In-Store articles from August 2005

In-Store archives from August 2005

Grocers pledge support for waste reduction plan.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... A number of leading UK grocery retailers have joined an environmentally- driven initiative to reduce packaging and food waste. Asda, Boots, Budgens, the Co-operative Group, Londis, Iceland, Kwik Save, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons,...

Patak's at your convenience.(product introduction)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Indian food company Patak's has launched a range of products specifically for sale in convenience stores. Including sauces, naan breads and microwaveable rice, each packets caters for two people. "With grocery sales in the convenience...

Competition to find Britain's sexiest DIY-er.(GlynWebb)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... DIY and home improvement retailer GlynWebb has launched an in-store competition to find Britain's 'sexiest DIY-er'. Open to all customers over the age of 21, the competition is looking for a male and a female winner to appear in the...

Back-to-school campaign.(advertising)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Gilesports has employed urban street style images in a fashion-led back- to-school campaign due to hit its 76 stores on 8 August. Imagery developed by Target Marketing Communications will appear on large window boards and on header and...

Stores feel the effect of terrorists on sales.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Retailers fear the recent terrorist attacks on London will have lasting effects on sales. "If tourists stay away from London we could expect the effects to be more long-term," says a British Retail Consortium spokeswoman. Shopper...

Avanti research highlights extent of screen adoption.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... There are now 4,500 retail or leisure venues in the UK featuring screen- based media, delivering weekly footfall of 49 million people, according to research published by Avanti Screenmedia. The screen supplier says #19.6m was spent on...

Sony tunes up for PSP console launch.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Sony has launched a guerrilla marketing project called CutOut to coincide with the European release of the PSP, its handheld gaming and entertainment device. An in-store gallery of customised artwork by legendary Factory Records sleeve...

Availability survey published.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... The second-quarter Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) On-Shelf Availability survey has shown mixed results compared with the previous three months. Average supermarket availability dropped by 0.2 per cent, from 96.5 per cent to 96.3 per...

Stores welcome movie licence.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... A new screening licence is making it easier for retailers to show feature films in-store. The Public Video Screen (PVS) Licence from Filmbank Distributions, a licensing organisation representing film companies including Warner Bros and...

Handwash glamour.(product introduction)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Unilever UK Home and Personal Care (HPC) has entered the liquid soap market with two variants of the Lux handwash, Heavenly Milk and Shimmering Sea. Packaging and fragrances will add 'a little glamour' to any bathroom, says the group. "One...

Science Museum kits out new shop.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... The Science Museum has revealed plans for its new store, due to open in October, and its Christmas product range. The store is to be transformed as part of the museum's Master Plan, in which every aspect of its floorspace is being...

Co-op ousts additives from own-label foods.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... The Co-operative Group has banned monosodium glutamate (MSG) and a range of E numbers from its own-label food following concerns about possible links between poor diet and bad behaviour among children. The decision was made following...

Updated packaging.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Tesco has updated the packaging of its own-label Finest Suncream range, introducing a new design by brand consultant P&W. A blazing tropical sun on the Sun Protector Lotion and a crescent moon on the Aftersun pack, along with rich blue,...

Orange download events dig the festivals groove.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Orange has launched a series of in-store 'festival' events to highlight the capabilities of mobile technology for music downloading. Glam rock group El Presidente has headlined an event in the London King's Road store. Exclusive...

P-O-P for 24 campaign sticks to style.(Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Inc.'s new DVD of TV shows)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has launched Season Four of 24, the multi-award winning hit TV show, on DVD, with P-O-P and retail communications by Coutts UK. The consultancy has created style guides on which all the packaging,...

Water sales show a lot of bottle.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Sales of bottled water are booming in the UK as the market share of carbonated drinks declines, according to figures from research group Mintel. The volume of bottled water sold increased by 50 per cent in the five years to 2004. Further...

Screens boost Sainsbury's at Jacksons.(J Sainsbury PLC increases sales by advertising through Digital Media Group)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Sainsbury's at Jackson's has announced an average sales uplift of 20 per cent on brands advertised on its digital media network. One beer brand experienced sales increases of 42 per cent while advertising on the screens. Sainsbury's plans...

Shopfitters rejoin umbrella group.(Shop Display and Equipment Association and the National Association of Shopfitters have rejoined the International Shopfitting Organisation)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... The Shop Display and Equipment Association and the National Association of Shopfitters have rejoined the International Shopfitting Organisation, based in Zurich. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Uncle Ben's rustles up new formats.(product introduction)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Rice brand Uncle Ben's has extended its portfolio to include three new Express products and a boil-in-the-bag variant. The brand has also extended into the wholegrain category to answer consumer demand for healthier products. The launch is...

Cow & Gate has a fruity experience.(marketing campaign )(contracts)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Baby food brand Cow & Gate is launching an experiential marketing campaign for its Truly Fruits product, using brand experience agency ID. The campaign aims to increase brand awareness among mothers of children aged from four to 36 months....

NEWS ANALYSIS: Remedies for retail.(Boots and Superdrug Stores PLC's plannings)
August 3, 2005... Challengers in the health and beauty sector are forcing Boots and Superdrug to look outside their core product areas for survival. Will Cooper reports on their plans Much has been made of the troubles on the UK's high street this year....

LEADER: Supermarkets play the best service game.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... I have a theory that the quality of personal service provided by retail staff is an effective barometer of a company's overall health, on the basis that if morale is good staff will be polite and helpful. In the past two weeks I have...

SCREEN TALK: A floored existence.(Plaza Shopping Centre's floor mounted screens )
August 3, 2005... Bryony Parkin, head of commercial marketing at Savills, managing agent of Oxford Street's The Plaza Shopping Centre, describes the effect of the centre's floor-mounted screens Screens are an interesting marketing medium and give off the...

China cuts ties with the dollar.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... China has said it will stop pegging its currency to the dollar and tie it to a basket of currencies instead. The yuan has been revalued, raising the currency by two per cent from 8.3 to 8.11 against the US dollar. The US has exerted strong...

Debenhams has a passage to India.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Debenhams has announced expansion into India with franchise partner Planet Sports. The first new store will open in Ambi Mall, Delhi in April 2006. Debenhams currently has 17 international stores including branches in Dubai and Saudia Arabia,...

JHP restyles Austrian bank.(Tiroler Sparkasse)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Austrian bank Tiroler Sparkasse has appointed UK design agency JHP to create a new retail banking format that conveys values such as interaction with the local community. Tiroler Sparkasse has 45 branches in Austria and is owned by Erste...

Coca-Cola has top spot in the can.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Coca-Cola remains the world's leading global brand, according to an annual survey by Interbrand. The US drinks giant, worth $67.5bn (#38.8bn), topped the list of the world's top 100 brands for the fourth year running. Microsoft, at $59.9bn...

HMV backs Japan promotions initiative.(British Phonographic Industry Group to work with United Kingdom Department of Trade and Industry)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... The British Phonographic Industry Group has announced plans to work with government body UK Trade and Investment and retailer HMV to promote British artists in Japan. Many British bands are well-known to Japanese music fans but are competing...

Wal-Mart applies for banking status.(Wal-Mart Stores Inc)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... US retail giant Wal-Mart has applied to become a bank, which will allow it to process credit card transactions instead of turning them over to a third party. Other well-known companies such as General Electric, Merrill Lynch and American...

DISPLAY OF THE MONTH: Prints among men.(Topman's computerised dress designs)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Firetrap's Carlos Singh sees a pattern emerging in Topman's graphic 3D summer window display Carlos Singh, marketing and communications manager at Firetrap, likes the 3D nature of what Topman is doing in its windows. He identifies...

CITY TALK: Place your debts please.(retail industry; consumer spending)
August 3, 2005... The grim pattern of frugal spending on the high street looks set to continue even if interest rates do come down, writes Lauren Mills, business writer at the Daily Mail At first glance, figures showing high street sales in June were 1.6...

A giant step for Kurt Geiger.(Harrods Group to Barclays Private Equity )(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Shoe retailer Kurt Geiger has been sold by the Harrods Group to a management buyout team backed by Barclays Private Equity in a #46m deal. There are 10 Kurt Geiger standalone stores in the UK, with concessions in more than 100 department...

MFI looks on the bright side.(MFI Furniture Group PLC)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... MFI directors remain positive despite the furniture retailer posting a 26 per cent decline in half-year pre-tax profits, down to #22.9m from #31.1m last year. However, like-for-like sales rose by two per cent and total sales by three per...

Monsoon sees profits pour in.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Fashion retailer Monsoon has posted a 34 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to #59.1m in the year to 28 May, with turnover up by the same percentage. The group says strong summer sales and the launch of its menswear range were the driving...

Woolworths lays blame for losses.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Woolworths has experienced a 4.4 per cent drop in like-for-like sales in the 24 weeks to 16 July, citing the "difficult" retail climate as a major factor. The company's gross margin also fell compared with the previous year. "The retail...

Women amass greater wealth than men.(economic aspects of british women)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... British women are becoming more wealthy than men, according to research from Investec Private Bank. Research shows that 2.4 million UK women have more than #25,000 each in savings accounts alone, and 60 per cent of these women are married...

Economic growth slows down.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... The UK economy is growing at the lowest rate for more than a decade, according to research by the Office for National Statistics. Gross domestic product grew by only 0.4 per cent between April and June, with year-on-year growth at only 1.7...

PROFILE - STELLA ROSEN, TING: Bubble up.(Interview)
August 3, 2005... Jamaican carbonated drink brand Ting has launched in the UK market with a campaign that has a distinctly Caribbean flavour. Stella Rosen, vice president of brand owner Pepsi Americas, gives Maeve Hosea a taste of things to come Palm...

ARCHIVE REVIEW: 101 Not out.(marketing techniques )
August 3, 2005... The retail industry has changed considerably since In-Store launched in April 1997. The magazine has now published 100 monthly issues. In this 101st edition, we look at what is likely to happen over the next 100 months The editor's...

ARCHIVE REVIEW: Stories from the In-Store archive.(Debenhams PLC introduces make-up range, Tesco PLC acquires T. and S. Stores PLC and adds television networks to its services)(Chronology)
August 3, 2005... 1998 Cause-related marketing begins to catch on; US bookshop Borders enters the UK market; supermarkets recognise the importance of organic products; law changes restrict tobacco ads to in-store. 1999 Marks & Spencer banks on financial...

ARCHIVE REVIEW: The In-Store story.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... In-Store has worked hard over its last 100 issues to bring readers unique information about the in-store sector. In April 1998 it launched the British P-O-P Awards, followed in June by the first In-Store Marketing Show, held in The Royal...

MARKET REPORT: Cause for thought.(charity shops )
August 3, 2005... Specialised, more upmarket offerings from charity shops have boosted revenues along with their public image. Maeve Hosea reports Fast losing their characteristic accent of camphor, mustiness and blue rinse style, charity shops are...

CUSTOMER SERVICE SURVEY: Order of service.
August 3, 2005... The first In-Store Customer Service Survey reveals which in-store services are important to shoppers and which stores are providing them. Will Cooper reports Supermarkets provide better customer service than any other kind of retailer,...

SPECIAL REPORT: Standing trial.(in-store digital media)
August 3, 2005... The success of a digital screen network trial is measured in more than pure sales uplift. Maeve Hosea asks what persuades retailers to roll out some projects and discard others As in-store digital media climbs its tough learning curve,...

The demise of brand loyalty.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Kogan Page has published ProfitBrand, a book that addresses why brand loyalty is fading and customer dissatisfaction increasing. "Why do up to 95 per cent of products fail to become brands despite the hundreds of billions spent annually...

Screen gives a surface view.(product introduction by Elo TouchSystems )(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Elo TouchSystems has announced the 32in IntelliTouch surface-wave touch- screen. The lightweight clip-on frame offers 92 per cent light transmission and is made from pure glass, with no plastic or metallic coating. "The public has...

Wire bins stack or fold.(UK Point of Sale)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... UK Point of Sale has launched a new range of dump bin products. Designed for an increasingly competitive market, the line includes three white nylon-coated collapsible bins and clear styrene stackable dumpstas. The dumpstas can also be...

Tough board is a lightweight.(August Martin has launched the Hang-Lite)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Retail display specialist August Martin has launched the Hang-Lite, a lightweight but hard-wearing display board. Made from card rather than traditional plastics, the board is recyclable, complying with the company's drive to produce...

LED light fixture.(product introduction by James Thomas Engineering)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... James Thomas Engineering has released two models of the PixelBrick, an LED light fixture designed for use in retail environments. The IP42 version is for indoor use while the IP65 is suitable for outdoors. Both models use 3W blue and green...

EYE ON DESIGN: Animal.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... This is a very cool store with a friendly, open approach. You are greeted by the managers when you walk in and the interior is very funky. The sweeping staircase looks like one huge wave and the changing rooms are like pods dotted around....

EYE ON DESIGN: Ocean Leisure.(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... A supplier of professional water sports gear, this store is situated under dark old arches near Charing Cross. While it stocks the most credible kit of the three stores viewed, it has missed a trick or two. There's no brand story and...

EYE ON DESIGN: O'Neill.(Jack O'Neill invented the wetsuit)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... The O'Neill brand has been around a long while - Jack O'Neill invented the wetsuit in 1945 - so it does have a heritage and a story to tell. But it's not being told as strongly as it could be. The entrance is interesting, with wooden signs...