The definitive Index cataloguing the triumphs, challenges and progress of the 500 most significant retailers in the UK. With a focus on “RetailCraft”, the way a retailer trades, manages, grows and connects with customers, the IRUK 500 assesses retailers across six dimensions of performance. Via this hub you can access the annual main report with the Top500 list, the six annual performance dimension reports, and updates to the Research Blog. Let us know your thoughts at research@internetretailing.net
House of Fraser ‘s majority shareholder this month stepped in to support it to the tune of £15m after disruption to online sales caused by its ongoing transformation programme, the retailer said today. The department store reported that gross transaction volumes for first half of its financial year came in (more…)
French Connection today reported improving sales and a growing shift to online shopping, following restructuring aimed at ensuring the group reflects the changing way that customers now buy. The fashion retailer, a Top150 trader in IRUK Top500 research, said in half-year figures today that it had worked to right size (more…)
Ocado today set out how it was stepping up capacity in its customer fulfilment centres to meet demand both from its own customers and to meet the needs of existing and future retail customers of its technology. The online grocer and technology company, ranked a Top50 retailer in IRUK Top500 (more…)
John Lewis Partnership , owner of department store John Lewis and supermarket Waitrose , this week reported half-year results. Revenue of £4.8bn rose by 2.2%, with Waitrose sales up by 2.2% to £3.1bn, and John Lewis revenue of £1.6bn up by 2.4%. Pre-tax profits of £26.6bn were down by 53.3% (more…)
Next this week reported falling sales and profits. The fashion-to-homewares retailer reported group revenue of £1.89bn in the half-year to July 2017, down by 2.7% from £1.94bn a year earlier, with store-based sales down by 8.3% and predominantly online sales from its Directory business up by 5.7%. International full-price directory (more…)
Dunelm this week said its focus was on the “massive” multichannel opportunity that its 2016 acquisition of Worldstores in November 2016 had given it, as it reported full-year results. It reported total revenues of £955.6m in the 52 weeks to July 1, up by 8.5% on the same time last (more…)
Morrisons this week hailed the success of its transformation programme as it reported growing sales and profits in its half-year results. We took a look at what the supermarket, ranked Top100 in IRUK Top500 research, said about its multichannel strategy, as it reported turnover of £8.4m in the half-year to (more…)
JD Sports Fashion Group says multichannel investment is helping drive sales and profits. The update came as the retailer, ranked Top50 in IRUK Top500 research, reported sales of £1.4bn in the six months to July 29 – 41% up compared to the same time last year – and pre-tax profits (more…)
Halfords today reported rising online revenues as more shoppers order online to collect in store, and said it had made the most of a “staycation summer”. The Halfords Group said online sales rose by 11.2% in the first 20 weeks of its financial year, compared to the same time last (more…)
Gear4music today said it was focused on investing in its “people, products, websites and operational capabilities” as it reported growing sales in the first half of its financial year. The Top150 retailer in IRUK Top500 research, said that global sales of £31.2m were 44% up on the same time last (more…)
John Lewis customers in the South West can now book home trade services through the department store, and across sales channels. The trader, an Elite retailer in IRUK Top500 research, has expanded a trial of a home improvement and maintenance service across Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Taunton. Customers (more…)
Jimmy Choo this week said expanding omnichannel services were driving sales growth. The upmarket shoe brand, ranked a Top500 retailer in IRUK Top500 research, said it had continued “the roll out of omnichannel services in our UK stores and USA stores and are seeing strong demand from clients, supporting our (more…)
Laura Ashley today reported growing online revenues but falling sales across the business. It said ecommerce sales grew by 5.6% over the last year, following improvements to its multichannel offer. The update came as the fashion to homewares retailer, a Top100 trader in IRUK Top500 research, reported profits of £6.3m (more…)
Focusing on mobile retail is paying dividends for Screwfix . Sue Harries, director of ecommerce, tells Dominique Corlett why this channel works so well for its customer base and how the rest of the Kingfisher Group is learning from its experience. If mobile is the future of ecommerce, then the (more…)
Omnichannel retailer DFS says its growth strategy remains on track, despite falling second-half revenues. The sofa retailer, a Top250 trader in IRUK Top500 research, reported a 4% fall in second-half revenues, taking growth for the year to 1%. And it warned that profits were likely to be at the low (more…)
Next said its strategy of reducing discounting across channels had paid off as full-price sales rose in the second quarter of its financial year. However, full-price sales in the first half of the year were down by 1.2%, while total sales, including markdown sales, fell by 2%. Online, full-price directory (more…)
The Yoox Net-A-Porter group this week updated investors on the progress of a multichannel strategy that focuses on online luxury through in-season and off-season websites, as well as flagship websites for third party retailers, as it published half-year results. The retail group reached €1bn in revenue for the first time (more…)
Wickes and Toolstation owner Travis Perkins this week reported rising sales and profits in its consumer-facing division in the first half of its financial year, in contrast to a fall in profits across the business. Across the group, revenue reached £3.2bn in the six months to June 30, 3.5% up (more…)
The largest multichannel retailers in the UK have a comparable number of consumers living within a short distance of a store despite the retailers’ total number of stores varying considerably, reveals a recent study by IRUK 500 knowledge partner Geoblink .
Prioritising the shopping device that’s always close to hand makes sense for IRUK Top500 retailers. Here are 12 strategies that these leading companies use both to improve the m-retailing experience and to put mobile at the heart of their multichannel businesses 1. Mobile-first strategies As more and more ecommerce traffic (more…)
