News
Julian Richer gives over control of Richer Sounds business to staff
Julian Richer, Founder and MD of AV retailer, Richer Sounds, has announced that he is transferring 60 per cent of his shares into an Employee Ownership Trust.
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Mr Richer commented: “I have always planned to leave my company in trust on my death for the benefi t of the colleagues in the business. Having hit the ripe old age of 60 in March, I felt the time was right, rather than leaving it until I’m not around, to ensure that the transition goes smoothly and I can be part of it. “The company’s banks, suppliers and customers should feel that the move is (hopefully) seamless and Richer Sounds carries on as normal.”
Mr Richer plans to stay involved with the business, but leaves the day-to-day running of Richer Sounds
John Lewis trials click & collect
to its existing Management Board, along with a Colleagues’ Advisory Council and trustees. The Management Board is made up of longstanding directors, the newest of which has served for 25 years, while the Colleagues’ Advisory Council will be made up of current employees and is tasked with representing their interests and concerns. A trustee will chair the Colleagues’ Advisory Council.
The Richer Sounds Trust (as the Employee Ownership Trust will be known) will operate according to a set of principles w ithin the Trust to make sure that Richer Sounds continues to operate in a similar way to how Mr Richer built the company over the past 40 years.
Image from
www.ft.com
service with Co-op
John Lewis & Partners has announced it is launching its Click & Collect service in six Co-op food stores.
The trial will give new and existing customers access to the retail chain’s Next Day Click & Collect service in areas where the John Lewis Partnership has a lower shop presence. This is part of its strategy to leverage its supply chain and reach more customers. Initially launched for Co-op colleagues in its Manchester Support Centre shop, the trial is being followed by fi ve further stores.
The six Co-op branches participating in the trial
are: Angel Square, Manchester (available to Co-op head offi ce employees only); Manchester Piccadilly; Trent Bridge, Nottingham; Dulwich-Lordship Lane, London; Westhorne Avenue, London; and Hither Green, London.
Customers will also be able to return orders to these shops. Eva Cullen, Partner & Head of Customer Fulfi lment Operations for John Lewis & Partners, said: “Our Click & Collect service is growing in popularity every year. We are always looking for new ways to be more convenient for our customers, and the success of this trial would present the opportunity to roll out the service to more shops.” This trial with Co-op follows the success of the partnership with Booths, which launched last year.
Aqipa takes on pan-European distribution for Pure
Aqipa, one of the leading value- added distributors in consumer electronics, has announced that it has extended its
relationship with
the British digital radio company, Pure International Ltd. With immediate effect it is now
responsible for all European sales, channel marketing and distribution activity for the Pure digital radio brand.
Multi-million pound investment in Peterborough
Elsewhere, the retail giant has announced details of a £21 million investment and refurbishment of its Peterborough store, due to be completed early next year. There will be an overhaul and reconfi guration of the entire 93,000sq ft shop in the Queensgate shopping centre, with improvements being made to all departments alongside additional new features.
While the work is taking place customers can take a virtual reality tour of their new-look shop using VR headsets that showcase all the shop’s new features. The upper ground fl oor will be home to an Experience Desk, with a concierge-style service where Partners will consult customers on their needs and help them book a number of different services in the shop, from Home Design to its Nursery Advice service. Read more on the ERT website.
Christian Trapl, CEO, Aqipa, commented: “It goes without saying that we’re eager to demonstrate the tangible benefi ts that our tried and tested services and advanced IT systems can bring to Pure’s outstanding range of audio products.” Rob Haycock, CEO, Pure
International, added: “I am delighted to be extending our partnership with Aqipa, which will enable us to enlarge our distribution territory and sales channels. “Following the recent product launches of the DiscovR smart speaker and StreamR speaker range, we are looking forward to signifi cantly strengthening the brand’s presence within Europe. This allows Pure to concentrate on brand and product development.”
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