| Global retail industry news |  |
| Global Industry Watch |  |  | | - Bunnings, eBay top retailer rankings in Australia
Choice, a consumer advocacy group, surveyed thousands of consumers in Australia about retailers in eight sectors on a variety of categories. Bunnings came out on top of the consumer poll for the traditional category, followed by David Jones, Myer, JB Hi-Fi, Target, ABC Shop, Big W, The Good Guys, Harvey Norman and Woolworths. In the online retail sector, eBay received 28.5% of the vote, dominating the category. Inside Retailing Online (01 Apr.), The Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia)/Australian Associated Press (01 Apr.)      | Retail in Europe | | | | - Marks & Spencer plans its French comeback
A decade after Marks & Spencer pulled out of France, the UK-based retailer is planning to return. The company plans to open a location on Paris' famed Champs-Elysees later this year as well as launch a website in France. M&S also is looking to open several Simply Food stores in and near Paris. "Marks & Spencer has great brand awareness here in France and a place in customers' hearts," said Marc Bolland, CEO at M&S. BBC (01 Apr.), Google/The Press Association (U.K.) (01 Apr.) - UK retailers raise concerns about consumer confidence
Mothercare, Laura Ashley and other retailers in Britain have said consumer confidence is concerning. "There has been a decline in performance since the beginning of February, which we attribute to a general weakening in the consumer economy," according to Laura Ashley. The retailer said its like-for-like sales in the UK dropped 4.2% over the past eight-week period. Mothercare noted a 2.4% decline in like-for-like sales in Britain for the first quarter. Telegraph (London) (31 Mar.), BBC (31 Mar.) - Germany's retail sales down 0.3% in February
Retail sales in Germany dropped unexpectedly in February compared with the previous month, according to the Federal Statistics Office in Wiesbaden. Economists had expected a gain of 0.4%, according to the median of estimates in a recent survey. Compared with the same month the previous year, sales were up 1.1%. Bloomberg (31 Mar.) - UK refuses to support Oddbins' company voluntary arrangement
Oddbins, the struggling off-license wine retailer, said it will go into administration as HM Revenue & Customs refused to support its debt restructuring through a company voluntary arrangement. The UK's tax department is a significant creditor. Simon Baile, managing director at Oddbins, said he remains optimistic about the company's future, noting that several investors have expressed interest. Google/The Press Association (U.K.) (31 Mar.) - Wal-Mart plans to build more stores in China
Ed Chan, chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores in China, said the company is interested in building more stores there. "When the location is suitable and site is available and meets our needs, we'll go and work with the government directly to acquire" the rights to use the land, Chan said. Wal-Mart predicts that China will emerge as the biggest grocery market in the world in the next few years. Bloomberg (31 Mar.)  | On-Demand Web Conferencing and Collaboration-Anywhere. No need to scramble for conference rooms when you can instantly connect employees, customers or students online. Cisco WebEx supports 10 million subscribers each month with easy-to-use web applications. It's free, it's easy, it's WebEx . . . try it today. |
 - Russian investment group joins funding of 360buy.com
Digital Sky Technologies, a Russian group that has invested in Facebook, has teamed up with other investors to pour money into China's biggest online retailer, 360buy.com. In December, Wal-Mart Stores invested in 360Buy, described as China's Amazon, as part of a group of strategic partners. The Moscow Times (31 Mar.), Reuters (30 Mar.) - GameStop to beef up online strategy with acquisitions
GameStop, the biggest global retailer of video games, has acquired Spawn Labs and Impulse, a subsidiary of Stardock Systems. The acquisitions will help bolster GameStop's online strategy as it moves into distributing games electronically. "We've become more and more a technology company," said Paul Raines, CEO of GameStop. The Wall Street Journal (31 Mar.)  | Spotlight on Fashion | | | | - Hennes & Mauritz' quarterly profit disappoints
Hennes & Mauritz reported a 30% drop in first-quarter profit over the same period the previous year. The decline was more than analysts had expected as H&M decided not to pass higher costs to their customers. "H&M is making a massive bet on market-share gains," said Simon Irwin, an analyst at Liberum Capital. "They're cutting prices in an environment where their costs are rising and competition is increasing." BBC (31 Mar.), Reuters (31 Mar.), Bloomberg (31 Mar.) | NRF News | | | | - Shop.org's Online Marketing Month returns for second year
May is Online Marketing Month at Shop.org and included are weekly webinars, retailer networking dinners and two half-day workshops in New York City and San Francisco. Online marketers are encouraged to participate during the month to glean tips, best practices and strategies around four key areas: research, affiliates, mobile and SEO/e-mail. Learn more.
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