In-depth features, interviews and insights into marketing’s biggest issues.
Smyths, the Irish retail giant, is plotting its first foray into England with the launch of a chain of superstores by the end of the year. The 24-strong store empire is eyeing locations around the country with the intention of creating a retail base from an assortment of city-centre and out-of-town stores. Smyths is looking […]
City AM, the London business freesheet, has abandoned plans to roll out sister editions across the UK, as it announces a profit for the first time since its launch. Managing director Lawson Muncaster, who helped launch the freesheet 18 months ago with a £10m launch budget, will not be drawn on the paper’s profit margins, […]
The Number 118 118 has strengthened its senior management line up with the appointment of former Premier Foods marketer Martin Hall as commercial director. In the newly created role Hall will report directly to chief executive Mark Horgan. Hall, who was general manager for convenience business at Premier Foods, will have overall responsibility for the […]
TV company Endemol has teamed up with toy manufacturer Vivid Imaginations to create an electronic board game for its new ITV1 gameshow Goldenballs. The deal, agreed last week, gives Vivid exclusive rights to produce the game based on the same format as the TV show. Goldenballs will give players the chance to win a substantial […]
The sale of 49.9% of Clemmow Hornby Inge & Partners to WPP Group last week has helped European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson pocket over 1m.
City AM, the 18-month-old London business freesheet, has reached what is perhaps the most critical juncture in its short life. The paper has just made a profit for the first time and in March posted its best Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) distribution figure of 97,032. But it is this very success that is prompting […]
Troubled retailer Woolworths has signed Kelly Osbourne, Rolf Harris and Darth Vader to front a major campaign for its “Worth It” range in an attempt to turnaround its lacklustre performance. The high street retailer is losing market share to the supermarket groups and launched the low-cost range to take on rival brands such as Tesco’s […]
LBi scoops the IAB Creative Showcase Campaign of the Month, sponsored by Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, with its dedicated microsite for Sony’s PlayStation 3. The idea for this winning campaign is a virtual hotel where visitors can explore rooms and discover for themselves what “living” is all about. The experience changes depending on the time […]
Sony’s decision to cut almost 10% of staff across its Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) division, as revealed on marketingweek.co.uk last week, has led some to suggest its PlayStation 3 console is not the breakthrough product the electronics manufacturer had hoped for. Up to 160 staff – or 8.9% of the workforce – will be […]
Google is in the midst of an industry backlash. While its tentative steps beyond digital into the traditional arenas of television and most recently radio have ruffled feathers, it is the proposed acquisition of ad-serving company DoubleClick for $3.1bn (£1.5bn) that is causing the most consternation as observers question whether the move would provide the […]
As online advertising expands, steps are being taken, including training schemes, to address the digital skills shortage, though new graduates are closing the gap. Martin Croft reports
Asda is launching a major schools initiative to teach children about food, health and the environment. The Kids Checkout Challenge, which starts next week, will be the retailer’s flagship community programme. The retailer is inviting 700 primary schools to visit one of its 350 stores or depots to take part in activities and quizzes on […]
In recent months many a Cassandra has predicted if not a crash, then at least a demise of the property market in the UK. It seems not a week goes by without a headline pointing out that affordable housing is beyond the reach of key workers, or that prices are rising inexorably – just this […]
Debenhams has become a classic private equity victim and its recovery could be slow, but if it focuses less on cash flow, invests in its stores and sparks interest with some ‘must-have’ products – in the style of M&S H&M and Topshop – it could turn things around. Matthew Gorman reports
The Clemmow Hornby Inge sale saga reached a bruising climax last week as agency network WPP snatched a 30m deal from the jaws of long-standing rival Havas. Yet the huge price paid raises a question about who has really come out on top in this tussle. Sonoo Singh reports