Retailing 2005

Benjys is planning to spend up to £6m opening 50 sandwich stores and 90 delivery franchises in 2006. [30-Dec-2005]

Neal's Yard Remedies, the chain of 23 natural health stores with about 200 staff, has been acquired by Peter Kindersley for undisclosed terms. [28-Dec-2005]

Stead & Simpson, the shoe retailer with about 400 stores, has undergone a £51m management buy-out backed by Bank of Scotland. [28-Dec-2005]

Hawkin's Bazaar, the toys and gifts company with about 80 full-time staff, is planning to set up a new £10m headquarters and distribution centre in Beccles over the next two years. [27-Dec-2005]

Cotswold Outdoor is to create 40 new jobs when it opens its 18th store at the Talbot Green Retail Park in Llantrisant next month. [22-Dec-2005]

Motor World is planning to expand its chain of 240 car accessories stores with 100 new sites over the next five years, with the creation of about 500 jobs. [21-Dec-2005]

Premier Direct Group is to acquire Oriflame UK, the UK-based subsidiary of Swedish cosmetics group Oriflame Cosmetics, for a nominal sum. [21-Dec-2005]

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is to consider plans from Westfield for a major expansion of the Royal Victoria Place shopping centre, including an extra 200,000 sq ft of retail space. [21-Dec-2005]

Tesco is to seek planning permission to build a new superstore at Byres Road in the west end of Glasgow, with the creation of 350 jobs. [21-Dec-2005]

And So To Bed is to expand its chain of bedroom accessories stores from 20 to 30 over the next two years, having appointed Cushman & Wakefield to find suitable sites. [19-Dec-2005]

Mappin & Webb, the luxury jeweller, is considering plans to relocate its head office and up to 52 jobs from London's Regent Street to sister company Goldsmiths in Leicester. [19-Dec-2005]

Urban Therapy is looking to expand its beauty shops to cities across the country. [19-Dec-2005]

Avon is looking to shed an unspecified number of jobs from its 2,000-strong UK workforce, as part of a restructuring of its home shopping and online retailing business. [19-Dec-2005]

Filmnight has acquired Prime Time, the chain of 47 DVD stores, for about £3m, taking its total network to 99 company-owned stores and 120 franchised stores. [19-Dec-2005]

Sainsbury's is planning to open 25 in-store pharmacies over the next three months, to add to the existing 154. [19-Dec-2005]

Whittard of Chelsea, the tea and coffee retailer, has accepted a £21m takeover offer from Baugur. [15-Dec-2005]

GUS has acquired PriceGrabber, the US-based online price comparison company, for £275m, in order to expand its Experian division. [15-Dec-2005]

Walmsley Furnishing, the Preston-based chain of 100 furniture stores, has been bought out of administration by a new company called Unibrook for undisclosed terms. [14-Dec-2005]

Ebuyer, the online technology retailer, is to relocate up to 232 staff from sites in Sheffield, Holbrook and Eastrington to a new £19m headquarters and distribution centre in Howden, East Yorkshire, by next spring. [14-Dec-2005]

Waitrose is planning to expand its chain of supermarkets from 173 to 250 over the next ten years. [14-Dec-2005]

Fuelforce has ceased trading, having sold off 171 forecourt stores during the year, and its remaining sites will now be sold by Royal Bank of Scotland. [14-Dec-2005]

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is to consider revised plans from Dransfield Properties for the £20m redevelopment of the former Wedgwood Alexandra Works into a shopping and health centre complex. [13-Dec-2005]

Tchibo is planning to set up coffee shops in 200 Sainsbury and Somerfield stores in 2006. [12-Dec-2005]

Primark is to open a 100,000 sq ft flagship store on London's Oxford Street in early 2007. [12-Dec-2005]

Build-a-Bear of the US is said to be in negotiations to acquire Bear Factory, the chain of 30 toy shops, from Baugur for about £25m. [12-Dec-2005]

Fresh Italy is planning to open up to six new fast food outlets over the next 12 months, to add to the three existing sites. [09-Dec-2005]

John Lewis is expected to award a £100m contract to Styles & Wood for the refurbishment of its flagship store on London's Oxford Street over the next five years. [09-Dec-2005]

Asda has announced plans to build a £24m 45,000 sq ft store in Enniskillen, with the transfer of 225 staff from its existing site and the creation of 75 new jobs. [08-Dec-2005]

Retail Decisions is to acquire E Com Industries, the Australian gift card operator with 19 staff, for £13m. [06-Dec-2005]

Marks & Spencer is opening a 100,000 sq ft turkey distribution depot at Thornbury in Gloucestershire, to be operated by logistics company Gist, and the site will be adapted next year to handle its ambient and chilled ranges. [06-Dec-2005]

Costco is looking to open three new wholesale depots a year, with the 18th site expected to open at an undisclosed location next summer. [06-Dec-2005]

Aldi has won planning permission to double the size of its head office in Atherstone, and sees the potential to develop a network of up to 1,500 discount stores across the country. [06-Dec-2005]

Tesco is planning to open a chain of mobile phone centres, with the first opening in its flagship store in Slough this week. [05-Dec-2005]

Unwins is said to have received a multi-million pound investment from owner DM Private Equity to secure the immediate future of its chain of almost 400 off-licence outlets. [05-Dec-2005]

Claire's Accessories is planning to open 20 stores in the UK and Ireland next year, to add to the existing 450, and a further 100 stores will open in other European countries. [05-Dec-2005]

BP Retail is looking to open a further 20 franchised BP Connect convenience stores next year, following a trial in Wigan and Manchester. [05-Dec-2005]

TM Lewin has appointed BDO Stoy Hayward to help secure investment for the expansion of its chain of 30 clothing stores. [05-Dec-2005]

American Golf is looking to expand its chain of 70 golf stores to about 180, and up to 150 Pro Shops could open at golf courses and resorts. [05-Dec-2005]

MFI, the furniture retailer, is to close or dispose of three non-core businesses, including Howden Millworks in the US, its retail joint venture in Taiwan and its Ethan Allen joint venture in the UK. [02-Dec-2005]

Topps Tiles is planning to open about 24 tile stores a year for the next four or five years. [30-Nov-2005]

Darlington Borough Council is to consider plans from Commercial Development Projects to build a £60m 260,000 sq ft retail park at the Yarm Road estate. [28-Nov-2005]

Comptoir des Cotonniers of France is looking to open up to 40 fashion stores in the UK over the next five years, with the first due to open on London's South Molton Street. [28-Nov-2005]

Hammerson is to submit plans next year for a 646,000 sq ft extension to the Queensgate shopping centre in Peterborough. [28-Nov-2005]

Tesco is looking into the possibility of setting up a chain of standalone fashion stores. [28-Nov-2005]

Stationery Box is looking to expand its chain of 130 stationery stores to 200 over the next four years, and 120 suitable towns have been identified. [28-Nov-2005]

Speciality Retail Group has undergone a £30m management buy-out backed by Gresham Private Equity, and is now planning to expand its Suits You and Racing Green stores. [28-Nov-2005]

Ocado is said to be looking to raise a further £50m to fund the expansion of its online food retailing business, and Goldman Sachs has been appointed financial adviser. [28-Nov-2005]

Bhs is looking to set up a chain of 20 home furnishings stores, following a successful trial in Chichester. [28-Nov-2005]

Restaurant Group is to sell 53 of its 58 Caffe Uno outlets to Paramount Restaurants for £33m, and the remaining five will be rebranded. [24-Nov-2005]

Ocean has closed its furniture stores in Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester, in order to concentrate on sites in the south-east. [23-Nov-2005]

ScS Upholstery is planning to expand its chain of 67 sofa stores with about 17 new sites and a 100,000 sq ft warehouse near Halifax. [23-Nov-2005]

Jaeger is to revamp its fashion store on London's Regent Street early next year, at a cost of £1m. [23-Nov-2005]

Asda is to close the general merchandise unit at its Chepstow distribution depot early next year, with the loss of up to 223 of the 850 jobs. [21-Nov-2005]

Hotel Chocolat is planning to open up to 30 luxury chocolate stores across the country next year. [21-Nov-2005]

Partridge Fine Arts, the London-based antique furniture dealer, has accepted a takeover offer from Amor Holdings, backed by £4m of funding from the Christie's auction house. [21-Nov-2005]

Tchibo is planning to open up to 15 coffee-to-homewares stores in Scotland, and is now seeking an initial five sites in affluent areas. [21-Nov-2005]

Mamas & Papas is to open up to 15 franchised nursery stores in the UK next year, and is also planning overseas expansion with its first stores in the Middle East. [21-Nov-2005]

Harvey Nichols is said to be planning to open up to ten boutique stores over the next decade, including a 32,000 sq ft store due to open at the Merchants Quarter development in Bristol in 2008. [21-Nov-2005]

Jones Bootmaker is planning to expand its chain of 75 shoe stores to 100 over the next four years. [21-Nov-2005]

Dobbies Garden Centres is seeking permission to set up a £7m garden centre on a 13-acre site at Strawberry Hill, Lisburn, by spring 2007. [17-Nov-2005]

New Look, the fashion retailer, is to spend £6m opening six trial stores in France and Belgium next year. [17-Nov-2005]

Peterborough City Council is to consider plans from Arlington Securities for the £50m revamp of the Brotherhood retail park. [16-Nov-2005]

Ocado is planning to expand its Waitrose groceries distribution business in Southampton over the next few months, with the creation of 100 jobs. [16-Nov-2005]

Bhs is to increase investment in its chain of department stores from £30m to £100m over the next year. [16-Nov-2005]

Asda has announced plans to create 2,800 jobs across the country, including 800 in Northern Ireland, with an average of seven new staff joining each of the group's 289 stores. [15-Nov-2005]

Mappin & Webb, the chain of 32 jewellery stores, is expected to be acquired by Baugur, the Icelandic owner of the Goldsmiths chain, for £20m. [14-Nov-2005]

Mexx is planning to expand its chain of nine fashion stores into a nationwide business by forming partnerships with independent retailers. [14-Nov-2005]

Empiredirect, the online electrical retailer with three stores, is looking to acquire a furniture retailer, in anticipation of an eventual improvement in trading conditions. [14-Nov-2005]

Debenhams is planning to open at least 24 department stores in the UK over the next five years, with £115m being spent next year on store openings, refurbishments and other projects. [14-Nov-2005]

Carluccio's is planning to expand its London-based chain of 23 restaurants by opening up to six new sites a year, and has also confirmed plans for a flotation next month that will value the business at up to £55m. [10-Nov-2005]

Caudwell, the mobile phone company that includes 350 Phones4U outlets and 8,500 staff, has put itself up for sale with a price tag of £2bn. [10-Nov-2005]

Morrisons is to shed up to 175 jobs at the former Safeway administration office in South Shields early next year. [09-Nov-2005]

Associated British Foods is to invest £250m in the refurbishment of 41 recently-acquired Littlewoods stores. [09-Nov-2005]

Tesco is looking to double its chain of 600 Express convenience stores over the next ten years. [07-Nov-2005]

Butlers of Germany is planning to spend £12m opening a chain of 80 homewares stores in the UK over the next five years, with the first opening on London's Brompton Road this month. [07-Nov-2005]

Powerhouse has sold five of its 109 electrical stores to Carpetright, and a further 14 have been returned to the chain's former liquidators. [07-Nov-2005]

Ocado, the online food retailer, is looking to expand its network of warehouses and has identified suitable sites in Nottingham, Leeds, Sheffield and Bristol. [07-Nov-2005]

TNT is in negotiations to open 1m sq ft of distribution space in Doncaster and Hull to support Danish furniture retailer Ilva. [07-Nov-2005]

Lombok has raised £3.5m to fund the expansion of its chain of nine upmarket furniture stores to more than 20 over the next three years. [07-Nov-2005]

Bathstore is looking to expand its chain of 93 bathroom stores to 300 by opening up to 40 new sites a year. [07-Nov-2005]

Feather & Black, the furniture retailer, has been bought out of administration by Wade Furniture for undisclosed terms, and Wade plans to double the 22-strong chain over the next four years. [07-Nov-2005]

Geox, the Italian footwear supplier, is planning to set up a nationwide chain of shoe stores, including sites in major cities and a flagship on London's Regent Street. [07-Nov-2005]

Asda is looking to open smaller stores of less then 10,000 sq ft, following the success of its former Safeway outlets in Northern Ireland. [07-Nov-2005]

MyTravel is to bring forward the closure of 110 of its 624 Going Places travel agents to this month, due to the rise in internet bookings. [03-Nov-2005]

Vision Express is planning to expand its chain of 196 opticians by opening a further 100 franchised outlets over the next five years. [03-Nov-2005]

Fortnum & Mason is to invest £24m in the refurbishment of its upmarket London grocery store, including an extension to the food hall and a greater emphasis on gifts and cookware. [03-Nov-2005]

Primark has suffered a major fire at its main 440,000 sq ft warehouse in Lutterworth, destroying a large proportion of its clothing stock. [03-Nov-2005]

Blueheath has acquired AC Ward & Son, the Thurrock-based delivered wholesaler, for up to £3m. [02-Nov-2005]

Marks & Spencer has announced plans to open a new store in Newtownabbey and refurbish its Sprucefield store, in order to strengthen its position in Northern Ireland. [02-Nov-2005]

Tesco is to close its Kiln Farm distribution depot in Milton Keynes in February, with the loss of up to 300 jobs. [02-Nov-2005]

Postmasternetwork is considering plans for a management buy-out of the Royal Mail's network of 14,500 sub-post offices. [02-Nov-2005]

Morrisons is to close its Safeway store on London's Streatham High Road in November with the loss of 95 jobs, while its nearby Westow Street store has been put on the market. [01-Nov-2005]

Tesco is to create 160 new jobs at its refurbished store in Maryhill, Glasgow. [01-Nov-2005]

John David Group has bought Allsports out of administration for £18m, and is expected to keep 111 of the sports stores with an option on the remaining 67. [01-Nov-2005]

Photo-Me International, the photo booth operator, has bought the Wholesale Lab Division of Agfa Photo out of administration for £6.1m. [01-Nov-2005]

Peacocks, the Cardiff-based chain of 843 discount clothing and fragrance stores, is to undergo a £404m management buy-out. [31-Oct-2005]

Kipling is planning to set up a nationwide network of 45 luggage stores, having just opened the first on London's Regent Street. [31-Oct-2005]

Storey Carpets is looking to acquire ten new stores next year, in order to benefit from property recently vacated by home furnishings retailers. [31-Oct-2005]

River Island is looking to expand its chain of fashion stores by opening outlets in small market towns and by relocating some existing stores to larger sites. [31-Oct-2005]

B&M Retail is looking to expand its chain of 22 discount stores through acquisitions or by merging with another mid-sized independent. [31-Oct-2005]

GUS has sold Wehkamp, its Dutch home shopping business, to Industri Kapital for £265m. [31-Oct-2005]

Sainsbury's is to take back control of its IT services, which will involve the transfer of a number of staff from Accenture. [28-Oct-2005]

Baxters may consider opening a chain of retail outlets across Scotland, having just opened a 28,000 sq ft flagship store at Blackford in Perthshire. [27-Oct-2005]

Tesco is planning to open a warehouse by the M25 in mid-2006 to service its online shopping customers in London and the south-east, at a cost of up to £10m. [27-Oct-2005]

City of Edinburgh Council and AM Development have announced proposals for the £200m redevelopment of Princes Street, including up to half a million square feet of additional retail space. [26-Oct-2005]

New Look, the chain of 541 fashion stores, is planning to double its store space to 5m sq ft over the next ten years, and will concentrate on opening large outlets of about 25,000 sq ft. [25-Oct-2005]

Sheffield City Council is to consider plans from Hammerson for a £500m shopping development near Pinstone Street, including 100 shops, a John Lewis store, 200 apartments, a health club and leisure facilities. [24-Oct-2005]

Tesco is to seek planning permission to build a new Tesco Extra store in Walsall town centre, with the creation of up to 400 jobs. [24-Oct-2005]

Hull City Council is to consider plans from Henderson Global Investors and Insight Investment for a £300m retail and leisure development next to Princes Quay Shopping Centre. [24-Oct-2005]

Hallmark Cards is planning to open a further 50 Gold Crown stores in the UK and Ireland next year. [24-Oct-2005]

Roche-Bobois of France is planning to open ten furniture stores in the UK and Ireland over the next five years, with the first opening in Wandsworth next month. [24-Oct-2005]

Little Chef, the chain of 235 roadside restaurants, has been acquired by the founders of the Out of Town Restaurant Group for £52m. [24-Oct-2005]

Kingfisher is planning to open 15 Screwfix Direct and five Trade Depot stores next year, in order to target small general builders and contractors. [24-Oct-2005]

Dawsons Music is to open a 14,000 sq ft musical instruments store in Reading next month, claiming it will be the largest in the south of England. [21-Oct-2005]

New Look has acquired 35 former Littlewoods stores from Associated British Foods for about £11m. [19-Oct-2005]

PizzaExpress is considering plans for a £90m flotation next month, and wants to expand its chain of 500 restaurants to 800 by opening about 30 a year. [18-Oct-2005]

Liverpool City Council has approved plans for the £20m restoration of the Port of Liverpool Building at the Pier Head, including a sunken piazza with restaurants and shops. [18-Oct-2005]

Bristol International Airport is to spend £7m on the development of new duty-free shops and cafes in its departure lounge, with work due to finish in May. [18-Oct-2005]

Warehouse Express, the online supplier of photographic and optical equipment, has secured a £6.5m equity investment from Barclays Ventures, and now plans to relocate to a 30,000 sq ft site in Norwich and expand the workforce from 38 to 70 over the next three years. [17-Oct-2005]

Co-operative Group is to close ten department stores in February, including seven in Scotland, with the loss of 141 jobs, and a buyer is being sought for the remaining 26. [17-Oct-2005]

Experian has acquired Prediction Analytics, the US retail performance consultancy, in order to expand its Business Strategies division. [17-Oct-2005]

Somerfield, the chain of 1,300 supermarkets, is to be acquired by a consortium led by Apax Partners for £1.1bn. [17-Oct-2005]

Celesio is to buy 111 Cohens and Scholes pharmacies in the north-west, Midlands and Yorkshire for up to £130m, in order to expand its Lloydspharmacy chain. [17-Oct-2005]

Build-a-Bear Workshop is to open six toy shops over the next two months, taking the chain to 12, and a further 12 will open next year. [17-Oct-2005]

Ex Stores is planning to expand its chain of 14 action sports stores to 30 by the middle of 2007, and is interested in acquiring small chains. [17-Oct-2005]

Tragus Holdings is planning to expand its chain of 82 Cafe Rouge outlets by opening 36 new sites over the next three years, funded by a £10m debt facility. [17-Oct-2005]

Books for Students, the Warwick-based book distribution business with more than 200 staff, has been bought out of administration by AT Little & Sons. [14-Oct-2005]

Edinburgh Woollen Mill has acquired Hector Russell, the highland dress company with four stores. [14-Oct-2005]

Stead & Simpson, the chain of 400 shoe shops, is in negotiations to be acquired by Bank of Scotland for about £42m. [13-Oct-2005]

Sweetmans, the Swansea-based bakery, has sold 22 retail outlets to Cardiff-based Ferraris, and a further five have been sold to Llanelli-based Jenkins. [12-Oct-2005]

Robertsons Electrical, the Scottish electrical retailer, is to close nine of its stores this month. [12-Oct-2005]

Chester City Council is to consider plans for a £24m glass-fronted extension to The Mall Grosvenor shopping centre, creating up to eight new units and an anchor store. [10-Oct-2005]

MFI, the furniture retailer, is said to be considering plans to close at least 20 branches, relocate 70 of its largest stores and close some of its eight distribution centres. [10-Oct-2005]

Ikea is planning to invest £150m in the expansion of its chain of UK furniture stores, including the introduction of mezzanine floors and up to 25 new stores over the next ten years. [10-Oct-2005]

Phones4U is planning to expand its chain of 350 mobile phone stores with up to 100 new sites over the next year. [10-Oct-2005]

Armani Exchange, the US fashion retailer, is making its first move into Europe by opening a store at the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. [10-Oct-2005]

Foyles has acquired Bookplace, the online book retailer, in order to expand its own web and mail order division. [10-Oct-2005]

Tesco is seeking permission to build a supermarket on the Deysbrook estate in Liverpool, with the creation of about 200 jobs. [07-Oct-2005]

Salon Services, the Glasgow-based beauty products wholesaler, is seeking acquisitions to expand its 95-strong network of company-owned branches and franchises. [05-Oct-2005]

B&Q is considering plans to relocate head office staff from six locations around Southampton onto one site within five years, having submitted plans to double the size of the 150,000 sq ft Alldays building in Eastleigh. [04-Oct-2005]

Flying Brands has acquired Garden Bird Supplies, the supplier of food and accessories for birds and other wildlife, for £4.3m. [03-Oct-2005]

Brooks Brothers of the US is planning to open up to 12 menswear stores in the UK over the next five years, with the first opening at the Lion Plaza development in the City of London next month. [03-Oct-2005]

Frozen Value is planning to expand its chain of discount food stores, having just opened a new distribution centre off junction 38 of the M1. [03-Oct-2005]

Tesco is to acquire 15 hypermarkets in Slovakia and the Czech Republic from Carrefour, in return for £39m and six stores in Taiwan. [03-Oct-2005]

Boots is planning to merge with Alliance UniChem in a £7bn deal that would create a combined healthcare and beauty retailing business with 2,600 stores in the UK. [03-Oct-2005]

Liverpool City Council is to consider plans from Merepark and Ballymore for the development of a £160m shopping, residential and leisure development behind Central Station. [30-Sep-2005]

Klondyke Garden Centres is to start recruiting 56 staff for a new garden centre and visitor attraction due to open at Houghton Hall near Carlisle next Easter. [30-Sep-2005]

The Milburngate Shopping Centre in Durham is to undergo a multi-million pound refurbishment by ING Retail Property Fund Britannica, and it will be renamed The Gates. [30-Sep-2005]

Liverpool City Council is to spend £6m refurbishing the Church Street shopping area, including new paving, lighting and metal sculptures. [29-Sep-2005]

Scotmid is to shed 170 jobs, including 40 at its head office in Edinburgh and the rest in its network of 265 stores in Scotland and Northern Ireland. [29-Sep-2005]

Debenhams is looking to expand its chain of 119 department stores with 45 new sites over the next five years. [28-Sep-2005]

Republic, the chain of about 60 fashion stores, has accepted an estimated £100m takeover offer from Change Capital Partners. [28-Sep-2005]

Coffee Republic is seeking franchisees for most of its 45 outlets, as part of a strategy to transform the business into a New York-style deli operator. [28-Sep-2005]

Morrisons has agreed to sell 21 forecourt stores that were inherited from the termination of the BP and Safeway partnership to Tesco, while four sites will go to BP and five to Somerfield. [27-Sep-2005]

Visage Imports, the Tyneside-based fashion supplier, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms. [26-Sep-2005]

Tesco is looking into the possibility of opening its own warehouses to support the expansion of its online non-food retailing operation. [26-Sep-2005]

Morrisons has confirmed plans to close three distribution centres in Bristol, Warrington and Aylesford with the loss of up to 2,500 jobs. [26-Sep-2005]

Liberty is planning to close the Regent Street section of its London department store in 2006, in order to concentrate its business in the adjacent mock-Tudor building. [26-Sep-2005]

Penny Plain is to expand its chain of 11 womenswear stores by opening a new outlet in Leamington Spa this month, and is now seeking additional sites in the Birmingham area. [21-Sep-2005]

WorkPlace Systems International has acquired Labor Solutions International, the US-based retail consultancy, for £3.3m. [20-Sep-2005]

Albemarle & Bond is planning to expand its chain of 62 pawnbroking outlets to about 100 over the next year. [20-Sep-2005]

House of Fraser is to shed about 300 jobs at its recently-acquired Beatties department store chain, and the Birmingham store will close. [19-Sep-2005]

Penhaligon is looking to expand its chain of perfume shops, and is considering locations such as London's Regent Street, Canary Wharf, Bluewater and Leeds. [19-Sep-2005]

Whole Foods Market of the US is looking to establish a chain of up to 40 organic stores in the UK, but will start slowly with just two or three shops over the first couple of years. [19-Sep-2005]

Zannier of France is planning to open 15 franchised childrenswear stores in the UK by early next year, starting with a site at Manchester's Trafford Centre in October. [19-Sep-2005]

Southern Co-operatives is to acquire David's Stores, the chain of eight stores on the Isle of Wight, and £2m will be invested at the sites in 2006. [19-Sep-2005]

Asda has won planning permission to build a 125,000 sq ft store in Bangor by 2008, which will involve the relocation of Bangor City football club. [19-Sep-2005]

Peacocks, the chain of more than 700 discount stores, has received a £404m takeover approach from a management team backed by Goldman Sachs and a consortium of six hedge funds. [19-Sep-2005]

Compass is looking to sell its SSP travel concessions business, which operates in airports, service stations and railway stations, for at least £300m. [19-Sep-2005]

B&Q is planning to close 22 of its 335 DIY stores, although the locations have not been disclosed, while 16 of its larger Warehouse stores will be downsized. [16-Sep-2005]

Marks & Spencer is to open a 33,000 sq ft store at the Teesside Retail Park in Stockton in autumn 2006. [15-Sep-2005]

Shop Direct is considering plans to close the former Kay's catalogue shopping warehouse in Worcester at the end of 2007, in order to transfer the work to Greater Manchester. [15-Sep-2005]

Associated British Foods is to increase the number of stores retained from the acquisition of Littlewoods for its Primark clothing chain from the previously-announced ten to about 40. [13-Sep-2005]

Unwins is planning a cost-cutting campaign for its chain of off-licences, with the loss of up to 135 of its 600 shop managers and deputy managers. [13-Sep-2005]

Ipswich & Norwich Co-op is to merge with Colchester & East Essex Co-op to create a group of 200 trading outlets called the East of England Co-op. [13-Sep-2005]

Co-operative Group is to close the Alldays retail distribution centre in Eastleigh next month with the loss of 30 of the 194 jobs, and the remaining staff will transfer to Fareham. [12-Sep-2005]

Esprit is to open a fashion store in Norwich this month, and this will be followed by new sites in Reading, Canterbury and Manchester. [12-Sep-2005]

Allders Croydon has shed 50 catering jobs at its department store, following a recent spell in administration, and the restaurants have been contracted out to Town Centre Restaurants. [12-Sep-2005]

O2 is planning to open ten mobile phone franchise stores by the end of the year, while a further 40 company-owned stores will be added next year. [12-Sep-2005]

Tesco is seeking planning permission for a 25,000 sq ft store in Holywell, which could create more than 150 jobs. [09-Sep-2005]

Dundee City Council is to consider plans from Lend Lease for the £50m expansion of the Overgate shopping centre, which would provide 40 more units and 500 jobs. [09-Sep-2005]

TM Group, the chain of 1,300 newsagents and convenience stores, is to undergo a £165m management buy-out backed by Bank of Scotland Corporate. [08-Sep-2005]

Morrisons is conducting a strategic review of its distribution network, prompting speculation that depots could close in Warrington, Bristol and Aylesford. [05-Sep-2005]

B&Q is planning to shed 220 of the 1,400 jobs at its head office in Southampton, and a further 80 regional jobs will also be lost. [05-Sep-2005]

The Milton Keynes Partnership Committee has approved plans from Hermes and Prudential for the £400m expansion of the CentreMK shopping mall, including a 680,000 sq ft extension. [05-Sep-2005]

Strategic Retail is to acquire eight home furnishings stores and other assets from East Kilbride-based Texstyle World Home for £1.5m, while eight other stores will close with the loss of 45 jobs. [01-Sep-2005]

Dan Evans is to close its department stores in Barry and Penarth in January, with the loss of 176 jobs. [01-Sep-2005]

Boyes is looking to shed an unspecified number of the 1,000 jobs at its chain of 29 department stores across the north of England. [01-Sep-2005]

Tesco is to acquire 30 petrol filling stations and convenience stores from Morrisons for about £55m, in order to expand its Express store format. [01-Sep-2005]

Silverscreen is planning to open a further 30 DVD stores next year. [29-Aug-2005]

Hyperama Cash & Carry is to open a new 55,000 sq ft wholesale depot in Peterborough this autumn, as part of a £3m investment. [29-Aug-2005]

The Post Office is to invest £10m at its 540 directly-managed branches by the end of the year, in order to start offering CDs, DVDs, electrical items and stationery. [29-Aug-2005]

Penta Capital is to acquire a 42% stake in the Eat chain of sandwich bars, as part of a £39m refinancing deal that will help the business double in size to 100 outlets over the next three years. [24-Aug-2005]

Barker & Stonehouse is to expand its chain of six furniture stores with a new site in Hull in October, with the creation of 22 jobs. [24-Aug-2005]

Edinburgh Woollen Mill is to continue expanding its chain of 290 stores, having opened seven new sites over the last six months. [24-Aug-2005]

Morrisons is to close the Safeway supermarket in Ilkeston in September, with the loss of 97 jobs. [24-Aug-2005]

Debenhams is planning to expand its new Desire small store format by opening sites in South Shields and Orpington this year and a further six next year. [23-Aug-2005]

Hamleys is looking into the possibility of relocating its Regent Street toy shop in London to the recently-vacated Dickins & Jones department store nearby. [22-Aug-2005]

Matalan, the discount retailer, has announced the loss of 90 of the 700 jobs at its head office in Skelmersdale. [22-Aug-2005]

House of Fraser is to close the Barkers department store on Kensington High Street in London with the loss of up to 250 jobs, and Whole Foods Market of the US is to open a flagship organic food store at the site. [22-Aug-2005]

BDO Stoy Hayward has sold The Sofa Company out of administration to Klaussner Beteiligungs, and at least 34 of the 80 stores are expected to re-open. [22-Aug-2005]

Morrisons is to sell nine Safeway stores to Sainsbury's, including sites in Acocks Green, Andover, Bitterne, East Kilbride, Eastleigh, Hammersmith, Midsomer Norton, Morden and Slough. [19-Aug-2005]

Allied Carpets is to open four stores in Northern Ireland later this month, having secured sites in Coleraine, Newtownabbey, Lisburn and Bangor. [17-Aug-2005]

Manchester City Council has selected Dransfield Properties as preferred developer for a £25m district shopping centre in Openshaw. [17-Aug-2005]

Asda has submitted plans to open its first Asda Living non-food store in Scotland at the Glasgow Fort, with the creation of 100 jobs. [17-Aug-2005]

Pizza Hut is to expand its chain of restaurants in Yorkshire by the end of the year, with the creation of 150 jobs in York, Hull and Barnsley. [16-Aug-2005]

Aga Foodservice has acquired Divertimenti, the London-based kitchen utensils retailer, for £1.4m. [16-Aug-2005]

Co-operative Group is looking to sell off 100 underperforming stores, with most of them being former Alldays and Balfour sites. [15-Aug-2005]

Apple is looking to expand its chain of five UK computer stores with up to 20 new sites over the next few years. [15-Aug-2005]

Sainsbury is to take full control of the buying and merchandising of its Tu clothing range, with the creation of up to 40 jobs in Coventry. [15-Aug-2005]

Republic, the fashion retailer valued at about £100m, is expected to be sold to one of a number of interested private equity firms. [15-Aug-2005]

Merchant Retail is planning to expand its chain of 114 Perfume Shops with an additional 100 stores over the next five years. [15-Aug-2005]

Waitrose is to acquire five additional stores from Morrisons, including sites in Durham, East Grinstead, Lewes, London and Wilmslow. [12-Aug-2005]

Waitrose has submitted plans to Stockport council to build a supermarket in Cheadle Hulme, with the creation of 200 jobs. [10-Aug-2005]

Jane Norman, the fashion retailer with 39 stores and 56 concessions, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Baugur and plans to expand to 140 UK outlets over the next three years. [05-Aug-2005]

Virgin Megastores is planning to open 30 new stores over the next three years, to add to the existing 117. [05-Aug-2005]

Woolworths has sold its MVC chain of 76 music and DVD stores to a group of investors led by Argyll Partners for £5.5m. [02-Aug-2005]

Julian Graves is planning to expand its chain of 245 snacks and ingredients stores with 40 new sites this year. [01-Aug-2005]

Amazon, the online retailer, is to set up a new 200,000 sq ft distribution centre at Glenrothes in Fife, with the creation of 300 jobs. [25-Jul-2005]

Game is planning to expand its chain of 650 computer games stores to 1,000 over the next three years, including new sites in continental Europe. [25-Jul-2005]

Marks & Spencer is to create 200 jobs at a new store due to open at Coventry's Arena Park in October. [25-Jul-2005]

Clinton Cards is to close the distribution centre of its recently-acquired Bury-based Birthdays business with the loss of about 60 jobs. [25-Jul-2005]

Tesco is linking up with Peterborough JobCentre to recruit up to 1,000 staff for a new distribution centre due to open in Parnwell in October. [21-Jul-2005]

Apollo Blinds is looking to set up a further 80 franchised outlets over the next five years. [18-Jul-2005]

Boots has secured sites to open three out-of-town stores next year in Yeovil, Hayle and Great Yarmouth. [18-Jul-2005]

Chips is to open three new video games stores in Hereford, Glasgow and Reading this year, taking the total chain to 29. [18-Jul-2005]

Fired Earth Interiors has acquired Shaker, the furniture supplier, for undisclosed terms. [18-Jul-2005]

GVA Grimley has been appointed by 3 to find suitable sites for a nationwide chain of mobile phone stores, with plans to open up to 20 by the end of the year. [18-Jul-2005]

Subway is planning to spend £150m opening a further 1,500 sandwich outlets in the UK and Ireland over the next six years. [18-Jul-2005]

Asda has secured planning permission to develop four new stores in Northern Ireland, including one site in east Belfast and three to replace existing Safeway stores in Enniskillen, Strabane and Ballyclare. [18-Jul-2005]

Molton Brown, the cosmetics supplier, has been acquired by Kao Corporation of Japan in a £170m deal. [18-Jul-2005]

Mothercare is planning to expand its chain of 235 stores with 60 new sites over the next three years. [18-Jul-2005]

Asda is to invest £40m in the development of four recycling centres in Wakefield, Lutterworth, Bedford and Skelmersdale. [18-Jul-2005]

Shop Direct, the home shopping group, is planning to relocate its headquarters and more than 1,000 jobs from Manchester city centre to Skyways Park, Speke. [15-Jul-2005]

Wyevale Garden Centres is planning to dispose of 28 of its smaller stores, taking the chain down to 86 sites. [14-Jul-2005]

QS is to open a 60,000 sq ft clothing store in Bolton in September, with the creation of 100 jobs, and new stores are also planned for Colne, Altrincham, Manchester and Liverpool. [13-Jul-2005]

Asda is to create about 2,250 new jobs by providing eight additional customer service staff at each of its 279 stores, and at least 15 new stores are due to open this year. [13-Jul-2005]

Whittard of Chelsea, the tea and coffee retailer with an estimated value of £22m, has received a number of takeover approaches and has appointed Cavendish Corporate Finance as its adviser. [13-Jul-2005]

Associated British Foods has acquired the Littlewoods chain of 120 clothing stores for £409m, which will involve the conversion of 30 stores to the Primark format and the closure of the Liverpool head office with the loss of up to 270 jobs. [12-Jul-2005]

United Co-op Health Care has acquired Sheard Group, the chain of seven pharmacies in Leeds and Harrogate, as well as Saffer Chemists, which has two stores in Leeds, for undisclosed terms. [08-Jul-2005]

Ikea is planning to build a 230,000 sq ft furniture store in Coventry city centre, with the creation of 500 jobs. [07-Jul-2005]

Esslemont & Macintosh, the Aberdeen-based department store with 120 staff, has been acquired by Owen Owen for undisclosed terms. [07-Jul-2005]

Kleeneze, the direct sales retailer, is to change its name to European Home Retail to reflect its recent move into internet and TV retailing. [07-Jul-2005]

Asda is planning to shed about 1,400 management jobs, including 185 at its Leeds headquarters, 15 at Lutterworth and the rest in stores throughout the country. [06-Jul-2005]

Harrods has sold Kurt Geiger, its luxury shoe retailing business with more than 100 department store concessions, to a management buy-out backed by Barclays Private Equity for £46m. [06-Jul-2005]

Per-Scent, the Manchester-based perfume distributor with 61 staff, is said to have sold a 65% stake in the business to an Icelandic investor for £42m. [05-Jul-2005]

Morrisons is to close the Safeway supermarket in Halesowen in September, with the loss of 154 jobs. [05-Jul-2005]

Ikea has won planning permission from Sefton Council to build a furniture store in Netherton, Merseyside, with the creation of up to 600 jobs. [04-Jul-2005]

Readmans, the Leeds-based clothing and homewares retailer, has been bought out of administration by the founding family, securing the future of more than 100 jobs. [04-Jul-2005]

Land of Leather, the chain of 67 sofa stores, is planning to raise about £38m in a flotation and is looking to open ten new stores a year. [04-Jul-2005]

Instore is planning to expand its chain of 320 discount stores with 20 new sites over the next 12 months. [04-Jul-2005]

Boots is said to have agreed a £300m sale and leaseback deal for 312 stores with REIT Asset Management. [04-Jul-2005]

Auctioning4u has secured a £0.6m investment from venture capitalists and others to fund the development of a warehouse in Acton and to roll-out a franchised retail network. [01-Jul-2005]

West Midlands Co-op is planning to merge with Oxford, Swindon & Gloucester Co-op, creating a combined group with more than 350 stores and a turnover of £500m. [01-Jul-2005]

Tesco is to seek permission to build a new superstore at Culverhouse Cross in Cardiff, with the creation of 100 new jobs and the transfer of 320 jobs from its existing site. [30-Jun-2005]

Dobbies Garden Centres is planning to open four new sites over the next two years. [30-Jun-2005]

Tesco is seeking permission from Highland Council to build a new superstore near Wick, with the creation of up to 200 jobs. [30-Jun-2005]

Boots is looking to form partnerships with other retailers interested in taking space in its 150 largest stores, in order to utilise excess selling space. [30-Jun-2005]

House of Fraser has agreed to acquire the Beatties chain of 12 department stores for £69m. [29-Jun-2005]

Majestic Wine is planning to expand its chain of 122 wine stores with 80 new outlets over the next ten years, and is seeking units with good road access. [27-Jun-2005]

Planet Organic is planning to expand its chain of three organic food stores with ten new sites in the London area, and will then look to open elsewhere. [27-Jun-2005]

Benjys is looking to open nine sandwich stores in the north-east, with the creation of 100 jobs. [27-Jun-2005]

Wade Smith is to merge its two fashion stores in Liverpool with the loss of 30 jobs. [23-Jun-2005]

Dixons, the electrical retailer, is to change its name to DSG International, and is also expected to shed 800 jobs through the closure of two distribution centres and the outsourcing of back-office functions. [23-Jun-2005]

Jarrold is to acquire Aldiss, the chain of furniture stores with 250 staff in Fakenham and Norwich, for an estimated £50m. [22-Jun-2005]

Laura Ashley is to close its flagship store on London's Regent Street with the loss of up to 70 jobs. [21-Jun-2005]

Ikea has submitted plans for a town centre store in Hillingdon, as part of a strategy to establish a chain of smaller furniture stores in towns and cities across the country. [20-Jun-2005]

Mappin & Webb, the watch retailer valued at about £50m, has appointed Cavendish Corporate Finance to find a buyer for the business. [20-Jun-2005]

Centros Miller is to seek permission to build an extra 300,000 sq ft at the Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth at a cost of £300m, including shops, leisure, flats and a four-star hotel. [20-Jun-2005]

Marks & Spencer is considering plans to set up an online grocery delivery service. [20-Jun-2005]

Wagamama, the chain of 32 noodle bars, has been acquired by Lion Capital for £103m. [20-Jun-2005]

House of Fraser is to close the Dickins & Jones department store in London's Regent Street in January, with the loss of up to 500 jobs. [17-Jun-2005]

Princes Mall, the Edinburgh-based shopping centre, is to undergo a £10m refurbishment, with the number of shops being reduced from 55 to 43. [16-Jun-2005]

Pembrokeshire County Council is to consider plans from Simons Developments to build a £25m retail park in Haverfordwest, and it will be called the Springfield Retail Warehouse Park. [16-Jun-2005]

Primark is to close its clothing store in Derby in September with the loss of 75 jobs, in order to make way for the extension of the Eagle Centre. [15-Jun-2005]

Matalan, the discount clothing retailer, is planning a reorganisation that will lead to job losses among the 16,800 head office and store staff. [13-Jun-2005]

Video Island has raised £5m from venture debt provider EVP to fund the expansion of its DVD rental service. [13-Jun-2005]

Torex Retail has acquired XN Checkout, the supplier of electronic point-of-sale terminals, in a £72m deal. [13-Jun-2005]

Land Securities is seeking planning permission to set up a 220,000 sq ft retail development at Cheapside in the City of London. [13-Jun-2005]

Uniqlo is planning to expand its chain of six casual clothing stores with a further five sites a year. [13-Jun-2005]

Mamas & Papas is to expand its chain of 23 nursery stores with a 10,000 sq ft flagship site on London's Regent Street and three other stores within the M25. [13-Jun-2005]

Halfords is planning to open 12 new car parts stores this year, while four will be relocated and 35 mezzanines will be added. [13-Jun-2005]

Boots is to close two buildings at its Beeston site in Nottingham by October, with the relocation of 200 staff to other buildings. [13-Jun-2005]

Swansea Council is to consider plans from Thurleigh Estates for the development of a £30m shopping complex at the former David Evans department store in the city centre. [10-Jun-2005]

Asda is to announce plans to set up its first store on Anglesey, with the creation of 120 jobs, having bought a site in Llangefni from Safeway. [10-Jun-2005]

Aberdeen Murray Johnstone Private Equity has invested £2m in Cumnock-based Original Shoe Company to help fund the opening of a further 20 city centre stores. [10-Jun-2005]

N Brown, the home shopping group, has sold its personal loans business to an unnamed buyer for £10m. [10-Jun-2005]

Beales is to close its department store in Walton-on-Thames next January, and is seeking an alternative site nearby. [10-Jun-2005]

Domino's Pizza has sold 13 of its 18 corporate stores to Dough Trading for £4m, in order to focus on its core franchise business. [09-Jun-2005]

Asda has bought 12 Safeway stores in Northern Ireland from Morrisons for £74m, and will spend £30m redeveloping the stores. [07-Jun-2005]

Harvey Norman of Australia is looking to start opening electronics and furniture stores in the UK, once it has opened sites in all the major regional centres in Ireland. [06-Jun-2005]

Focus, the DIY retailer, has started work on the £14m expansion of its distribution centre in Tamworth, and 100 new jobs will be created on completion in November. [06-Jun-2005]

Music Zone has acquired seven Caroline Music stores in Northern Ireland, and is now in negotiations to acquire the MVC chain of 66 stores from Woolworths. [06-Jun-2005]

Carluccio's, the chain of restaurants and delicatessens, is considering plans for a £50m flotation. [06-Jun-2005]

Hackett, the outfitter with 12 shops, has been acquired by Torreal of Spain for about £15m. [06-Jun-2005]

B&Q is to create 200 jobs at a new DIY store due to open in St Oswald's Park, Gloucester, in September. [06-Jun-2005]

Webbs of Wychbold is to create an extra 28 permanent jobs at its garden centre in Worcestershire. [03-Jun-2005]

Asda is planning to shed about 200 warehouse jobs and 119 driving jobs at the ADC distribution centre in Pattinson Industrial Estate, Washington, but some of the staff may be redeployed at the new depot due to open nearby later this year. [02-Jun-2005]

Snappy Snaps is to acquire the FotoStop Express network of 267 independent photography traders. [02-Jun-2005]

Peacocks is planning to open more than 20 new Peacocks clothing stores this year, as well as 20 Bonmarches and 30 Fragrance Shops. [01-Jun-2005]

Whisky Shop is planning to open eight new stores in England by mid-2007, and is seeking sites in out-of-town shopping centres and high streets. [01-Jun-2005]

Boots is to outsource part of its back-office operations to Xchanging, in a £400m deal that includes spending on travel, marketing, facilities management and invoice processing. [31-May-2005]

Somerfield has sold its Mace wholesale operations in Scotland to Palmer & Harvey McLane, which is expected to lead to the closure of the Aberness Service Centre in Aberdeen with the loss of 75 jobs. [30-May-2005]

Vom Fass of Germany is seeking franchisees to expand its UK chain of off-licences to 100 over the next five years. [30-May-2005]

The Entertainer is planning to buy the Gadget Shop name out of administration and open between five and ten pilot stores. [30-May-2005]

Tesco is to open two trial 30,000 sq ft Homeplus stores in Manchester and Aberdeen, in order to sell clothing, homewares, entertainment and electrical products. [30-May-2005]

Kingfisher is to scale down the development of B&Q superstores due to rising rents, and will instead favour "mini-warehouses". [30-May-2005]

Dixons is to transfer its main national distribution centre to Newark, adding an extra 350 jobs to the existing 300 at its site off the A17, and a separate scheme is proposed to bring a further 500 jobs to the Newark Industrial Estate. [27-May-2005]

Asda has announced plans to build a new supermarket in Pwllheli, Gwynedd, with the creation of 120 jobs. [27-May-2005]

Co-operative Group is to shed 600 jobs at its headquarters in Manchester, in order to save £50m a year. [27-May-2005]

Disperse Group is to acquire The Woods of Windsor Group, the distributor and retailer of personal care and fragranced products with 14 shops and 80 concessions, for £4.6m. [26-May-2005]

Bondvend, the Wirral-based sportswear company trading as The Soccer Kit Company, has undergone a £1.6m management buy-in. [26-May-2005]

Merchant Retail, the chain of 110 perfume shops, has accepted a £222m takeover offer from AS Watson, the Hong Kong-based owner of Superdrug. [25-May-2005]

Burberry has announced a £50m investment programme for its chain of luxury goods stores. [25-May-2005]

N Brown is to sell Teleview, its Leigh-based television rental business with almost 100 staff, to Martin Dawes of Warrington for £6.3m. [24-May-2005]

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has unveiled plans to invest £2m in improvements to outdoor and indoor markets across the city. [24-May-2005]

Clark Business Products has merged with Bath-based 1st Office Equipment Group and Bristol-based Braley Reprographics to form a new group called 1st Office, and there are plans to open new franchised shops across the south west. [24-May-2005]

Marks & Spencer is planning to refurbish up to 20 stores this year, at a cost of about £300m. [23-May-2005]

Silverscreen is on target to open 50 DVD stores this year, having just agreed terms for new sites in Northampton, Gloucester and Worthing. [23-May-2005]

Pizza Hut is looking to open a further 75 stores across the country this year. [23-May-2005]

Somerfield is planning to roll out a further 50 Market Fresh convenience stores by next year. [23-May-2005]

Chapelfield, the new £275m shopping centre development due to open in Norwich in September, has started recruiting almost 800 staff for the 90 shops and 15 restaurants. [20-May-2005]

Superdrug is planning to spend £75m opening 40 new health and beauty stores by the end of the year, with the creation of 400 jobs, and the 700-stong chain is expected to reach 1,000 by the end of 2008. [20-May-2005]

Sainsbury is looking to recruit up to 10,000 staff aged over 50, in order to improve customer service in its supermarkets, but has also announced plans to shed most of the 180 field sales staff in its banking division. [19-May-2005]

Homebuy Group has acquired BC Acquisition for £28m, in order to expand its customer base for rented televisions and other electrical equipment. [18-May-2005]

GUS is planning to raise up to £150m from the sale of its 50% stake in South African furniture company Lewis Group. [18-May-2005]

Hobbs is expanding its chain of fashion stores from 66 to 90 this year. [17-May-2005]

Smythson of Bond Street, the stationery retailer, has been acquired by Kelso Place Asset Management for £16m. [17-May-2005]

Joseph, the chain of 63 fashion stores, has been acquired by Onward Kashiyama of Japan for £140m. [17-May-2005]

PizzaExpress has hired Merrill Lynch to conduct a strategic review of its chain of 300 pizza and pasta restaurants, which could lead to the business being sold for up to £1bn. [16-May-2005]

Matalan is to refurbish most of its 187 discount clothing and home furnishings stores over the next three years. [16-May-2005]

Animal is planning to open nine action sports stores this year, to add to the existing 23 in the UK and five abroad. [16-May-2005]

Lush is planning to expand its chain of 65 cosmetics stores with 18 new sites this year. [16-May-2005]

MFI is to end its Hygena kitchen furniture venture with Dixons, which will involve the closure of 130 concessions in Currys stores and the loss of up to 400 jobs. [13-May-2005]

Moda in Pelle is to expand its chain of 27 footwear stores to 56 over the next five years, having secured £2m from Bank of Scotland Corporate. [12-May-2005]

Develica is to build an 84,500 sq ft retail park specialising in DIY and bulky goods in Blackwood, South Wales, with the creation of 110 jobs, and work is due to start in August. [11-May-2005]

Pringle of Scotland has announced a £7m investment in the expansion of its knitwear outlets in the UK and abroad. [10-May-2005]

Somerfield is to acquire 22 forecourt convenience stores from Fuelforce for £1.5m, and will invest £20m in the redevelopment of its total chain of 184 forecourt stores over the next two years. [09-May-2005]

Ciro Citterio has gone into compulsory liquidation with the expected closure of its chain of 50 menswear stores. [09-May-2005]

Boden, the mail-order clothing company, is to open a further two stores over the next 18 months, following a successful trial in North Acton. [09-May-2005]

Wyevale Garden Centres is considering plans to sell off some of its 114 properties. [09-May-2005]

Sainsbury is to combine the management of its Bells Stores and Jacksons convenience store chains, and new store openings will lead to 665 new jobs across the North over the next two years. [06-May-2005]

Pets at Home is to expand its chain of 162 pet stores with 17 new sites this year. [05-May-2005]

Kroll has sold the Allders department store in Croydon out of administration to the owner of the Jaeger fashion group. [05-May-2005]

HMV Group is planning to open ten new Waterstone's book stores and up to 25 HMV music stores over the next 12 months. [05-May-2005]

Alliance UniChem has acquired Bairds Chemists, the Northern Ireland-based chain of 50 pharmacies with about 500 staff, for £81m. [05-May-2005]

Matalan is to sell its Lee Cooper jeans brand to a private equity consortium that includes Sun Capital for £30m. [03-May-2005]

Specsavers is to invest £3m in the expansion of its chain of Hearcare stores from 50 to 100 by the end of the year. [02-May-2005]

Fat Face has been acquired by Advent International for an estimated £100m, and is now planning to open up to 20 clothing stores a year. [02-May-2005]

JoJo Maman Bebe is planning to open up to 12 maternity stores a year, and is seeking investment of more than £1m. [02-May-2005]

The Works, the chain of 230 book stores with 1,600 staff, has undergone a £50m management buy-out backed by Hermes Private Equity. [29-Apr-2005]

Phoenix Equity Partners has acquired a majority stake in Bank Stores, the branded clothing retailer with 30 stores, as part of a £30m deal that will see the store network double in size over the next three years. [29-Apr-2005]

Dixons is planning to open a further 20 PC City stores in France, and make its first moves into Portugal and Poland. [28-Apr-2005]

Legal & General Ventures has sold a portfolio of seven companies to Vision Capital for undisclosed terms, including the TM Group of convenience stores, Trident Components and Coal Products. [28-Apr-2005]

John Lewis has announced plans to set up a £40m department store at the proposed Eastgate and Harewood quarter development in Leeds, with the creation of 900 jobs. [27-Apr-2005]

Stylo is considering plans to open a further 100 footwear stores over the next two years. [27-Apr-2005]

Basebuy has been bought out of administration by a management team, securing 300 jobs at 29 discount clothing stores. [26-Apr-2005]

Marks & Spencer and Exel are planning to close a distribution centre in Tunbridge Wells, with the loss of up to 400 jobs. [25-Apr-2005]

B&Q has won planning permission for a new DIY superstore on the site of the former Norwich livestock market, with the creation of 250 jobs. [25-Apr-2005]

Cook is planning to expand its chain of 15 frozen ready meals shops to 30 by the end of 2006. [25-Apr-2005]

Darlington Borough Council has selected Discovery Properties of London to build a £90m shopping centre in the town centre, and Debenhams is expected to take the anchor store. [25-Apr-2005]

Shop Direct is to create 150 new jobs at its home shopping call centre in Preston. [21-Apr-2005]

Altium Capital is to help Eat raise funds for the expansion of its chain of sandwich bars from 41 to 100 over the next few years. [21-Apr-2005]

Wilkinson is planning to open a further 22 discount stores this year, to add to the existing 250. [20-Apr-2005]

Game is planning to open 70 computer games stores this year, including 45 in continental Europe. [20-Apr-2005]

Monsoon has bought 47 stores from Etam for £43m, taking its total chain of fashion stores to about 300. [20-Apr-2005]

Scotmid is to shed 58 jobs at the M&S Toiletries distribution centre in Livingston by the end of May. [19-Apr-2005]

Debenhams is to recruit 850 jobs for a new distribution centre due to open in Peterborough this summer. [19-Apr-2005]

Flying Brands is to acquire Minds Direct, the CD and DVD home shopping retailer, for £0.6m. [19-Apr-2005]

John Pye & Sons, the Nottingham-based auctioneer, is seeking a suitable site in Derby for a new saleroom. [19-Apr-2005]

Carphone Warehouse is planning to create hundreds of new jobs with the expansion of its Talk Talk landline division and the opening of more mobile phone stores. [18-Apr-2005]

Argos is to acquire 33 Index catalogue stores for £44m, while the remaining 126 Index stores will be closed by Littlewoods with the loss of 3,200 jobs. [18-Apr-2005]

GameStop of the US is planning to set up a UK chain of video games stores, having just opened the first in Birmingham. [18-Apr-2005]

Swatch is planning to open 25 watch stores in towns and cities across the country, to add to the existing 16. [18-Apr-2005]

Asda is to relocate the 20-strong design team for its George fashion brand from Lutterworth to Rathbone Place in London. [18-Apr-2005]

Poundland is planning to open 30 discount stores a year, taking the total from 121 to 400. [18-Apr-2005]

Asprey & Garrard has raised £55m from the sale and leaseback of its Bond Street store in London, in order to fund the international expansion of its luxury goods business. [18-Apr-2005]

Co-operative Group is to shed 59 jobs at its distribution centre in Birtley and 137 jobs at its centre in Nottingham, due to the development of a new site in Coventry. [14-Apr-2005]

Tesco is to nearly double its rate of store openings abroad this year, including 15 new hypermarkets in China and 11 in Thailand. [14-Apr-2005]

B&Q is seeking permission to set up a distribution centre on the Towers Business Park in Rugeley, with the creation of 700 jobs. [13-Apr-2005]

Laminate Flooring Direct, the Middlesbrough-based chain of 22 flooring stores, has been bought out of administration by LF Direct for undisclosed terms. [11-Apr-2005]

Sunderland Council is considering plans from Prudential Assurance Company for the £10m expansion of the Galleries shopping centre in Washington over the next two years, including 100,000sq ft of additional shopping space. [11-Apr-2005]

Subway, the sandwich retailer, is planning to open concessions in 400 convenience stores and groceries over the next five years. [11-Apr-2005]

Morrisons and BP are to terminate their convenience stores joint venture, with BP taking 31 of the sites and Morrisons 30. [11-Apr-2005]

Hotel Chocolat is planning to open ten chocolate stores this year, following a successful trial in Watford. [11-Apr-2005]

Debenhams is considering plans to open up to 130 Desire small-format stores, depending on the success of a trial in Truro. [11-Apr-2005]

Underfivepounds.com is planning to expand its chain of discount homeware stores from four to eight sites this year. [11-Apr-2005]

Claire's Accessories is looking to introduce its US-based Icing fascia to the UK, in order to target an older age group than the existing 470 stores, while its nine Girl Heaven stores will close later this year. [11-Apr-2005]

Blueheath has acquired CTM Wholesale, the Wrexham-based grocery wholesaler, for up to £4.9m. [11-Apr-2005]

Etam has sold its UK-based chain of 209 fashion stores to the owner of Arcadia for undisclosed terms, and about 50 of the sites are expected to be sold on to other retailers. [11-Apr-2005]

Dixons is conducting a strategic review of The Link, its chain of almost 300 mobile phone stores, which could lead to a £200m sale. [11-Apr-2005]

Domino's Pizza is to invest £2m opening nine pizza outlets in Liverpool, with the creation of 250 jobs. [07-Apr-2005]

Homebase, the DIY retailer, is to relocate a number of head office functions and up to 500 jobs from Wallington to parent company Argos Retail Group's site in Milton Keynes. [07-Apr-2005]

Iceland is to close its home shopping division with the loss of about 100 jobs at its Deeside headquarters. [05-Apr-2005]

Headlam Group has acquired the retail division of Gaskell Flooring, which trades as Gaskell Wool Rich and Tomkinson Carpets, for £0.4m. [05-Apr-2005]

Kleeneze has acquired Kitbag Sports, the internet sports retailer, for £6m. [05-Apr-2005]

Cash Generator is planning to expand its chain of 75 second-hand stores in the UK and Europe to 250 over the next five years. [04-Apr-2005]

Colliers CRE is to provide property advice to Islandrive for plans to set up a chain of 30 drive-through coffee shops. [04-Apr-2005]

Cushman & Wakefield is to advise KA International of Spain with plans to expand its chain of furniture stores with up to 80 new sites in the UK. [04-Apr-2005]

Tesco is in negotiations to set up a 500,000 sq ft distribution centre at Barlborough Links near Chesterfield. [04-Apr-2005]

Sainsbury is to close its 37,000 sq ft store at Meadowhall in Sheffield in July, and the 323 staff are expected to be offered jobs at its other sites nearby. [04-Apr-2005]

Booker, the Wellingborough-based wholesaler, is planning to shed 82 of its 440 head office jobs, in order to simplify its group functions. [04-Apr-2005]

Morrisons is to sell its Safeway Compact store at Douglas on the Isle of Man to Shoprite for £3m. [04-Apr-2005]

Asda is planning to open 15 pharmacies this year, following the relaxation of pharmacy opening regulations. [04-Apr-2005]

Smythson, the leather goods and stationery supplier with six stores, is considering plans for a sale or part-disposal, in order to raise £10m to fund overseas expansion. [04-Apr-2005]

Mothercare is planning to open up to ten more stores this year, while a further five will be refurbished. [04-Apr-2005]

Game, the chain of 400 computer games stores, has received a potential takeover approach. [01-Apr-2005]

Boots is to sell its 50% stake in the Handbag.com online retailing business to the Barclay brothers for about £2m. [31-Mar-2005]

Aberdeenshire Council is considering plans from Northburn Developments to build a £15m retail park with seven units in Inverurie. [30-Mar-2005]

T&G is planning to double its chain of six nautical-themed clothing stores this year. [30-Mar-2005]

Wildlife Works is to raise £1.5m in a share placing to fund the development of a new conservation-based fashion brand, and a chain of concessions will be opened in department stores. [30-Mar-2005]

Sainsbury is planning to relocate its IT staff back to its Holborn headquarters in London, as part of the renegotiation of its outsourcing contract with Accenture. [30-Mar-2005]

Music Zone, the chain of 54 record stores with 500 staff, is to undergo a management buy-out, and there are plans to expand the network to 100 sites. [29-Mar-2005]

Woolworths is looking to sell 67 MVC music stores, while the remaining 14 will be closed. [29-Mar-2005]

Next is planning to expand its chain of fashion stores with an additional 800,000 sq ft of selling space this year. [29-Mar-2005]

Newbury Town Council is inviting developers to propose plans to build a Mediterranean-style shopping plaza in the town centre. [23-Mar-2005]

House of Fraser has agreed to acquire Jenners, the Edinburgh-based department store with 750 staff, for £46m, and will retain the Jenners name. [22-Mar-2005]

House of Fraser is planning to expand its chain of 50 stores with 20 new sites over the next ten years, and is interested in locations such as York and Cambridge. [21-Mar-2005]

Kingfisher is to open five B&Q Warehouse branches this year, while its smaller chain of Mini-Warehouses will be expanded with 22 more conversions and ten new sites. [21-Mar-2005]

Bright Futures is planning to expand its chain of 30 Scootermart mobility products stores to 150 over the next five years. [21-Mar-2005]

Lidl is planning to double its chain of 18 discount stores in the north-east over the next five years, and may also set up a new distribution centre, with the creation of up to 900 jobs. [21-Mar-2005]

House of Fraser is in negotiations to acquire Jenner, the Edinburgh-based department store with branches at Glasgow and Edinburgh airports and at Loch Lomond. [17-Mar-2005]

TJ Hughes is planning to open a further six discount stores across the country with the creation of about 400 jobs, taking the total chain to 44 outlets. [17-Mar-2005]

Tesco is planning to sell ten stores and two distribution centres to Consensus in a £350m sale and leaseback deal. [16-Mar-2005]

MDA is to create about 260 jobs at its new £5m promotional goods warehouse in Blackburn over the next two years. [15-Mar-2005]

Greggs is planning to create 650 jobs at its bakery operations throughout the country over the next year. [15-Mar-2005]

Iceland Frozen Foods is to shed 400 of the 1,200 jobs at its headquarters in Deeside, Flintshire, by June. [15-Mar-2005]

Wrexham Council is to consider plans from Wilson Bowden for a £95m retail development in the town centre, including a Debenhams department store and up to 40 smaller units. [15-Mar-2005]

Restormel Borough Council has approved plans for the £40m regeneration of the shopping facilities in St Austell town centre. [14-Mar-2005]

Bathstore is planning to expand its chain of 70 bathroom shops with 30 new stores this year and 50 in 2006. [14-Mar-2005]

Ecco is planning to expand its chain of ten shoe shops with up to 20 new sites over the next three years, including seven this year. [14-Mar-2005]

Waitrose, the food retailer, is planning to open six stores this year, while 74 will be refurbished and six extended. [14-Mar-2005]

Somerfield is planning to expand its chain of 48 Essentials convenience stores with a further 23 sites over the next year. [14-Mar-2005]

Tesco has reached agreement with Rosemound and British Land to set up a 750,000 sq ft distribution centre at the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal. [14-Mar-2005]

Pavers has won permission from City of York Council to set up a £3m 40,000 sq ft shoe distribution centre in Poppleton, securing 45 jobs and creating 55 new ones. [10-Mar-2005]

Unwins, the off-licence chain with 388 stores, has been acquired by DM Private Equity for about £32m, and DM plans to sell the wholesale business and close 10% of the stores. [08-Mar-2005]

Travis Perkins is planning to expand its chain of builders' merchants with 70 new sites this year, while its Wickes DIY chain will open fewer than ten stores. [08-Mar-2005]

Bargain Booze, the drinks retailer with 550 stores, has been put up for sale by BWG Group. [07-Mar-2005]

Lloyd Maunder is to acquire the Dewhurst chain of 109 butcher shops, which will involve the transfer of 500 staff. [07-Mar-2005]

Devernois of France is planning to expand its UK-based chain of fashion stores from two to 12 over the next three years. [07-Mar-2005]

Hyndburn Borough Council is to consider plans from Peel Holdings for the £26m revamp of the Peel Centre in Accrington, in order to attract larger retailers and create hundreds of jobs. [02-Mar-2005]

Tesco is seeking permission from Hastings Borough Council to rebuild its supermarket in St Leonards, with the creation of 120 new jobs. [02-Mar-2005]

Littlewoods is planning to relocate its home shopping business and 1,500 staff from Crosby to a new multi-million pound site at Netherton's Senate business park. [28-Feb-2005]

Carphone Warehouse is planning to open 100 mobile phone stores this year, having identified 300 potential sites. [28-Feb-2005]

Slater Menswear is planning to expand its chain of 20 stores to at least 25 this year. [28-Feb-2005]

Olio & Farina, the Italian food and kitchenware retailer, is to set up a franchise operation in the UK with its first store opening in St Albans in March. [28-Feb-2005]

Dabs.com, the online retailer valued at £90m, is considering plans to put the business up for sale over the next 18 months. [28-Feb-2005]

Farries is considering plans to close its Dumfries-based book supply business, with the loss of 32 jobs. [25-Feb-2005]

Morrisons is to recruit 350 staff for a new supermarket due to open at Easterhouse in Glasgow in the summer. [25-Feb-2005]

Asda is seeking permission to build a superstore at Pickering Street in north Liverpool, with the creation of 250 jobs. [24-Feb-2005]

Somerfield is planning a sale and leaseback deal with Palmer Capital Partners and Deutsche Property Asset Management for the 140 forecourt convenience stores acquired last week from Texaco. [24-Feb-2005]

Stockton Council is considering proposals for the £24m refurbishment of Billingham Forum, as part of a town centre regeneration plan. [23-Feb-2005]

St Edmundsbury Borough Council has announced plans for a £80m retail and housing development in Bury St Edmunds, including 35 new shops and a department store. [23-Feb-2005]

Jane Norman, the chain of almost 100 fashion stores, is to undergo a strategic review which could result in Graphite Capital deciding to sell the business for more than £100m. [21-Feb-2005]

Habitat, the furniture retailer, is planning to set up a flagship store on London's Regent Street, and is also seeking co-location sites with Borders nationwide. [21-Feb-2005]

Asda is to spend £600m on its expansion programme this year, including 20 new stores, 20 refurbishments and 6,000 new jobs. [21-Feb-2005]

DCK Concessions, the jewellery supplier with 3,000 concessions in 22 countries, is expected to be put up for sale by Barclays Private Equity with a valuation of £60m. [21-Feb-2005]

Shop Direct is conducting an efficiency review at the Kays Warehouse depot in Worcester, which could lead to the loss of 65 jobs. [18-Feb-2005]

Asda is to relocate its Bearsden superstore in Glasgow to a new 55,000 sq ft site nearby later this year, with the creation of 200 jobs. [18-Feb-2005]

Somerfield has agreed to acquire about 140 forecourt convenience stores from ChevronTexaco for an estimated £90m. [17-Feb-2005]

Bells Stores is to expand its Teesside-based chain of 55 convenience stores with eight new sites this year, as part of a £5m investment programme approved by new parent company Sainsbury. [17-Feb-2005]

House of Fraser is to open a new 140,000 sq ft department store in Bristol in 2008, as part of an extension of the Broadmead shopping centre. [17-Feb-2005]

Foyles is to open its second London book store at the Royal Festival Hall in June, and is also planning to expand overseas. [16-Feb-2005]

Bhs is to transform ten former Allders stores into furniture and home fittings outlets, including sites in Aylesford, Chester, Chichester, Guildford, Handforth Dean, Knaresborough, Leeds Kirkstall, Lincoln, Northampton and York. [15-Feb-2005]

Rossendale Council is to consider plans from Hurstwood Group for the £30m redevelopment of Rawtenstall town centre, including new shops, restaurants and leisure facilities. [14-Feb-2005]

Ponden Mill, the home furnishings retailer with 132 stores, has been acquired by Marston Mills for undisclosed terms. [14-Feb-2005]

Debenhams is to buy eight department stores from Allders, including sites in Portsmouth, Slough, Clapham, Basildon, Sutton, Woking, Chatham and Ilford. [14-Feb-2005]

ProLogis has let a 150,000 sq ft site at Apex Park in Daventry to Whistlestop for use as a distribution centre for the 99p chain of discount stores. [14-Feb-2005]

Morrisons has shortlisted a number of sites in Scotland for two 160,000 sq ft food preparation and grading warehouses and a 400,000 sq ft distribution centre. [14-Feb-2005]

Smile Stores has acquired Nugent Westward, the chain of 25 convenience stores in the south west, taking its total network to 110. [14-Feb-2005]

Fat Face is planning to expand its chain of 90 fashion stores with 20 new sites a year, and will use a larger format in major city centres and regional malls. [14-Feb-2005]

TM Lewin is to expand its chain of 21 clothing stores with eight new sites this year. [14-Feb-2005]

Asda is seeking permission to develop a £40m 380,000 sq ft clothing distribution centre in Washington, Wearside, by the end of 2006, with the creation of 700 jobs. [10-Feb-2005]

Somerfield, the chain of 1,250 supermarkets, has received a £1.03bn takeover approach from Baugur. [10-Feb-2005]

Trago Mills has won permission from Teignbridge Council to invest £7m in the development of a new garden centre and other facilities at its store near Newton Abbot. [09-Feb-2005]

New Look has announced that 70 staff have agreed to relocate from Weymouth to a new distribution centre in Staffordshire in September. [09-Feb-2005]

Unwins is set to agree a sale and leaseback deal for its £30m property portfolio, in order to secure the future of its chain of 387 off-licences. [08-Feb-2005]

Jimmy Chung's is planning to spend £2m expanding its Chinese restaurant chain with new outlets in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. [08-Feb-2005]

East Coast Group has acquired Bebecar, the London-based supplier of nursery products with 20 staff, for undisclosed terms. [07-Feb-2005]

GlynWebb, the chain of 26 DIY stores, is to invest £3.5m in new outlets and refurbishments this year. [07-Feb-2005]

Phase Eight, the chain of 46 fashion stores and 44 concessions, has undergone a £27m management buy-out and is now planning a major expansion programme. [07-Feb-2005]

Clinton Cards is said to be looking to sell off up to 130 stores following the recent acquisition of the Birthdays chain. [07-Feb-2005]

N Brown is considering plans to launch a chain of shoe shops under the Shoe Tailor fascia, depending on the success of a trial in Harrogate. [07-Feb-2005]

Hancocks Cash & Carry is to open a 15,000 sq ft depot in Watford and is also seeking suitable sites in Berkshire, Kent and Essex. [07-Feb-2005]

Caffe Nero is to continue expanding its chain of 198 coffee bars with 40 new sites a year. [07-Feb-2005]

Marks & Spencer has sold its former Baker Street headquarters in London to property company London & Regional for £115m. [07-Feb-2005]

Scotmid has awarded a £3.5m contract to Morrison Construction to build a new headquarters at Newbridge, near Edinburgh. [03-Feb-2005]

Rubicon, the owner of the Principles and Warehouse fashion chains, has been acquired by Shoe Studio Group in a £140m deal backed by Baugur. [03-Feb-2005]

Allders, the department store group currently in administration, is to shed 130 jobs at its head office in Croydon. [02-Feb-2005]

Asda is planning to open 30 jewellery counters, 30 photo centres and six optical departments in its stores, with the creation of 800 jobs. [01-Feb-2005]

Artigiano, the mail order fashion company, is planning to set up a 30,000 sq ft distribution centre in Cowes. [01-Feb-2005]

Woolworths, the high street retailer valued at about £700m, is expected to receive a takeover approach from private equity firm Apax Partners. [01-Feb-2005]

Co-op is to build a new regional distribution centre in West Thurrock, with the relocation of up to 550 staff from two existing sites in Gillingham and Swanley. [31-Jan-2005]

Littlewoods has received at least one takeover approach for its chain of 186 stores. [31-Jan-2005]

Ocado has secured a £15m equity investment to help fund the expansion of its online food retailing business. [31-Jan-2005]

Thresher is to shed about 120 head office and field management jobs, in order to focus on the expansion of its chain of off-licences. [31-Jan-2005]

Storey Carpets is planning to open 16 stores over the next two years, including new sites for all three of its fascias - Storey, Walter Wall Carpets and Woodland Floors. [31-Jan-2005]

Crew Clothing is planning to expand its chain of 30 sports fashion stores with five new outlets this year. [31-Jan-2005]

Racing Green is planning to open a further 15 fashion stores over the next two years. [31-Jan-2005]

Ikea has identified nine suitable locations for a new small store format, which should help the furniture retailer avoid planning difficulties encountered with the larger format. [31-Jan-2005]

Etam and Tammy, the two chains of 210 fashion stores, have been put up for sale by French parent Etam Developpement with an estimated value of £50m. [27-Jan-2005]

Jaeger is planning to open at least ten fashion stores and concessions over the next year, to add to the existing 89. [26-Jan-2005]

Caudwell Group is to close its chain of 52 Must Have It stores, which was previously known as The Discovery Store, with the loss of 400 jobs. [26-Jan-2005]

Penny Plain is planning to launch a nationwide chain of fashion accessory stores, depending on the success of a trial in Northumberland. [25-Jan-2005]

Cook is planning to expand its chain of 14 frozen meal shops with ten new sites a year, and will open a £1.5m 31,000 sq ft production facility in Sittingbourne in August. [24-Jan-2005]

Dixons is planning to relocate up to 40 of its 300 Currys electrical stores away from "fashion-led" retail parks over the next three years, due to the comparatively high rents. [24-Jan-2005]

Corby Council is considering plans from Tops Estates for the development of a £35m shopping mall at Willow Place. [24-Jan-2005]

Hobbs is planning to expand its chain of fashion stores in market towns across the country, and expects to open 16 concessions this year. [24-Jan-2005]

Shoefayre is planning to convert 120 of its 260 Shoefayre footwear stores to its new SF fascia, and four new outlets will open over the next few months. [24-Jan-2005]

Debenhams is planning to expand its chain of 107 department stores with at least 25 new sites by 2008. [24-Jan-2005]

Netto is planning to open 70 discount supermarkets in south Wales, with the creation of 1,700 jobs. [21-Jan-2005]

Merchant Retail has sold two department stores in Sunderland and Hexham to Owen Owen for £5m. [20-Jan-2005]

Tesco is planning to build a superstore in Rutherglen, Glasgow, with the creation of 350 jobs, as part of a £40m redevelopment project by Vico Property Group. [20-Jan-2005]

Lichfield District Council has chosen S Harrison Developments as preferred developer for the £80m transformation of the Birmingham Road area of Lichfield, including new shops, leisure facilities, a hotel and offices. [19-Jan-2005]

City of Edinburgh Council is to consider plans from the Fountain North consortium for the £200m redevelopment of eight acres of S&N's Fountainbridge brewery site, including new shops, offices and homes. [19-Jan-2005]

Bestway has agreed to acquire Batleys, the Leeds-based chain of 18 cash and carry depots with 2,500 staff, for undisclosed terms. [19-Jan-2005]

Tragus Holdings, the chain of 157 Cafe Rouge and Bella Italia restaurants, has been acquired by Legal & General Ventures for about £92m, and plans to open at least 12 new sites a year. [19-Jan-2005]

Gaucho Grill, the chain of Argentine restaurants, has undergone a £23m management buy-out backed by Barclays Private Equity, and there are plans to double the eight-strong chain over the next four years. [19-Jan-2005]

WestLB is said to be planning to sell the Boxclever TV rental business to Fortress Investor Group and Cerberus Capital for an estimated £140m. [18-Jan-2005]

John Cheatle Group has acquired the Rawcliffes chain of 19 schoolwear shops for undisclosed terms, taking its total network to 70. [17-Jan-2005]

Sainsbury has confirmed plans to shed a further 600 jobs at its Holborn head office in London by April. [17-Jan-2005]

Tesco is planning to trial a new out-of-town store format that does not sell food, in order to increase sales of electrical goods, CDs and other products. [17-Jan-2005]

Powerhouse is planning to shed 300 non-sales jobs in its 120 electrical stores, but up to 100 could be redeployed as sales staff. [17-Jan-2005]

Virgin Megastores is planning to open ten shops and refurbish 30 this year, but up to 30 underperforming stores will close. [17-Jan-2005]

CJ Lang & Son of Dundee is looking to add 26 convenience stores to its chain this year, taking the total to 100. [14-Jan-2005]

Bestway is in talks to acquire Batleys, which could lead to the creation of a combined chain of 50 cash and carry depots. [13-Jan-2005]

Asda is seeking permission to build a superstore at Horn Hill in Lowestoft, with the creation of up to 250 jobs. [13-Jan-2005]

United Carpets is planning to raise £5m in a flotation to fund the doubling of its chain of 50 carpet stores. [12-Jan-2005]

Robert Dyas is planning to expand its chain of 85 hardware stores with 25 new sites this year. [11-Jan-2005]

Superquinn, the Irish grocery retailer, is to be acquired by Select Retail Holdings for £244m, and the new owners may expand the business into Northern Ireland. [10-Jan-2005]

Craghoppers is planning to open a further 30 outdoor clothing concessions this year. [10-Jan-2005]

JJB Sports is planning to accelerate the opening programme for its chain of combined health clubs and superstores, with 18 new sites planned for the next year. [10-Jan-2005]

Domino's Pizza is planning to expand its chain of 300 pizza outlets over the next three years, including four new sites in Northern Ireland. [10-Jan-2005]

Morrisons is seeking permission to build a superstore at Foss Islands Road in York, with the creation of 350 jobs. [10-Jan-2005]

Woolworths is to close its Big W superstore in Coventry next month, while its site near Redruth is being acquired by Tesco. [07-Jan-2005]

Scottish Co-op is to invest £16m in expanding and improving its chain of stores this year, including new stores in Moodiesburn, near Glasgow, and Balmedie, near Aberdeen. [07-Jan-2005]

Marks & Spencer has agreed to sell its Lifestore site in Gateshead for £35m, and the 77,000 sq ft store will be leased to Danish furniture retailer Ilva. [04-Jan-2005]