Content about United Kingdom

New York -- British retailer Marks & Spencer takes a giant leap forward in its goal of becoming a multichannel leader with the opening of its innovative new concept store in Amsterdam. The centerpiece of the 5,000-sq.-ft. space — which marks M&S’ return to the Netherlands after a 10-year absence — is an “E-Boutique” dedicated to womenswear. The shop features what the retailer calls “the world’s first virtual rail,” a display that seamlessly integrates digital rails with physical rails of clothing samples.

San Antonio, Texas -- A survey by open-cloud company Rackspace Hosting of 1,300 U.S. and U.K. companies revealed that retail in both countries has benefited from cloud computing via IT cost reductions, increased profits, improved disaster recovery and business agility, as well as strengthened out-of-office employee performance.

London -- A Thursday report by Bloomberg said that retail sales in the U.K. fell a more-than-expected 0.8% (excluding fuel) in March compared to February, impacted by unseasonably cold weather and a still-sluggish economy.

New York -- Cache announced that Daphne Pappas has joined the company as EVP, chief merchandise officer. For the past 10 years, she served as VP general merchandising manager for Burberry America’s where she led the company’s women’s business.

Prior to Burberry, Pappas was the divisional merchandise manager of juniors sportswear at Macy’s East.

Dallas -- 7-Eleven will rebrand convenience stores in Ohio’s Cuyahoga and Lorain counties as part of a 19-store lease from Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Gas Partners LP.

The effective date of the leases will vary, but all leases are expected to be in place by March 31, 2013.

New York -- Marks & Spencer, one of the leading retailers in the United Kingdom, is set to unveil a new property lease policy under which all new M&S stores will have ‘green’ clauses as standard enabling landlords and tenants to better manage a building's environmental performance.

New York -- Britain’s Topshop is planning on increasing its U.S. presence. The fashion chain plans to open 10 additional stores in the United States over the next two years, according to the New York Daily News.
   
There are currently four U.S. Topshop stores, with the most recent being a flagship at The Grove in Los Angeles. The 25,000-sq.-ft. store carries the retailer's full range, including its Topman brand for men.

Paris -- A Friday report by Reuters said that Virgin Megastore’s French division will declare insolvent next week, slated to unveil a plan to file for payments suspension on Jan. 7.

The French operation is the latest victim of the slump in CD and DVD sales.
 
Virgin France is owned by private equity firm Butler Capital Partners, and operates 26 Virgin-branded stores in France.

New York -- British billionaire Sir Philip Green, the owner of the Arcadia retail group, sold a 25% stake in his fast-fashion Topshop and Topman retail chains to Los Angeles-based Leonard Green & Partners for about $805 million. Arcadia’s other retail divisions include Miss Selfridges, Bhs, and Dorothy Parker.

New York -- Starbucks Coffee Co. is considering changes to its tax practices in the U.K. in the wake of criticism from lawmakers, tax campaigners and the media, according to Reuters.

A Reuters examination of Starbucks accounts that was made public in October showed that the chain had reported 13 years of losses at its U.K. unit, even as it told investors the operation was profitable and among the best performing of its overseas markets, the report said.

London -- British retailer Tesco reported Wednesday that profit dropped 6.8% in its first fiscal half to $2.06 billion, weighed down by costs associated with its turnaround strategy.

Revenue for the period inched up 1.6% to $51.9 billion, but costs were up as well for the world’s third-largest retailer. Same-store sales fell off 0.7%.

"The plan is a long course of treatment for us, not a single dose," new CEO Philip Clarke said of the turnaround plan.

Abercrombie & Fitch understands that the key to international branding is to deliver a consistent store experience across the globe.

By adopting an open operating platform and integrated point-of-sale infrastructure, the company is able to centrally manage all business operations, including supply chain, inventory management and POS processing, across international borders. The retailer’s international stores now garner close to $1 billion in sales.