The Advent line is Dixon's own-brand tablet range. The two models announced are both Android powered and aim for the mass market.

The Advent Amico is a basic model with 7" inch touch screen, wifi and camera.

The Avent Vega adds a multi-touch 10" screen, nVidia Tegra 2 processor and 4GB SD memory card.

Dixons will launch its tablet line from Nov 1st.

Go Dixons Launches Advent Range

Media-Saturn Group brings its own-brand line preparations to a close, just in time for the Christmas Season. The line-up consists of four brand names covering entry-level price segments to higher quality appliances.

The brands will launch in Media-Markt and Saturn stores in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Austria before expanding to the other 12 European countries currently having company stores.

Ok. and Koenic are the first two brands to launch right before the Christmas shopping season. Continue reading...

The whole of New York's Fifth Avenue Apple store would fit inside the main area of the new Apple Store at Covent Garden – that doesn't even include the area for the world's largest Genius Bar in the new London store.

Located about a mile from the flagship Regent Street store, Apple took an 1877 building at One Covent Garden Piazza and restored it.

The interior is made from stone, brick and English Oak to create a relaxing environment flooded with natural light and with a central courtyard big Continue reading...

At Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference, COO Kevin Turner says Microsoft is going to "build dozens more stores" and is "just getting started."

"Microsoft Stores are an incredible learning vehicle for us," Turner notes. A funny comment if you consider how well the company has automated its customer service to avoid human contact.

If Kinect is a hit in the gaming market…and if Windows Phone 7 devices pull as well as Windows 7 PCs… then these products could pull people inside Microsoft Stores. Continue reading...

After Best Buy Europe's chief executive of branded operations Paul Antoniadis left, Best Buy Europe appointed Andrew Harrison as COO, reporting to CEO Scott Wheway.

Harrison, from The Carphone Warehouse, will continue to lead The Carphone Warehouse and The Phone House across nine European countries. And now he'll drive Best Buy Europe's Connected World strategy and customer proposition across all Best Buy Europe brands.

Harrison says, "The internet is evolving at a blistering pace and what really Continue reading...

DSGi dropped the Dixons retail brand in 2004 and went with "Currys."

That 2004 name-change also inspired the "DSGi" corporate moniker. Now it's back to the future and DSGI will re-brand the organization under Dixons Retail Plc.  With its first annual profit in three years, Dixons has transformed more than 200 stores across the group since 2008. Transforming the corporate name is probably just one more change that had to be made with Best Buy Europe breathing down its neck.

Reformatted stores Continue reading...

Lance Armstrong tries for a come-back, taking 3rd place on the winner's podium at the 2010 Tour of Luxembourg. Riding for Team Radio Shack, Lance is not the only one trying to make a come-back these days.

Radio Shack wants to sell out by end of summer. After an initial round of bids last week, U.S. private equity firm Blackstone Group is one of the interested parties. Blackstone's portfolio includes The Weather Channel, Hilton, SeaWorld, Freescale, Nielsen, CentreParks and lots others including Continue reading...

DSGi sold a computer and a TV every 2 seconds over Xmas and all the Megastores saw sales over £1 million each in the first week of the sale.

Sales from stores open at least a year rose 8% in the 12 weeks to January 9th (better than analysts' expectations of a 2-3% growth) and DSGi predicts £60m-£90m for pre-tax profit in the year to May 2.

Gross margins across the Group were down 0.8% year on year, driven by the Group's decision to drive sales through the peak period as well as product and market Continue reading...