DECEMBER News brief...


LIBERTY’S BEAUTY INVESTMENTS


COMES GOOD High-end department store Liberty has announced that it predicts to see a return on the investment it put into revamping its iconic beauty department by the end of 2011. It invested £500,00 into initiatives including installing archways to allow for increased visitor numbers and reports that after only six months the new department is now accounting for 19 per cent of revenue, up from 11 per cent previously.


BARNEY’S


GOES GAGA! US department store Barneys has teamed up with eccentric pop icon Lady Gaga to open a ‘Gaga’s Workshop’ at the New York store. Lady Gaga teamed up with her stylist Nicola Formichetti and the store’s creative director Dennis Freedman to design the workshop, which opens with an enormous facade of a giant cartoon-like Lady Gaga. The workshop fills the fifth floor of the store.


RETAILERS TO STOP OFFERING DISCOUNT ON


STORE CARDS A voluntary agreement has been reached by card companies and the Government which will see high street retailers stop offering discounts when shoppers open store cards. The decision was reached following concern over the level to which these incentives encourage irresponsible spending. The new practice will come into effect from the second quarter of 2012 and will include a ban on direct commission for sale staff.


John Lewis ups its game The bellwether of British retail has announced a host of developments and initiatives


Making the most of opportunities to build on its great reputation and expand into new locations, John Lewis is to open a number of new stores and launch a ‘Made in UK’ product identifier.


I


n early November, the department store announced plans to open a 100,000 sq ft


store in the historic city of York. The investment will cost in excess of £15m and the store will be part of the ‘flexible format’, which JLP launched in July to enable them to open slightly smaller stores in new locations with tailored ranges. The stores within this new


John Lewis’ own-brand duvets, which are made by the company’s factory in Lancashire, Herbert Parkinson.


format average between 65,000 and 100,000 sq ft, compared with the 132,000 sq ft of the major department stores. To make the most of the


smaller floorspace the store’s fashion, home and consumer electronics lines will be complemented by multi- channel facilities. Managing director Andy


Street explained why he opted for a flexible format in this location, “We would always want to lead in a new region with our flagship offer. But in a city like York, where we already have many loyal customers who know our brand and travel long distances to our shops, the new format provides a much more


convenient shopping opportunity.” A new Made in UK scheme


has also been revealed, which John Lewis hopes will provide customers with more information and engage with the interest in supporting British businesses. The ‘Made in UK’ identifier


develops the retailer’s image as a responsible retailer and follows on from the ‘Green’ identifier which was successfully launched earlier this year to signify the more sustainable choices available to customers, through initiatives such as FSC, PEFC, Fairtrade and the Rainforest Alliance. The new icon is set to appear


Movers and shakers


After serving at Laura Ashley for seven years, chief executive, Lillian Tan, will be standing down from her role to pursue other interests.


4 | Department Store Buyer | DepartmentRetailer.co.uk


Tan’s successor, Ng Kwan Cheong, was previously CEO of the fashion and homeware retailer from 1999 to 2003. In its bid to branch out into


the UK market the US fashion retailer, J Crew, has hired property agent Harper Dennis Hobbs to search for stores in the UK. Boots UK has named its UK


retail director, Simon Roberts and its commercial director, Ken Murphy as chief


operating officers. The COOs will oversee day-to-day management of Boots in the UK and Ireland. Fashion retailer, American


Apparel, has announced that its chief business officer, Marty Staff, has left the company. The departure comes just seven months after Staff joined the company, in which time the struggling retailer has reported positive sales figures, which CEO, Dov


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36