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Olan Mills, the Northamptonshire-based chain of 34 photography studios, has ceased trading with the loss of hundreds of jobs. 30-Dec-2008 Stoke-on-Trent City Council is to receive plans from Aynsley Mill to develop a new shopping centre at the former Aynsley China site in Longton, including 56,000 sq ft of retail space, a craft workshop and garden centre. 29-Dec-2008 Clas Ohlson is planning to open up to six hardware stores across the country during 2009, starting with a unit at the Arndale centre in Manchester that will create 60 jobs. 24-Dec-2008 Allied Carpets, the chain of 220 flooring stores with 1,600 staff, has appointed Lazard to find a buyer. 24-Dec-2008 Tesco is planning to build a new retail park at the former Campbell's Soup site in King's Lynn, which could create up to 300 jobs. 23-Dec-2008 Co-operative Group is to submit plans to invest £100m in the development of a new 400,000 sq ft headquarters for 3,000 staff at the Northern Gateway in Manchester by 2011. 23-Dec-2008 Poundland is planning to expand its chain of 200 discount stores with 35 new outlets in 2009, creating about 1,200 jobs. 22-Dec-2008 Lidl is planning to expand its chain of 505 discount supermarkets with more than 50 new stores in 2009. 22-Dec-2008 Jack Wolfskin of Germany is planning to set up a chain of outdoor clothing and sportswear stores in the UK, and is currently seeking retail partners. 22-Dec-2008 Trade Secret is planning to open two furniture clearance warehouses in the Birmingham area in 2009. 22-Dec-2008 Booths is to submit plans to build a new 36,000 sq ft supermarket at Poulton-le-Fylde in Lancashire, as part of a £30m development that would include a new 45,000 sq ft civic centre and offices for Wyre Borough Council. 17-Dec-2008 French Eye is expanding its chain of five fashion stores in London with three new outlets. 15-Dec-2008 Lief! of the Netherlands is planning to open up to ten babywear stores in the UK over the next two years, and is currently seeking a franchise partner. 15-Dec-2008 Aldi is planning to invest £50m opening about ten new discount supermarkets in North Wales over the next five years, with the creation of more than 150 jobs. 12-Dec-2008 Greggs is to convert its chain of 160 Bakers Oven shops to its main Greggs brand. 10-Dec-2008 Hammerson has submitted plans for the £100m third phase of the West Quay shopping centre scheme in Southampton, including 200,000 sq ft of retail space. 09-Dec-2008 Republic is planning to expand its chain of 93 fashion stores with 100 new outlets over the next six years. 08-Dec-2008 Greggs is planning to open a further ten bakery outlets in the North West over the next year, to add to the existing 140. 08-Dec-2008 East Renfrewshire Council is to consider plans for the £60m expansion of The Avenue shopping centre in Newton Mearns, which would create 12 new stores. 08-Dec-2008 Morrisons has acquired 38 stores from the Co-operative Group for £223m, and will invest £98m refurbishing the sites. 05-Dec-2008 Bow Street Mall has submitted plans for the £180m expansion of its shopping centre in Lisburn city centre, including a 260,000 sq ft department store, 30 retail units and the creation of 1,000 jobs. 03-Dec-2008 Perry Uniform is to set up a new 15,000 sq ft clothing production and design site in Bramley, Leeds, with the creation of about 30 jobs. 03-Dec-2008 Aldi is to create about 500 jobs in Kent over the next few years, including the opening of a £40m depot on the Isle of Sheppey and a number of discount supermarkets. 03-Dec-2008 Costco is planning to expand its chain of 21 wholesale depots by opening two or three new sites a year. 02-Dec-2008 Halfords is to shed 250 jobs from its chain of car parts and cycle stores, and a further 50 of the 650 jobs at its head office in Redditch could also be lost. 02-Dec-2008 Wilkinson is considering plans to shed up to 1,500 of the 25,000 jobs in its chain of 312 discount hardware stores, due to the introduction of a new stock handling system next year. 02-Dec-2008 Cash Generator is to invest £23m in the expansion of its chain of more than 70 second-hand goods stores to 200 over the next five years, with the creation of 700 jobs. 02-Dec-2008 JJB Sports has sold four sports stores in Cardiff Bay, Salisbury, Worthing and York to Sports Direct for £3.4m. 02-Dec-2008 ICD Wales has closed the remaining 25 Ferrari's bakery outlets in South Wales, with the loss of about 150 jobs. 01-Dec-2008 KFC is planning to expand its chain of 780 fast-food restaurants in the UK and Ireland with 45 new outlets in 2009, and its US parent company is considering the introduction of the Taco Bell brand to the UK. 01-Dec-2008 McGregor is considering plans to introduce its fashion stores to the UK, having appointed Savills to find sites for its first two outlets in London. 01-Dec-2008 Halfords is considering plans to open a chain of up to 50 Cycle Republic stores, depending on the success of two trial outlets in Norwich and York. 01-Dec-2008 Whittard of Chelsea, the chain of 135 tea and coffee stores, has been put up for sale by Baugur. 01-Dec-2008 Kingfisher is to close its chain of nine Trade Depot building supplies stores, in order to focus on B&Q and Screwfix. 28-Nov-2008 Allegra Hicks, the London-based fashion brand, has been sold out of administration by ReSolve Partners to a new company called AH Lifestyle. 27-Nov-2008 Tchibo is considering plans to close up to 50 of its coffee outlets, mostly in the South of England. 27-Nov-2008 Tesco has confirmed plans to build a new store in Welshpool, with the creation of 163 jobs. 26-Nov-2008 Shakeaholic is expanding its milk shake bars business in the North East from two outlets to five by January, with the creation of up to 40 jobs. 26-Nov-2008 Tesco has submitted plans to Bolton Council to build a new store in Farnworth, with the creation of 300 jobs. 26-Nov-2008 Brakes is considering plans to close its Woodward Foodservice depot in Aberdeen, having recently closed depots in Durham and Barnsley. 25-Nov-2008 Caffe Nero is planning to expand its chain of 393 coffee shops with at least 35 new outlets in the UK and abroad over the next year. 25-Nov-2008 Supergroup is planning to open up to 40 Cult Clothing and Superdry fashion stores over the next three years, having appointed Jones Lang LaSalle to find suitable sites. 24-Nov-2008 Floors 2 Go is planning to open a further 20 flooring stores over the next year. 24-Nov-2008 Waitrose is to set up a 34,218 sq ft store in Weston-super-Mare by summer 2009, with the creation of 160 jobs. 21-Nov-2008 B&Q has unveiled plans for its new headquarters in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, and hopes to relocate about 1,500 staff to the site by 2011. 20-Nov-2008 Peacocks has raised £20m from two US hedge funds to expand its chain of 460 discount fashion stores with up to 40 new outlets a year. 20-Nov-2008 Mills Group is planning to expand its chain of 75 convenience stores with six new outlets next year. 18-Nov-2008 New Look, the fashion retailer, is considering plans to relocate its executive functions from Weymouth to a new London headquarters of up to 50,000 sq ft. 18-Nov-2008 Shuropody is planning to expand its chain of 53 footwear stores to at least 100 over the next five years, and an 18-month refit programme for the existing stores will begin in January. 17-Nov-2008 Otto UK is planning to shed up to 100 buying and creative jobs from the 4,200-strong workforce in its home shopping business. 17-Nov-2008 Headmasters is to open a further five hairdressing salons in the South East, taking its chain to more than 40. 17-Nov-2008 Sainsbury's has announced plans to build a new store at Hardwick Junction in King's Lynn, which could create up to 400 jobs. 14-Nov-2008 Juicy Couture of the US is planning to open its first fashion store in the UK, with negotiations taking place for a 5,000 sq ft unit on Bruton Street in London. 11-Nov-2008 Specsavers is considering plans to set up a 55,000 sq ft office at the Fusion 3 development on the Solent Business Park near Southampton early next year. 11-Nov-2008 Asda has won approval from Wansbeck Council for a new £25m 53,000 sq ft store at Portland Park in Ashington, with the creation of 250 jobs. 10-Nov-2008 Tesco has won permission to build a new 60,000 sq ft superstore at Summerhill in west Aberdeen, with the creation of about 300 jobs. 10-Nov-2008 Homebase is expected to shed a few hundred jobs in its DIY retailing business early next year. 10-Nov-2008 Sally Hair & Beauty Supplies is relocating its European headquarters at Winnersh Triangle near Reading to a larger 24,000 sq ft unit on the same park. 10-Nov-2008 Beyond Retro is seeking suitable sites to open more vintage clothing stores in London and cities such as Brighton, Glasgow and Manchester. 10-Nov-2008 Flamingo Flowers is to close its Lingarden flowers production site at Stone Gate near Spalding in February, but 120 of the 235 jobs will transfer to other sites. 07-Nov-2008 John Lewis is to create about 150 jobs at a new food hall due to open at the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent early next year. 05-Nov-2008 Dunelm Mill is to create 150 jobs at a new 36,000 sq ft soft furnishings store due to open at Friary Retail Park in Plymouth in December. 05-Nov-2008 Primark is planning to open at least 12 more discount fashion stores in the UK and Spain over the next year. 05-Nov-2008 Pets at Home is planning to expand its chain of 220 pet stores with ten new branches by the end of the year and 20 during 2009. 04-Nov-2008 Sainsbury's is to submit plans to East Lindsey District Council to build a 25,000 sq ft store in Louth, with the creation of 250 jobs. 03-Nov-2008 Sainsbury's is planning to build up to five £8m regional anaerobic digester plants by 2010, in order to process all of the food waste from its nationwide supermarket chain. 03-Nov-2008 Red 5 is planning to open three gift stores at Westfield London, Southampton and Milton Keynes. 03-Nov-2008 Sainsbury's is to set up a 25,000 sq ft concept store to trial trading formats at a warehouse in Park Royal, West London. 03-Nov-2008 Johnson Service is to spend £6m on the introduction of the environmentally friendly GreenEarth cleaning technology into 150 of its dry-cleaning branches by 2012. 30-Oct-2008 BrightHouse is planning to open 15 electrical stores in the Manchester area over the next few years, with the creation of about 100 jobs, and believes there is potential to expand the nationwide chain from 177 to 600. 30-Oct-2008 Oldham Council is to consider plans from Copley Square for a £20m retail development on Featherstall Road, which would create 100 jobs. 30-Oct-2008 Asda is to submit plans to build a new 31,000 sq ft store in Larkhall, South Lanarkshire, with the creation of 350 jobs. 29-Oct-2008 Barbour is seeking a suitable 2,000 sq ft site in central London for a flagship sports clothing store. 28-Oct-2008 Apple has won planning consent to set up a 30,000 sq ft computer products store and a 30,000 sq ft European headquarters at Covent Garden in London. 27-Oct-2008 Next has appointed CB Richard Ellis to advise on the opening of six new stores over the next six months for its recently-acquired Lipsy fashion brand. 27-Oct-2008 Sweaty Betty is planning to double its chain of 20 women's sportswear stores over the next five years. 27-Oct-2008 Shop Direct Group is to shed up to 278 jobs at home shopping sites in Bolton, Burnley, Crosby, Powys, Preston, Sunderland and Worcester, although the staff are being offered alternative work. 23-Oct-2008 Grolier is considering plans to shed about 100 jobs at its Norfolk-based mail order books business, unless a buyer can be found. 23-Oct-2008 Sellicks is to close its greetings card and stationery distribution business in South Devon, with the loss of 33 jobs, although some parts of the business will be acquired by Cards & Stationery SW and Perkins of Ferndown. 23-Oct-2008 Lincolnshire Co-operative is to invest £7m in improvements to the Birchwood shopping centre in Lincoln by 2010, including new shops and offices. 21-Oct-2008 Co-operative Group is looking to dispose of 126 local stores, in order to gain approval from the Office of Fair Trading for the £1.6bn acquisition of Somerfield. 21-Oct-2008 Marks & Spencer is planning to shed dozens of head office jobs, in order to cut back its property and store design departments. 21-Oct-2008 JW Filshill of Glasgow is looking to expand its delivered wholesale business into England over the coming weeks. 21-Oct-2008 Tesco is planning to build a 140,000 sq ft store at a 500,000 sq ft retail, leisure and office development being designed by Glenn Howells for a 38-acre site in West Bromwich. 21-Oct-2008 Tesco is considering plans to shed up to 65 of the 750 jobs at its distribution centre in Hinckley. 20-Oct-2008 Stoke-on-Trent City Council is to consider plans from Realis Estates to build a £250m shopping centre in Hanley, including 70 stores, a cinema, a hotel and the creation of 2,000 jobs. 20-Oct-2008 Casual Male Retail Group of the US is considering plans to open high street fashion stores for large men in the UK, but will start by selling online. 20-Oct-2008 Carphone Warehouse is considering plans to open a new chain of electronics stores offering wireless products, games and digital TV content, depending on the success of a trial at Westfield London. 20-Oct-2008 David Sands is planning to expand its chain of 24 Kinross-based convenience stores with two new stores this year. 17-Oct-2008 Tesco has submitted plans to Liverpool City Council to build a Tesco Extra store in Toxteth, with the creation of 300 jobs. 15-Oct-2008 JJB Sports is considering plans to sell about 100 Qube and Original Shoe Company stores, in order to strengthen its balance sheet. 15-Oct-2008 Best Buy of the US and Carphone Warehouse have unveiled plans to jointly open up to five consumer electronics stores by the end of the year, and a further 100 will open by 2013. 15-Oct-2008 Tesco is planning to build a new 45,000 sq ft store in Caernarfon, with the creation of at least 320 jobs. 14-Oct-2008 Clinton Cards is to close at least 15 greetings card stores this year, as part of a strategy to focus on the more profitable outlets. 14-Oct-2008 Alfred Jones is planning to expand its Warrington-based chain of 75 convenience stores to 100 over the next few years. 14-Oct-2008 Rosebys, the homewares retailer currently in administration, has closed its distribution centre in Selby with the loss of 87 jobs, and a further 186 jobs have been lost with the closure of 31 stores. 13-Oct-2008 Coffee Republic is looking to open a further 20 coffee bars in Scotland, having appointed King Sturge to find suitable sites. 13-Oct-2008 Bestseller Group of Denmark is planning to open up to 12 Vero Moda and Jack & Jones fashion stores in the UK next year, having appointed Harper Dennis Hobbs to find suitable sites. 13-Oct-2008 No Name of Greece is planning to open separate menswear and womenswear stores at Westfield London, and is also looking at Birmingham and Manchester. 13-Oct-2008 Steamer Trading Cookshop is planning to expand its chain of 18 kitchenware stores to 30 by 2011. 13-Oct-2008 Specsavers is planning to expand its chain of 603 optical stores with 20 new outlets in the London area over the next 18 months. 13-Oct-2008 WH Smith is considering plans to expand its chain of 80 hospital-based stationery outlets to a further 50 sites over the next five years. 13-Oct-2008 Sainsbury's is planning to build a 50,000 sq ft store at Bromsgrove Retail Park, with the creation of more than 400 jobs. 10-Oct-2008 Crawley Borough Council has unveiled proposals for the £750m redevelopment of Crawley town centre, including offices, a hotel and a new John Lewis department store. 09-Oct-2008 Boots is to shed 240 jobs over the next 18 months, in order to integrate functions carried out in Nottingham and Feltham. 09-Oct-2008 Mark Elliot Furniture is to close showrooms in Belfast, Beverley, Colchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with the loss of 17 jobs. 08-Oct-2008 Focus is to shed up to 750 jobs from its nationwide chain of 180 DIY stores, including 57 at its support centre in Crewe. 08-Oct-2008 Tesco is to transfer up to 60 support jobs from a call centre in Dundee to India, but the affected staff will be offered alternative work and a further 95 staff will be recruited over the next six weeks. 08-Oct-2008 Oswestry Borough Council is to consider plans from Liberty Mercian for a £56m retail development at Smithfield Cattlemarket, including a cinema, restaurants and the creation of 800 jobs. 06-Oct-2008 Tesco has unveiled plans to build a 25,000 sq ft store at Cefn Mawr, near Wrexham, with the creation of 140 jobs, which would involve the relocation of NEWI Cefn Druids to a new 5,000-capacity football ground. 06-Oct-2008 Screwfix, the tools and hardware supplier, is to shed up to 50 of the 1,000 jobs at its headquarters in Yeovil. 06-Oct-2008 Pizza Hut is to invest £100m in its chain of 700 restaurants over the next six years, including new outlets and a change of name to Pasta Hut. 06-Oct-2008 Van Hage is to set up an 89,000 sq ft garden centre at Peterborough Garden Park by next autumn. 06-Oct-2008 Argos is looking to open up to 30 smaller catalogue stores of about 3,500 sq ft in London. 06-Oct-2008 La Senza is planning to open a further 20 lingerie stores by March 2009, and is also introducing hair accessories, jewellery and cosmetics. 06-Oct-2008 Shop Direct Group is to shed up to 70 management jobs at its Merseyside-based home shopping business, as part of a strategy to focus on online sales. 03-Oct-2008 Ethicalsuperstore has raised £1m from NorthStar Equity Investors and Rathbone Greenbank to fund the expansion of its Gateshead-based online shopping business and the increase in its workforce from 25 to 40 over the next year. 03-Oct-2008 Tesco is to create more than 350 new jobs across Northern Ireland this year, and a new store is due to open in Ballymena next month. 02-Oct-2008 Waitrose is planning to open hundreds of convenience stores in town centres and railway stations across the country, with the first opening in Nottingham in December. 02-Oct-2008 Bosideng of China is linking up with Greenwoods to open up to 100 menswear stores in the UK over the next five years, having just opened the first in Bury St Edmunds. 30-Sep-2008 Cinnabon is planning to open up to 40 bakery outlets across the UK over the next four years, having opened the first in London's Piccadilly Circus in July. 29-Sep-2008 White Stuff is to open new fashion stores in Cardiff, Marlborough and Shrewsbury in the next month. 29-Sep-2008 Guess of the US is planning to open five accessories stores in the UK by the end of the year, with the first due to open in Bromley. 29-Sep-2008 Tampopo is to invest £2.2m in the expansion of its Manchester-based chain of five noodle bars, having secured funding from the Co-operative Bank. 26-Sep-2008 Marks & Spencer is to set up a 1.1m sq ft distribution centre at ProLogis Park in Bradford. 24-Sep-2008 Clapham House is planning to expand its chain of 53 Gourmet Burger Kitchen restaurants with four new sites by the end of the year. 23-Sep-2008 Own Online is looking to expand its Devon-based online grocery business across the country, in order to offer local products through a franchising system. 23-Sep-2008 Dobbies Garden Centres has unveiled plans to open a new £8.5m garden centre in Aberdeen by October 2009, with the creation of 120 jobs. 22-Sep-2008 Anglia Regional Co-operative Society is to shed up to 27 of the 3,700 jobs at its chain of 100 stores across East Anglia. 22-Sep-2008 Dabs.com is to shed 20 of the 240 jobs at its Bolton-based electrical products retailing business. 22-Sep-2008 Kingfisher, the owner of the B&Q chain of DIY stores, is considering plans to relocate its tax base to a lower-cost country such as Ireland or Luxembourg. 22-Sep-2008 Ping Pong is planning to expand its London-based chain of six dim sum restaurants with up to 20 takeaway outlets over the next four years. 22-Sep-2008 JoJo Maman Bebe is looking to expand its chain of 22 maternity and nursery stores with eight new outlets a year. 22-Sep-2008 Mamas & Papas is planning to expand its chain of 31 maternity and nursery stores with 12 new outlets by the end of next year. 22-Sep-2008 House of Fraser is to convert its 80,000 sq ft department store in Swindon into a new House of Fraser Outlet format, in order to clear excess stock, and similar stores could follow if the trial is successful. 22-Sep-2008 DFS has shed about 100 of the 3,000 jobs in its furniture retailing business, affecting staff at warehouses, stores and head office. 22-Sep-2008 Roadchef is to invest £20m refurbishing its larger motorway service stations over the next few years. 22-Sep-2008 Woolworths is considering plans to shed up to a third of the 1,000 retail division jobs at head office, and up to 120 stores will be sold or sub-let. 18-Sep-2008 Nevisport is looking to double its chain of ten outdoor clothing stores, including its first outlets in southern England. 15-Sep-2008 Moss Bros is looking to sell its chain of 13 Cecil Gee menswear stores, in order to focus on its Moss chain and franchise operations. 11-Sep-2008 Thresher is planning to open 15 new wine stores by the end of the year, including five Wine Racks and ten under The Local brand. 11-Sep-2008 Azendi is planning to more than double its chain of jewellery stores to 22 by the end of next year. 08-Sep-2008 Original Factory Shop is to increase the expansion rate for its chain of 91 discount stores by opening more than 20 new outlets a year, having identified 700 suitable towns. 08-Sep-2008 South Somerset Council has approved plans for the £45m expansion of the Quedam shopping centre in Yeovil, including 25 new units. 05-Sep-2008 Dawson International is to close its 120 Dorma soft furnishing concessions by 2011, with the loss of about 400 jobs, following the recent sale of the Dorma trademark. 05-Sep-2008 Cheltenham Borough Council is in talks with B2 Retail and Cheltenham Borough Homes about plans for the £70m revamp of Hester's Way over the next five years, including a new shopping centre with 30 shops. 04-Sep-2008 The New Swindon Company has announced a development agreement with Modus Properties for the £215m Regent Place scheme in Swindon town centre, including retail, residential and leisure space. 04-Sep-2008 Nine West is to reduce its chain of standalone shoe stores from ten to four, in order to focus on department store concessions. 02-Sep-2008 Mountain Warehouse is looking to expand its chain of outdoor clothing stores further into Scotland, having just acquired outlets in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Stirling and East Kilbride. 01-Sep-2008 Adams Childrenswear is planning to expand its chain of 260 stores with ten new shops and concessions this year, and a further 20 will open next year. 01-Sep-2008 A-Wear of Ireland is planning to open three fashion stores in the UK this year and a further ten next year. 01-Sep-2008 Aberdeenshire Council has approved plans from Hermiston Securities for the development of a new retail park in Peterhead, including up to eight shops and the creation of 300 jobs. 29-Aug-2008 Palmer & Harvey McLane is to close the Winerite wine merchant in Leeds in September, with the loss of up to 70 jobs. 27-Aug-2008 Quintain Estates is planning to set up a multicultural food market at its 200,000 sq ft Wembley Retail Park development in London, in order to house about 40 traders from the closed Oriental City. 27-Aug-2008 The Rossiters department store in Paignton is to close next January, with the loss of almost 100 jobs. 26-Aug-2008 GO Outdoors is to create 30 jobs at a new camping superstore due to open in Wolverhampton in September. 26-Aug-2008 New Look is creating 70 new jobs at its clothing distribution centre at the Lymedale Business Park in Staffordshire. 26-Aug-2008 Wolverine of the US has appointed Harper Dennis Hobbs to advise on the expansion of its footwear chain in the UK. 25-Aug-2008 Sainsbury's is to proceed with plans to set up a 670,000 sq ft distribution centre at the Bridge scheme in Dartford, and the site will be operated by DHL. 25-Aug-2008 The Entertainer is to expand its chain of 42 toy shops with five new outlets this year. 25-Aug-2008 Dwell is planning to expand its chain of 11 furniture stores to 50 over the next four years. 25-Aug-2008 Mamas & Papas is planning to open four more nursery stores in Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff and London this year. 25-Aug-2008 House of Fraser is to invest £150m in the overhaul of its department stores by the end of the year, including outlets in Leeds, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Reading, Edinburgh and Bluewater. 22-Aug-2008 Brew is planning to set up a chain of tea shops, including four outlets in Liverpool. 21-Aug-2008 Tibits of Switzerland is planning to open its first two vegetarian restaurants in London by October, including sites at Regent Street and Westfield. 21-Aug-2008 KFC is to pilot a new breakfast menu and earlier opening hours at its 15 fast food outlets in the Tyne Tees area, with the creation of 150 jobs. 19-Aug-2008 Big Johns is to invest £2m in the expansion of its Birmingham-based chain of 15 fast food outlets, including 20 new sites and the creation of more than 100 jobs. 19-Aug-2008 Comet is to stop employing deputy managers in its 250 electrical product stores, which could lead to the loss of more than 100 jobs. 18-Aug-2008 Individual Restaurant Company has secured £18m from Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets to fund the expansion of its chain of 30 restaurants with seven new outlets across the country this year. 18-Aug-2008 NWF is looking to sell its six garden centres in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, Nottingham, Wakefield, Widnes and Worksop, in order to focus on distribution, animal feeds and fuel supply. 15-Aug-2008 Vodafone is looking to open a further 50 mobile phone stores with the creation of 200 jobs. 14-Aug-2008 Primark, the discount clothing retailer, is to set up a 640,000 sq ft distribution centre at Thrapston in Northamptonshire. 14-Aug-2008 Milestone Country Living is to set up a £1.5m retail park next to the Plants R Ross nursery in Easington, County Durham, by next March, enabling local businesses to sell natural and homemade products. 13-Aug-2008 Tesco is to submit plans to Rotherham Council to build a new store on its existing site in Dinnington, with the creation of up to 150 jobs. 13-Aug-2008 Tesco is to invest £60m in an alliance with the Tata conglomerate to open three cash-and-carry stores in India over the next two years. 13-Aug-2008 Helly Hansen is planning to open its first outdoor clothing store in the UK next year. 13-Aug-2008 Flexa of Denmark is planning to open up to five furniture stores in Scotland, having appointed Montagu Evans to find suitable sites. 08-Aug-2008 S Gold & Sons has closed its home entertainments wholesaling business in Walthamstow with the loss of about 200 jobs. 07-Aug-2008 McDonald's is launching a recruitment drive for 4,000 staff for its fast food restaurants across the country. 07-Aug-2008 Ellis Brigham, the outdoor clothing retailer, is to set up a new £4m 80,000 sq ft warehouse and headquarters at Brunel Avenue in Salford. 07-Aug-2008 Decathlon of France is planning to expand its UK chain of six sportswear stores to 40 over the next five years. 04-Aug-2008 TJ Morris is planning to expand its chain of Home Bargains discount stores from 140 to more than 500 over the next few years. 04-Aug-2008 Crystal Galleries is relocating its Middlesbrough-based gifts business and 54 staff to a new £1m site on Skippers Lane Industrial Estate. 01-Aug-2008 The St David's Partnership has launched a recruitment drive for 4,000 staff for the new St David's shopping centre due to open in Cardiff next year, in partnership with John Lewis, Jobcentre Plus and local councils. 30-Jul-2008 East of England Co-operative Society is to set up a new head office at Wherstead Park in Ipswich by the end of the year. 30-Jul-2008 Desigual of Spain is planning to open a further five fashion stores across the UK over the next two years. 28-Jul-2008 BrightHouse is to expand its chain of 168 electrical stores with 25 new outlets this year and up to 40 next year. 28-Jul-2008 Shuropody is planning to open ten footcare stores over the next five months, having bought the Scholl retail business from Alliance Boots. 28-Jul-2008 Krispy Kreme is looking to expand its chain of 40 doughnut stores across the country, with the first Scottish outlets opening by the end of 2010. 28-Jul-2008 Waitrose is planning to open a 23,000 sq ft supermarket in Colchester by October 2009. 24-Jul-2008 Blacks Leisure is to shed about 25 jobs at its outdoor clothing distribution centre in Northampton, in order to outsource the work to NYK Logistics in Brackmills. 22-Jul-2008 Myla has raised £2.7m from investors to fund the expansion of its upmarket lingerie business. 21-Jul-2008 Dune is planning to expand its chain of 43 footwear stores by opening new outlets in Westfield London and Liverpool One in September and by relocating smaller stores to larger sites. 21-Jul-2008 Best Buy of the US is to open its first UK electrical stores in Thurrock, Staines and London, and is expected to open up to 20 outlets next year. 21-Jul-2008 Tesco is to seek permission to build a Tesco Extra store at Bulwell in Nottingham, which could create 440 jobs by the end of next year. 18-Jul-2008 Blacks Leisure is planning to open five more "test stores" in Edinburgh, Bristol and Newcastle in September, including two trading as Millets. 18-Jul-2008 Tesco has unveiled plans to extend its store in Rugby, with the creation of 200 jobs. 17-Jul-2008 BP is considering plans to open up to 50 standalone Wild Bean Cafes by the end of next year, having just opened the first at Portsmouth's Continental Ferry Port. 15-Jul-2008 Musgrave Retail Partners is to bring the distribution operations for its Budgens franchised stores in-house, with the transfer of up to 400 Wellingborough-based staff from logistics firm Gist. 15-Jul-2008 JJB Sports is seeking a suitable site in Liverpool to set up a headquarters for its new lifestyle division, in order to support the planned growth of the Original Shoe Company and Qube stores from 100 to 150. 09-Jul-2008 John Lewis is to bring its 80 property staff together into a single department, in preparation for the expansion of its chain of 26 department stores to more than 50 over the next ten years. 08-Jul-2008 MFI is to close its call centre at Low Southwick in Sunderland in September with the loss of 170 jobs, with some of the customer services work being transferred to Cardiff. 07-Jul-2008 Lunson Mitchenall has been appointed by Soleil Sucre of France to find suitable locations to open two lingerie stores in the UK by the end of the year. 07-Jul-2008 Ollie & Nic is planning to open 30 bags and accessories stores across the country over the next five years, having appointed CWM to find locations of about 650 sq ft. 07-Jul-2008 Lincoln City Council is to consider plans from Modus for the development of a new shopping centre at Lindongate by 2012, including 34 shops and 180 apartments. 03-Jul-2008 Westfield is to proceed with plans to develop a £1.5bn retail and leisure scheme at the London Olympics site by 2011, including about 300 stores. 02-Jul-2008 Aldi is planning to expand its chain of 400 discount supermarkets to 1,500 in a £1.5bn five-year investment programme, and 1,500 new jobs will be created this year. 30-Jun-2008 Astley Clarke has raised £2.7m from Index Ventures to fund the expansion of its online jewellery business. 30-Jun-2008 Clas Ohlson of Sweden is to open its first UK electricals store at the Whitgift centre in Croydon later this year, and further outlets will follow over the next three years. 30-Jun-2008 Comet is to close its Deeside home delivery operation and transfer the work of up to 53 staff to Skelmersdale. 27-Jun-2008 Co-operative Pharmacy is to relocate its national distribution centre and up to 200 jobs from Wolstanton to a new £15m 190,000 sq ft warehouse being built at Meir Park in Staffordshire by the end of 2009. 27-Jun-2008 Leon is planning to open up to five healthy fast-food outlets this year, including two sites in Bristol. 27-Jun-2008 B&Q is planning to shed 45 jobs at its Segensworth call centre in Hampshire, in order to outsource some of the customer services work to BeCogent in Glasgow. 26-Jun-2008 The Connswater Shopping Centre in east Belfast is to undergo a £6m 40,000 sq ft extension by the end of the year, with the creation of 50 jobs. 24-Jun-2008 John Lewis is said to have agreed to set up an 80,000 sq ft warehouse and office at a new development being built by Graftongate at Cabot Park in Bristol. 24-Jun-2008 Schuh is planning to expand its chain of 50 footwear stores with new outlets in Bristol, Cambridge, London and Ireland. 23-Jun-2008 Simpsons Garden Centre in Inverness is to increase its workforce from 65 to 100 next spring, following a £1.5m expansion programme. 23-Jun-2008 Maplin is to expand its chain of electronics stores by opening 21 new outlets this year. 23-Jun-2008 Amplifon is to rebrand its 147 hearing aid stores in the UK under its global banner, including the conversion of outlets currently branded as Amplivox, Sietech and Hearing Health. 23-Jun-2008 American Golf is planning to open a further three golfing equipment stores this year, and may roll out a new store format next year. 23-Jun-2008 Tesco is planning to expand its store at Wragby Road in Lincoln by 2010, with the creation of up to 210 jobs. 19-Jun-2008 Woolworths is to sell four stores in London to Waitrose for £25m, including outlets in Islington, Clapham Junction, Chiswick and Edgware Road. 19-Jun-2008 Musgrave Retail Partners is to shed about 20 jobs with the closure of three cash and carry depots in Coleraine, Cookstown and Newtownards, following a review of its J&J Haslett and Holmes Wholesale operations. 18-Jun-2008 Ocado, the online grocery retailer, is to set up a 10,500 sq ft distribution centre at a new business park being built by Eshton Gregory at Birstall near Leeds in August. 17-Jun-2008 Instore, the Huddersfield-based chain of more than 100 Poundstretcher discount stores, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed company. 17-Jun-2008 Eat is said to have appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers to find a buyer for its 92 sandwich bars, which could lead to a £150m sale. 16-Jun-2008 Assura Pharmacy has acquired four Harvey and Richardson pharmacy stores in Sheffield and Barnsley, taking its total chain to 34. 16-Jun-2008 Julian Graves, the health food retailer, is expected to be put up for sale by Baugur of Iceland with a valuation of up to £30m. 16-Jun-2008 Marks & Spencer is to consolidate its head office operations in London's Paddington by setting up a 160,000 sq ft office at the Carmine building in Merchant Square, which is due for completion in 2010. 16-Jun-2008 Laura Ashley is in negotiations to set up a clothing and home furnishings distribution centre at the 310,000 sq ft Celestia site in Milton Keynes, which could also involve the relocation of its head office from Fulham. 16-Jun-2008 Geox of Italy is planning to expand its chain of three footwear stores in the UK to 20 by the end of next year. 16-Jun-2008 Halfords is planning to expand its chain of 450 motor accessory stores with up to 20 new outlets a year, including both neighbourhood and larger store formats. 16-Jun-2008 Ted Baker is planning to open a further nine womenswear stores over the next year. 16-Jun-2008 Borders is said to be considering plans to shed up to 30 head office jobs, and there could also be cuts in its book stores. 16-Jun-2008 Starbucks has reached agreement with SSP to open more than 150 coffee bars in European railway stations and airports over the next three years. 16-Jun-2008 Park Resorts is planning to open Costa coffee outlets at many of its 37 holiday parks. 16-Jun-2008 Pasty Presto has secured £1.5m from Clydesdale Bank to fund the expansion of its nationwide chain of 22 coffee and pastries shops. 12-Jun-2008 JT Frith, the Nottinghamshire-based wholesaler with nine depots, has gone into voluntary administration. 11-Jun-2008 Alliance Boots is to invest up to £1bn in capital expenditure for its health and beauty business over the next three years, and has also announced the transfer of its headquarters from Nottingham to Switzerland. 09-Jun-2008 Netto is planning to expand its chain of 185 discount stores with a further 13 outlets over the next six months. 09-Jun-2008 Noukie's of Belgium is planning to open its first toy shop in the UK early next year, and believes there is scope for up to 150 company-owned and franchised outlets. 09-Jun-2008 Jack Wills is to open a new chain of upmarket clothing stores under the Aubin & Wills fascia, including outlets in Wimbledon, Brighton, Edinburgh and Exeter. 09-Jun-2008 Lipsy is planning to open a chain of up to 25 standalone fashion stores in the UK, having appointed CWM to find suitable locations of about 2,000 sq ft. 09-Jun-2008 Primark is planning to open its first clothing stores in Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands next year. 03-Jun-2008 Park Garage is planning to expand its chain of 82 Park & Shop forecourt stores into a nationwide business. 03-Jun-2008 Papa John's has appointed property firm Colliers CRE to advise on the nationwide expansion of its pizza restaurants, with plans to open 25 outlets this year. 02-Jun-2008 Wilkinson is planning to open at least 12 discount stores this year, including its first Scottish store at Castle Douglas. 02-Jun-2008 Neal's Yard Remedies is planning to expand its chain of 31 natural health stores with ten new outlets this year. 02-Jun-2008 Tesco has unveiled plans to build a 25,000 sq ft store in Bideford, North Devon, with the creation of up to 180 jobs. 30-May-2008 Tragus is planning to open 24 Cafe Rouge restaurants a year, and hopes to double the 100-strong chain by 2016. 29-May-2008 Asda is considering plans to close its clothing distribution centre at Ince in Wigan in October, with the loss of up to 450 jobs. 29-May-2008 Laura Ashley is planning to open about 33 fashion and homewares stores this year. 29-May-2008 Chips is planning to double turnover at its computer games retailing business to £20m within three years, including new stores in Tyne & Wear, Leeds and Harrogate and the creation of up to 70 jobs. 28-May-2008 Sainsbury's is planning to build a new store at Hardwick Junction in King's Lynn with the creation of 400 jobs, enabling Pinguin Foods to invest in new buildings at the site for its 75 staff. 28-May-2008 Musgrave Retail Partners GB is to invest £33m in the expansion of the supply chain for its Budgens convenience stores franchise, including £10m at its Wellingborough depot and £5m at Andover. 27-May-2008 Dunelm Mill is to create up to 90 jobs at a new 33,000 sq ft soft furnishings store due to open on the Ringway Industrial Estate in Huddersfield in September. 27-May-2008 Morrisons is to re-open a 29,000 sq ft former Safeway store in Blandford in November, with the creation of 140 jobs. 27-May-2008 Mothercare is looking to open a further 30 out-of-town babycare stores, and will also re-site and merge a number of city centre stores. 26-May-2008 Theo Fennell is planning to open up to 20 standalone jewellery stores in the UK and abroad over the next three years. 26-May-2008 Moda in Pelle is planning to expand its chain of 30 footwear stores to 50 over the next three years. 26-May-2008 Focus is planning to downsize about 40 of its 176 DIY stores by seeking concession partners and handing back space to landlords. 26-May-2008 Dunelm Mill is seeking permission to set up a new 40,000 sq ft home furnishings store in Bridgend, with the creation of 80 jobs. 23-May-2008 Asda is to create more than 400 jobs at a new store due to open this autumn at Western Harbour in Edinburgh. 22-May-2008 Parfetts, the Stockport-based cash and carry operator, is planning to transfer ownership of the business over to staff, as part of a £20m refinancing deal designed to secure its future. 20-May-2008 Feather & Black is planning to open three standalone Comfort Control mattress stores this autumn, which could lead to a chain of 50 outlets for the new format. 19-May-2008 OKA is planning to expand its chain of ten upmarket furniture stores with up to 20 new outlets over the next three years. 19-May-2008 Paperchase, the chain of 100 stationery outlets, is to be put up for sale by Borders of the US with an expected valuation of up to £80m. 19-May-2008 MFI is planning to shed about a third of the 200 jobs at its head office sites in Colindale and Welwyn Garden City, in order to reduce costs in its furniture retailing business. 19-May-2008 Nike, the sportswear supplier, is to set up a new headquarters at the Doxford International business park in Sunderland, including space for almost double the 100-plus staff employed at its existing site nearby. 19-May-2008 DSG International is planning to close 77 of its 177 Currys.digital electrical stores over the next five years. 16-May-2008 Morrisons is to submit plans to build a new store at Illingworth, Halifax, with the creation of 220 new jobs and the transfer of 150 jobs from its existing store. 15-May-2008 Foogo of Lincoln is planning to set up a nationwide chain of 40 convenience food stores. 13-May-2008 Kleeneze is planning to create more than 100 new jobs at its Accrington-based mail-order catalogue distribution business. 12-May-2008 HMV has announced a £50m investment programme that will include the opening of five new music and book stores this year and the refurbishment of up to 15. 12-May-2008 Bensons Beds is to take over the former Sleep Depot concessions at 13 Land of Leather stores. 12-May-2008 Lush is looking to double its chain of 88 cosmetics stores in the UK over the coming years. 12-May-2008 Crew Clothing is planning to open ten fashion stores in the UK this year, and is seeking sites of up to 2,500 sq ft. 12-May-2008 Carphone Warehouse has secured a £1.1bn investment from US-based Best Buy, in order to develop a chain of consumer electronics stores on retail parks across the UK and Europe. 09-May-2008 Austin Reed is planning to open a further 30 fashion stores in the UK and Ireland this year. 08-May-2008 Oxfam is planning to open a chain of fashion boutiques selling a mix of new and donated clothes. 07-May-2008 Toni & Guy is considering plans to set up a 69,000 sq ft warehouse at ProLogis Park in Heathrow, in order to distribute equipment for its hairdressing salons. 07-May-2008 Patisserie Valerie and Druckers are planning to expand their chain of 55 bakeries with 30 new outlets over the next three years. 07-May-2008 Specsavers, the optical chain, is to set up a 34,000 sq ft service centre at the NG2 business park in Nottingham within six months, with the relocation of 70 jobs from its existing Wilford site. 07-May-2008 Tesco is to create 300 new customer service jobs at its call centre in Dundee. 06-May-2008 Gerry Weber of Germany is planning to open up to ten womenswear stores a year in the UK and Ireland over the next five years. 05-May-2008 Habitat is to close its Torrington Place office in central London at the end of June, in order to relocate the staff to its site on Princelet Street. 05-May-2008 Oliver Bonas is to expand its chain of 22 accessories stores with four new outlets in London. 05-May-2008 Thresher Group is to close 30 of its 240 wine stores in Scotland, as part of an operational review that will reduce its nationwide chain from 1,620 to about 1,500. 05-May-2008 Asda is seeking permission to build a £25m 53,000 sq ft superstore in Ashington, Northumberland, with the creation of 250 new jobs and the transfer of 330 staff from an existing store. 01-May-2008 N Brown is planning to create about 150 jobs at its home shopping business in Greater Manchester this year, in order to expand its IT, marketing, buying and distribution operations. 01-May-2008 Aldi is to open a further four discount food stores in North Wales over the next two years, with the creation of 50 jobs. 30-Apr-2008 Prostar is to relocate its Wakefield-based sportswear business to a 67,000 sq ft unit at the Wakefield 41 Industrial Estate in late spring. 30-Apr-2008 Matalan is to invest £20m in the refurbishment of its chain of discount clothing stores over the next year. 28-Apr-2008 Blossom Mother & Child is planning to open upmarket maternity stores at Marylebone high street in London and at the Westfield shopping centre. 28-Apr-2008 Ghost is planning to open five womenswear stores a year, to add to its existing 13 boutique shops and 27 concessions. 28-Apr-2008 Brantano is planning to open about ten footwear stores this year, while a number of underperforming outlets will be closed. 28-Apr-2008 Krispy Kreme is planning to expand its chain of 36 doughnut and coffee outlets with 11 new sites this year. 28-Apr-2008 Primark is planning to expand its chain of 173 discount fashion stores by opening eight new outlets over the next six months. 23-Apr-2008 Marks & Spencer is conducting a major review of its buying department, prompting speculation that some staff will lose their jobs and others will be redeployed. 22-Apr-2008 Asda is investing £1.5m in the development of a new home shopping service in Northern Ireland, with the creation of 120 jobs. 22-Apr-2008 Leekes is looking into the possibility of opening two new furniture and home accessories stores in South Wales, and is also planning an expanded online shopping service and a new in-store interior design studio. 21-Apr-2008 Living Ventures is looking to recruit 50 staff for a new £1m Blackhouse seafood and steak restaurant due to open in Leeds in May. 21-Apr-2008 Co-operative Group is to invest £1.5bn in the transformation of its estate of more than 4,300 retail outlets over the next three years, in order to create a single unified brand. 21-Apr-2008 Kutchenhaus is planning to open a kitchen equipment store in York with the creation of 20 jobs. 21-Apr-2008 Pets at Home is planning to expand its chain of 213 pet shops with 20 new outlets this year, and owner Bridgepoint has ruled out a sale or flotation. 21-Apr-2008 Cavendish Corporate Finance has been appointed to find a buyer for the Paul chain of 20 upmarket sandwich bars, which could lead to a £25m sale. 21-Apr-2008 Nike is looking to open up to seven company-owned sportswear stores in the UK, with the first in central Manchester. 21-Apr-2008 Mimco of Australia is planning to open up to ten fashion accessories stores in the UK, having appointed CWM to find suitable locations of up to 1,000 sq ft in London. 21-Apr-2008 Rossopomodoro is planning to open up to 12 Italian restaurants in London by 2010, having appointed Richard Susskind & Co to find suitable locations. 21-Apr-2008 Natuzzi is planning to open up to 30 franchised furniture stores outside London over the next five years, and a further ten company-owned stores will open in London by 2010. 21-Apr-2008 Celebrations Group is planning to expand its 280 greetings card stores with 40 additional Card Warehouse outlets over the next 12 months, having appointed King Sturge to find suitable locations. 21-Apr-2008 Anglia Regional Co-operative Society is planning to acquire new sites and revamp or expand existing stores, having secured a £60m cash injection from three banks. 18-Apr-2008 JJB Sports has announced plans to close 72 of its 409 sportswear stores, with the loss of 800 jobs. 17-Apr-2008 Clic Time is planning to open 22 watch sales kiosks across the country, with the creation of 66 jobs. 17-Apr-2008 Mk One, the chain of 172 discount fashion stores, has been put up for sale, with parent company Baugur appointing Deloitte to find a buyer. 16-Apr-2008 Amazon is planning to create 1,700 jobs at its newly-opened distribution centre in Swansea over the next five years. 16-Apr-2008 Carphone Warehouse is to invest £45m in a store expansion and refurbishment programme this year, as well as £85m in its telecoms network and £70m in IT development. 16-Apr-2008 Caerphilly Council is to consider plans from Bird Group for a £60m retail, office and housing scheme at a former foundry site in Risca, including 500 jobs at a new Tesco Extra store. 16-Apr-2008 GO Outdoors, the Sheffield-based outdoor clothing and equipment retailer, has raised £18m to fund a nationwide expansion programme. 15-Apr-2008 Bang & Olufsen is to temporarily close up to ten of its 120 electrical stores, in order to reorganise the management and take direct ownership of some outlets. 14-Apr-2008 Hawes & Curtis, the shirt retailer, is to open concessions in eight House of Fraser stores this year, and will also open its first store in the US. 14-Apr-2008 Multiyork is planning to expand its chain of 61 furniture stores with about 15 new outlets over the next three years. 14-Apr-2008 Brooks Brothers of the US is planning to open ten fashion stores in major UK cities and a further 15 in smaller towns. 14-Apr-2008 Tesco is planning to open at least 150 Express convenience stores this year, to add to the existing 810. 14-Apr-2008 Tesco is planning to build a new larger Tesco Extra store at its existing St Mellons site in Cardiff, with the creation of 300 jobs. 14-Apr-2008 Au Naturale and Internacionale are said to be planning to close up to six home furnishings and fashion stores in Scotland, with the loss of 100 jobs. 14-Apr-2008 MJL Group of Abercynon is to create up to 50 jobs over the next year, having won a new contract to provide health and safety services to Domino's Pizza. 11-Apr-2008 Marks & Spencer has unveiled plans for a 195,000 sq ft store at Ellesmere Port's Cheshire Oaks development, with the creation of about 500 jobs. 10-Apr-2008 Bunches is planning to expand the workforce at its Mansfield-based mail order flowers business from 35 to 70 over the next three years, having just opened a new production facility in Newstead Village. 09-Apr-2008 Sass & Bide of Australia is planning to open its first company-owned fashion store in the UK, having instructed BC Commercial to find a 1,000 sq ft premises in London. 08-Apr-2008 Jysk of Denmark has unveiled plans to open up to 25 furniture and homewares stores a year in the UK, and could eventually have a chain of 500. 07-Apr-2008 Ferrari is planning to open a 7,000 sq ft merchandise store on London's Regent Street later this year. 07-Apr-2008 Woolworths is seeking retail partners to share space in 80 of its high street stores, with Somerfield having agreed to open food concessions in three outlets. 03-Apr-2008 Tiffinbites is planning to open 50 franchised fast food outlets in the UK by the end of next year. 02-Apr-2008 Wynnstay is looking to expand its chain of 11 Just for Pets stores with between 20 and 30 new outlets. 01-Apr-2008 HMV is to open its first music and games store at a motorway service station in April, at Stop 24 near Dover. 01-Apr-2008 Asos, the online fashion retailer, is seeking a suitable location in London's West End for a new headquarters of up to 100,000 sq ft. 01-Apr-2008 Co-operative Group has acquired six Bells and Jacksons convenience stores in the North East, and will convert them to its new format. 31-Mar-2008 B-Brands has announced plans to close seven Morgan footwear stores and 28 department store concessions, in order to focus on wholesale and mail order. 27-Mar-2008 Sainsbury's is to invest £273m in a joint venture with British Land to buy back 39 retail sites, in order to add about 500,000 sq ft of selling space and increase non-food sales. 27-Mar-2008 Jessops is planning to shed a further 200 jobs in its chain of 234 photographic stores. 27-Mar-2008 Marks & Spencer is said to be considering plans to set up a new 500,000 sq ft headquarters in London, in order to consolidate staff from Paddington, Stockley Park and Salford Quays. 26-Mar-2008 Guiton Group is looking to sell its chain of 13 Channel Islands Newsagents on Jersey, having appointed Christie & Co to find a buyer. 26-Mar-2008 Farmers' City Market is planning to open a further three premium food stores in the London area this year, and could eventually take the chain nationwide. 26-Mar-2008 Ethicalsuperstore, the Tyneside-based supplier of eco-friendly products, is looking to raise £3m of venture capital, in order to relocate to larger premises and increase its workforce from 25 to 60 by 2010. 24-Mar-2008 Asda is to submit plans to East Devon District Council to build a 40,000 sq ft store in Exmouth, with the creation of 350 jobs. 24-Mar-2008 Polarn O Pyret of Sweden is planning to expand its UK chain of three childrenswear stores to six by the end of the year, having appointed Stephen Kane & Company to find suitable sites. 24-Mar-2008 Zavvi is planning to expand its chain of 125 music and entertainment stores with up to ten new outlets a year for the next three years, having appointed Colliers CRE to find suitable sites. 24-Mar-2008 JJB Sports is considering plans to close up to 70 stores, as part of a review of its 420-strong portfolio. 20-Mar-2008 Blacks Leisure is planning to close the Washington headquarters of its Sandcity clothing business with the loss of up to 59 jobs, in order to merge the business with its Freespirit operation in Northampton. 20-Mar-2008 Middlesbrough Council has approved plans from PBN Holdings for the £11m expansion of the Parkway shopping centre in Coulby Newham, which will create more than 200 jobs. 20-Mar-2008 Glasgow City Council is considering plans from Hercules Unit Trust for the development of a £10m shopping centre in Easterhouse, which could create 200 jobs. 20-Mar-2008 Dobbies is planning to build a £10m garden centre at Orton Grange near Carlisle by March 2010, with the creation of 120 jobs. 18-Mar-2008 Staples is considering plans to set up a chain of stationery stores on high streets throughout the country, depending on the success of a new trial branch on Manchester's Deansgate. 18-Mar-2008 Whitbread is planning to open about 30 out-of-town Costa Coffee outlets a year, and is seeking sites of up to 17,000 sq ft on retail parks across the country. 18-Mar-2008 Xchange Business is planning to expand its franchised chain of No1 Currency bureaux de change outlets from 225 to more than 400 this year, having borrowed £4.5m from Bank of Scotland. 17-Mar-2008 Morrisons is planning to open eight new supermarkets and extend a further 19 in 2008. 17-Mar-2008 Miss Sixty is planning to close six of its seven denim stores in the UK, in order to focus on wholesale accounts. 17-Mar-2008 Wickes is planning to double its chain of 185 DIY stores over the next seven years, including between 15 and 20 new outlets this year. 17-Mar-2008 Wolford of Austria is planning to expand its UK chain of two luxury clothing stores, having appointed Harper Dennis Hobbs to find suitable locations in major cities. 17-Mar-2008 Original Factory Shop is planning to open up to ten discount stores in Northern Ireland over the next three years. 17-Mar-2008 Butlers Chocolate of Ireland is looking to move into the UK by opening up to ten confectionery stores in the South East over the next three years. 17-Mar-2008 Worthing Borough Council is looking into the possibility of building a new shopping mall to replace the Guildbourne Centre. 14-Mar-2008 Hays Travel is planning to expand its chain of 35 travel shops with up to ten new outlets in the East Midlands, with the creation of about 100 jobs. 13-Mar-2008 Borders is to close its books and music distribution centre at St Columb Major in Cornwall in August, with the loss of 91 jobs. 13-Mar-2008 Pettifer Estates has unveiled plans for a £20m retail development at Balmakeith in Nairn, including a Sainsbury's supermarket and up to 300 jobs. 12-Mar-2008 Asda is seeking a buyer for its Gazeley property development business, which could raise up to £400m. 11-Mar-2008 Abel & Cole is to create about 40 jobs at its new organic foods delivery depot in Aylesford, Kent, over the next three years. 11-Mar-2008 John Lewis is to increase capital expenditure by £100m to £464m this year, with new department stores due to open in Liverpool and Leicester. 10-Mar-2008 Fnac of France is seeking a suitable site in central London for a 50,000 sq ft entertainment and electricals store. 10-Mar-2008 Gap is planning to open five Banana Republic fashion stores this year, including an outlet on London's Regent Street. 10-Mar-2008 Crabtree & Evelyn is looking to double its chain of 44 health and beauty stores in the long-term. 10-Mar-2008 Bagel Nash of Leeds is planning to open five bagel takeaway outlets in the North West this year, with the creation of 50 jobs. 07-Mar-2008 Asda is to close its chain of ten George high street clothing stores over the next three months, with the transfer of 400 staff to other stores. 06-Mar-2008 Thornfield Properties has unveiled plans to build a 33-storey skyscraper in Sunderland, as part of the £147m Holmeside Triangle project that includes shops, restaurants and apartments. 06-Mar-2008 Sainsbury's is to close two distribution centres at Maltby and Skelton on Teesside by July, with the transfer of some of the 360 staff to other Wincanton-operated sites in Stockton, Darlington, Redcar and Spennymoor. 06-Mar-2008 Leeds Corn Exchange is undergoing a £1.5m transformation to create a food emporium housing 40 specialist shops offering regional and international foods. 06-Mar-2008 Chadds is to close its department store in Hereford in June, with the loss of 128 jobs, having agreed to sell the site to Hawkstone Properties. 05-Mar-2008 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council has approved plans from Moorfield Group for a 100,000 sq ft extension at the Ridings Shopping Centre. 05-Mar-2008 Asda is to open three Living stores at retail parks in Newport, Teesside and Stratford-upon-Avon later this year, taking the non-food chain to 16. 05-Mar-2008 Zumo is planning to expand its chain of 25 smoothie bars with ten new outlets this year, having appointed Cushman & Wakefield to find suitable locations. 04-Mar-2008 Aldi is planning to build a £25m regional office and distribution centre in Goldthorpe, South Yorkshire, with the creation of 250 jobs. 04-Mar-2008 Morrisons is considering plans to build an 800,000 sq ft distribution centre at the Eurocentral scheme near Glasgow, in order to supply its 52 Scottish stores. 04-Mar-2008 Whole Foods Market is considering 12 out-of-town locations for its organic grocery stores, having appointed Green & Partners and Gilbert Bath to find sites of between 20,000 and 70,000 sq ft. 04-Mar-2008 Apple is in negotiations to set up a 25,000 sq ft computer products store at Covent Garden in London. 04-Mar-2008 ChoicesUK is to close its DVD and CD distribution business in Peterborough this summer, with the loss of about 250 jobs, in order to transfer the head office to Webb Group in Burton-on-Trent and the warehouse to Bradford. 03-Mar-2008 Ikea is looking into the possibility of building a furniture superstore at the Crane engineering site in Ipswich, with the creation of up to 500 jobs. 03-Mar-2008 Tesco is considering plans to build a store on Sunderland Retail Park, and has an option to acquire the site from Mountview Securities. 03-Mar-2008 Peacocks is looking to open a further 120 discount fashion concessions in large stores throughout the country, and is seeking suitable retail partners. 03-Mar-2008 A-Wear of Ireland is considering plans to set up a chain of fashion stores in shopping centre locations throughout the UK. 03-Mar-2008 Thorntons is looking to expand its chain of 376 confectionery stores and cafes to 400, and a new store design will be tested in ten outlets this summer. 03-Mar-2008 Debenhams is to set up a department store at the Weavers Wharf retail park development in Kidderminster, with the creation of about 200 jobs. 29-Feb-2008 Subway is planning to expand its sandwich chain with 30 new outlets in the North East this year. 29-Feb-2008 Hyndburn Council is to consider plans for the £15m expansion of the Arndale shopping centre in Accrington. 29-Feb-2008 Lichfield District Council has secured government approval for the compulsory purchase of land for the £100m Friarsgate shopping complex. 29-Feb-2008 Mexx is to close its 61 fashion stores and concessions in the UK with the loss of 300 jobs, but will retain 15 factory outlets. 27-Feb-2008 Costco is looking to build a 150,000 sq ft cash and carry store at Millbrook in Southampton, and aims to double its UK sites to 40 by 2010. 26-Feb-2008 Clinkard Group of Stockton has bought 12 footwear stores from Leicester-based Stead & Simpson, in order to expand into new parts of the country. 25-Feb-2008 Forever 21 of the US is planning to open about seven fashion stores in the UK this year, and could eventually develop a chain of more than 150 outlets. 25-Feb-2008 Orange is planning to expand its chain of 350 mobile phone stores to almost 400 this year, having appointed Cushman & Wakefield to find suitable sites. 25-Feb-2008 Tesco is planning to expand its network of 69 in-store opticians to 140 by spring 2009. 25-Feb-2008 Woolworths is planning to shed 60 of the 900 jobs at head office sites in London and Rochdale, affecting commercial and marketing staff. 25-Feb-2008 Asda is planning to open 22 stores and create 9,000 new jobs this year, including 1,500 jobs in home delivery and 500 at in-store pharmacies. 21-Feb-2008 Domino's Pizza is planning to expand its chain of 501 pizza outlets with 50 new sites this year, and hopes to reach 1,000 by 2017. 20-Feb-2008 St Modwen Properties has announced plans for a £100m regeneration project in Bognor Regis, including 200,000 sq ft of shops and leisure facilities, office space and 300 homes. 19-Feb-2008 William Ewart Properties, ING Estates and Snoddons Construction have unveiled plans to develop a £360m Royal Exchange retail complex on Royal Avenue in Belfast by 2013, including stores, offices and a hotel. 18-Feb-2008 Waitrose is planning to set up a new 21,000 sq ft supermarket at East Cowes on the Isle of Wight by 2010, with the creation of 160 jobs. 18-Feb-2008 Webloyalty is planning to double the 15-strong workforce at its new marketing services call centre in Sevenoaks over the next two months. 18-Feb-2008 Ryman is planning to expand its chain of 240 stationery stores with 60 new outlets over the next 18 months, and its Partners and Stationery Box stores will be rebranded as Ryman. 18-Feb-2008 Firebox is looking to raise £5m of venture capital to fund the expansion of its online gadget retailing business. 18-Feb-2008 Supergroup is looking to raise up to £25m from the sale of a stake in its clothing business, in order to fund the opening of eight new Superdry stores a year. 18-Feb-2008 Sainsbury's is to create 150 new jobs at its non-food operation in Coventry, with vacancies in areas such as product design and buying. 14-Feb-2008 JoJo Maman Bebe, the maternity and nursery products retailer, is planning to create 32 jobs at its head office and warehouse in Newport, South Wales, over the next three years. 14-Feb-2008 Rossendale Council is to consider plans for the expansion of the Livesey Shoe Company footwear cash and carry business in Rawtenstall, which could create up to 40 jobs. 14-Feb-2008 Grainger Games is planning to expand its Tyneside-based chain of 13 computer games stores with six new outlets across the country this year. 12-Feb-2008 DSG International is said to be seeking a new 200,000 sq ft headquarters for its Dixons electrical retailing business in the Hemel Hempstead area. 12-Feb-2008 Cook is to expand its chain of 21 frozen ready meals stores with up to ten new outlets in the South East this year. 12-Feb-2008 Majestic Wine is planning to expand its chain of 146 wine stores with 12 new outlets this year. 12-Feb-2008 Avon is to shed 180 of the 800 jobs at its cosmetics business in Corby, in order to transfer work to India. 11-Feb-2008 Sainsbury's is looking to sell off 36 of the former Bells and Jacksons stores in the North East and Yorkshire, as they are unsuitable for conversion to its Local format. 11-Feb-2008 Warehouse Express is considering plans to open a chain of camera stores, depending on the success of its Norwich outlet. 11-Feb-2008 Frost French is planning to set up a chain of ten fashion stores, including five in London. 11-Feb-2008 FreshXpress is planning to expand its chain of 26 grocery stores with five new outlets this year. 11-Feb-2008 DSG International is to close its chain of eight standalone Tech Guys support stores, as the service works better in PC World stores. 11-Feb-2008 Allders is considering plans to open a chain of bed stores, depending on the success of its new outlet in Biggleswade. 11-Feb-2008 ScS, the Sunderland-based chain of 95 furniture stores, is planning to shed up to 70 jobs from its 1,500-strong workforce. 08-Feb-2008 Marks & Spencer is planning to create up to 300 jobs at a new store that will anchor the £25m Glasgow Fort shopping centre expansion by the end of 2009. 08-Feb-2008 Gladedale Capital is seeking permission to almost double the size of the 47,000 sq ft Westhill shopping centre in Aberdeen. 07-Feb-2008 Sports Direct is to invest up to £20m in fitting out 120 sportswear stores in China over the next year, in partnership with ITAT Group. 06-Feb-2008 Pagebet is planning to expand its Durham-based chain of 26 betting shops to 100 by 2011, having secured a £5.7m equity investment from Advantage Capital. 06-Feb-2008 Lovefilm is to take over Amazon's DVD rental operations in the UK and Germany, and Amazon will acquire an estimated 30% stake in Lovefilm. 05-Feb-2008 Frozen Value is planning to expand its northern England-based chain of 78 frozen food stores into other parts of England, Scotland and Wales. 05-Feb-2008 Asda is to create up to 450 new jobs at its Wincanton-run distribution centre at the Redhouse Business Park in Doncaster. 05-Feb-2008 White Stuff, the chain of 47 fashion stores, has appointed KPMG to conduct a strategic review, which could lead to the sale of a major stake in the business to a private equity firm. 04-Feb-2008 Cyclesurgery is planning to double its chain of seven bike stores with new outlets in Romford, Wirral, Bristol, Manchester, Portsmouth, Birmingham and Chertsey. 04-Feb-2008 Hardy Amies is planning to develop a nationwide chain of up to 30 clothing stores over the next five years. 04-Feb-2008 Jane Norman is considering plans to launch a chain of accessories stores, depending on the success of two trial outlets due to open this year. 04-Feb-2008 Debenhams is to set up an 80,000 sq ft department store at the Waterside shopping centre development in Aylesbury. 04-Feb-2008 Travelling Light has shed 25 jobs at its outdoor clothing business in Cumbria, casting doubt over the future of its shops. 01-Feb-2008 Kirklees Council is considering plans from WD Huddersfield for the 120,000 sq ft extension of the Kingsgate shopping centre in Huddersfield by 2011. 31-Jan-2008 Jysk of Denmark is planning to open its first UK furniture stores in Lincoln and Mansfield by spring, and additional sites will follow over the next two years. 30-Jan-2008 Tesco is to close its distribution depot at Brackmills in Northamptonshire in May, with the loss of up to 200 jobs. 29-Jan-2008 Bassetlaw Council has approved plans from Liberty Properties to build a £11m retail park with five large units at Highgrounds Road in Worksop. 28-Jan-2008 Etincelle of France is planning to open a chain of fashion stores in cities across the UK, starting with the Westfield London centre later this year. 28-Jan-2008 Bite is to expand its chain of four Scottish sports fashion stores with five new outlets this year, and will move into England within two years. 28-Jan-2008 Land Securities is to submit plans this spring for the £100m expansion of the St John's shopping centre in Liverpool by 2012. 28-Jan-2008 Fifa is planning to open hundreds of branded football clothing and accessories stores around the world by 2010, and negotiations are taking place to open concessions in the UK. 28-Jan-2008 Superdrug is to invest £9m in its health and beauty business this year, including eight new outlets and a makeover for 291 existing stores. 28-Jan-2008 Dunhill, the luxury menswear retailer, is planning to open a flagship store in London's Mayfair this summer. 28-Jan-2008 QS is looking to sell off 34 of its discount clothing stores, but will continue with plans to open new sites. 28-Jan-2008 City of Edinburgh Council is to receive plans from Henderson Global Investors for the £850m redevelopment of St James Shopping Centre, including new shops, two hotels and flats. 25-Jan-2008 Somerfield is to close its supermarket in Stirling in February with the loss of up to 68 jobs. 24-Jan-2008 Tesco has submitted new plans to Powys Council to build a store in Llandrindod Wells, with the creation of more than 200 jobs. 24-Jan-2008 Woolworths is to close its store at the Arndale Centre in Luton in March with the loss of 58 jobs. 24-Jan-2008 Asos, the online fashion retailer, is planning to expand the 180-strong workforce at its London head office with 100 new jobs this year. 24-Jan-2008 Bristol Alliance is to invest £11m in the upgrade of pedestrian areas at the Broadmead shopping centre in Bristol, including new paving, lighting, seating and signage. 23-Jan-2008 Glasswells is to set up a new £5m furniture showroom on the Orwell Retail Park in Ipswich later this year, with the creation of 70 jobs. 23-Jan-2008 Barrhead Travel is to open three new travel agency outlets in East Kilbride, Dunfermline and Glasgow's Silverburn centre this year. 23-Jan-2008 Blacks is to shed up to 60 of the 270 jobs at the Northampton head office of its outdoor leisure business, as part of a £3m cost-cutting programme. 21-Jan-2008 Pret a Manger, the chain of 150 sandwich outlets, is expected to receive takeover bids of up to £350m from three private equity firms. 21-Jan-2008 Paperchase is planning to expand its chain of more than 100 stationery stores with at least ten new standalone sites this year. 21-Jan-2008 Dove Spa is planning to expand its chain of spa and beauty stores to 30 by the end of the year, and hopes to reach 75 by 2012. 21-Jan-2008 La Senza is planning to open a further 100 lingerie stores in the UK and Ireland over the next three years, and is particularly interested in central London and the North East. 21-Jan-2008 Tchibo is looking to sell off about 33 of its 73 general merchandise outlets, in order to focus on larger stores. 21-Jan-2008 QS is planning to expand its chain of 204 discount clothing stores with more than 40 new outlets this year. 21-Jan-2008 Tesco is said to be planning to launch a new department store format of up to 150,000 sq ft in high street shopping centres, with the first planned for an existing site in High Wycombe. 21-Jan-2008 Findel is to shed 15 jobs at its mail order business at Tregony in Cornwall, in order to transfer the call centre and personalised gifts section to Manchester. 18-Jan-2008 Asda is to transfer a West Yorkshire distribution contract and up to 200 jobs from HI Group in Castleford to Wincanton in Doncaster. 16-Jan-2008 Coventry City Council has appointed US-based architect Jerde Partnership to oversee the £1bn redevelopment of the city centre, in order to improve the shopping facilities. 15-Jan-2008 The Co-op is to close its three department stores in Sheffield and a warehouse in Halfway, with the loss of 130 jobs. 15-Jan-2008 Blue Inc is planning to expand its chain of 48 menswear stores with 20 new outlets this year and 20 in 2009. 14-Jan-2008 Tile Giant is planning to expand its chain of tile stores from 32 to 100 over the next three years. 14-Jan-2008 Fat Face is planning to open up to 20 fashion stores this year, and is also seeking new franchise opportunities. 14-Jan-2008 Buy As You View has secured a £6m cash injection to fund the expansion of its electrical goods and furniture retailing business, and its head office will relocate from Llantrisant to Bridgend this year. 11-Jan-2008 Redcats is to close its Empire Stores catalogue shopping business, with the loss of 350 jobs in Bradford and a further 500 at the Kettlethorpe warehouse near Wakefield. 11-Jan-2008 Dunelm is planning to open nine more home furnishings stores this year, with the creation of 700 jobs. 09-Jan-2008 Transform Your Images is planning to expand its chain of five photographic art stores with a further ten outlets across the country this year. 08-Jan-2008 Charles Tyrwhitt is looking to expand its chain of nine menswear stores to 50, including outlets in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol and Manchester. 08-Jan-2008 Co-operative Group is to build a new £12m 270,000 sq ft distribution centre in Birtley, Tyne & Wear, by 2009, and 274 staff will transfer from two existing sites in Birtley and Blaydon. 08-Jan-2008 Morrisons is planning to set up a 900,000 sq ft distribution centre at Gazeley's G Park logistics park in Sittingbourne, Kent. 07-Jan-2008 River Island is in negotiations to set up a 400,000 sq ft distribution centre at Magna Park in Milton Keynes. 07-Jan-2008 Starbucks is planning to open drive-through coffee shops and will start looking for suitable roadside sites across the country later this year. 07-Jan-2008 Broxtowe Borough Council has appointed Cushman & Wakefield to advise on the £500m regeneration of Beeston town centre, including new shops, offices and housing. 07-Jan-2008 MFI, the furniture retailer, is to expand its commercial and marketing team with seven new staff over the next few months, in order to support its move into new product categories. 07-Jan-2008
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