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How Dixons Carphone and Hobbycraft are planning for a multichannel future

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In today’s InternetRetailing newsletter we’re reporting as retailers and brands continue to reshape their businesses for a future that now looks very different from the way it did at the beginning of this year. The Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns have accelerated trends that were already visible in the way that shoppers buy. Now it’s more important than ever to offer customers a choice of sales channels so that they can shop in the way that is most convenient for them at any given moment. 

Dixons Carphone is continuing to bring its Currys PC World and Carphone Warehouse businesses together into one retail business, this time through new simplified store management roles that, it says, focus on the customer experience and make it easier for shoppers to buy across sales channels. Some 800 jobs are set to be cut as a result.

Hobbycraft, meanwhile, is planning expansion after its business benefited from the Covid-19 lockdown, when online sales grew by 200% and more than 15m people took part in its online crafting sessions. Now it plans to open more small-format stores to power multichannel services. That will build on previous work – in its full-year to February, Hobbycraft’s ecommerce sales rose by 19%, while sales and profits were also up. 

Upmarket fashion brand Hugo Boss and sportwear brand Under Armour both report falling sales as a result of lockdown store closures. Online sales have grown significantly at both, but at both it’s not enough to make up for prolonged store closures across markets – although both say sales are now showing signs of recovery following shop reopenings. 

The new RetailX Europe Top1000 report, published in association with Tealium, is now available to download – featuring both the full list of the Top1000 ecommerce and multichannel retailers in Europe and revealing the names of the continent’s new Elite retailers.

In today’s guest comment, Ben Stirling of Webloyalty considers the role gamification can play in fostering customer loyalty

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