NamNews - Retailer Fact Files and Trading Updates 2007

Company	Published	Brief Summary
Ahold	01/04/2007	Ahold’s performance was boosted by a strong fourth-quarter, although it remains divided between growth at its European operations and decline in the US market where it is currently revitalising stores and lowering prices to increase appeal.
Alliance Boots	01/08/2007	One of Europe’s biggest pharmacy groups, Alliance Boots is getting ready for major changes under its new private equity owners. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), acting along with Alliance Boots’ Deputy Chairman Stefano Pessina, won a bidding war for the company, with a final offer of £11.1bn.
Aldi	01/03/2007	German discounter Aldi is continuing its aggressive expansion policy, targeting overseas markets in eastern Europe, the UK, Australia and the US. The group is also diversifying into new products and services in order to drive growth.
Aeon Co	01/09/2007	Aeon enjoyed another year of record sales and profits in Japan, although results for the past half year have been hit by a fall in sales at its US clothing subsidiary Talbots.
Asda	01/01/2007	A difficult year for Wal-Mart’s Asda chain with it unable to make inroads into Tesco’s market share, whilst facing increased competition from a recovering Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.
Auchan	01/09/2007	Auchan’s strong expansion overseas is balancing the effects of a weak market in France, where the group is experimenting with new formats and a strong discount strategy in order to drive sales growth.
Booker	01/09/2007	Cash & carry group Booker, taken private by Icelandic investment firm Baugur at the beginning of 2005, returned to the stock market in June through a reverse takeover of smaller rival Blueheath Holdings. After Blueheath issued 1.35bn new shares to acquire the larger firm, the new entity began trading as Booker Group Plc.
Carrefour	01/05/2007	France’s second-largest and Europe’s largest food retailer is fighting hard on price in its highly competitive home market and has managed to increase its market share over the past year, although lower prices have led to smaller profit margins and a slight decline in same-store sales.
Casino	01/09/2007	In France Casino grew sales and profits last year, although its discount operations suffered a sharp decline amidst price competition from traditional retailers.
Celesio	01/02/2007	Leading European pharmaceutical wholesaler and retailer Celesio is profiting from the continued rise in demand for medicines, although recent Government legislation has impacted profit margins.
Coles Group	01/10/2007	Australia’s number two retailer Coles suffered a drop in sales and profits this year amidst a mismanaged conversion of its Bi-Lo supermarkets and uncertainty over the group’s future ownership.
Compass Group	01/04/2007	Compass is to sell its European vending operation, withdraw from a number of countries and steer clear of acquisitions as the world’s leading foodservice company continues with its strategy of tightening its business focus.
Co-operative Group	01/01/2007	The end of a thorough period of transformation for the Co-operative group, which has sold off businesses which do not fit its commercial or co-operative aims, cut costs and revamped poorly performing businesses.
Coop Norden	01/04/2007	Following another disappointing year of sales and profits, Coop Norden recently announced that it plans to give up management of its retail organisation in order to focus solely on procurement and distribution for the retail cooperatives in Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
Coop Sverige	01/12/2007	Switzerland’s second-largest retailer last year grew sales and profits for the first time in two years following several rounds of price cuts and investment in new store formats.
Costco	01/11/2007	US discounter Costco is staying ahead of rival Sam’s Club, supported by its loyal customers, strong membership renewals, domestic and international expansion as well as recent operational improvements which have boosted profits.
Costcutter	01/10/2007	Launched in 1986 by Executive Chairman Colin Graves, the Costcutter Supermarkets Group is now one of the UK leading symbol groups with over 1,500 convenience/forecourt stores and small supermarkets throughout the UK and Northern Ireland.
Daiei	01/11/2007	Ailing retailer Daiei recently became an affiliate of Japanese giant Aeon in a financial partnership which has already led the two retailers to begin collaboration on procurement and the launch of new private brands.
Debenhams	01/12/2007	The department store continues to struggle, issuing three profits warnings in the last year, resulting in its management team coming under intense pressure to deliver improved performance. However, recent trading at the chain been more encouraging, and it is working to revive the business with a review of its ranges, accelerating its store-refurbishment programme, and improving its supply chain.
Delhaize	01/03/2007	A strong performance at its US operations is helping Belgian retailer Delhaize as it faces continued tough competition and a weak economy in its domestic market.
DSG International	01/03/2007	Europe’s largest electricals retailer managed to post some strong numbers in the first-half of the year, but overall figures were hurt by poor performances at its outlets in Italy and France.
Dunnes	01/12/2007	The family-owned Dunnes has recently responded to Tesco’s increasing dominance in Ireland by reducing prices at its stores. The group is also focused on growing its portfolio and is expanding rapidly into new shopping centres across Ireland.
Edeka	01/08/2007	As Germany’s largest retailer and co-operative celebrates its 100^th anniversary, Edeka is on a mission to reach 30% market share by 2010 through aggressive expansion of its Edeka supermarkets and Netto discount stores in Germany.
El Corte Ingles	01/01/2007	Spain’s largest retailer is continuing to expand through the opening of new shopping centres whilst at the same time exploring new markets in Portugal and Italy.
Home Depot	01/02/2007	The world’s second-largest retailer is reorganising its management team and investing in diversification and expansion into China as the US housing market slows.
Home Retail Group	01/02/2007	Having demerged from its parent company GUS plc last October, the UK’s leading home and general merchandise retailer is starting to feel the effects of tough trading conditions and increased competition from the supermarkets.
Hutchison Whampoa	01/01/2007	Hutchison Whampoa is growing its A S Watson retail business at a rapid rate through Asia and the emerging markets of Eastern Europe.
ICA	01/11/2007	Sweden’s leading retailer recently sold the majority of its stake in unprofitable discount retailer Netto and increased its ownership of Rimi Baltic.
Iceland	01/09/2007	Since its acquisition by Baugur in 2005, the frozen food chain has seen a dramatic turn around in fortunes with strong sales growth and a return to market share growth.
JC Penney	01/11/2007	The second-largest department store chain in the US is pursuing an aggressive expansion strategy based around its successful off-mall store concept and exclusive brand offerings.
Jeronimo Martins	01/01/2007	Jerónimo Martins has increased like-for-like sales in Portugal through price and product repositioning, whilst in Poland the retailer is pursuing a rapid expansion strategy.
John Lewis Partnership	01/07/2007	The employee-owned group remains one of the most-loved retailers in the UK, and its growing loyal customer base helped push its profits and sales to record highs last year. And with a new Chairman, and an ambitious expansion plan, the future looks bright.
KarstadtQuelle	01/02/2007	Affected by a weak German domestic market and plummeting sales at its mail order division, KarstadtQuelle has been focused on reducing debt by selling off real estate and non-core assets whilst strengthening its department store and specialist mail order businesses.
Kesa	01/05/2007	It’s been a good year for Kesa, as demand for flat screen televisions and laptops helped drive revenue and market share growth, and eased the pressure of a takeover bid for Europe’s second-largest electricals retailer.
Kesko	01/06/2007	Finland’s largest retailer is growing its hypermarket network and expanding its Rautakesko DIY chain into eastern Europe and the Baltic States. The group recently announced that its K-food division plans a market entry into Russia.
Kingfisher	01/11/2007	A comparatively good period of growth for Europe’s largest home improvement retailer with performance driven by its international operations.
Kroger	01/05/2007	Having swung back to profit two years ago, Kroger reported a strong performance in 2006 and grew market share through its remodelled stores and low price focus.
Laurus	01/04/2007	Laurus is the second-biggest Dutch food retailer by sales, but is struggling to remain solvent against ongoing restructuring and stiff price competition from, among others, rival Ahold.
Lidl	01/08/2007	The notoriously secretive Schwarz Group now operates the Lidl discount chain and Kaufland hypermarket business in 12 European countries. With the discount sector slowing in its home German market Lidl, has focused on expansion overseas, with Central and Eastern Europe the fastest-growing region.
Loblaw	01/06/2007	The group has wrestled to cut costs, upgrade its warehouse network and beef up its general merchandise to compete with Wal-Mart’s new Canadian Supercenters and is introducing initiatives aimed at simplifying its management structure and accelerating growth..
Leclerc	01/07/2007	Centres Leclerc, the largest federation of independent retailers in France and the country’s leading grocery retailer, has seen its market share slip amidst tough price competition brought about by the recent reform to the Galland law.
Marks and Spencer	01/08/2007	A good year for Marks & Spencer with sales hitting record levels on the back of Chief Executive Stuart Rose’s three-year turnaround programme.
Mercadona	01/10/2007	Spanish supermarket operator Mercadona is growing through aggressive store expansion and increasing profits through remodeled stores and new health & beauty sections.
Metcash	01/05/2007	Australian wholesale distributor Metcash has expanded its market share and entered new markets within Australia since the acquisition of Foodland’s Australian operations.
Metro Group	01/12/2007	Metro’s international business is booming, but sales and profits in its German domestic market have been hit by tough competition and weak consumer spending. Recent ownership changes and a new CEO at Metro are expected to lead to a shake-up of the business.
Migros	01/03/2007	By focusing on low prices and diversification, leading Swiss retailer Migros achieved slight growth last year despite a negative market trend.
Morrisons	01/05/2007	Under new CEO Marc Bolland, Morrisons announced a set of good results, while revealing plans for a £450m makeover to extend its recovery from a tough two years.
Mothercare	01/02/2007	The maternity and baby products retailer has reported steady growth despite a challenging market. It has performed well in the home UK market, but real growth has come from its rapidly-expanding international operations.
Musgrave	01/12/2007	Musgrave benefited from investment in its stores to grow sales and profits last year in Ireland. In the UK, the group has been working to integrate its Londis and Budgens subsidiaries into a single organisation and to replicate its Irish organisational structure across its businesses.
PPR	01/02/2007	French luxury goods and catalogue retailer PPR recently agreed the sale of its Printemps department store unit in order to increase investment in expanding its lucrative Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta brands.
Publix	01/08/2007	With a legendary reputation for customer service and satisfaction, employee-owned supermarket chain Publix is giving larger retailers a run for their money in the south-eastern US states.
Rewe	01/08/2007	Rewe is rapidly expanding its store portfolio in Germany and overseas. Last year the group updated its corporate image with a new logo and format for its Rewe supermarkets and rebranded its MiniMAL stores under the Rewe fascia.
Safeway	01/04/2007	US retailer Safeway has boosted sales this year through heavy investment in store renewals and the introduction of new healthy eating ranges.
Sainsbury's	01/07/2007	Sainsbury’s sales-led recovery appears to be on track, although profit margins are still lagging behind its main rivals.
Schlecker	01/09/2007	Schlecker remains the dominant force in Germany’s health & beauty market but has curbed its rapid expansion strategy amidst a weaker market and increased competition.
Sears Holding	01/07/2007	Sears Holdings last year reported continued sales decreases as it focused increased profits driven by cost savings. The group was also unsuccessful in its attempt to acquire the remaining shares in its Sears Canada subsidiary.
Seiyu	01/01/2007	Seiyu is now a consolidated subsidiary of US retailer Wal-Mart, which has invested heavily in improvements for the company but is yet to deliver a profit
Somerfield	01/10/2007	The privately-owned retailer has been making a concerted move towards revamping itself as convenience store chain, and has plans to expand its chain of neighbourhood outlets.
Spar UK	01/12/2007	Despite increased competition from other symbol groups and the supermarket multiples, Spar is seeing relatively good growth in an expanding convenience sector.
Supervalu	01/06/2007	Supervalu recently shot from the ninth to the third-largest US grocery retailer through its acquisition of the Albertsons chain and now plans to renovate its stores and upgrade its fresh and organic offering.
Systeme U	01/07/2007	France’s third-largest group of independent retailers (after Intermarché and Leclerc) succeeded in increasing its turnover and market share last year . The group is investing in store expansion and renovation as well as a high profile advertising campaign to reach its targeted 5% sales increase this year.
Target	01/11/2007	US discounter and purveyor of ‘cheap chic’, Target is continuing to grow sales ahead of its main rival Wal-Mart.
Tengelmann	01/06/2007	Tengelmann enjoyed record results for 2005/06 driven by the completion of its FIT restructuring programme and the success of its Plus and KiK discount food and clothing fascias, both of which are expanding rapidly into eastern Europe.
Tesco	01/06/2007	Another outstanding year for Tesco with record profits and the promise of a further £1.5bn returned to shareholders through a more aggressive sale and leaseback of the retailer’s £28bn store estate.
United Co-operatives	01/01/2007	Another good period of growth for United Co-operatives aided by recent acquisitions. In the year ahead United looks set for some major changes.
Wal-Mart	01/10/2007	Wal-Mart has lowered its full-year profit forecast following a weaker than expected second-quarter. As the group continues to try and reinvent itself to appeal to a wider customer base, it faces pressure from rising costs, weak consumer spending and competition from new rivals such as Tesco in the US.
WH Smith	01/01/2007	In its first set of results since demerging from its news distribution business in September, WH Smith posted strong profit figures, but overall sales continue to be weak.
Whole Foods Market	01/07/2007	Leading US natural and organic food retailer Whole Foods recently opened an 80,000 sq. ft. superstore in Kensington, London and is set to open up to 40 more UK locations as it enters a period of rapid expansion both in the US and internationally.
Wilkinson	01/03/2007	Founded 75 years ago by JK Wilkinson, the hardware store chain has been one of the UK’s fastest-growing retailers in recent years. However, growth has slowed in the last 18 months and Wilkinson has been moving into new areas such as food to restore momentum.
Woolworths Group	01/11/2007	Woolworths continues to struggle against the intense competition from the supermarket chains. However, tighter cost controls along with new initiatives such catalogue retailing and the roll-out of its ‘Worth It!’ range are beginning to help lift performance, although sustained sales growth remains elusive.
Woolworths Ltd.	01/05/2007	Australian market leader Woolworths is increasing its lead over rival Coles, which recently put itself up for sale. Woolworths is poised to benefit from the Coles sell-off and may also be interested in acquiring some non-food assets.

Can't see a Fact File you need? Email your suggestion to Mark Craft

Latest Additions