In-Store articles from April 2004

In-Store archives from April 2004

Hovis has one in the oven in own-label bake-off.(News)
April 1, 2004... RHM Bread Bakeries is launching branded Hovis part-baked loaves through Somerfield and Safeway in-store bakeries, in a bid to capitalise on supermarket fresh bread sales. The category is dominated by own-label product. Meanwhile, Tesco...

Bill floors mezzanine plans.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... A Planning Bill amendment has been put before the House of Lords in a bid to close loopholes that allow retailers to increase floor space by adding mezzanine floors without planning permission. Asda, a proponent of mezzanine floor...

B&M unleashes new design.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Discount retail group B&M has opened its latest store in Hyde, Greater Manchester, using a new corporate identity previously trialled in the chain's store in Hanley, Stoke on Trent. B&M, which has 19 stores throughout the north of...

The 75th anniversary of famous cartoon strip reporter Tintin, created by Herge, will be celebrated by publishing group Egmont with the installation in stores of 250 rocket-shaped merchandising units created by Antone.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The 75th anniversary of famous cartoon strip reporter Tintin, created by Herge, will be celebrated by publishing group Egmont with the installation in stores of 250 rocket-shaped merchandising units created by Antone. Since the unit was...

Nescafe brews up on-pack promotion.(News)
April 1, 2004... Nescafe has launched an on-pack instant win competition an promotional 100g jars of Nescafe Alta Rica, Cap Colombie and Kenjara coffee. On-shelf until the end of May, the products are being promoted in-store using P-O-P material designed by...

Total trials computers for customer response.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Petrol retailer Total is trialling a computerised field marketing system in 12 of its forecourts. The system is designed to enable a rapid response to customers. The Customer Feedback System (CFS) is a console positioned near the...

Woolworth's shrinks Big W.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Woolworth's is planning to reduce the size of its Big W format and spend 25m [pounds sterling] on refitting 50 stores this year. Big W stores will shrink from their current size of between 6,503 and 9,290 sq m to between 3,252 and 5,110...

Far Cry gets in the game with Coutts UK display.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... P-O-P for the latest releases from games producer Ubisoft comes from Coutts UK. The games promoted are Far Cry for PC CD-ROM and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow for Xbox, PC CD-ROM and Gameboy Advance. The display material,...

Hotpoint develops new brand image.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Home appliance manufacturer Hotpoint is launching a new P-O-P campaign this month, to signal a new direction for the brand. In-store material has been designed and manufactured for the group by Artisan. Units for the campaign include...

The Suffering, one of the biggest computer game launches planned this year by producer Midway, will launch with promotional material, including life-size prison door standees, posters and window vinyls, developed by Sheffield P-O-P specialist Uber Agency.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The Suffering, one of the biggest computer game launches planned this year by producer Midway, will launch with promotional material, including life-size prison door standees, posters and window vinyls, developed by Sheffield P-O-P specialist...

Cotton Traders goes for terminal growth.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Leisurewear brand Cotton Traders opens two new stores this month in Bristol and Birmingham airports, bringing the retailer's airport portfolio up to four stores. "Airport trading has proven to be very successful for Cotton Traders," says...

Fizzing soft drinks figures bring sweet news to Britvic.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Sales in the soft drinks category grew by 11 per cent in 2003, according to a new report published by Britvic Soft Drinks. The figure compares with an average market gain of four per cent over the previous three years. "The continued...

Something for everyone: happy Choccy Easter.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Budgens has launched a seasonal Easter campaign under the title 'Have a Choccy Easter'. P-O-P created by WFCA includes hanging cards, Easter egg window graphics, shelf pennants and floor decals. Images of children with chocolate-smeared faces...

Bakehouse keeps patisserie Simple.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Food group Bakehouse is launching its Cafe Simple brand, consisting of ready-to-bake frozen patisserie products, with branding developed by Blue i Design.

Bull Ring boosts Birmingham's image.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The redeveloped Bull Ring shopping centre has made Birmingham the most attractive shopping venue in the UK after London and Glasgow, according to the 2004 Retail Ranking from information group Experian.

Londis plots the big freeze.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Londis has developed a range of freezer cabinet planograms, tailored to each of its stores. Ice-cream accounts for 25 per cent of the retailer's freezer sales.

Waitrose shops at Morrisons.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Morrisons is selling 19 stores to Waitrose, as part of the conditions of its acquisition of Safeway. One of the stores is a Morrisons outlet, with the others from the Safeway property portfolio.

Oscar & Dehn wraps up new packaging.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Beauty and lifestyle brand Oscar & Dehn has introduced new packaging, developed by design group Ergo, for the whole of its product range.

Speyside serves on Centre Court.(News)(Speyside Jewellery)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Speyside Jewellery has opened a hand-crafted wooden kiosk in Wimbledon's Centre Court shopping centre, created by Beauchamp Design.

Voucher market has a successful year.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The voucher market grossed 1.2bn [pounds sterling] in 2003, reports UK trade body The Voucher Association. Figures show a 9.3 per cent increase on voucher sales compared with 2002, with consistent growth across consumer and corporate sales.

Happy Hippo wallows in P-O-P.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... P-O-P for Ferrero's Kinder Happy Hippo biscuit, designed by Gundlach Display, will launch in-store in mid-April. Designed with 'kid appeal', the biscuit will be sampled to one million consumers in its first year.

Cover charge: a proposal to remove cover prices from books, giving retailers a much freer rein with pricing, is finding vociferous opposition from publishers, authors and retailers. Maeve Hosea looks at both sides of the story.(News Analysis)
April 1, 2004... Jeans at 4 [pounds sterling], bestselling books at less than 4 [pounds sterling]--supermarket pricing strategies continue to rock the wider retail market. And the practice of slashing book prices to less than the publisher's recommended...

Field marketing is now in a league of its own.(Leader)
April 1, 2004... With the In-Store P-O-P League Table now a regular fixture in the industry calendar, we thought it was time we explored the expectations and opinions of some other service suppliers as well. As a result, I'm pleased to announce that the...

An all-Spar line-up: Simon Fisher, advertising and promotions manager at Spar, kicks off our new Screen Talk column by recounting the convenience store group's experience of its in-store TV pilot.(Screen Talk)
April 1, 2004... The increased interest in digital media is good news for retailers, especially those already testing or considering their own in-store systems. At Spar, our ultimate goal is to enable the best possible communication between the retailer and...

Wal-Mart tracks are going for a song.(International News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Wal-Mart is launching a music download service which will undercut legal services such as Napster by charging 88 cents per song. The service will be supported by a 24-hour helpline and email support.

Progressive points under investigation.(International News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... New Zealand group Progressive Enterprises is being investigated by the Commerce Commission as to whether its Foodtown/Woolworths discount card is in breach of the country's Fair Trading Act. The investigation centres on how the points system...

Footstar offloads trainer division.(International News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... US retailer Footstar is selling its 353 Footaction stores, which stock athletic footwear, to concentrate on its core business. The company claims the decision to do this is partly influenced by Nike USA's refusal to commit merchandise beyond...

Wholesale arm helps Metro prosper.(International News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Metro announced profit increases of 13 per cent for 2003 to 1.32bn [euro]. The Germany-based retailer says this has been aided by the expansion of its cash and carry wholesale division and increased earnings at its MediaMarkt/Saturn...

PPR plans Gucci spending spree.(International News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... French retailer Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR), which owns 67 per cent of Gucci, has announced it plans to acquire the rest of the Italian brand's shares. PPR will be honouring an option set up when it acquired its controlling stake.

Aroma wafts into Japanese market.(International News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... UK group The Aroma Company has launched its Poparoma product in Japan, in association with local group C&C.

Maxi Markt follows Ikea recipe.(International News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... JHP Design has completed work on a new food retail concept for Austrian client Maxi Markt. The 4,800 sq m store aims to be food retailing's answer to Ikea. The store design ensures that customers pass every product before they pay and leave.

Walgreen shows signs of sickness.(International News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Shares in US pharmacy Walgreen fell by 4,5 per cent after it announced second-quarter profits up by 17 per cent. Excluding $7.9m gained from a litigation settlement, the company earned 41 cents per share, one cent less than analysts expected.

A seedy business: Garnier Maybelline's Jonathan Fulwell is spoilt for choice with Thompson & Morgan's display.(Display Of The Month)
April 1, 2004... Seed packet displays can often appear esoteric in their approach to P-O-P. If you don't know what you're looking for, you could well get lost among the masses of watercress, watermelons and wallflowers. Which is why Garnier Maybelline...

Kingfisher redecorates: Lauren Mills, small business editor at the Sunday Express, considers the low-flying position of B&Q's parent group, and reveals why Lush chief executive Mark Constantine is bolstering the no-float brigade.(City Talk)
April 1, 2004... Its Easter again. Traditionally this is the time of year when thousands of people head to their local DIY store to stock up on home improvement products. Demand for decorating goods is likely to be as strong as ever this year. The...

Record spending is on the cards.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Debit card spending reached a new high in 2003, with 169 million transactions in December alone, according to new figures. Spending on Switch/Maestro cards in 2003 was 59bn [pounds sterling], an increase of 6.3bn [pounds sterling] on 2002...

John Lewis offers new credit scheme.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... John Lewis Partnership is launching a new credit card, in association with HSBC. The card, which offers 13 per cent APR, will be offered to existing John Lewis account card holders.

Sainsbury's results are a mixed bag.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Sainsbury's saw fourth-quarter sales, to 27 March, grow by 0.8 per cent, with like-for-like sales falling 0.9 per cent for the same period. The group expects underlying profits for 2004 to be lower than last year's figure of 695m [pounds...

Ottakar's publishes profit figures.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Ottakar's full-year figures show a 20 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to 6.1m [pounds sterling]. Sales at the 122-store book chain were up 34 per cent to 154m [pounds sterling], lifted by the acquisition of 24 Hammicks stores last year.

Next has sales increase sewn up.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Retailer Next has reported a 23 per cent rise in group profits for the year to January 2004. Retail sales were up 14 per cent and directory sales up 13 per cent. The group also reported a 14 per cent improvement in turnover to 2,343m [pounds...

French Connection brands pull profits.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... French Connection reported a 28 per cent rise in annual profits for the year ending 31 January 2004, to 38.7m [pounds sterling]. Group turnover from brands including French Connection UK and Nicole Farhi rose 11 per cent to 267.9m [pounds...

House of Fraser sees confidence boost.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... House of Fraser has announced annual profits up by 11 per cent to 27m [pounds sterling] for the year to 31 January, with costs reduced by two per cent. "The results, compared with the momentum generated by our opening programme, support our...

Petrol forecourts pumped dry.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... As supermarkets raised their market share, oil companies closed an increased number of petrol stations last year. According to the Institute of Petroleum, outlets were closed at a rate of 74 per month in 2003, compared with 66 per month in...

Medicine man: herbal remedy and cosmetics brand Neal's Yard has refitted its Notting Hill store. Managing director Andrew Purvis met Maeve Hosea there to talk about the company.(Profile: Andrew Purvis, Neal's Yard)
April 1, 2004... Monthly acupuncture treatments are just one perk of Andrew Purvis' job as managing director of natural cosmetics and health store Neal's Yard. With a cup of fennel tea in hand, Purvis is treading the maple floorboards and admiring the oak...

Brand of hope and glory: home of own-label pioneers, the UK is a retail battlefield. On one side are brands, on the other are supermarkets' own-label ranges. James Quilter reports from the front line.(Brand Report)
April 1, 2004... The UK's manufacturing base may be experiencing troubled times but it is ahead of the game in at least one area --own-label foods. Having moved far beyond the value ranges of the late 80s, own-label is now as sophisticated and popular as the...

Fat is a retail issue; as reports of UK obesity levels send everyone rushing for the bathroom scales, retailers are copping a large share of the flak for failing to promote healthier eating.(Consumer Report)(Cover Story)
April 1, 2004... Chips are too fatty, sweets contain too much sugar, just about everything contains too much salt--and, of course, everyone is eating too much of all of it. But as obesity levels rise, it is retailers and food manufacturers that stand accused...

Let the music play: In-store music has extra meaning for retailers these days, helping to bolster brands and influence consumers. Maeve Hosea lends an ear.(Special Report)
April 1, 2004... In-store music has seen tremendous growth in the past 20 years and is now coming into its own, with retailers employing it to define their images and influence consumer purchasing decisions. "Ninety-six per cent of the top 60 retailers...

Grand designs: shopfitting is rapidly moving towards the design and build model, providing a complete package for retailers. Are clients ready for it?(Special Report)
April 1, 2004... It used to be that everyone knew their place when it came to fitting out a store. The client commissioned, the designer designed, and the shopfitter --and the various trades associated with it--put the nuts and bolts in place to make it a...

The march of global P-O-P.(POPAI)
April 1, 2004... There is a danger that amidst all the recent publicity surrounding digital media, particularly the coverage of Tesco TV and the Spar trial, everyone is going to forget the fundamental role of traditional P-O-P in brand recognition. ...

Mobile pay unit takes the credit.(Product News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Card payment technology group Commidea has launched a new payment processing system for home delivery retailers. Ocius is a wireless mobile system that can accept card payments on the doorstep. It allows customers to pay by card on...

Pioneer has launched a new 127cm (50in) plasma display, designed for professional use.(Product News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Pioneer has launched a new 127cm (50in) plasma display, designed for professional use. A 109cm (43in) variant will be available later this year. The PDP-50MXE1 and PDP-43MXE1 have the brightest screens in their category, according to Pioneer....

Lock and key for lightboxes.(Product News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Too Display has launched a range of lockable poster frames and lightboxes. The units have 50mm thick frames and are available in sizes of up to 182cm x 120cm. Damage-resistant polycarbonate door's are fitted with locks to prevent...

Question time for customers.(Product News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... An online customer feedback analysis system has arrived in the UK, from Vertis Marketing Technology in association with Dutch software company Tevreden. The Evaluation system allows companies to monitor and question customers at various...

Eye on design: Lucy Smith, Creative Action Design client services manager, casts a critical eye over central London's convenience stores.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Tesco Metro This isn't a bad store overall, but at first glance it is simply a large-scale Tesco, shrunk to fit. Great high-level signage around the perimeter of the store sets the scene, along with the unitry for the Finest range, but...