eBay and Argos deal renewed and John Lewis mobile phone sales traffic soars among some of the big stories.
The Source rounds up some of the key retail stories of the week.
eBay has renewed its deal with Argos to extend the ‘click and drop’ service nationwide. The initiative was tested earlier this year in ten Argos stores and is now being rolled out nationwide. Retail Week reported that eBay UK vice president Tanya Lawler sees the extension and broadening of the Argos partnership as part of an ambition to offer “more convenience, choice and value”.
The craze of colouring-in books for adults seems to have benefitted WH Smith, which reported an 8% lift in pre-tax profit to £121 million for the year to August 31. Total group revenue was up one per cent. However, revenues in the High Street division dropped 4% on a total basis and 3% on like for likes, although profit was up 2% to £59 million, according to City AM.
A surge in shoppers using their mobile phones to buy online has created the rise of the ‘master shopper’, according to John Lewis. Around 60% of traffic to the retailer’s website is now apparently driven by mobile phones, while sales on mobile phones are up 68% in the last year.
A huge Black Friday is forecast by GfK for 2015, beating last year’s spend in the UK of £375 million during the week in which the event takes place. You can read the full story by clicking this link.
