Wax Lyrical, the candle retailer with 35 shops and 175 staff, is to be placed in administration by US parent Blyth. 30-Dec-2002

Seconds Ahead, the operator of 32 clothing shops across Wales, is to set up an office at the former Dewhirst factory in Cardigan, with the relocation of 30 staff and the creation of ten new jobs. 23-Dec-2002

Coffee Republic has announced details of a restructuring programme that will cut the number of coffee bars from 103 to 65. 23-Dec-2002

Holland & Barrett has launched a £11m takeover bid for De Tuinen, the Dutch chain of 40 stores, as part of a strategy to expand its health foods business into continental Europe. 23-Dec-2002

Nikita of Norway is planning to establish a chain of up to 60 hairdressing outlets in the UK, having opened a flagship site on London's Shaftesbury Avenue. 16-Dec-2002

Tesco is planning to open 30 more hypermarkets in Hungary over the next few years, to add to the existing 26. 16-Dec-2002

Julian Graves is planning to expand its chain of 184 snack stores to 250 by March 2004. 16-Dec-2002

Compass is seeking a retail partner to start opening convenience stores on motorway service stations, and pilot sites are expected at Reading and Heston on the M4. 13-Dec-2002

Northampton Borough Council has unveiled plans to spend up to £4m on improvements at the Market Square, including a large canopy to cover the market stalls. 11-Dec-2002

ScS Upholstery is planning to open up to eight new stores over the next year, including its first Welsh site due to open in Cardiff next Easter. 09-Dec-2002

Dreams is looking to expand its chain of 76 bed stores to up to 200 sites, and a smaller format will be piloted in high street locations. 09-Dec-2002

TotalFinaElf is to expand its chain of Bonjour convenience stores to 50 forecourt sites by the end of 2003, with a focus on the south-east. 09-Dec-2002

West Midlands Co-op has spent £2m on the acquisition of three food stores, two pharmacies and a post office, taking its total chain to 140. 06-Dec-2002

Debenhams has announced plans to set up a department store in Newry in October 2004, with the creation of 230 jobs. 06-Dec-2002

Belfast City Council is to consider plans from Killutagh Estates for the £4m expansion of the Connswater Shopping Centre. 05-Dec-2002

Lancaster City Council is to consider plans from Lancaster Property Network for the development of a £8m shopping and office complex in Damside Street. 04-Dec-2002

Perth & Kinross Council is to consider plans from the UA Group for a £25m retail and leisure project on a 33-acre site at the Perth Agricultural Centre. 03-Dec-2002

Forest Heath District Council is to consider plans from Avril Properties for the £5m expansion of the Rookery Shopping Centre in Newmarket. 02-Dec-2002

Focus Wickes, the DIY retailer, has undergone a recapitalisation that sees Apax Partners paying £120m for a 29% stake. 02-Dec-2002

Marks & Spencer is to restart discussions for the sale of its Kings Supermarkets chain in the US, following the collapse of a deal to sell the business to D'Agostino for £103m. 02-Dec-2002

New Look is planning to expand its chain of Mim fashion stores in France from 154 to more than 400, by opening about 30 a year. 02-Dec-2002

Fads, the high-street DIY retailer with 103 shops, has been put up for sale. 02-Dec-2002

Edinburgh Woollen Mill is planning to open up to 50 new shops in the UK over the next three years, and may consider international expansion into the US, Japan and Korea. 02-Dec-2002

Kingfisher is planning to open 77 Comet electrical megastores over the next five years, with many replacing existing smaller sites. 02-Dec-2002

GUS is planning to expand its recently-acquired Homebase DIY chain by opening ten new stores a year. 02-Dec-2002

Music Zone is planning to expand its chain of 42 music shops with up to 15 new outlets next year. 02-Dec-2002

Bonmarche is to open the first of a chain of discount fashion stores across Scotland with a unit at the Piazza Shopping Centre in Paisley. 27-Nov-2002

Merchant Retail, the operator of 84 Perfume Shops, is considering plans to increase its long-term target of 150 UK stores, and has also announced plans to move into Ireland and open skin care shops. 26-Nov-2002

D2 is planning to expand its chain of 87 fashion stores to 100 by September 2003. 25-Nov-2002

TJ Morris is to open a further 20 Home Bargains homeware stores next year, and is seeking sites in the north-east and Midlands. 25-Nov-2002

Allders, the department store group, has received a preliminary takeover approach, thought to be from property developer Minerva. 22-Nov-2002

Mothercare is to carry out a further review of its supply chain, having found its Daventry warehouse to be unsuitable for stocking baby goods. 22-Nov-2002

Leekes is planning an expansion programme following a recent reorganisation, with plans to open new stores in Wales and the West of England and the possibility of a sports and leisure development at Hensol Castle. 21-Nov-2002

Coffee Republic is to sell 13 coffee shop sites, mainly in London, to Starbucks for £2m. 20-Nov-2002

Majestic Wine is planning to open about six wine stores a year to add to the existing 103, and is considering plans to move into the Irish market. 19-Nov-2002

Iceland is planning to have 12 fulfilment warehouses for its home shopping service by 2006. 18-Nov-2002

Heal's is seeking suitable sites to set up furniture stores in Edinburgh and Glasgow. 18-Nov-2002

Arcadia is to restructure its retail brands and management structure with the loss of about 100 jobs early next year. 18-Nov-2002

Krispy Kreme of the US is seeking a suitable site to open a doughnut store in London, and a further 24 franchised sites are expected to open over the next five years. 15-Nov-2002

McDonald's is to review the future of five restaurants in central London, which could lead to the sites being closed. 15-Nov-2002

Kingfisher is looking to sell 15 retail parks and five development sites held by its Chartwell Land property division for about £500m, as part of a strategy to focus on DIY retailing. 12-Nov-2002

Ipswich Borough Council is to consider plans from Helical Bar for a £60m retail development in the town's Mint Quarter project. 11-Nov-2002

Hutchison 3G aims to have 300 stores selling the new-generation mobile phones by the end of next year, with most being housed within its Superdrug sites. 11-Nov-2002

Morrisons is said to be planning to open a number of new superstores in Scotland, and planning permission has just been secured for its first Scottish store in Falkirk. 11-Nov-2002

Compass is planning to expand its chain of 32 Whistlestop convenience stores across the country, and suitable sites include universities, hospitals and military bases. 11-Nov-2002

Cook, the chain of seven gourmet frozen meal shops, is planning to open up to five new stores and expand its manufacturing facility in Sittingbourne over the next year. 11-Nov-2002

Hawkshead is planning to open a further 30 outdoor clothing stores, including sites in all 13 UK National Parks. 11-Nov-2002

Laura Ashley is to close five clothing and home furnishing stores in France and six in Germany, and its UK expansion will slow down. 08-Nov-2002

Forminster is planning to open up to seven Kookai fashion stores next year, and is also looking to acquire new brands. 08-Nov-2002

Next has announced plans to create 200 jobs at a new enlarged fashion store at the Merry Hill shopping centre in Brierley Hill in May 2003. 07-Nov-2002

Liberty International has raised £159m in a share placing to finance the redevelopment and expansion of its shopping centres, including a £275m scheme in Norwich and a £85m expansion of the Gateshead MetroCentre. 07-Nov-2002

Peacocks is to spend £6m refurbishing its chain of discount stores next year. 07-Nov-2002

B&Q has announced plans to spend £200m opening 17 DIY stores over the next year, with the creation of about 4,000 jobs. 06-Nov-2002

Makro is seeking 200 staff for a new cash-and-carry warehouse due to open in Exeter this year. 04-Nov-2002

Homeform, the kitchen and bathroom retailer, has been put up for sale, and is expected to fetch more than £100m. 04-Nov-2002

Borders is planning to expand its chain of 17 bookstores to 23 by the end of next year, and is seeking more concessionaires to take up some of the in-store space. 04-Nov-2002

O2 is considering plans to expand its chain of 196 mobile phone stores to more than 250 sites, and repair centres are being introduced to 20 stores. 04-Nov-2002

Virgin Retail is selling 41 VShop music stores to Sanity for about £2m, in order to focus on its Megastore Xpress sites. 04-Nov-2002

Swindon Borough Council is considering plans from CDP for a £70m town centre redevelopment project at Regent Circus, involving new shops, homes and a public square. 28-Oct-2002

Halfords is planning to open up to 12 more car parts and cycle stores in Northern Ireland, to add to the existing four. 28-Oct-2002

John Partridge is planning to open up to ten luxury outdoor clothing stores over the next three years, with the first opening in London's West End in November. 28-Oct-2002

Julian Graves is planning to open specialist snack shops in hospital foyers. 28-Oct-2002

Sportizus is planning to open 50 sports and celebrity memorabilia shops over the next five years, to add to the existing 13. 28-Oct-2002

The Entertainer is planning to expand its chain of 32 toy shops to 60 over the next five years, and its first superstore will open in Kingston upon Thames in November. 28-Oct-2002

Safeway is planning to spend £100m opening three more stores in Northern Ireland, with the creation of 1,000 jobs, and some existing stores will be replaced by larger outlets. 25-Oct-2002

DFS is planning to double production at its furniture factory in Doncaster, open a new distribution centre, relocate its head office from Adwick-le-Street to Woodlands and open seven more stores. 25-Oct-2002

Big Food Group, the owner of the Iceland frozen food chain, is facing the possibility of a full takeover bid from Icelandic retailer Baugur following the acquisition of a 15% stake. 25-Oct-2002

The Pen Shop is planning to double its chain of 30 upmarket pen shops over the next five years, with the creation of more than 200 jobs. 24-Oct-2002

Matalan is planning to expand its chain of discount clothing stores in the London area from nine to 18 over the next 18 months. 24-Oct-2002

Madisons is seeking a suitable merger partner or buyer for its chain of 30 coffee bars. 24-Oct-2002

Marks & Spencer is to recruit 179 graduate trainees in 2003, up from 110 this year. 23-Oct-2002

Debenhams is planning to open 14 new department stores in the UK and Ireland by 2006, to add to the existing 99. 23-Oct-2002

Milton Keynes Borough Council is to consider plans for the £400m revamp of the central shopping area, including 100 new retail units. 22-Oct-2002

Marks & Spencer has won planning permission to build a 90,000 sq ft furniture superstore in Gateshead, and some of the space will be let to another retailer. 21-Oct-2002

Time Computers is to restart its store opening programme next year, with eight Computer World sites due to open in March. 21-Oct-2002

Delcor is to spend £1m redesigning its ten high street furniture stores. 21-Oct-2002

Field & Trek is planning to expand its chain of 13 outdoor equipment stores with three new sites by next year. 21-Oct-2002

Madisons has sold three Rendezvous coffee bars in London to La Brioche Doree of France for £0.5m. 18-Oct-2002

Marks & Spencer is planning to open 40 more Simply Food stores over the next three years, with the sites being run as franchises by Compass. 18-Oct-2002

GUS is to further integrate its Jungle.com internet retailing business into Argos, with the closure of a warehouse at Coleshill, the loss of up to 150 jobs and the transfer of back office operations to sites in Milton Keynes and Manchester. 17-Oct-2002

Morrisons has submitted plans to build a store at the £70m Morfa Stadium development in Swansea, with the creation of 400 jobs. 17-Oct-2002

Hutchison 3G is planning to open three flagship stores in London and Birmingham next month that will enable customers to trial and order the new-generation 3G mobile phones. 16-Oct-2002

Tesco is to create a further 140 jobs at its store in Ayr next year, having won permission for a multi-million pound extension. 15-Oct-2002

Dixons has announced plans to recruit about 1,000 new staff a year in the UK over the next five years, and a similar number of new jobs will also be created in continental Europe. 15-Oct-2002

Kingfisher has paid £36m to increase its stake in German DIY retailer Hornbach to 21%. 14-Oct-2002

Allied Carpets has identified 20 suitable locations to open high street shops, and also plans to open five more out-of-town stores next year. 14-Oct-2002

Game is planning to open 70 computer games stores next year, including 20 in the UK, 20 in France, 20 in Spain and 10 in Sweden. 14-Oct-2002

Budgens is planning to open about 20 convenience stores a year, as part of a strategy by new parent Musgrave to double the size of the business over the next five years. 14-Oct-2002

Debenhams is planning to create up to 700 jobs at a new department store in the redeveloped Bullring mall in Birmingham. 11-Oct-2002

Selby District Council is considering plans from a subsidiary of Dransfield Properties for the development of a £8m retail park near Selby town centre. 10-Oct-2002

Officers Club is planning to expand its chain of 180 menswear shops to 360 over the next two years, and up to 2,000 jobs will be created. 08-Oct-2002

Woolworths is planning to expand its chain of 14 Big W megastores to 100 in the long term, with four due to open by the end of this year. 07-Oct-2002

Focus Wickes is planning to expand its chain of Wickes DIY stores from 138 to 200 over the next five years. 07-Oct-2002

Clares Department Store of Llandudno has been acquired by Ulster Stores of Northern Ireland. 07-Oct-2002

B&Q is to create up to 200 jobs at a new DIY superstore due to open in Doncaster in summer 2003. 04-Oct-2002

Asda has announced plans to build a £25m superstore at the site of Inverness Caledonian Thistle with the creation of 400 jobs, but an alternative football stadium site would need to be found. 03-Oct-2002

Orange is planning to expand its chain of mobile phone stores and improve its call centre operations, with the creation of 750 jobs over the next year. 03-Oct-2002

GUS is to shed 65 jobs at the Manchester head office of its ARG Equation catalogue shopping business. 02-Oct-2002

Boots has announced a £710m deal to outsource the management of its information systems to IBM, which will involve the transfer of 400 staff. 02-Oct-2002

Selfridges has secured a 200,000 sq ft site to build a £90m department store in Glasgow by 2007. 01-Oct-2002

Lakeland, the kitchenware retailer, has submitted plans for the £5m redevelopment of its head office in Windermere, which will create 100 jobs over the next five years. 01-Oct-2002

Neways International is planning to create 80 new jobs at its direct sales cosmetics business in Cambridgeshire over the next two years. 30-Sep-2002

BAA has withdrawn from the BAA McArthurGlen outlet mall joint venture, and McArthurGlen's main partner in future projects will be Richardson Developments. 30-Sep-2002

Marks & Spencer is seeking suitable premises to open ten Simply Food stores in Northern Ireland. 30-Sep-2002

T&S Stores is planning to open a further 40 convenience stores in the next financial year, having opened 20 this year. 30-Sep-2002

QS Group, the discount clothing retailer with 184 stores, has accepted a £16m takeover offer from private company Hamsard. 27-Sep-2002

First Choice has announced plans to open 50 travel shops in the north, with the creation of up to 300 jobs, in order to promote flights from Manchester Airport by its sister airline Air 2000. 26-Sep-2002

Caudwell is planning to open a further 50 Phones 4u stores this year, taking the total to 350. 26-Sep-2002

Laura Ashley is seeking franchise partners to operate some of its 67 stores in continental Europe. 26-Sep-2002

Morrisons is to submit plans to build a multi-million pound superstore in Wednesbury, as part of the town centre redevelopment. 25-Sep-2002

Ottakar's is to expand its chain of 89 bookstores to 92 by the end of the year, and believes there are another 140 suitable locations. 25-Sep-2002

Early Learning Holdings is planning to spend £10m opening 10 out-of-town toy shops over the next four years. 24-Sep-2002

Ikea has submitted plans to build a furniture store at Grange Park, near Northampton, with the creation of 600 jobs. 24-Sep-2002

Gameplay, the computer games retailer, is to be sold to a Gibraltar-based trust for £0.9m. 23-Sep-2002

WH Smith is considering plans to set up workplace stores selling newspapers, books and snacks in corporate head offices, having opened a trial outlet at the Axa office in Bristol. 23-Sep-2002

Kingdom of Leather is looking to expand its chain of 15 furniture stores to 45, and is seeking prime sites across the country. 23-Sep-2002

Spar is planning to introduce Brandplace touchscreen kiosks in a number of trial outlets, to allow customers to purchase products from retail partners such as Argos. 23-Sep-2002

Stanfords, the map and travel books retailer, is planning to revamp its flagship store in London's Covent Garden and open satellite stores in other large cities. 23-Sep-2002

Land Securities has agreed terms with Centros Miller for the funding of a £100m 350,000 sq ft shopping centre at the Fremlins Brewery site in Maidstone. 23-Sep-2002

Tesco is planning to build a £50m supermarket, office and housing complex at the former Vaux brewery site in Sunderland, with the creation of up to 600 jobs. 20-Sep-2002

Harvey Nichols, the department store group, is to be taken private by its majority shareholder in a deal that values the company at £137m. 19-Sep-2002

Warrington Borough Council has approved plans from Legal & General for the £100m redevelopment of the Golden Square shopping centre. 16-Sep-2002

Powerhouse is planning to open up to 30 Homebase concessions over the next 12 months. 16-Sep-2002

Fat Face has announced plans to open a further 40 fashion stores over the next two years, to add to the existing 55. 16-Sep-2002

Fast Retailing of Japan has acquired a further five sites to open Uniqlo fashion stores, taking its chain to 15 by the end of its first year's trading in the UK. 16-Sep-2002

Psyche is planning to open a £2.5m upmarket department store at the former Uptons building in Middlesbrough by next March, with the creation of 40 jobs. 13-Sep-2002

Coats is looking to sell its Jaeger and Viyella fashion retailing operations, which include more than 100 stores and concessions, and has also put its bed wear division up for sale. 13-Sep-2002

Marks & Spencer is planning to relocate parts of its human resources and finance administration functions from London to Manchester, with the creation of 150 jobs. 12-Sep-2002

B&Q is planning to build a DIY Warehouse store at Newtownards, near Belfast, with the creation of 200 jobs. 12-Sep-2002

Hamleys has acquired four stores trading as The English Teddy Bear Company in London, Cambridge and Bath, and has also announced plans to raise £3.3m in a share placing. 11-Sep-2002

House of Fraser is planning to open a department store in Belfast, with the creation of 500 jobs. 10-Sep-2002

Asda is planning to invest £7m revamping the music and video areas of its 255 stores. 09-Sep-2002

Actif Group is planning to expand its chain of six Elle fashion stores with 25 new outlets over the next three years. 09-Sep-2002

Sainsbury is to create 400 jobs at a new supermarket at the Maypole in south Birmingham later this year. 05-Sep-2002

Newport City Council is to consider plans for the £100m regeneration of the city centre, including a new department store and the refurbishment of the Kingsway shopping centre. 04-Sep-2002

Castle Morpeth Borough Council is considering plans for the expansion of the Heighley Gate garden centre near Morpeth, with the creation of 37 jobs. 04-Sep-2002

The Book People, the direct-mail bookseller, has opened a new distribution and call centre in Bangor, with the creation of 180 permanent and up to 250 seasonal jobs. 03-Sep-2002

Sainsbury is setting up a worldwide wine distribution network by opening specialist centres in all the major producing regions, in order to improve the efficiency of its supply chain. 02-Sep-2002

Mappin & Webb's parent company is planning to set up a chain of 60 Watches 24 watch boutiques over the next five years. 02-Sep-2002

Aldo of Canada has opened its first two shoe shops in London, and is now expected to seek further sites across the country. 02-Sep-2002

Digital Phone Company is closing seven of its 20 shops in East Anglia, in order to focus on business-to-business sales and insurance services. 30-Aug-2002

EasyGroup is looking to set up internet cafes in existing high street outlets, and is in discussions with McDonalds and Starbucks. 26-Aug-2002

Debenhams is considering plans to consolidate its distribution operations onto a single new 1.2m sq ft site at Hampton near Peterborough, which would be operated by Tibbett & Britten. 26-Aug-2002

Asda is seeking planning permission to build a Supercentre in Milton Keynes, and intends to share the site with a £30m stadium being proposed for Wimbledon Football Club. 26-Aug-2002

New Heights is planning to more than double its chain of six premium furniture stores over the next two years. 26-Aug-2002

Coffee Republic has received a takeover approach from sandwich retailer Benjys, and Benjys is said to be interested in converting many of the 108 coffee bars into sandwich shops. 21-Aug-2002

Safeway is planning to double the size of its staff training centre in Burton-on-Trent, with five new areas being opened by spring 2003. 19-Aug-2002

Fopp is planning to expand its chain of 12 music shops with five additional outlets next year. 19-Aug-2002

Maplin is planning to expand its chain of 64 electronics stores to 100 over the next three years. 19-Aug-2002

Carphone Warehouse is planning to open about 12 new-format "experience" stores over the next 12 months, with the first opening in London this month. 19-Aug-2002

Mothercare is planning to open about eight high street clearance stores over the next few weeks, in order to reduce excessive stock levels caused by warehousing problems. 19-Aug-2002

Asda is recruiting an extra 2,000 staff for its George clothing division this year, spread across its 228 stores. 15-Aug-2002

John David Sports is considering plans to merge the head office of its recently-acquired First Sport retailing business with its own operation in Manchester, which would affect about 250 staff. 15-Aug-2002

Asda has announced plans to invest £114m in new and refurbished stores in London and the south-east, including a Supercentre due to open in Watford in November following a £5m refit. 12-Aug-2002

British Bookshops & Stationers is planning to expand its chain of 51 shops with a number of new outlets in the south-east, and its Brighton distribution centre will double in size. 12-Aug-2002

Texstyle World is to close 19 of its 77 textile stores with the loss of about 150 jobs. 12-Aug-2002

Caffe Nero is to open up to four coffee bars a month over the next 12 months, having secured a new £7m funding facility. 12-Aug-2002

Tower Records is to close six of its 10 music shops in the UK and Ireland with the loss of 120 jobs, and US parent MTS is seeking a partner for the remaining four sites. 07-Aug-2002

Mills Group is planning to open at least six convenience stores in Yorkshire over the next 12 months, with the creation of 50 jobs. 07-Aug-2002

Greggs is opening 50 bakery shops in the UK this year, taking the total to 1,194, and is about to take its first steps into continental Europe with two shops in Belgium. 05-Aug-2002

Tesco is negotiating a partnership with Kipa, the Turkish hypermarket retailer. 02-Aug-2002

Karen Millen is planning to expand its chain of Whistles fashion stores from 11 to 40. 02-Aug-2002

Hammerson is to build a shopping centre in Leeds, having acquired a three-acre site at Templar Street for £13m. 01-Aug-2002

Whitbread has announced a deal to open Costa coffee shops at the UK visitor attractions operated by Tussauds Group. 01-Aug-2002

Robert Dyas is planning to expand its chain of 67 hardware stores with six new outlets this year. 29-Jul-2002

Travelling Man is planning to expand its chain of four games and comics stores with six new outlets. 29-Jul-2002

Music Zone is planning to open a further five music shops this year, taking the total to 42. 29-Jul-2002

Topps Tiles is expanding its ceramics retailing business into the Netherlands through a joint venture with Floorstore, and is also aiming to open 24 new shops in the UK over the next year. 29-Jul-2002

Dixons is planning to open an electrical megastore in Cardiff later this year, and the concept could be extended nationwide if successful. 29-Jul-2002

Unwins is planning to convert 300 of its 400 off-licence stores into food and wine shops. 29-Jul-2002

Bargain Booze has been acquired by Electra Partners Europe, and the private equity group is to provide funding for up to 600 new Thorougoods convenience stores over the next four years. 29-Jul-2002

Grantchester has acquired a 30-acre site in Merthyr Tydfil from the Welsh Development Agency, and its plans include 235,000 sq ft for non-food retail space and up to 5,000 sq ft for fast food outlets. 26-Jul-2002

Domino's Pizza is planning to expand its chain of 255 take-away pizza outlets with up to 50 new sites a year. 25-Jul-2002

Northampton Borough Council is to consider plans from Legal & General for the £300m revamp of the Grosvenor shopping centre. 24-Jul-2002

Woolworths is to open a £7m Big W megastore in Newport in October with the creation of 280 jobs. 23-Jul-2002

Matalan is creating 2,200 new jobs in its chain of discount fashion stores this year, and new sites will open in Liverpool, Manchester, Southport, Rhyl, Truro, Sheffield, Stockport, Darlington, Dumfries and Livingston. 23-Jul-2002

Marks & Spencer has agreed to sell Kings, the chain of 29 US supermarkets, to D'Agostino for £101m. 23-Jul-2002

Sainsbury is planning to expand its chain of 186 Shaw's supermarkets in the US with 30 new outlets over the next three years, at a cost of £250m. 22-Jul-2002

Fat Face is considering plans for a flotation, to fund the international expansion of its chain of 50 outdoor fashion stores. 22-Jul-2002

Reiss is seeking larger sites to expand its chain of 22 fashion stores. 22-Jul-2002

Luscious, the operator of two organic convenience stores in London and 11 cafes, is seeking £5m of third-round funding to open franchised shops in Australia, Canada, Africa and the Middle East. 22-Jul-2002

Slater Menswear is planning to expand its chain of 13 discount menswear shops to 60 over the next five years. 22-Jul-2002

Safeway is looking to open a chain of convenience stores across the country, and the first two sites will start trading in Glasgow and Edinburgh later this year. 22-Jul-2002

Haagen-Dazs is planning to expand its new cafe format nationwide, and is in negotiations for sites in Manchester, Birmingham and elsewhere. 19-Jul-2002

Asda has announced plans for the £8m refurbishment of its supermarket in Bromsgrove town centre, which will create 100 jobs. 19-Jul-2002

East Lindsey District Council is considering plans from Abtech Properties of Wakefield for a multi-million pound retail development at the Fairfield industrial estate in Louth, including restaurant, hotel and petrol station. 18-Jul-2002

Dunelm is to open a soft furnishings store at Fforestfach in Swansea later this year, with the creation of 120 jobs. 17-Jul-2002

Associated British Foods is said to be considering plans to sell off its Primark chain of clothing stores, as well as its Allied Glass Containers packaging business, for about £850m. 15-Jul-2002

Specsavers is planning to invest £3m opening up to 10 opticians in Scotland over the next 12 months, and there will also be a training centre in Glasgow. 15-Jul-2002

Lakeland is planning to expand its chain of 25 kitchenware stores with five new shops by the end of next year. 15-Jul-2002

Gamestation is planning to expand its chain of 54 computer game stores with about 30 new outlets over the next year. 15-Jul-2002

N Brown is combining its Zendor and Eunite divisions onto a single site in Manchester, in order to offer a one-stop shop for online retailers, including software, warehousing and logistics. 15-Jul-2002

Safeway is centralising its human resources and recruitment functions at a dedicated service centre in Warrington, in order to save £3m a year. 15-Jul-2002

Tops Estates is planning to reconfigure the Lychgate Shopping Centre in Worcester by transforming the Russell & Dorrell department store into six units. 15-Jul-2002

B&Q is planning to expand its chain of Warehouse DIY stores from 87 to 175 by 2006. 15-Jul-2002

JJB Sports is to relocate the headquarters of its newly-acquired TJ Hughes retailing business from Liverpool to Wigan, which will affect about 200 staff. 12-Jul-2002

The Linen Green factory outlet shopping centre in County Tyrone has won planning permission to triple in size, with the addition of a further 85,000 sq ft of retail space. 12-Jul-2002

Ethel Austin has awarded a multi-million pound contract to Bibby Distribution for the delivery of products to its nationwide chain of clothing stores. 11-Jul-2002

Druckers is planning to expand its Midlands-based chain of 27 coffee outlets into the rest of the country, having secured a £1m financing deal with Bank of Scotland. 10-Jul-2002

Bertram Books has announced 34 redundancies at its Norwich-based book wholesaling business, due to the introduction of a new purchase order system, but there are 44 vacancies in other areas of the business. 09-Jul-2002

Kingfisher is to raise £2bn in a rights issue to fund the £3.3bn acquisition of a 45% stake in French DIY retailer Castorama, and the balance will be funded by a new debt facility. 09-Jul-2002

Safeway is to take full control of its retailing operation in Northern Ireland by paying £22m for the remaining 50% of Safeway Stores Ireland from joint venture partner Fitzwilton. 08-Jul-2002

Booker is planning to consolidate its delivered wholesale operation into a national network of 15 to 20 depots, as part of a major overhaul that will enable the rest of its estate to focus on cash and carry customers. 08-Jul-2002

Surrey Heath Borough Council has selected Nicholson Estates as preferred developer for a retail and leisure scheme in the centre of Camberley, including 12 shop units, cinema and bowling. 08-Jul-2002

Borders is planning to step up the expansion of its chain of 13 UK book stores, having opened five outlets this year. 08-Jul-2002

Retail Variations is to close the recently-acquired Ocean Home Shopping call centre and warehouse in Birkenhead, which has about 30 staff, in order to transfer the work to sites in Workington and Witney. 08-Jul-2002

Clinton Cards has announced plans to double the size of about 200 of its greetings card shops, by acquiring adjacent properties or by extending to the back or side. 08-Jul-2002

Dunelm is to open a textiles store at the Orchard Retail Park in Coventry, with the creation of 120 jobs. 05-Jul-2002

Stadium Group has announced a £15m investment in the development of a fashion retail park at Fforestfach in Swansea, including 14 shop units and the creation of about 500 jobs. 05-Jul-2002

Yorkshire Co-operatives may relocate its head office from Bradford to a smaller site in Rochdale, if members approve a plan to merge with United Norwest Co-op. 04-Jul-2002

Tesco is considering plans to launch a residential telecoms division, offering mobile, internet and fixed line services, and discussions are taking place with a number of operators. 04-Jul-2002

Somerfield is to increase capital expenditure to £170m this year, and 100 stores have been selected for refurbishment. 04-Jul-2002

Dixons is planning to create more than 1,000 jobs in its electrical retailing business over the next year, which will benefit its Hemel Hempstead head office, call centres in Nottingham and Sheffield and its logistics division. 02-Jul-2002

House of Fraser is to close department stores in Aberdeen and Dundee with the loss of almost 200 jobs, while a third site in Perth is being sold to Debenhams. 01-Jul-2002

Netto, the discount retailer with 126 stores, is to close a distribution centre in Reading and relocate the business to a new 150,000 sq ft site in Daventry in September. 01-Jul-2002

Henry Boot Developments is to build a 100,000 sq ft retail scheme in the centre of Ayr. 01-Jul-2002

Ciro Citterio is looking to open six more fashion stores in Scotland, and is seeking sites in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. 01-Jul-2002

Orange is planning to expand its chain of 215 mobile phone stores to 290 this year. 01-Jul-2002

Breckland Council has appointed Dencora Estates as preferred developer for a £10m retail scheme at East Dereham, including two anchor stores and 12 smaller units. 01-Jul-2002

Hennes & Mauritz of Sweden is planning to open six more fashion stores in the UK over the next six months. 01-Jul-2002

Somerfield is to close the Kwik Save distribution centre in Newport in October with the loss of 202 jobs, and the work will transfer to its Ross-on-Wye depot. 28-Jun-2002

Ethel Austin is planning to open a further 100 discount clothing stores following its recent acquisition by Lloyds TSB Development Capital, and the business is expected to be sold to a trade buyer or floated in three years time. 27-Jun-2002

Dunelm is to create 30 jobs at a new £7m soft furnishings distribution warehouse due to open in Burton later this year, having outgrown its existing site in Leicestershire. 27-Jun-2002

Asprey & Garrard is to invest £137m in the international expansion of its luxury goods retailing business over the next five years, opening 10-15 Asprey stores and two Garrard stores. 27-Jun-2002

Carpetright is acquiring a 50% stake in Carpetland, the operator of 92 stores in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, for £10m. 26-Jun-2002

Bank of Scotland is providing £1m of funding to Coffee Partners to double its chain of 60 Java Junction coffee shops over the next five years, with the creation of 300 jobs. 26-Jun-2002

Littlewoods is looking to sell its chain of 120 clothing stores for about £250m, and Peacock is said to be interested in acquiring about 20 sites. 26-Jun-2002

The Book People has received a £12m investment from Scholastic of the US, and the two companies will form a joint venture to sell books to each other's customers. 26-Jun-2002

Majestic Wine has announced plans to expand its chain of wine outlets from 100 to 150 over the next seven years. 25-Jun-2002

Boxclever, the chain of television rental shops, has raised £748m in a bond issue, in order to restructure debt and fund the development of its Endeva repair business. 24-Jun-2002

John David Sports is planning to expand its chain of stores from 166 to 350 over the next two years. 21-Jun-2002

Tesco has identified 1,000 potential sites to establish Express convenience stores, and expects to open 50 on petrol forecourts this year. 21-Jun-2002

Vale Royal Borough Council is considering plans from Modus Properties for the multi-million pound expansion of a shopping centre at Winsford in Cheshire. 21-Jun-2002

John Lewis is to invest a further £18m in the Ocado online grocery retailing business. 19-Jun-2002

The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead is considering plans for a £60m development in Maidenhead town centre, including a new town hall, offices and 35 homes. 18-Jun-2002

Alldays is planning a financial restructuring later this year, in order to reduce debt and raise funds to refurbish its chain of 600 convenience stores. 18-Jun-2002

Peacocks is in talks to acquire Bon Marche, the chain of 250 fashion stores, for up to £80m. 18-Jun-2002

Bells Stores is to spend £7m expanding its chain of convenience stores to 70 over the next three years, and the existing 50 stores will be refurbished. 17-Jun-2002

Flight Centre of Australia is planning to expand its chain of 55 UK travel outlets to 500 by 2006. 17-Jun-2002

Tiso has opened an extreme sports concession at Selfridges in London, and plans to double its chain of 12 Scottish outlets by 2012. 17-Jun-2002

B&M Retail is planning to expand its chain of 15 discount stores with four new sites a year, and will spend £2m doubling the warehouse capacity at its base in Blackpool. 17-Jun-2002

Harvey Nichols is considering plans to open a chain of smaller 15,000 sq ft stores, following the success of an outlet in Birmingham. 14-Jun-2002

TotalFinaElf is to introduce the new Bonjour convenience store format to 150 petrol forecourt sites, following a trial in Kingston. 13-Jun-2002

B&Q is planning to build a DIY superstore at Bath Road in Chippenham, creating up to 170 jobs, and the developer is Parkridge Developments of London. 12-Jun-2002

Sanity Entertainment of Australia is to spend up to £7m refitting and rebadging its 77 Our Price music stores in the UK this year. 10-Jun-2002

Yeomans Outdoors is expanding its chain of 50 outdoor equipment stores, and has just acquired six former Famous Army Stores outlets. 10-Jun-2002

Asda is planning to expand its non-food offering by opening mezzanine floors in up to 30 selected stores, and the first will open in York later this year. 10-Jun-2002

Courts is planning to introduce a new format at its chain of 90 furniture and electrical stores over the next two years, and is also considering further expansion in Asia. 10-Jun-2002

HMV Media is planning to spend £20m opening 20 music stores and refurbishing its existing 140 stores over the next year, and expects to create 330 assistant manager jobs over the next three years. 10-Jun-2002

Asda is planning to build a £28m chilled and frozen distribution centre in Falkirk, with the creation of 500 jobs, while its existing West Mains warehouse will be converted to handle tinned and bottled stock. 07-Jun-2002

Carphone Warehouse is planning to open about 60 new mobile phone stores in the UK this year, and a further 60 will open in France and Spain. 07-Jun-2002

Scotmid is to spend £10m acquiring convenience stores in Scotland, and is also expected to announce plans for the redevelopment of its Edinburgh headquarters. 06-Jun-2002

Sainsbury is linking up with Debenhams, BP and Barclaycard to launch a joint loyalty card this autumn, which will be operated by Loyalty Management International and called Nectar. 05-Jun-2002

Crown Estate is considering plans to relocate its London headquarters from Carlton House Terrace to one of its own new office developments in Regent Street. 04-Jun-2002

Bury Council and Thornfield Properties are working on plans for the £50m expansion of Bury town centre, creating a new area for shops, offices and leisure facilities called the Rock Triangle. 04-Jun-2002

Julian Graves has acquired 10 former Boxclever stores to speed up the expansion of its chain of specialist snack shops. 03-Jun-2002

Hennes & Mauritz of Sweden is considering plans to open standalone cosmetic stores in the UK. 03-Jun-2002

Hutchison 3G is set to open a further five telephone shops at prime locations in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow. 03-Jun-2002

Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council has agreed plans with Richardson Cordwell Properties for the development of a £32m shopping and leisure complex in Dugdale Street, Nuneaton, and work will start next year. 03-Jun-2002

Boots has announced plans for a £240m refurbishment programme over the next four years, and 300 stores will be refitted this year. 31-May-2002

Kettering Borough Council has approved plans from JJ Gallagher for the development of a £10m B&Q Warehouse, Comet electrical store and car park in Northfield Avenue. 30-May-2002

GUS has announced plans to raise about £375m from the flotation of a 25% stake in its Burberry fashion business, and Burberry expects to expand its chain of 69 stores with 11 new outlets this year. 30-May-2002

Sainsbury is considering plans to convert up to 90 stores to the Savacentre format, depending on the success of a six-store trial. 30-May-2002

New Look, the fashion retailer, has announced plans to invest £15m refurbishing 300 smaller stores. 29-May-2002

Colchester Council is looking at the possibility of building a new 350,000 sq ft shopping centre and department store at St Botolph's. 28-May-2002

Morrisons is looking to open its first Scottish supermarket having offered £27m for a site at the Auchinlea Park development at Easterhouse, Glasgow, where Capital & Regional is planning to create a retail and leisure park. 28-May-2002

Hamleys is planning to expand its chain of 22 Bear Factory toy shops from 22 to about 45 over the next three years, and franchises will also be established in other countries. 28-May-2002

Asda is planning to create 1,250 jobs at 21 distribution centres around the country, including 120 in London, 430 in Lutterworth, 120 in Chepstow, 60 in Corby and 60 in Northampton. 27-May-2002

The Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield is to modernise its Oasis food court at a cost of £6.5m over the next few months. 27-May-2002

Safeway is reviewing the future of its 27 in-store post offices, and could replace some of them with dry cleaning and photo processing concessions. 27-May-2002

Next, the fashion retailer, is seeking 600,000 sq ft of warehouse space in the Midlands and 250,000 sq ft in Leeds. 27-May-2002

Eyestorm, the online art retailer with galleries in London and New York, has gone into liquidation. 27-May-2002

Royal Doulton is to invest £6m refitting many of its 300 shops around the world, and the fascia will change to Doulton & Co. 27-May-2002

Peacocks is to spend £3m refitting 50 of its clothing stores this year, and 40 new stores will be opened. 27-May-2002

Oxford Menswear is planning to expand its chain of 13 stores with up to 50 new sites over the next five years, and is seeking £3m of venture capital funding. 27-May-2002

Sainsbury is to close its internet home shopping centre in Gorton and relocate the 150 staff to other stores around Manchester. 24-May-2002

Asda has announced plans for a £13m superstore in Ellesmere Port town centre, with the transfer of hundreds of staff from its existing store and the creation of about 200 jobs. 23-May-2002

Bhs is planning to open two Bhs at Home homeware stores in London and New York, but has not yet started searching for suitable sites. 23-May-2002

Marks & Spencer has announced plans to open two standalone homeware stores in 2003-04 and 20 Simply Food stores this year. 22-May-2002

Wyevale Garden Centres is to open one of its largest garden centres on a newly-acquired 10-acre site at Crowland, between Peterborough and Spalding, later this year. 21-May-2002

East Herts Council is considering plans from Mantle Estates for a £70m town centre redevelopment scheme in Bishop's Stortford, including shops, restaurants and a public square. 21-May-2002

Swindon Borough Council is to consider plans from Westfield for the £150m redevelopment of the Brunel shopping centre, including 100 shops, a department store and a six-screen cinema. 21-May-2002

Midlands Co-op is to spend £14m refurbishing 28 of its 129 stores this year, and is in negotiations to acquire seven new sites. 20-May-2002

TM Retail is refurbishing 137 of its larger stores to the More format. 20-May-2002

Morrisons is in negotiations to acquire a third major distribution centre to help with its expansion in the south and support existing sites in Wakefield and Northwich. 20-May-2002

Boots is planning to vacate its 30-acre North Lane distribution depot in Aldershot next year, having put the site on the market. 20-May-2002

Julian Graves is planning to open up to 12 specialist food shops on railway stations over the next year, if a trial in Glasgow, Manchester and Norwich is successful. 20-May-2002

ScS Upholstery is to open five more furniture stores by the end of September, taking the total to 50. 20-May-2002

Cardfair is planning to open 30 more greetings card shops this year, taking the total to 160. 20-May-2002

Bath & North East Somerset Council has approved plans from Morley Fund Management and Shearer Property Holdings for the £150m redevelopment of the Southgate Centre in Bath. 17-May-2002

Asda has announced plans to expand its chain of Supercentres from six to 13 this year, and will also open or revamp 10 other supermarket sites over the coming months. 16-May-2002

Kingfisher has announced plans to spin off its electrical retailing business and spend £3.2bn buying the remaining 45% of Castorama, as part of a strategy to focus on DIY. 16-May-2002

Safeway is planning to spend £350m refurbishing about 100 stores this year, and six new outlets will open taking the total to 481. 16-May-2002

Littlewoods is seeking permission to set up a 500-seat call centre on three storeys of its Spinney House store in Liverpool, which could involve the relocation of 210 Liverpool Direct staff and the creation of 290 new jobs. 14-May-2002

British Land has acquired a further 43 acres of land around the Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield, which could lead to the development of a further 1m sq ft of retail space. 14-May-2002

Budgens, the chain of 230 convenience stores, has received a takeover approach from Musgrave of Ireland. 13-May-2002

Safeway is forming a joint venture with property company London & Regional to consider the development potential of its 480 stores, and possible projects include the construction of buildings on stilts in its car parks. 13-May-2002

Faith Shoes is looking to open 12 new standalone shoe shops this year, taking the total to 35. 13-May-2002

James Cropper, the premium paper manufacturer with four existing retail outlets, is planning to open a further six stores this year under the name of The Paper Mill Shop. 13-May-2002

Office London is planning to double its 18-strong chain of footwear shops over the next three years. 13-May-2002

Marks & Spencer is to install a commercial manager in each of its 310 stores, as part of a strategy to replace its regional management system. 13-May-2002

Adams Childrenswear is planning to expand its chain of 327 stores with 40 new outlets over the next two years, and believes there is potential for up 200 new high-street locations. 13-May-2002

Hartlepool Borough Council is to consider plans from Dransfield Properties for the development of a £20m retail scheme in the marina area. 10-May-2002

Cambridge City Council is to consider plans for the £10m expansion of the Grafton shopping centre, which would add an extra 30,000 sq ft of retail space. 10-May-2002

Hay & Robertson is to spin off its Brand Business sportswear division into a new Aim-listed company called International Brand Licensing. 09-May-2002

Securicor has closed its SafeDoor online shopping service, with the loss of up to 26 jobs. 08-May-2002

Arcadia is looking to consolidate its London offices into a single headquarters, and is seeking 200,000 sq ft of space in the West End. 08-May-2002

Waitrose is looking for suitable supermarket sites in Wales, Cheshire and the south west, and will extend its distribution network further north with its first store in Wrexham in 2004. 08-May-2002

Dobbies is seeking permission to set up a £2.5m garden centre at Old Toll in Ayr. 07-May-2002

Freeport is seeking permission for a £5m expansion of its Talke designer outlet village in Staffordshire, which will involve a number of new stores and up to 75 new jobs. 07-May-2002

Gadget Shop is planning to expand its chain of 44 gift shops across the country, having received an equity investment of about £10m. 07-May-2002

Birmingham City Council is to consider plans from Hawkstone Properties for a £30m retail, homes and health club development at Brassington Avenue in Sutton Coldfield town centre. 06-May-2002

Gymboree, the children's clothing retailer, is planning to open 10 new stores this year. 06-May-2002

Claire's Accessories is planning to invest £1m expanding its chain of five Girl Heaven stores with 10 new outlets this year, and will also set up a concessions arm. 06-May-2002

Jessops, the camera retailer, is being put up for sale with an estimated value of £150m. 06-May-2002

Allders has agreed to acquire the Bentalls department store in Lakeside, Thurrock, from Fenwick for £5.2m. 02-May-2002

Matalan, the discount clothing retailer, is to invest £25m upgrading its IT systems over the next five years. 02-May-2002

Laura Ashley is looking to open a further 50 out-of-town home furnishings stores to add to the existing 20. 02-May-2002

Focus Wickes is planning to float its DIY retailing business later this year, with a valuation of at least £1.2bn. 29-Apr-2002

Londis is planning to upgrade a further 52 stores to the Genesis format this year. 29-Apr-2002

Dreams is planning to expand its chain of 65 bed stores with 15 new outlets this year. 29-Apr-2002

Hammicks is planning to double its chain of 30 bookshops over the next three years, and has identified 100 possible locations. 29-Apr-2002

Sainsbury is discussing plans with Filmbox to pilot vending machines in its Local stores, offering items such as DVDs and books. 29-Apr-2002

Woolworths is planning to open a buying office in Hong Kong, to source products for its own label range. 29-Apr-2002

Outback Steakhouse is planning to open up to 20 sites over the next three years, through its UK franchisee. 26-Apr-2002

Freeport is to start building a 241,000 sq ft retail outlet village in the Czech Republic in May, and has also secured approval to add a further 125,000 sq ft to the Fleetwood Village in Lancashire. 26-Apr-2002

North Eastern & Cumbrian Co-op has announced a £16m expansion programme with the creation of more than 50 jobs, including a £10m investment in its chain of 145 grocery stores. 24-Apr-2002

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has approved plans from Lear Management for a £40m retail and leisure scheme in Hanley, which will create up to 400 jobs. 23-Apr-2002

Tesco is about to start recruiting up to 300 staff for a new superstore due to open in Leyland in July. 23-Apr-2002

Bonmarche is planning to double the number of outlets in its chain of fashion stores to more than 500, by opening about 30 sites a year. 23-Apr-2002

Premier Direct Group, the distributor of books and gifts to offices, is planning to recruit more than 200 sales staff nationwide this year. 22-Apr-2002

Blackwell's has agreed to buy 12 James Thin book shops out of administration for more than £2m, saving 100 jobs. 22-Apr-2002

Kreis Consulting has raised £1.2m from investors to enable Independent Pharmacy Care Centres of Stockport to acquire five Hughes pharmacies in Rochdale and Wigan, and IPCC plans to buy 40 more across the country over the next two years. 22-Apr-2002

New Look is planning to open about 40 fashion stores of up to 15,000 sq ft, and has appointed Dalgleish to find suitable sites in cheaper locations. 22-Apr-2002

Harlow Council has approved plans from Wilson Bowden Developments for a £60m retail development in the town centre, including an Asda store, retail park and health club. 22-Apr-2002

Ecco of Denmark is planning to open nine new shoe shops in the UK this year. 22-Apr-2002

Snow & Rock, the sports and outdoors retailer, is planning to set up a new £3m head office and warehouse in Guildford next March, and staff will relocate from Chertsey and Ascot. 22-Apr-2002

Vendex of the Netherlands is planning to expand its Claudia Strater fashion chain into the UK. 22-Apr-2002

United Co-op is to invest £24m in its convenience stores this year, including refurbishments and the acquisition of at least 26 new stores. 22-Apr-2002

Co-operative Group has acquired the Williams Family Foodstores chain, and will convert the seven east Yorkshire sites to the Welcome and Market Town formats. 22-Apr-2002

Marks & Spencer has appointed US architect Kohn Pedersen Fox to consider options to redevelop its Baker Street headquarters in London before putting the site up for sale, and possibilities include offices, shops and flats. 22-Apr-2002

GUS is planning to shed 300 jobs in Manchester and the north west as part of an efficiency drive. 18-Apr-2002

Boots is planning to spin off its Halfords chain of 400 car accessory stores, in order to focus on its core health and beauty business. 18-Apr-2002

Body Shop is cutting 55 jobs at its Littlehampton headquarters, including jobs in visual merchandising, finance, the factory tour and factory shop. 17-Apr-2002

Clinton Cards is planning to open up to 50 large-format stores following a successful trial in Bath, as part of an expansion programme that will increase its chain to more than 800 by the end of 2006. 17-Apr-2002

Poundland is planning to expand its chain of 75 discount stores with up to 40 new outlets by 2004. 15-Apr-2002

Arcadia is planning to open about 50 Wallis womenswear stores over the next three years, to add to the existing 125. 15-Apr-2002

Body Shop is planning to open a further 50 pharmacy concessions in Ireland by next year, through its Alwywn Investments franchisee. 15-Apr-2002

MFI, the furniture retailer, is to relocate its call centre and 165 staff from the Sunderland Enterprise Park to a new site in Wayfarer Road in July, with the creation of 60 jobs. 11-Apr-2002

Tesco is to create 900 jobs in Scotland over the next 12 months, including new and refurbished stores in Alloa, Elgin, Forres, Penicuik and Edinburgh, and is also forming a Scottish-based sales and marketing team in Dundee. 11-Apr-2002

West Norfolk Council is considering plans from Ashcroft Estates and a consortium of developers for the £50m expansion of the Vancouver shopping centre in King's Lynn. 11-Apr-2002

HMV Media is considering plans to raise up to £600m in a flotation, in order to reduce the debt in its high-street music and book retailing business. 11-Apr-2002

Tesco is planning to expand its supermarkets business into Japan and China, and research teams are seeking suitable opportunities. 11-Apr-2002

One-2-One is to close 30 of its 138 mobile phone stores with the loss of about 100 jobs, and is also planning to rebrand the business under the name of German owner T-Mobile. 09-Apr-2002

Jane Norman is set to expand its chain of fashion outlets from 39 to 100 over the next five years, and is expected to be valued at up to £100m in a flotation later this year. 08-Apr-2002

Animal is planning to open up to 20 action sports stores in the UK over the next two years. 08-Apr-2002

John Lewis is to establish a new site for the Robert Sayle department store at the Grand Arcade development in Cambridge. 08-Apr-2002

Somerset County Council is considering plans from Realm for a 20,000 sq ft extension of the Clarks village outlet centre in Street, creating a new link to the High Street. 08-Apr-2002

JJB Sports is planning to open up to 40 stores in the Netherlands, with the first having opened in Rotterdam last year. 08-Apr-2002

St Modwen Properties has unveiled plans for the £50m refurbishment of the Edmonton Green Shopping Centre in London, including an Asda store, leisure centre and 750 new jobs. 04-Apr-2002

Allders is planning a £8.7m refurbishment of the Arding & Hobbs department store in Clapham Junction, and will sell 10,000 sq ft of space to Persimmon for £4m for the development of residential flats. 04-Apr-2002

Land Securities has announced plans for a £135m shopping and housing development in Princesshay, Exeter, which includes the relocation of the main post office to a new site in Sidwell Street. 02-Apr-2002

Marks & Spencer has announced plans to refurbish 100 stores this year, at a cost of £40m. 02-Apr-2002

Boots has signed a two-year contract to outsource the manufacture of children's clothing to Adams Childrenswear, and Adams will also be responsible for design and in-store merchandising of the clothes. 02-Apr-2002

Liz Claiborne, the US fashion retailer, is planning to expand its UK chain of 30 Elisabeth outsize clothing concessions to 95 by 2005. 02-Apr-2002

Ikea is seeking permission to build a furniture distribution centre in Stanton, Suffolk, with the creation of 300 jobs. 29-Mar-2002

House of Fraser is to invest £30m refurbishing the Rackhams department store in Birmingham by autumn 2003, while its Edinburgh store will be relocated. 28-Mar-2002

Peel Holdings is planning to regenerate Gloucester's derelict dockland at a cost of £200m, including the creation of a major shopping centre, college, hotel and houses. 28-Mar-2002

Ottakar's has bought eight James Thin book shops out of administration for £1.6m, and is also planning to open seven new branches this year. 28-Mar-2002

Carphone Warehouse is to restructure its European mobile phone retailing business, with the closure of 30 stores in Germany and seven in Belgium and the opening of 100 new stores. 26-Mar-2002

T&S Stores is looking to open 100 more One Stop convenience stores and dispose of its newsagents and high street discount stores. 26-Mar-2002

Slimma is to acquire the design, sales and marketing team of Davis Smith & Brown, in order to boost sales of its ladies outerwear ranges to high street retailers. 26-Mar-2002

Hypervalue is planning to expand its chain of 31 discount stores by opening 20 new outlets a year over the next five years. 25-Mar-2002

Wilson Bowden Development and Modus Properties are to go-ahead with plans to build the 350,000 sq ft Grand Arcade Shopping Centre in Wigan by 2004. 25-Mar-2002

Julian Graves is planning to expand its chain of 115 specialist food shops by opening one new outlet a week until the end of the year, eventually reaching 250 stores. 25-Mar-2002

Symingtons is planning to expand its chain of 21 jewellery stores to 40 by 2007, and has appointed Whitelaw Baikie Figes to find suitable sites. 25-Mar-2002

Gamestation is planning to expand its chain of 44 video games shops with 22 new outlets this year, and aims to reach 250 stores by 2007. 25-Mar-2002

Focus is planning to refurbish 50 of its 430 DIY stores this year. 25-Mar-2002

Morada International is planning to expand its chain of three town centre textile stores to 15 within three years. 25-Mar-2002

Boots is planning to open 20 Halfords car and cycle accessory shops and refurbish 60 to the Arcade format this year, as part of an ongoing programme to revive the brand. 25-Mar-2002

Next, the fashion retailer, is to set up a £20m sourcing operation in Turkey over the next three years, in order to co-ordinate the manufacturing process. 22-Mar-2002

Morrisons has announced plans to open 17 new supermarkets and create 4,500 jobs over the next two years, including new outlets in the south of England and Wales. 22-Mar-2002

Betty White, the Dundee-based grocery chain, is to close its 10 retail outlets by June, with the loss of 35 jobs. 22-Mar-2002

KFC is planning to open a further 15 fast food outlets in the north-east over the next three years, with the creation of up to 500 jobs. 21-Mar-2002

Internet Cameras Direct, the online retailer of digital cameras, is planning to increase its 15-strong workforce to 60 by the end of next year, and is looking to move into larger premises in Huddersfield. 20-Mar-2002

Freeport is planning to raise £49m in a rights issue to expand its chain of discount and designer shopping centres into 12 European countries. 20-Mar-2002

McDonald's is creating 270 jobs in Norwich, as it prepares to open two new fast food restaurants in the city next month. 18-Mar-2002

Torbay Council is to consider plans from the Cavanna Group for the construction of a £8m DIY store on the outskirts of Paignton. 18-Mar-2002

Racing Green, the retail and mail order clothing company, has been put up for sale by Rubicon for about £5m. 18-Mar-2002

Allders is to shed about 100 head office and backroom jobs in order to increase the focus on customers in its department stores. 18-Mar-2002

French Connection is planning to open up to 20 standalone menswear stores, due to a shortage of suitable sites for its larger format. 18-Mar-2002

Wyevale Garden Centres is planning to expand about 20 of its stores over the next few years, and restaurants will be added to some of the larger sites. 18-Mar-2002

St Modwen is planning to develop a retail park at the former HH Robertson steelworks site in Ellesmere Port, which will create up to 300 jobs. 15-Mar-2002

Beatentrack is planning to expand its chain of five railway station cafes with 15 new outlets over the next two years. 15-Mar-2002

Luxury Brands is planning to raise £3m from a rights issue and private investors to finance the development of the Amies fashion brand. 15-Mar-2002

Dunelm is planning to open a soft furnishings superstore in Wisbech this summer, with the creation of almost 100 jobs. 14-Mar-2002

Britannia Construction has won a £8m contract to extend the Weston Favell shopping centre in Northampton. 14-Mar-2002

Blacks Leisure is in discussions to sell its sport and fashion division, which includes 187 First Sport stores and 26 AV branded shops, to JD Sports. 13-Mar-2002

Somerfield has won permission from St Helens Council to build a 600,000 sq ft regional distribution centre at Lea Green Industrial Estate, with the creation of 500 jobs. 12-Mar-2002

Chips is planning to expand its chain of computer games stores with up to 12 new outlets this year, and is seeking sites in south and north-east London. 12-Mar-2002

Adams Childrenswear is planning to raise additional funds for the rapid expansion of its chain of 400 stores. 12-Mar-2002

Specsavers is planning to expand its chain of 432 optical stores with 72 new outlets this year, with the creation of 1,000 jobs. 11-Mar-2002

Greggs is planning to expand its retail bakery business into continental Europe, and is seeking suitable sites in Germany, France and Spain. 11-Mar-2002

Somerfield is to invest £6.5m converting six London-based Kwik Save outlets into the Somerfield convenience format. 11-Mar-2002

Kingfisher is planning to relocate its head office to a 54,000 sq ft building at Paddington Central development in London. 11-Mar-2002

Mothercare is to open five out-of-town stores this year, including sites in Bristol, Walsall, Manchester, Bradford and Newcastle. 11-Mar-2002

Superdrug is planning to shed about 50 of the 433 jobs at its Croydon headquarters, in order to improve efficiency and put more staff on the shop floor. 11-Mar-2002

Glasswells is to invest £1m in the expansion of its furniture superstore in Bury St Edmunds this year, with the creation of 20 jobs. 08-Mar-2002

Asda is recruiting 100 extra staff at its recently-refurbished superstore at Walsgrave in Coventry. 08-Mar-2002

Big Food Group is planning to open 80 new Iceland stores over the next three years, and will also expand its Booker cash-and-carry and Woodward Foodservice catering operations. 08-Mar-2002

Marks & Spencer is to create 80 new jobs at Bangor in Northern Ireland in May, following the £14m expansion of its store at the Bloomfield Shopping Centre. 07-Mar-2002

Pets at Home is to close its Gloucester distribution depot with the loss of up to 140 jobs, and a further 100 jobs will go in Manchester to make way for a new depot in Stoke-on-Trent. 07-Mar-2002

Derby City Council is to consider plans from Westfield Shoppingtowns for the £200m redevelopment of the Eagle Centre, including the creation of a department store, food court and 150 shops and restaurants. 05-Mar-2002

Freemans is axing the night shift at its mail order call centre in Sheffield with the loss of an unspecified number of jobs, while its Orpington-based centre will close. 04-Mar-2002

Molton Brown is planning to open 12 more Emporium cosmetics stores over the next two years. 04-Mar-2002

Thorntons is planning to open three more Signature confectionery stores over the next few months, to add to the existing nine. 04-Mar-2002

Balfour is planning to expand its chain of 132 convenience stores with 100 extra outlets over the next five years, but will stay inside its southern heartland. 04-Mar-2002

Great Clothes is planning to open 15 TDF fashion stores over the next five years to add to its only existing store in Bradford. 04-Mar-2002

Sainsbury is in discussions with a number of companies interested in opening stand-alone shops in its car parks and stores, and possible concessions include Carphone Warehouse, Explore Learning and Sylvan Education Solutions. 04-Mar-2002

Safeway is outsourcing its returns management to Consignia in order to reduce the costs involved in dealing with faulty goods, and Consignia is now looking to set up similar partnerships with other retailers. 04-Mar-2002

YHA Adventure Shops, the chain of 20 camping shops, has put itself up for sale and is expected to fetch about £15m. 04-Mar-2002

Homebase, the DIY retailer, is considering plans for a £900m flotation later this year. 04-Mar-2002

MFI is planning to open 45 out-of-town furniture stores this year, as well as 10 smaller high street stores. 01-Mar-2002

Ethel Austin is planning to open a further 20 discount clothing stores in major cities throughout the country, to add to the existing 240. 28-Feb-2002

Sainsbury has invited property developers to come forward with suitable sites for the planned expansion of its chain from 456 to 641 stores over the next three years. 25-Feb-2002

Goldsmiths is planning to expand its chain of 161 jewellery stores with 10 new outlets a year, and is expected to refinance the business by the middle of next year. 25-Feb-2002

Tesco is expected to invest £100m refurbishing 100 superstores this year. 25-Feb-2002

Powerhouse is planning to close nine of its 232 electrical stores over the coming months. 25-Feb-2002

Ciro Citterio is to invest £8m refurbishing more than half its 125 menswear stores over the next two years, and there will be seven new outlets and 30 re-sites. 25-Feb-2002

Fat Face is planning to open 20 outdoor fashion stores this year, to add to the existing 50. 25-Feb-2002

Allders, the department store group, has announced a £30m deal to outsource its IT operations to Computer Sciences Corporation, and its Croydon-based data centre will gradually transfer to CSC in Bristol. 25-Feb-2002

Daisy & Tom is planning to open four children's department stores a year, creating a nationwide chain with up to 50 sites. 25-Feb-2002

McDonald's is planning to open 90 restaurants in the UK this year, taking its chain to more than 1,300 sites. 25-Feb-2002

Darlington Borough Council is working on plans for the development of a new 130,000 sq ft town centre shopping centre on Commercial Street. 25-Feb-2002

Storey Carpets is planning to expand its chain of carpet stores in the north of England with five new outlets this year. 19-Feb-2002

Primark is to open 12 discount clothing stores over the next year, at a cost of £100m. 18-Feb-2002

Chelsfield and British Land are considering plans to form a £1bn joint venture to develop the White City shopping centre in west London. 18-Feb-2002

Rusts is planning to expand its chain of 11 Swindon-based convenience stores into other parts of southern England. 18-Feb-2002

Card Warehouse is planning to expand its chain of 200 card shops with about 40 new outlets this year. 18-Feb-2002

Allders has agreed to take the anchor department store at the £170m Drakes Circus shopping centre in Plymouth, which is due to open in 2005. 18-Feb-2002

B&Q is looking to open 10 DIY stores in Ireland, with the first opening in Dublin in May. 18-Feb-2002

Capital Shopping Centres has confirmed plans for a "significant extension" at the Eldon Square mall in Newcastle upon Tyne, while Peer Group is planning to spend £4m extending the nearby Eldon Garden centre. 14-Feb-2002

Lincoln City Council is considering plans from Lincoln Marina for the construction of a £12m shops, offices and homes complex next to the Brayford Way flyover. 14-Feb-2002

Harvey Nichols is to create more than 500 jobs when its new department store opens in Edinburgh this autumn. 12-Feb-2002

Woolworths is moving into the grocery market in partnership with convenience store group Spar, and Spar concessions will be launched in an initial 24 Woolworths shops. 12-Feb-2002

PizzaExpress has announced the closure of its two-year-old US business, which included restaurants in Washington DC and Philadelphia. 12-Feb-2002

Beale is planning to acquire three department stores in Worthing, Ealing and Tonbridge from Bentalls for £5.7m, taking its chain to 12. 11-Feb-2002

Homestyle is to set up Kitchen Studio concessions in 54 Harveys and Rosebys home furnishing stores this year. 11-Feb-2002

Quiksilver is planning to expand its chain of 20 Boardrider snowboard and surf wear shops to 50 over the next five years. 11-Feb-2002

Carpetright is launching a small-format carpet store in Sutton, and similar stores will open up where large retail park sites are not available. 11-Feb-2002

John Lewis is to refurbish its Brent Cross department store in London by October, at a cost of £5m. 11-Feb-2002

House of Fraser is to open well-being and relaxation centres at two stores in London and Manchester this year. 11-Feb-2002

Clarks is to expand its chain of 50 Ravel shoe shops with 10 new outlets by 2005. 11-Feb-2002

Tomo, the newly-formed communications retailer, is planning to set up stores in every major UK city by the end of the year. 11-Feb-2002

BP is considering plans to launch a chain of standalone Connect convenience stores in urban areas, once the format has been developed on petrol station forecourts. 11-Feb-2002

Unwins is restructuring its off licence chain with the loss of 100 jobs, including all 16 regional area managers. 11-Feb-2002

Northern Electric is to shed 94 jobs at its 33 electrical stores across the north-east and Yorkshire, following a decision to stop taking bill payments in the shops. 07-Feb-2002

Sainsbury is planning to build a £60m distribution centre at Greenham Common in Newbury, and up to 750 jobs could be created once the scheme is given the final go-ahead. 07-Feb-2002

Somerfield is to further separate its Somerfield and Kwik Save supermarket chains by making both divisions responsible for their own marketing. 05-Feb-2002

Margram is planning to open 20 Supermart stores on petrol station forecourts in the south of England by 2003, at a cost of £100m. 04-Feb-2002

Cadbury Schweppes is planning to set up a chain of coffee shops following a trial in Bath, and is particularly interested in leisure centre sites. 04-Feb-2002

Tesco is setting up regional buying offices in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, in order to develop closer relationships with local suppliers. 04-Feb-2002

The Entertainer is to expand its chain of 28 toy shops with new outlets in Coventry, Worcester, Romford and up to four other locations this year. 04-Feb-2002

Jessops has announced plans to roll out its New Tecno and Photozone@jessops store formats, and the two chains could reach 50 and 500 outlets respectively. 04-Feb-2002

Steamer Trading Cookshop is planning to expand its chain of four stores to 30 over the next few years. 04-Feb-2002

Brown & Jackson is planning to open 20 new Famous Brunswick Warehouse footwear stores over the next year to add to the existing 68, which will include its first move onto the high street. 04-Feb-2002

Retail Variations is planning to open 10 Past Times shops and six SF Cody giftware shops this year. 04-Feb-2002

Boots is to close 19 stand-alone stores in Asia, in order to focus its international expansion on implants in stores run by companies such as Watsons in Taiwan and Tops in Thailand. 01-Feb-2002

Sainsbury has announced plans to recruit 10,000 new staff this year, as a result of store extensions, refurbishments and openings. 01-Feb-2002

Hennes & Mauritz of Sweden has targeted the UK for the further expansion of its fashion retailing business, and will open new stores in Manchester, Birmingham, Coventry and London this spring. 01-Feb-2002

Dixons is to close its Mastercare distribution and servicing operation in Lincoln in March, with the loss of about 40 jobs. 01-Feb-2002

Next is creating up to 150 new jobs at its customer services call centre in Enderby, Leicestershire. 29-Jan-2002

Torbay Council is to consider plans from Parkbay Developments for a £5m retail park on a 6-acre site in Brixham Road. 29-Jan-2002

AF Blakemore is to close the Tates supermarket head office in Grimsby in order to centralise its distribution activities in the West Midlands, and some of the 60 staff will be offered relocation. 29-Jan-2002

Safeway is to become the first leading retailer to launch a pizza delivery service, starting with trials at its St Katherine's Dock store. 28-Jan-2002

Hull City Council has approved plans from Dransfield Properties for a £20m retail scheme on Holderness Road, anchored by a Big W store. 28-Jan-2002

Argos is to acquire five Tempo out-of-town stores in West Thurrock, Borehamwood, Eastbourne, Basingstoke and London, following the recent collapse of the electrical retailer. 28-Jan-2002

Ocean Home Shopping is planning to open up to 20 furniture and homeware stores over the next three years. 28-Jan-2002

Gamestation, the chain of 41 computer games stores, is to expand the workforce at its York head office from 35 to 55 this year. 28-Jan-2002

QS, the discount clothing retailer, is said to be in discussions with three potential buyers. 28-Jan-2002

Monsoon is planning to expand its chain of 145 fashion outlets with a further five over the next six months, and its chain of 149 Accessorize outlets will be expanded with a further seven. 23-Jan-2002

Iceland has launched a nationwide search to find suitable sites for 80 new supermarkets over the next three years, to add to the existing 760. 23-Jan-2002

Morning Noon & Night is planning to expand its chain of 43 Scottish convenience stores by acquiring six new sites this year. 23-Jan-2002

Waitrose has announced plans to build a multi-million pound supermarket on the current Oak Hill site of a car dealership site in Wolverhampton, with the creation of 200 jobs. 22-Jan-2002

Camstead has announced plans for the £5m redevelopment of the Staples stationery warehouse at Mitcham's Corner in Cambridge, in order to replace it with a food store, restaurant and flats. 22-Jan-2002

John Lewis is planning to close Buy.com and merge the business with its main website and online catalogue, retaining 75 staff in the John Lewis Direct division. 22-Jan-2002

Mappin & Webb, the upmarket jeweller, is to open a 4,500 sq ft flagship store in London's Old Broad Street in February 2003. 22-Jan-2002

Crombie is planning to expand its chain of 40 clothing stores with five new outlets this year. 21-Jan-2002

Tesco is creating 150 new jobs at its customer services call centre on the Dryburgh Industrial Estate in Dundee. 21-Jan-2002

Fopp has announced plans to open five more record stores this year, including sites in London, Cambridge and Bath, to add to the existing nine. 21-Jan-2002

B&Q has announced plans to set up a £15m DIY superstore at the Harbour Exchange shopping centre in east Belfast, with the creation of 250 jobs. 21-Jan-2002

Wiltshire County Council is considering plans from Capitalis for the £50m transformation of Trowbridge town centre, including a new piazza, homes and leisure facilities. 21-Jan-2002

Tesco has acquired the United Co-op Hindley superstore near Wigan, and plans to build a £8m store on the site. 21-Jan-2002

Co-operative Group is to invest £20m on refits and local stores in Scotland over the next year. 21-Jan-2002

Budgens has announced plans to step up its expansion programme to 20 new convenience stores a year. 21-Jan-2002

Rotherham Industrial Development Office is planning to redevelop Rotherham town centre at a cost of £40m, involving 106 acres of land on 19 sites. 21-Jan-2002

Thornfield Properties has won planning permission for the £80m redevelopment of Feltham town centre in west London, including new retail space anchored by an Asda food store. 21-Jan-2002

Music Zone has increased its target for new music store openings from 10 to 15 this year, and has already identified seven sites to open before May. 21-Jan-2002

D2 is planning to expand its chain of 86 denim stores through acquisitions and by opening about five new sites a year. 21-Jan-2002

Borders is planning to open five new book superstores this year, taking the chain to 17, following the recent opening of a new distribution centre in Cornwall. 21-Jan-2002

Topps Tiles is planning to expand its chain of 150 ceramic tile shops with 11 new sites this year. 21-Jan-2002

Castlemore Securities is seeking permission to build a 105,000sq ft retail park on London Road in Wellingborough. 18-Jan-2002

Asda is planning to create up to 10,000 new jobs during 2002, by opening new stores and expanding others with the introduction of new departments. 18-Jan-2002

Kingfisher has announced plans to open 70 Comet electrical stores over the next five years, with the creation of 3,000 jobs. 17-Jan-2002

Fast Retailing of Japan has announced plans to open 10 Uniqlo fashion stores in the UK over the next six months, with the creation of 400 jobs. 17-Jan-2002

Rainbow Room International is planning to expand its chain of seven hairdressing franchises with two new salons in Glasgow and Ayrshire this year, creating 60 jobs. 15-Jan-2002

Marks & Spencer is said to be planning to open at least 40 Simply Food convenience stores on railway stations in partnership with Compass. 14-Jan-2002

James Beattie is planning to build an 80,000 sq ft department store on the Yellow Beech car park site in Telford. 14-Jan-2002

Tesco has awarded a £10m contract to Portakabin to build 49 prefabricated stores this year, to help with its target of building 150 Express stores on Esso forecourts over the next two years. 14-Jan-2002

Homebase is planning to install mezzanine floors in about five stores a month in order to expand space and offer new ranges, and mezzanines could be used in 150 of its 280 stores. 14-Jan-2002

Ikea is planning to invest £50m extending its 11 UK stores by up to 25% over the next five years. 14-Jan-2002

Domino's Pizza is planning to create 600 jobs in the north-east and Yorkshire over the next four years, by expanding its chain of pizza outlets from 12 to 60. 11-Jan-2002

Laura Ashley is to set up a furniture distribution centre at Bardon in Leicestershire, with the creation of 200 jobs. 10-Jan-2002

Dixons is planning to expand its 279-strong chain of The Link phone shops by adding 10-20 new outlets a year. 10-Jan-2002

Safeway is looking to recruit 335 extra staff in Rushden, in preparation for the May opening of its expanded superstore in Crown Way. 09-Jan-2002

Electronics Boutique, the computer games retailer, is planning to change its corporate name to The Game Group and re-badge 165 EB stores. 09-Jan-2002

Greggs is planning to open about 50 bakery and take-away shops a year, taking the total to 1,700 by 2008. 09-Jan-2002

Whitbread is planning to open at least 55 Costa coffee shops in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, having agreed a franchise deal with the Jawad Business Group. 09-Jan-2002

Claire's Accessories has announced plans to open a further 75 fashion stores across Europe in 2002, including 30 in the UK and 10 in Ireland. 08-Jan-2002

Alexon is planning to increase the number of Bay Trading fashion outlets from 140 to 180 over the next three years, and the number of Envy stores will rise from 45 to at least 70. 08-Jan-2002

Asda is launching a recruitment drive for up to 1,200 staff for a new Asda-WalMart store due to open in east Manchester in June. 07-Jan-2002

Marks & Spencer is in negotiations to sell its remaining US business - 27 Kings stores in New Jersey and New York - to Gristede's for about £115m. 07-Jan-2002

Asda is to close its two home delivery picking depots in Watford and Croydon in order to restructure its home shopping business and service the orders from existing stores. 07-Jan-2002

The information on this page comes from the UK Activity Report.
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