Following the 24 February announcement of a possible Dixons-Carphone Warehouse merger further details emerge on the situation-- the Takeover Panel grants a negotiation extension.

Initially the Panel set a 24 March deadline for the deal to create a mega CE retailer worth around £3.5 billion. However the retailers "require more time to evaluate a potential merger of the two businesses," and thus deadline has been extended to 19 May 2014.

"Discussions are still ongoing and there can be no certainty that a firm offer will be made," a joint statement reads.

Dixons and Carphone Warehouse confirm discussions are taking place on a possible merger between the two companies-- one creating a mega CE retailer worth around £3.5 billion.

However a press release insists "discussions are at a very preliminary stage and there can be no certainty that a transaction will be forthcoming."

Carphone Warehouse is the biggest of the two retailers, with a market capitalisation of £1.8bn and around 2000 stores in 7 countries. Dixons is valued at £1.7bn and has 1154 stores spread across 12 countries.

Philips suggests retailers should use LEDs for more than merely, well, lighting up the aisles-- at Euroshop 2014 the company shows off LED in-store lighting able to communicate location-based info to shoppers via smartphone app.

The system uses lighting fixtures to form a network acting not only as illumination but also a positioning grid. Each fixture has a specific identity, and communicates its position to the app on shoppers' mobile devices. This allows them to get specific information based on their position, triggering location-based services as they move around the store.

Philips gives the example of a shopper wanting to make a Mexican meal. The app acts as a "personal shopper," pointing the user to the aisles where one can find particular ingredients, as well as make suggestions of newly-available brands or alternate recipes.

Media-Saturn sets to shift 25% of investments to Turkey during 2014 Today's Zaman reports, with plans to open 10 Media Markt stores nationwide by the year's end.

The retailer entered Turkey in 2007, where it has 37 stores following expansion into Anatolia. According to Media-Saturn Turkey CEO Bülent Gürcan the expansion is a sign of the retailer believing in the country, and "will be intensifying investments while improving opportunities for employment."

Following a "preferred partner" agreement Samsung takes over 60 Carphone Warehouse outlets across Europe, with plans to transform them into stand-alone Samsung stores.

The agreement builds on the three Spanish CPW-operated stand-alone stores Samsung took over back in 2013. The scheme will extend further across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and the Netherlands, with store rebranding taking place over the next 3 months.

The retailer says the stores will feature a "premium look and feel" to exclusively sell Samung mobiles, tablets, laptops and wearables.

Dixons issues the trading statement for the period starting 1 November 2013 to 4 January 2014-- and concludes the holiday season was fairly positive, with overall like-for-like growth reaching 3%.

Such results mark a second consecutive year of growth over the Christmas period according to the retailer says. UK & Ireland sees 5% like-for-like growth with a "particularly strong" post-Christmas sales period and internet-led sales growing by 23%.

N. European sales grow by 2%, with a "particularly successful" Christmas in Sweden and Finland even as Denmark and Norway remain "little less exuberant."

Meanwhile Greece continues feeling a tough consumer climate, with like-for-likes dropping by -8%. Total Greek sales grow by 3%.

An investigation by the Dutch Data Protection Authority (CBP) concludes Media Markt is guilty of secretly filming staff, breaking Dutch privacy law in the process.

Last year the CBP received numerous reports from the media and individuals regarding Media Markt covertly filming staff. How so? The retailer employed "mystery shoppers" armed with hidden cameras to film staff as part of a training exercise. Following the exercise managers confronted staff with the filmed images.

Furthermore Media Markt used surveillance camera footage to judge staff performance and to handle at least one complaint, yet another privacy law violation.

Dixons Retail achieves underlying profit for the first time in 6 years, with group earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) reaching £48.1 million with 52% Y-o-Y growth during fiscal H1 2013 (6 month period ending October 2013).

UK and Ireland profits grow 5-fold to £31.4m, while UK sales grow by 7% Y-o-Y to £1.85 billion.

The retailer attributes at least part of such results on the the exit of a number of competitors, most notably Comet at end 2012, as well as the disposals of "profit drag[s]" PIXmania (France), Electroworld (Turkey) and Unieuro (Italy).

"Quite apart from removing a significant profit-drag on the business, these changes mean that we can really focus on new and exciting opportunities to do more for our customers and suppliers, and on working more closely to drive tangible benefits from being part of our group," CEO Sebastian James remarks.