De Harense Smid takes over regional Dutch electronics retailer Elektrowarenhuis Leo van Schaijik's business operations for an as yet undisclosed sum.

On time of writing very few details on the purchase are available-- other than that of Leo van Shaijik's closing of all its business operations in the country as de Harense Smid takes over its outlets in Cuijk, Nijmegen, Tiel, Venray and Arnhem.

De Harense Smid will also take care of current Le van Shaijik customer orders.

Go Elektrowarenhuis Leo Continue reading...

Argos' Q1 2011 sales fall by -9.6% Y-o-Y, a decline the retailer's owners Home Retailer attributes to the "more difficult and volatile" situation on the high streets.

The CE market-- particularly TV and videogames-- represents a "substantial proportion" of Argos' sales. Home Retail says TV sales are down by 20% and videogame sales are down by 25%.

Argos' TV sales for Q1 2011 total 150000 units, while its total TV sales for 2010 reach 1.5m units.

The retailer's only well performing product is Continue reading...

Under contract to Dixons Store Group,  IP firm Metis Partners is looking for offers for Saisho and Miranda made before 4pm GMT on Thursday 26 May.

Saisho: Created by Dixons Retail Plc in 1982, Saisho has become a household name in UK for multimedia players, dictation equipment, radios, hi-fi systems, docking systems, televisions (small screen flat panel), DVD players, telephones, fax machines and headphones. IP assets for sale include 16 registered trademarks protecting the Saisho brand and rights Continue reading...

Kesa considers selling its 250 UK Comet stores according to a Financial Times report.

The Comet brand is going through hard times-- Q1 2011 sees its revenues falling by -15.2% Y-o-Y, while Kesa expects revenues to decline even further in its end of year trading statement. Kesa CE Thierry Falque-Pierrotin describes the UK market as "the toughest in Europe in the year to come".

The FT also reports an Ernst & Young report predicting UK consumer spending will grow by only 0.6% in 2011 and 1.3% in Continue reading...

Dixons sales for the fiscal year ending 30 April 2011 decline by -2% Y-o-Y, with the decline increasing by -4% across the year's second half.

However the retailer says its businesses are performing ahead of their markets-- pointing out the UK, Nordics, Italy and Greece. Its Nordic operations are the only ones seeing growth, with a 5% Y-o-Y increase for the period.

Dixons will continue its shift towards going multi-channel, even if its pure e-commerce sales are down by -9%-- its multi-channel internet Continue reading...

Dubai's Sharaf DG plans to expand towards the GCC and other countries in the Middle East within the next 5 years, MD Yasser Sharaf tells Khaleej Times in an interview.

The retailer expects open a second Abu Dhabi outlet next month, and wants to enter Fujairah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaima later this year.

It will, however, be reconsidering at least part of its expansion plans into countries currently hit by political unrest-- particularly Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria. The retailer's expansion into Continue reading...

Game's Chief Executive Ian Shephard says the retailer "is on a journey"-- even if the group's 2010 preliminary results show its total sales falling by -8.3% Y-o-Y, with total turnover reaching £1.6BN (compared to 2009's £1.8BN).

The retailer's UK and Ireland stores show decreases in sales for 2010 of -12.8%, while its international stores' sales are at -1.3%.

Showing growth are revenue from preowned game sales (3.3% Y-o-Y growth, to £386.9M) and digital revenue, growing by 27% Y-o-Y to reach £ Continue reading...

Tesco buys video streaming service Blinkbox-- marking the entry of a new player in the Video on Demand (VOD) and OTT video markets.

The retailer says it plans to give customers choice, whether they want to own a DVD, download a digital movie or stream a rental.

Blinkbox's services allow users to stream both movies and TV series (paid-for-feature titles and free ad-supported content) to their PCs and other internet-connected devices, including PS3 consoles and tablets. Its catalogue carries over Continue reading...