers and celebrities.

6 - 8 JUNE

Pulse www.pulse-london.com

LONDON, EARLS COURT

Give your product range a boost with some of the best in contemporary de- sign in gifts, housewares, fashion & jewellery and bath & body products.

8 - 9 JUNE

Exclusively Housewares www.exclusivelyhousewares.co.uk

LONDON,

BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE

In its ninth year, this show brings to- gether suppliers of housewares and tabletop products. Last year’s show was a huge success and this year is set to continue where it left off.

20 - 21 JUNE

Bubble London www.bubblelondon.com

LONDON,

online and international operations. Terrell has already implemented mul- tichannel strategies at John Lewis and Amazon. He will take a place on the retailer’s executive board and be responsible for two of the three key areas of House of Fraser’s growth strategy. He has previously held roles as managing director of Amazon UK, chief operating officer of Figleaves and managing director of John Lewis Direct.

John Perkins has begun his

new role as the chief executive officer of entertainment retailer Play.com. Perkins is the former

senior director of Apple for Northern and Southern Europe and spent eight years at the brand. Chairman of Play.com, Richard Goulding said of the ap- pointment: “We believe that John provides diverse, international management experience that will be of great benefit to both our company and out customers.” Asda is on the lookout for a new chief executive after announcing that Andy Bond will step down from the position that he has held since 2005. Bond is to stay in the role until a new CEO is found and

will then remain as a part-time chairman of its executive commit- tee. Asda said that he had achieved “tremendous growth” during his time leading the company. Dalton Philips, Morrisons’ new chief executive, has secured a re- ward package totalling £6m. Philips’ basic salary will be £800,000 and he will earn a bonus of as much as £1.6m, with half of that being deferred into shares for three years, and a pen- sion supplement of £200,000. The details of the arrangement were published by the Financial Times.

BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE

A specialist show for all things child-re- lated. Toys, clothing, shoes and accessories will be on show from a host of UK and international exhibitors.

18 - 21 JULY

Harrogate Home & Gift www.homeandgift.co.uk

HARROGATE

One of the most comprehensive selections of housewares and gifts available in the UK. Fashion brands, gift suppliers, card and sta- tionery collections and fabulous housewares all combine to create a great show in a great location.

To publicise your event, please send details via email to naomi.davis@onecoms.co.uk.

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