Newspaper retail round up

A round up of retail stories from this week… Tesco, Best Buy, Asda, next

Tesco beefs up tech advisors

Tesco is rolling out its “tech team” service, doubling the number of dedicated home entertainment and technology sales advisers in stores, ahead of the opening of Best Buy in the UK.

From The Guardian

Asda store charges charities for collections

An Asda store has demanded charities pay it a share of the money the supermarket collected in donations from its shoppers.

Sainsbury’s soundtrack tops poll

Night And Day by The Polyphonic Spree, the soundtrack to Sainsbury’s Try Something New Today adverts starring Jamie Oliver, beat the Muller yoghurt ads which feature Nina Simone’s Ain’t Got No/I Got Life to the top spot in a poll of the most performed songs in advertising.

From The Telegraph

Tesco targets young with new fashion line

Tesco has launched Florence & Fred Trend – a fashion line targeting younger consumers as part of a bid to grow its clothing business and take on high street and supermarket rivals, such as Primark, George at Asda and New Look.

Hobbycraft bidders thinning out

Bidders interested in the HobbyCraft chain are thinning out as Blackstone is ruled out of the race. There are doubts whether a potential bid from TA Associates, the private equity group that recently acquired Cath Kidston, will be submitted by Monday’s deadline.

EU rules could jeopardise online retail

European consumer groups are warning that new EU rules allowing manufacturers to choose how their goods are distributed and sold could jeopardise the growth of e-commerce and online-retailing.

Best Buy targets smartphone market in US

Best Buy, the US consumer electronics retailer plans to open hundreds of new small mobile stores in the US to capture a larger share of the demand for smartphones.

Next chief doubles pay with £1m bonus

Simon Wolfson, Next chief executive, received a £1m bonus last year, more than doubling his total pay, after a controversial decision by the fashion chain to reset the criteria it uses to award bonuses.

From The Financial Times

Best Buy brings forward first store opening
The US electricals giant Best Buy is to bring forward the opening of its first UK store in time for the May Bank Holiday. The Essex store will open on 30 April.
From The Independent