This week's retail news 'you may have missed'......
At mdj2, we’re passionate about retail and always looking to share our news, views, and insights. With so much information out there, we wanted to share just a small selection of retail news headlines from last week that we found interesting…?
?Topps Tiles acquires CTD Tiles brand.
Topps Tiles has acquired the CTD Tiles brands and certain assets for ￡9 million after the company fell into administration.?
The acquisition from administrators James Lumb and Will Wright of Interpath includes CTD’s brands – CTD Tiles, CTD Trade and CTD Architectural Tiles – as well as 30 retail stores, selected stock and all related intellectual property from CTD Tiles Limited.
CTD Tiles was previously owned by Aurelius Investments,?who acquired the business in 2022. It operated 86 stores across the UK, but the 56 stores that have not been acquired by Topps will “be disposed of through the administration”, according to a statement.?
Earlier this month, it was reported that?CTD Tiles had filed a notice of intent to appoint administrators. Interpath Advisory was appointed to oversee the company’s sale, with hopes that it could lead to a pre-pack administration deal.
Prior to entering administration, CTD supplied tiles to retail, trade and commercial markets through its brands. Combined, these brands were said to generate total annual revenue of ￡75 million. CTD Tiles’ commercial business arm was said to generate revenues of ￡16 million from the volume housebuilder segment, and ￡8 million from the A&D market sector.
Topps Tiles – a subsidiary of Topps Group – believes that this acquisition will help it both make an entry into the housebuilder sector of the market, as well as expand its existing share of business in the A&D market.
The CTD brand is considered to be “complementary” to Topps Tiles’ existing business model, and so the newly acquired stores will continue to trade under the CTD name.
Rob Parker, Topps Group CEO said that the CTD was a great fit for his company and said that the acquisition will create a new and complementary tile business within the Topps Group.
He commented: “CTD operates a different model to our existing Topps Tiles retail stores, with separate trade and retail offers within each unit and a number of market-specific sub-brands which are differentiated from our existing offer.
“The acquisition of 30 high quality stores and selected supporting infrastructure, together with the intellectual property and customer data required to service CTD’s existing commercial customers in the housebuilding and A&D markets, provide us with an opportunity to make material progress towards our Mission 365 sales goal.”
He concluded: “We are excited about the future of CTD within the Topps Group and look forward to welcoming our new colleagues to the business.”
At the start of this year,?CTD Tiles was named as the “fastest growing online tile brand”?in the UK. However, the company’s revenue has reportedly decreased by around 30% this year, down from ￡113m in 2023.
?Wilko owner eyes 300 stores in next five years.
Wilko owner Chris Dawson is targeting up to 300 stores over the next five years as he revealed that all new shops opened so far are making a profit.
The Range owner, who?bought the Wilko brand out of administration?last October, told Retail Gazette, that the retailer was ready for its next phase of growth after having nailed down the store concept.
“It’s all systems go now,” said Dawson.
Although the retail entrepreneur said there wasn’t an exact timeframe, he expects to open around 40 Wilko shops a year.
The?discount chain?opened its sixth store in Poole today (16 August) in its former unit at the Dolphin Centre. Group chief digital and marketing officer Ben Exall said the store marked the end of its concept trial, and it will now move into the rollout phase.
“We got the product mix wrong the first two times…and now we’ve got it right,” Dawson admitted, explaining “we didn’t have enough essentials”.
“Wilko was extremely famous for health and beauty, cleaning and toiletries, and your sort of bits and bobs DIY – you’re not expecting a full garden set.”
His comments come as the business recently?poached Matalan’s property director Antony Darbyshire, who will be heading up the rollout of new Wilkos.
Dawson was tight-lipped on new store locations but said the team were “aware of what was good and bad for Wilko” previously.
He said it would target “all the obvious ones in Liverpool, Manchester and all the big cities but [the store concept] will do the Loughboroughs in this world too”.
Dawson said the brand will return to London in the near future too: “We’ve already got a massive internet presence there,” he said.
?Amazon to trial drone deliveries in the UK by the end of the year.
Amazon has been given the go-ahead to begin a test of drone parcel deliveries in the UK.
The?retailer?is one of six organisations chosen by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for a trial to expand drone use in the country,
Amazon expects to be launching its Prime Air Service for the delivery of parcels weighing under 5lb by the end of the year. Deliveries are expected to be made within one hour of ordering.
Commenting on the news, David Carbon, Amazon Prime Air vice president and general manager, said: “It’s crucial for general operators like us to have clear regulatory requirements in order to bring and scale new technologies, such as drone delivery, to customers in the UK.
“We appreciate the CAA’s efforts to partner with us to help bring clarity to the regulations that support commercial drone delivery.”
Amazon already has drones flying in the US from sites in California and Texas.
Other projects selected by the CAA to trial drone flights in the UK include those inspecting wind farms and delivering emergency medical supplies.
CAA director of future flight Sophie O’Sullivan said: “These innovative trials mark a significant step forward in integrating drones safely into UK airspace.
“By supporting projects ranging from consumer deliveries to critical infrastructure inspections, we are gathering essential data to shape future policies and regulations.”
The news follows Amazon’s announcement this week that it has opened a new?robotic fulfilment centre in Leeds.
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?Aldi is axing key service from 174 stores today as it sends email to shoppers.
Aldi shoppers only have hours left to use its?click and collect service?before it is axed for good.
Today (August 18) is the last day you can use click and collect, which is available in 174 stores and sees customers pay a ￡4.99 charge for their?supermarket?shop to be picked and brought to their car by a staff member.?Aldi?launched click and collect in September 2020. A notice on the Aldi website reads: “Our Click & Collect service is coming to an end from the 19th of August 2024. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
In an email to customers, Aldi said: “At Aldi, our focus is on providing customers with high-quality products at the lowest possible prices. One of the ways we keep our prices low for customers is by running the most efficient supermarket business in Britain. As a result, we’ve made the decision to bring our click & collect service to an end so we can focus on doing just that.”
It continues: “Although you will no longer be able to order your shopping to collect, you can still get all your favourite items, including all our Special buys, by coming into store. May we take this opportunity to thank you for using this service, and for shopping at Aldi.”
It comes after the supermarket?scrapped its wine and Special buys online?home delivery services last July. This meant customers can no longer order cheap wine cases or order Special buys to be delivered their door. Aldi currently has more than 1,000 UK shops and the budget?supermarket?wants to increase this to 1,500.?
Last month, Aldi revealed the locations of the?next 11 new stores?that will be opening across the UK. In an update last September, Aldi reported annual sales of ￡15.5billion for 2022, jumping from ￡13.6billion in the previous year.
?Victorian Plumbing pulls plug on rival firm three months after acquisition.
Victorian Plumbing is shutting down the rival retailer it bought three months ago, putting a hundred jobs at risk.
The bathroom specialist?acquired competitor Victoria Plum in May for ￡22.5m?and called it an “exciting strategic milestone” for the business.
Victorian Plumbing said it would continue the ongoing cost-cutting programme that was in place following its rival’s collapse into administration last September, with the intention of keeping both companies trading separately.
However, the?bathroom specialist?confirmed on Thursday (15 August) that it would close down Victoria Plum and had entered a consultation period for effected staff.
A Victorian Plumbing spokesperson told Retail Gazette: “Following the acquisition of AHK Designs Ltd, we are proposing a closure plan for VictoriaPlum.com. As a result, we have entered into a consultation period with a number of VictoriaPlum.com colleagues and only when the period completes can we provide an update.
“We are committed to keeping all employees, suppliers and connected parties up to date as we progress with the consultation. This proposal does not impact Victorian Plumbing Ltd.”
Victoria Plum fell into administration almost a year ago and was first?bought in a pre-pack deal by AHK Designs, a subsidiary of the firm that owns Beds.co.uk and Cox & Cox.
It was then snapped up by Victorian Plumbing six months later, which at the time expected the business to “broadly break even in the second half of 2024″.
?Marks & Spencer launches first-ever baby club for Sparks members.
Marks & Spencer is launching its first-ever ‘baby club’ in a bid to become more relevant to family shoppers and increase its market share in the kidswear section.
‘The Parent Hood’ will be exclusive to members of Marks & Spencers’ loyalty programme, Sparks and will form a central part of?the retailer’s?strategy to expand its 6% market share in kidswear, identifying ‘baby’ as key enabler to unlock further growth.
Free to join, the club will offer new parents the chance opportunity to save up to ￡250 each year and will help foster a sense of community among similar customer groups.
“Our customers trust us for the hand-me-down quality of our kids clothing and with our growing style credentials and a presence in so many communities, there is so much opportunity to grow our market share through appealing to new customers and introducing existing customers to more of what we have to offer,” M&S director of kidswear, Alexandra Dimitriu said.
“As a mum, I’m incredibly excited to be launching M&S’ first?baby club?– the proposition we’ve created by remaining laser-focused on what baby – and parents – need, when they need it, is something I wish I had access to when I was a member of the 2am club!”
In order to set it baby club apart, M&S has invested in a range of differentiation and?personalisation?strategies that are tailored to Sparks members’ journeys and ultra-relevant to both parent and baby.
M&S director of loyalty, food and masterbrand, Sharry Cramond added: “The M&S baby club is the first of our special interest clubs for Sparks members, and we have big ambitions to make it the very best baby club in the country by bringing together the very best of M&S – from food, to clothing, to our cafes – and be a one stop shop for the UK’s incredible community of parents.”
?Pets at Home to open four concept Pet Care Centres this year to showcase integrated, omnichannel pet care offering.
Pets at Home, the UK’s leading pet care brand, today announces the re-launch of its new look Brentford Pet Care Centre as part of its investment programme to rollout new concept stores. This year, the Group is investing in four either existing or new stores to create a ‘concept’ designed to deliver a truly customer-centric experience for pet owners and convey the full Pets at Home omnichannel offering.
Pets at Home has invested over ￡1 million in refurbishing, enhancing and futureproofing the new look Brentford Pet Care Centre. It has expanded from 9,000 sq ft. to 14,000 sq ft. and will give local pet owners access to a range of specialist services and in-store experiences uniquely tailored to the needs of their pets. The new look store includes:
Brentford marks the second new concept Pet Care Centre opening with the first launched in Hull Anlaby in July.
The concept store programme brings the full Pets at Home ecosystem to life in one place, providing a joined-up customer journey which showcases the Group’s specialist expertise. This new concept design is being trialled across four Pet Care Centres which each represent a different format, from small store to flagship. A test and learn approach will be taken with the ambition to inform future store openings and roll out key successes throughout the existing Pets at Home estate.
The final two concept locations – Kettering and New Malden – are scheduled to launch later this year.
Kathryn Imrie, chief consumer officer of Pets at Home, said:?“The opening of our brilliant new look Brentford pet care centre represents a strategic milestone for Pets at Home as we continue to build the world’s best pet care platform. Brentford seamlessly connects the Pets ecosystem, providing a fully integrated pet care experience and really bringing to life the benefits of being part of the Pets Club.
“We are committed to always innovating the way in which we deliver products, services, guidance, value and convenience to meet the needs of pet owners at every stage of their pets’ lives and our investment in Brentford reflects our ongoing commitment to the consumer experience, which will help to inform our future store strategy.”
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