Visit our other websites:    On CE ... eSP ... Mobile Channels ... ECI news ... rAVe Europe ... Digital Signage News EMEA

Retailer News

Dixons Carphone Adds AR Shopping

E-mail Print PDF
Dixons Carphone Adds AR Shopping

Dixons Carphone announces a "world first" addition to the Currys PC World eCommerce website-- augmented reality (AR) capability allowing customers to place a 3D model of a product anywhere in the house.

Co-developed by Eyekandy and Flixmedia, the AR experience uses WebAR technology. It allows a regular web browser to use the sensors in mobile devices to allow users to interact with a 3D model and place it within a space. The AR experience is signalled by the Point & Place AR logo, and is available for around 700 products, with more to follow in the future.

Continue reading...

EU Opens Amazon Antitrust Investigation

E-mail Print PDF
EU Opens Amazon Antitrust Investigation

The European Commission (EC) opens a formal antitrust investigation in Amazon-- one set to determine whether the use of sensitive data from independent retailers by the the online retail giant represents a breach of EU competition rules.

"European consumers are increasingly shopping online. E-commerce has boosted retail competition and brought more choice and better prices. We need to ensure that large online platforms don't eliminate these benefits through anti-competitive behaviour," commissioner in charge of competition policy Margrethe Vestager says. "I have therefore decided to take a very close look at Amazon's business practices and its dual role as marketplace and retailer, to assess its compliance with EU competition rules.”

While Amazon is, of course, best known as the online retail giant, it also provides a marketplace for independent sellers wanting to sell products directly to consumers. Amazon continuously collects data of the activity taking place on its platform and, according to preliminary fact-finding by the EC, Amazon appears to competitively use sensitive information about marketplace sellers, products and transactions taking place.

Continue reading...

Game Agrees to Sports Direct Takeover

E-mail Print PDF
Game Agrees to Sports Direct Takeover

Game Digital agrees to the £52 million takeover by Sports Direct, possibly paving the way for the creation of purpose-built gaming arenas in Hosue of Fraser stores.

A statement has the Game board admit it had no option but to accept the offer from the Mike Ashley-owned retailer, even if it was "disappointed" Sports Direct issued its offer document unilaterally even as discussions were ongoing. However the board concluded the Sports Direct offer represented a "fair value" for the group, and in any case Game was already reliant on Sports Direct for future growth. For instance, Game plans to open a network of live gaming arenas in stores under the Belong brand.

Continue reading...

Sports Direct Makes Final Bid for Game

E-mail Print PDF
Sports Direct Makes Final Bid for Game

Sports Direct sets to further expand into the high street as it makes a £51.9 million offer for Game Digital, a cash bid triggered following plans to increase its stake in the game retailer to 38.5%.

“Sports Direct believes that the offer, in providing Game with the wider benefit of Sports Direct’s operating and other experience and increased support, will secure Game’s future and allow it to navigate these pressures,” a statement from the retailer reads.

The retailer, founded and led by Mike Ashley, already owns around 30% in Game. British takeover rules demand Sports Direct make a mandatory offer for Game should it increase its stake above 30%. Game currently faces tough times (as most retailers tend to), with fiscal H1 sales dropping by -4.7% to £492.9, but cost-cutting and higher margin sales helped interim pre-tax profits to increase by 20.3% to £14.8m.

Continue reading...

July Opening for Microsoft London Store

E-mail Print PDF
July Opening for Microsoft London Store

The flagship Microsoft Store in Oxford Circus, London-- specifically at the Regent Street - Oxford Street junction, just metres away from the Apple Regent Street store-- gets an 11 July opening date.

The retail location covers 2037 square metres over three floors, and will allow customers to check out the latest technology, products and services from Microsoft and partners. Immersive video walls form zones where customers can get hands-on with products such as Surface, Windows Office, Xbox and PC gaming, HoloLens mixed-reality and more, while an Answer Desk provides tech support. Interestingly, Microsoft insists it will offer repair services for any PC product, regardless of brand, OS or retailer.

Continue reading...

Gartner: 5G Brings Augmented Reality Shopping

E-mail Print PDF
Gartner: 5G Brings Augmented Reality Shopping

According to Gartner, 100 million customers will shop in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) both online and in-store, as the technology has the potential to radically shake up the customer experience.

“Retailers are under increasing pressure to explain the purpose of physical stores, and take control of the fulfillment and return process for cross-channel execution,” the analyst says. “At the same time, consumers are progressively defining the value provided by the experiences they receive from retailers. As a result of these pressures, retailers are turning to AR and VR to offer customers a unified retail experience inside and outside retail stores.”

Continue reading...

A Retail Outlet for the Raspberry Pi

E-mail Print PDF
A Retail Outlet for the Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi Foundation opens a first physical retail location in Cambridge, UK, as it takes over a location on the first floor in the Grand Arcade shopping centre.

The store is styled after similar outlets from the likes of Apple and Microsoft, and is designed to give customers a more hands-on experience with the diminutive microPC. According to the makers of the Raspberry Pi, the idea behind the store is to "reach out" to customers with an interest in coding, making and electronics by showing off the capabilities of the device and ecosystem.

Continue reading...

Ceconomy Names CEO and CFO

E-mail Print PDF
Ceconomy Names CEO and CFO

MediaMarkt and Saturn owner Ceconomy names a new CEO following the October 2018 exit of Pieter Haas-- former Conrad Electronic head Jörn Werner. The retailer also finds a CFO in Karin Sonnenmoser.

Warner was in charge of strategic review at electronics retailer Conrad as CEO, before taking position as top executive at German auto repair chain Auto-Teile-Unger from 2015 to 2018. According to Ceconomy, Werner brings expertiese in the digital transformation of business models and international growth strategies, and knows how to deal with both complex branch business and multi-channel retail.

Continue reading...

Christmas Revenues Up 1% for Dixons Carphone

E-mail Print PDF
Christmas Revenues Up 1% for Dixons Carphone

Dixons Carphone announces group revenues for the 10-week period ending 5 January 2019 are up by 1% like-for-like, with a drop in mobile and Carphone Warehouse sales affecting overall results even as gaming products see strong growth.

“Peak trading was solid and in line with expectations, producing record sales against a tough backdrop," CEO Alex Baldock says. "We continued to grow our leading electrical market positions in all territories, online and instore. In UK mobile, performance was as expected. Overall, our peak trading was disciplined and well-executed, with stable gross margins."

Continue reading...

Page 2 of 42