In-Store articles from April 2007

In-Store archives from April 2007

Bernard Matthews opts for full rebranding drive.
April 12, 2007... Bernard Matthews has announced an overhaul of its product range and packaging as part of a recovery plan which will be supported by a #7m TV and press advertising campaign. The announcement follows a barrage of negative publicity after TV...

Co-op scented shelf barkers.(Co-operative Group (CWS) Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... The smell of Comfort fabric softener is wafting through Co-op stores across the country, from scented shelf barkers in 500 stores. The barkers have a button that releases a fragrance when pushed. The promotion will be in-stores for six weeks,...

By George - it's the Union Jack.
April 12, 2007... Asda is to start flying the British flag to highlight the home-grown origins of its clothing. A range called "Made in the UK" will have a Union Jack label diplayed on the garments. The chain is also planning to put country of origin...

Morrisons revamp stakes #450m on fresh success.
April 12, 2007... Supermarket chain Morrisons is to invest #450m in a brand makeover to increase its appeal to shoppers. The supermarket chain will be freshening its brand with a new logo and signage, while de-cluttering store layouts. Design group Landor...

Anheuser-Busch to import Spanish beer.
April 12, 2007... Anheuser-Busch will begin importing a popular Spanish beer to the UK market and is introducing a new bottle design for one of its existing lagers. Estrella Damm, a flagship brand of Grupo Damm, is being promoted as the "Beer of Barcelona"...

High-street can do more online.
April 12, 2007... High-street fashion retailers are still failing to provide consumers with multi-channel access to their products, according to new research. Multi-channel service provider Zendor carried out the research, which shows two-thirds of 130...

New chair at POPAI.
April 12, 2007... Brid Bickerton, head of category management at Allied Bakeries, has been appointed as chair of trade body POPAI. "This year will see POPAI working with more organisations to develop and promote retail marketing, so it takes greater...

Asda Easter promotion 'events' are biggest ever.
April 12, 2007... Asda currently has its largest ever selection of P-O-P in-store, as part of the retailer's Seasonal Easter promotion. Installation started in the second week of March and took ten days, taking in a total of 320 branches. Enormous...

Core customers prized by Washington.(Washington Apples)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... An apple a day may mean winning a family holiday to the US, as Washington Apples launches a promotional campaign in Morrisons' stores. The on-pack competition prizes have been negotiated by communications agency Ulysses. The promotion is also...

BFI Filmstore opens doors to silver screen.
April 12, 2007... The British Film Institute Filmstore has opened its doors as part of the redevelopment and rebranding of the National Film Theatre into the BFI Southbank. The store, designed by Jethro Clunies-Ross on a #50,000 budget, houses over 1,200...

Honda promoting Civic Type R.
April 12, 2007... Honda is promoting the launch of the Civic Type R sports hatchback with branded P-O-P in around 150 of its showrooms. Designed, manufactured and distributed by Green Room Retail, the displays showcase branded clothing and merchandise....

Unilever concentrates on shelf promotion.
April 12, 2007... Unilever is promising benefits for retailers and consumers with its new laundry products. Small & Mighty is a new variant of the Persil and Surf liquid detergent ranges. It uses a "2x" concentrated format, allowing a bottle half the...

IN BRIEF: Minimum wage rise sparks minimum fuss.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... The British Retail Consortium has responded positively to the 17p increase in the hourly minimum wage, announced at the beginning of March. "This is good news and exactly what we asked for," says BRC director general Kevin Hawkins....

IN BRIEF: Shopfitting showing healthy signs.(Shop Display and Equipment Association)(Survey)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... The latest half-yearly members' survey by the Shop Display and Equipment Association (SDEA) shows that 61 per cent of shopfitting and display companies saw an increase in sales during the second half of 2006. "These figures reveal a degree of...

IN BRIEF: New Twist from Heinz.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Heinz is launching variants of one of its market leading products. Tomato Ketchup With a Twist is aimed at ketchup fans with a more adventurous palate, and features additional flavours. Twists of Chilli, Garlic and Sweet Onion will be available...

IN BRIEF: Shoppers want one-stop shop.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Two-thirds of consumers think supermarkets should continue their expansion into futher non-food product sectors, according to a survey of 16-39-year-old shoppers commissioned by Catalus, a manufacturer of digital memory cards. Copyright:...

IN BRIEF: John Lewis Group top of the shops.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Waitrose is the UK's favourite retailer, according to a poll of 6,000 shoppers by research group Verdict. The Customer Satisfaction Index 2007 saw Waitrose's parent company John Lewis in second place, Ikea in third and online trader Amazon...

IN BRIEF: Manners maketh the brand.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Poor customer service means retail staff can act as brand saboteurs rather than brand champions, according to research by employment agency NKD Group. Nearly three-quarters of consumers questioned say they think worse of an organisation where...

IN BRIEF: Co-Op takes the moral high ground.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... The Co-Op is the UK's "most ethical business" according to a study by GFK NOP into consumer perceptions. Social and environmental policies, use of Fairtrade products and employee welfare were all taken into account as part of the survey. ...

ANALYSIS: Stubbed out.(payment by cheque system)
April 12, 2007... Retailers and banks agree that the days of the slow and expensive cheque are numbered, says Matthew Valentine, but will customers mourn - or even notice - its demise? A decade ago, a retailer that decided to stop accepting payment by...

LETTER: Leaner is greener.(Letter to the editor)
April 12, 2007... I read with great interest your Special Report article "Print gets keen to be green" (In-Store, March). Whilst I agree that making the production processes more eco-friendly is a small step in the right direction, I believe it to be...

LETTER: Small is beautiful in installation world.(Letter to the editor)
April 12, 2007... I totally agree with Tom Garner's comment (Letters, In-Store, March) disagreeing with the claim that many larger installation companies are inflexible and unwilling to take on small jobs or work with smaller clients. The latest...

LEADER: Throwing away the future?(retail industry trends)
April 12, 2007... Shoppers may not yet have fully understood the impact of the latest Budget on their finances, but they are not letting that stop them from spending. According to the Office of National Statistics, underlying growth in retail sales remains...

SCREEN TALK: Ready for a close-up.(use of screen media in retail)
April 12, 2007... A new survey exposes problems facing the growing digital retail media sector, but points the way towards solutions which will allow clients and installers to harness the potential of a genuine revolution, says Matthew Valentine Despite...

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Provigo buyout dents Loblaw figures.
April 12, 2007... Canadian food retail Loblaw has announced a fourth quarter loss after its acquistion of the Provigo chain. The company is upgrading its logistics network. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Airplane eco-logo launched by M&S.
April 12, 2007... Marks & Spencer is starting to label food that has been imported to the UK by air. The words 'air freighted' accompanied by a small image of an aircraft will appear at first on 20 products, such as beans and strawberries, rising to 150...

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Cut-price revolution conquers Europe.(superstores facing competition from discount stores)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... No-frills discounters are challenging the market position of hypermarkets across Western Europe, after a period of aggressive expansion. Aldi and Lidl have now achieved a combined market share of 40 per cent in their native German market, and...

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: M.Video opens Omsk superstore.
April 12, 2007... Russian electronics retailer M.Video has invested more than 50m (#1m) roubles to open a new hypermarket in Omsk. The 1900 sq m store will contain more than 2,000 SKUs. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Pirates profit in China DVD boom.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Chinese consumers spent $115m (#60m) on DVDs in 2006, a figure expected to rise to more than $500m (#257m) by 2010, according to media analyst Screen Digest. However, the analyst says Chinese piracy rates are currently 95 per cent, creating...

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Borders quits UK and heads for the hills.
April 12, 2007... The US book chain Borders has announced plans to retreat from the UK. The chain is looking to concentrate on the US book market. The investment bank, Meryll Lynch will explore strategic alternatives for the 72 UK stores. There are also plans...

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Brisk figures from healthy Briscoe.
April 12, 2007... New Zealand homecare and sporting goods retail chain Briscoe Group has reported profits up by 5.2 per cent to NZ$26m (#9.2m), from NZ$24.8m (#8.78m) the previous year. The group says it increased sales and improved margins. Copyright:...

DISPLAY OF THE MONTH: Kids are alright.
April 12, 2007... Tired of the same old high-street faces, Frank Lia of Chocpix regained his youthful enthusiasm at Gap Kids High-street clones made it challenging to find a display that stands out. But Frank Lia, managing director of confectionery company...

CITY TALK: Perish the thought.
April 12, 2007... Morrisons may be financially out of the red, but can Marc Bolland reposition the supermarket chain upmarket on a diet of fresh produce alone, wonders Lauren Mills, retail correspondent at the Mail on Sunday Marc Bolland, the new chief...

CITY TALK NEWS: Troubled HMV plans revamp.
April 12, 2007... HMV Group has announced a strategic review of its operations, following a profit warning in mid-March. The company, which owns the Waterstones and HMV retail chains, plans to reduce costs, revitalise its core businesses and grow new channels...

CITY TALK NEWS: Cadbury Schweppes splits focus.
April 12, 2007... Cadbury Schweppes is to split its drinks and confectionery divisions into two separate businesses. "We have built the world's largest confectionery business. We believe now is the time to separate and give both management teams the focused...

CITY TALK NEWS: Figures looking up for HRG.(Home Retail Group)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Home Retail Group, the parent company of Argos and Homebase, has seen trading ahead of expectations for the eight weeks to 3 March. The short period has been caused by the group moving its year end reporting date. "We now expect profits on a...

CITY TALK NEWS: Profits drop but FCUK remains upbeat.(French Connection Group PLC)(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Profits at fashion group French Connection fell to #4m for the year to 31 January, compared to #12.2m for the same period in the previous year. Chairman Stephen Marks says the results were very disappointing. "However, we believe that there is...

CITY TALK NEWS: Strong progress at John Lewis.
April 12, 2007... John Lewis Partnership has announced an 11 per cent increase in sales to #6.4bn for the year ending 27 January in unaudited results. Operating profit for the period increased by 26 per cent to #354m. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd....

CITY TALK NEWS: Next launches campaign on new front.
April 12, 2007... High street and catalogue fashion and homewares retailer Next is to introduce new shopfronts and product ranges, after like-for-like sales fell by 7 per cent in the year to January. Group profits still rose at the retail group, by 6.5 per cent...

PROFILE - NICOLA GREENWOOD: Hot chocolate.
April 12, 2007... Nicola Greenwood, retail marketing manager at Thorntons, says she has no problem working up an appetite for the job, as she gives an envious Jo Roberts a taste of her recipe for sweet success Thorntons confectionery shops around the...

MARKET REPORT: Moral fabric.
April 12, 2007... Organic outfits and Fairtrade fashion may be the next big thing for retailers, says Jo Roberts, but do customers know, or care, what they're wearing? Taking an ethical approach to what they eat may no longer be enough for concerned...

SPECIAL REPORT: Signs of improvement.(in store signage)
April 12, 2007... Directing the shopper's journey while avoiding sensory overload is a juggling act retailers are learning to love, says Jo Roberts Signage is an integral part of a store interior. It can be used in a purely functional way, to help...

PRODUCT NEWS: Mice Cil pleased with its shelf.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Retail specialist Mice Cil is preparing to launch a new flexible display system. The Blade II unit is made from slim, slotted aluminium uprights, with single and twin slots and a range of shelving fittings. According to the manufacturer,...

PRODUCT NEWS: British Turntable display unit.
April 12, 2007... British Turntable has developed a new version of one of its portable rotating display units. New features of the Olympian 4.5m turntable include the incorporation of the motor into the steel structure underneath the deck, and an edging to...

PRODUCT NEWS: New acrylic is sheets ahead.
April 12, 2007... Perspex Distribution has launched a new acrylic sheet. Perspex Vario can be used in a wide range of applications in retail environments including P-O-P, signage and lighting. The product is made with a fluorescent edge and a hint of...

PRODUCT NEWS: Digital player keeps it simple.(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... An entry-level digital media player has been added to Digital View's range. The Viewstream HD-1 is suitable for non-networked digital signage applications where a looping video is required on wide-screen displays. The system is the...

PRODUCT NEWS: Microtouch updates screen.
April 12, 2007... The Microtouch Cleartek II touch screen system has been updated with new software and hardware. The new software, from 3M Touch Systems, makes the system compatible with Vista, the latest Windows operating system from Microsoft. It also...

EYE ON DESIGN: Confetti.(Confetti Network Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Wedding planning outlet Confetti is a neat store which merchandises its goods with a softer approach. The environment creates moods and is themed to reflect different occasions. A colourful, attention-grabbing pyramid of sweets draws you into...

EYE ON DESIGN: Currys.(Currys Group PLC)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... As you'd expect, Currys has the feel of a large, multi-branched company. The brand red is ever present. But the anonymity of such places is diminished by an increased focus on personalised customer service and the different channels on...

EYE ON DESIGN: Woolworths.(Woolworths Group PLC)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... On entering the multi-channel area in Woolies the shopper is greeted instantly by a large, bold graphic announcement: "so much more than what's in-store". This is followed by a cacophony of hanging graphics delivering the message of quantity...