U K
The information below comes from the
UK Activity Report.
Selfridges has awarded a £5m contract to Cap Gemini to run its computer systems, which will involve the transfer of work from the Selfridges site near Leicester to the Aztec West data centre in Bristol. 29-Dec-1999
Edinburgh Woollen Mill is planning to set up a nationwide distribution centre for its retailing business in Carlisle, with the creation of 50 new jobs and the relocation of 120 jobs from existing sites at Longtown and Langholm. 29-Dec-1999
Fife Council is considering plans from Premier Property Group and Muir Group for a £140m retail and leisure development near Kirkcaldy, which could bring up to 4,000 jobs to the area. 29-Dec-1999
Marks & Spencer is to split itself into seven business units - womenswear, menswear, lingerie, childrens wear, food, beauty and home - in order to improve its focus on customers. 22-Dec-1999
B&Q is planning to expand its Tunnel Drive store in Redditch and create 200 jobs, as part of a £20m scheme to transform the derelict Alcad battery site. 21-Dec-1999
Sainsbury has submitted plans to extend its store in Chingford, creating up to 60 new jobs. 20-Dec-1999
Monsoon, the womenswear retailer, is to relocate its head office to the Bishopsbridge development in Paddington. 20-Dec-1999
Blooms of Bressingham has raised £5m to expand its chain of garden centres. 20-Dec-1999
Marks & Spencer is planning a management reorganisation as part of a long-term strategy to make the business more customer focused, but has denied the move was prompted by speculation about a possible takeover battle for the group. 17-Dec-1999
Harveys Furnishing is planning to refurbish 60 high street stores, while the edge-of-town stores are being expanded with new mezzanine floors. 17-Dec-1999
Bristol City Council is considering plans for the £500m expansion of the Broadmead shopping centre over Bond Street, and is in discussions with Hammerson and Land Securities. 16-Dec-1999
Newcastle City Council is to consider plans from Thornfield Properties for the £60m redevelopment of the Fossway area in Byker into a retail and business park, with the creation of up to 1,000 jobs. 16-Dec-1999
Asda has set up a new distribution centre at Newhouse Park in Chepstow, in order to distribute products to stores in South Wales. 16-Dec-1999
Boots is to shed up to 25 security staff at its Nottingham headquarters, following the introduction of a new CCTV system. 15-Dec-1999
Trinity Investments has bought the East and West Shopping Precincts in Stoke-on-Trent in preparation for the development of a new £100m retailing complex. 15-Dec-1999
Carpetright is planning to expand its chain of carpet stores from 327 to 350 outlets, and will also introduce more wood flooring and rug products. 15-Dec-1999
WH Smith is planning to make efficiency improvements at its Swindon-based logistical operation, which will lead to the loss of up to 40 jobs. 14-Dec-1999
Scottish Co-op is to invest £5m in 70 new local stores over the next 12 months, using the Welcome format. 14-Dec-1999
Conroys is planning to open six SofaZone upholstery superstores in Yorkshire over the next two years. 14-Dec-1999
Bromley Borough Council is to ask developers to propose ideas for the town's Station Road site, which could lead to the creation of a major new shopping and leisure complex. 13-Dec-1999
Morrisons is planning to build a 73,000 sq ft supermarket in Kings Lynn with the creation of 350 jobs. 13-Dec-1999
Asda has confirmed plans to open bars serving beer, wine and hot food at 85 of its stores, with the creation of 350 jobs. 13-Dec-1999
Total-Fina is seeking a retailer to operate 200 of its forecourt shops, having decided not to renew its contract with Alldays. 13-Dec-1999
Kingfisher is to open a Big W superstore at the Filton Retail Park in Bristol. 13-Dec-1999
Marks & Spencer is to set up a 90,000 sq ft store at the Lemon Quay complex in Truro. 13-Dec-1999
Seagram is looking to sell its European music and video mail order clubs, including Britannia in the UK, in order to focus on its record labels business. 10-Dec-1999
C&A is planning a £6m refurbishment at its Royal Avenue store in Belfast, and will relocate to temporary premises for the duration of the project. 09-Dec-1999
MEPC has announced a £100m plan to extend Derby's Eagle Centre with a three-floor department store and 40 other shops, and create 1,000 jobs. 08-Dec-1999
Netto is to open a discount supermarket in May 2000 as part of a new £3m shopping development for the centre of Scunthorpe. 08-Dec-1999
Alldays is to expand its convenience stores network by 195 through the acquisition of 12 more of its regional associates. 08-Dec-1999
Matalan is planning to expand its chain of 99 discount stores by adding a further 33% selling space next year, including new stores, extensions and relocations. 07-Dec-1999
B&Q is seeking planning permission to relocate its Southend department store from Queensway to an industrial site at Prince Avenue. 06-Dec-1999
United Norwest Co-op has bought 16 outlets from Warrington-based Alfred Jones, as part of an ongoing expansion programme. 06-Dec-1999
Sainsbury has confirmed plans to open a depot at Park Royal in London with the creation of about 400 jobs, in order to support its Orderline home shopping service. 06-Dec-1999
Londis is setting up a £15m distribution centre at South Elmsall, in order to support the expansion of its stores in the north of England and Scotland. 06-Dec-1999
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council has awarded a contract to Miller Developments and CTP for the redevelopment of the town centre, including a multiplex cinema and nightclub. 06-Dec-1999
Land Securities is to redevelop the Whitefriars shopping centre in Canterbury at a cost of £85m, and the scheme will include 38 shops and a Fenwick department store. 06-Dec-1999
Sainsbury is planning to set up 100 of its new-format Homebase superstores, and many of its existing 288 DIY outlets could be refurbished. 04-Dec-1999
Safeway is to cut 160 jobs in its trading, marketing and buying departments, as part of a strategy to delegate more responsibility to store managers. 03-Dec-1999
Allders has agreed to sell its Croydon department store to Minerva for £50m, in order to help defend against any hostile takeover bids. 02-Dec-1999
Marks & Spencer is to invite tenders next year for facilities management contracts at its 300 stores, and WS Atkins will assess the bids. 02-Dec-1999
Goldshield has opened its first healthcare retail store on a trial basis in London's West End, and will soon decide whether to open further outlets. 02-Dec-1999
Flintshire County Council is considering plans from the David McLean company for a new retailing development in Flint, including four non-food outlets and a restaurant. 01-Dec-1999
N Brown is forming an alliance with AHL Services of the US to carry out e-commerce planning and delivery for rival retailers. 01-Dec-1999
Asda is planning to develop a new type of non-food hypermarket, focusing on books, newspapers, homeware and home entertainment. 30-Nov-1999
Bolingbroke & Wenley has received a £12m offer from an unnamed developer for its department store site in Chelmsford town centre. 29-Nov-1999
Safeway is seeking permission to build a £17m underground supermarket in the West End area of Aberdeen. 29-Nov-1999
JJB Sports is to set a 16,000 sq ft store at Harrogate's £50m Victoria Shopping Centre, which is currently undergoing a major £6m redevelopment. 29-Nov-1999
Kirklees Council is backing a scheme by the Kingsgate Employment Initiative to recruit about 500 staff for Huddersfield's £50m Kingsgate shopping centre, which is due to open in 2001. 29-Nov-1999
Calvin Klein is seeking potential sites to set up 12 lingerie stores, while shoe retailers Bally and Pied a Terre have put 30 shops on the market. 29-Nov-1999
Tesco is planning to build a £20m store at St Rollox in Glasgow, with the creation of up to 600 jobs. 29-Nov-1999
Bestway is planning to open cash and carry depots in Stockport and Peterborough next year, taking the total to 22. 29-Nov-1999
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is to consider plans from Essex-based developer Carter Commercial for the construction of a new superstore in Market Weighton, with the creation of 200 jobs. 25-Nov-1999
Jessops has unveiled a £20m plan to expand its department store in Nottingham, with the creation of 70 jobs. 25-Nov-1999
Nottingham City Council and Hermes have begun discussions with a number of potential partners for the £150m redevelopment of Nottingham's Broadmarsh shopping centre. 25-Nov-1999
HBG Construction is to start work early next year on a £40m shopping centre at Wellington Square in Stockton-on-Tees, which will provide 47 shops. 25-Nov-1999
North Lanarkshire Council is considering plans from Co-operative Insurance Society for a £40m refurbishment of the Brandon shopping centre in Motherwell. 25-Nov-1999
Booker, the cash and carry group, is considering plans to set up an e-commerce business using spare distribution capacity, and talks are taking place with a number of interested parties. 25-Nov-1999
Honeysuckle is planning to raise £7.3m in a share placing in order to convert itself into an acquisition vehicle for sports, lifestyle and leisure wear retailers. 25-Nov-1999
Coffee Republic, the chain of 53 coffee bars, has announced plans to become a fully-listed company and to accelerate its store-opening programme with new outlets in Leeds, Cardiff and Newcastle. 24-Nov-1999
Sainsbury has announced a £150m programme to reform its supply chain in order to save £50m a year. 24-Nov-1999
Madford Developments has started work on the development of a £5.5m retail park in Stafford, which will include Currys and Lidl outlets and create more than 300 jobs. 23-Nov-1999
CyberCall is building a new call centre in Cardigan, Dyfed, with the creation of 200 jobs, in a link-up with internet retailing business Avenue One. 23-Nov-1999
Kirklees Council has announced plans to set up a new street market in Huddersfield town centre. 23-Nov-1999
Majestic Wine is planning to expand its chain of drinks warehouses from 87 to 150 outlets by opening 10 a year. 23-Nov-1999
Kingfisher is launching a Woolworths web site to sell about 350 products, including CDs and toys, in the run-up to Christmas. 22-Nov-1999
Crawley Borough Council is to consider plans from Hammerson and the Ashquay Group for a £50m retail project in the town centre, including an Asda superstore and offices. 20-Nov-1999
Sainsbury has announced details of its £30m internet project, which will involve a partnership with LineOne and the development of two portals - one for food and drink and the other for home and garden. 20-Nov-1999
South East England Development Agency has announced plans for a £125m retail and leisure complex at Chatham Marine in Kent, including hotel, shopping centre, multiplex cinema, and watersports. 20-Nov-1999
Argos is to open a new outlet at the new Roman Way trading estate in Malvern, and other units are being taken by Richleys, Powerhouse and Poundstretcher. 20-Nov-1999
Storehouse is to separate its Mothercare and Bhs retailing businesses, which will involve dissolving the Storehouse group and cutting 100 management jobs at head office. 19-Nov-1999
MEPC is in discussions with Derby City Council about plans to extend the Eagle shopping centre. 18-Nov-1999
Kingfisher is to invest £1.5m in the development of a national call centre in Hull for its Comet electrical retailing business, creating up to 300 jobs. 18-Nov-1999
Great Portland Estates is acquiring a 400,000 sq ft retail and leisure development next to its Octagon Shopping Centre in High Wycombe for £90m. 18-Nov-1999
Liverpool City Council is to consider proposals from seven developers for a £200m project to regenerate the city centre. 18-Nov-1999
Tesco is planning to expand its internet retailing business, and may start offering travel, tickets, computers and white goods. 18-Nov-1999
Ipswich Borough Council is to consider plans from developer Helical Retail for a £70m shopping and leisure development called The Cloisters in the centre of Ipswich, including a 150-room hotel. 16-Nov-1999
New Look is to develop a new type of fashion megastore, and a 12,000 sq ft outlet will open at the Lakeside Centre in Thurrock. 16-Nov-1999
Domino's Pizza is planning to launch a nationwide internet ordering service in the next few weeks, offering home delivery within 40 minutes. 16-Nov-1999
Birthdays Group is receiving a £25m investment from 3i in order to fund the expansion of its chain of 445 greeting card shops. 15-Nov-1999
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council has approved plans from Swan Hill for a £40m retail development in the town centre, including 42 new shops. 13-Nov-1999
Arcadia is planning to sell off 56 of its Richards shops, while most of the other Richards stores will be converted to other Arcadia brands. 13-Nov-1999
Ilkeston Co-op is to set up a new £3m travel call centre and head office in Ilkeston with the creation of 50 jobs. 13-Nov-1999
Halfords is seeking permission from Sutton Council to build a motor parts superstore in the centre of Sutton, London. 13-Nov-1999
Derby City Council is considering plans from Ravenside Investments for the development of a travel hypermarket at the Meteor Centre, and Ravenside is in discussions with a number of travel agents interested in operating the store. 12-Nov-1999
Asda is to set up a new £25m superstore at Huyton village on Merseyside, with the creation of 250 jobs. 12-Nov-1999
Somerfield is planning to sell about 500 of its 1,422 stores due to problems with the integration of the former Kwik Save outlets, and now aims to focus on neighbourhood food retailing. 12-Nov-1999
Morrisons is to open its first superstore in Suffolk with the acquisition of the Co-op outlet in Ipswich, and the 90 Co-op staff will transfer to the new owners next May. 10-Nov-1999
Flying Flowers is creating 150 jobs at a new call centre for its horticultural mail order business in Kelvedon, Essex. 10-Nov-1999
Hampshire County Council is seeking developers for a £2m shopping complex in Whiteley near Fareham. 09-Nov-1999
Marks & Spencer has dropped Richard Roberts as a supplier, which is expected to lead to heavy job losses at the Leicester-based knitwear business. 06-Nov-1999
Rosebys has bought 270 Fads and Homebase stores from the Alchemy venture capital group for £15m, and the outlets will be rebranded under the Rosebys and Benson's Beds formats. 06-Nov-1999
Tesco is to build a £12m store at Leyland in Lancashire by 2001, with the creation of 300 jobs. 06-Nov-1999
Marks & Spencer is looking at ways to restructure its food supply chain in order to save £50m a year by 2002. 06-Nov-1999
Whitbread is to test its Costa coffee shop concept in continental Europe, starting with three outlets in Germany. 05-Nov-1999
Aberdeen City Council is considering plans from Stannifer Developments for the £120m development of the Union Square shopping and leisure complex on Guild Street, which could create 2,000 jobs. 04-Nov-1999
West Midlands Co-op is to build new stores in Walsall and Staffordshire and refurbish stores across the region, in a £10m investment programme that will create 200 jobs. 04-Nov-1999
Marks & Spencer is to raise £400m by issuing bonds secured against some of its property and by selling sites such as the Gyle shopping centre in Edinburgh. 04-Nov-1999
Preston Borough Council is in discussions with Grosvenor Estate Holdings about plans to spend up to £300m redeveloping the town centre over the next ten years. 04-Nov-1999
Marks & Spencer is to end its supply relationship with Daks Simpson, which could lead to the loss of about 800 jobs at clothing factories. 03-Nov-1999
Derby City Council is considering a £12m plan from the Midlands Co-op and developer Birch to transform Central Hall into a shopping complex. 03-Nov-1999
Land Securities is planning to link its Olympia and Princes Mall shopping centres in East Kilbride, adding a further 200,000 sq ft of retail space. 01-Nov-1999
Teignbridge District Council is considering plans from ASM Properties for the development of a new shopping complex in Newton Abbot, including an Asda superstore and the creation of 300 jobs. 30-Oct-1999
BAA McArthur Glen is planning to add an extra 70 shops at its shopping village near York next year, with the creation of up to 700 jobs. 30-Oct-1999
Ilkeston Co-op has opened a travel superstore in Sheffield called The Big Vacation Travel Centre, one of the first of 30 planned stores. 30-Oct-1999
Sainsbury is planning to set up a Central store in Cardiff city centre as part of the £20m redevelopment of Queen Street. 30-Oct-1999
Matalan has announced plans for a new £8m discount superstore in Plymouth, creating 25 jobs, as part of a nationwide expansion programme. 30-Oct-1999
Psyche is to set up an internet-based shoe retailing business, which will be based in either Middlesbrough or York and will create about 100 jobs. 29-Oct-1999
Tesco has submitted plans for a new £10m store in the centre of Hednesford, which would create more than 250 jobs. 29-Oct-1999
B&Q is submitting plans to build a £15m DIY store and garden centre in Burton, creating more than 200 jobs. 29-Oct-1999
WH Smith is to trial a new bookshop format at a store in Leeds railway station in December, enabling customers to order books online and have them delivered to their homes or to other WH Smith shops. 29-Oct-1999
Sainsbury is planning to invest £30m in an internet-based home shopping service, and details will be announced in late November. 28-Oct-1999
House of Fraser is to close its Dingles department store in Bristol with the loss of 186 jobs, and the building will be converted by Hemingway Properties into smaller units. 27-Oct-1999
Morbaine has won approval for an 11-acre retail and office development in Kidderminster town centre, which will allow Victoria Carpets to complete the move of its weaving and administration centre to its Worcester Road factory. 27-Oct-1999
Dunloe Ewart, MEPC, and John Laing Property have unveiled plans for a £250m retail development in Belfast, which includes an extension of the CastleCourt shopping centre and the modernisation of Royal Avenue. 27-Oct-1999
Kingfisher has confirmed plans to open up to 10 Big W discount stores, with the creation of more than 2,000 jobs. 27-Oct-1999
John Lewis Partnership is planning a major refurbishment programme for its Peter Jones department store in London, which will increase selling space by 14%. 26-Oct-1999
The government has approved plans from Lincoln-based developer Swayfields for the construction of a service station on the M25 motorway near Cobham. 26-Oct-1999
BAA McArthur Glen is seeking permission from Bridgend Council to build a further 23,000 sq ft of retail space at its shopping village in Sarn. 23-Oct-1999
Marks & Spencer is to drop William Baird as a supplier next year in order to source more clothing from overseas, which could threaten up to 7,000 jobs at 19 Baird factories. 23-Oct-1999
Liverpool City Council has shortlisted Westfield of Australia and a number of other developers for the £700m Paradise Street shopping centre scheme. 23-Oct-1999
Sainsbury is seeking planning permission to build town-centre stores in Worcester and Otley, Suffolk. 23-Oct-1999
Scottish Provident has won planning permission for a 35,000 sq ft retail warehouse scheme in East Kilbride. 23-Oct-1999
Asda has opened its second online home shopping depot in Watford, and is looking for two more sites in London. 23-Oct-1999
Bradford Council has approved a £200m plan from Caddick Construction to transform the Broadway end of the city centre. 22-Oct-1999
Matalan is seeking planning permission to set up a discount clothing superstore near the centre of Carlisle. 21-Oct-1999
Photo-Me International is linking up with Musicmaker.com to trial kiosks that will enable people to compile their own CDs. 21-Oct-1999
Debenhams is to spend £120m refurbishing 70 of its department stores over the next four years, and has expressed an interest in acquiring some of Storehouse's Bhs outlets. 20-Oct-1999
Blacks Leisure is looking to acquire small chains of sports retailers rather than open new stores. 20-Oct-1999
Castlemore Securities has secured planning consent for a 110,000 sq ft retail park in Oldham, and is seeking an anchor tenant. 16-Oct-1999
Prudential has submitted plans for a retail and residential scheme at the Shambles Square in Manchester, including a department store. 16-Oct-1999
Tesco has submitted plans to Daventry District Council to build a distribution centre in Crick. 16-Oct-1999
Boots has announced plans to open 2,500 shops outside the UK over the next ten years, and aims to gain 3% of the world's health and beauty market. 16-Oct-1999
Morrisons is planning to set up a new superstore in Fleetwood town centre with the creation of 350 jobs. 16-Oct-1999
B&Q is seeking planning permission to build a £14m superstore to replace its Cheltenham branch, with the creation of up to 200 jobs. 15-Oct-1999
Exeter City Council is considering plans from Land Securities for a £80m project to redevelop the city centre. 14-Oct-1999
Asda is planning to launch a web-based service that will enable shoppers to find the cheapest goods by searching through prices from different retailers. 14-Oct-1999
House of Fraser has awarded a contract to HBG for the £19m refurbishment of its Army & Navy store in Guildford. 14-Oct-1999
Tesco has bought Coventry's Cannon Park Shopping Centre for £10m, which could result in the expansion of its existing store. 13-Oct-1999
Taylor Woodrow is planning a £100m redevelopment of the Europe House office complex in London's St Katharine Docks, which will include 15,000 sq ft of ground level retail and restaurant space. 13-Oct-1999
South Oxfordshire District Council and Taylor Woodrow have unveiled plans for a £30m retail development in Didcot, including a superstore, 28 shops, a library and an amphitheatre. 12-Oct-1999
Levi Strauss is to relaunch its denim retail outlets, which will involve the introduction of a small chain of boutiques called Cinch and the redevelopment of its flagship store on London's Regent Street. 12-Oct-1999
Somerfield is looking to sell more than 200 of its largest stores in order to raise up to £500m to invest in convenience retailing. 09-Oct-1999
English Heritage has approved plans from Regent Estates for a £30m shopping and leisure complex in Leamington Spa. 09-Oct-1999
Dixons is planning to set up Currys and PC World superstores at the former Safeway site in London's Staples Corner. 09-Oct-1999
Swindon Borough Council is considering plans from Beaufort Western for a £9m development in Swindon town centre, including retail and restaurant facilities. 09-Oct-1999
Leeds City Council is to consider plans from Asda St James for the construction of a new retail centre, hotel, restaurant, car showroom and fitness centre in Whinmoor, which would create 400 jobs. 09-Oct-1999
Ted Baker, the fashion retailer, is launching an internet trading business, appointing a new distributor in France, and considering plans to open more stores in the US. 08-Oct-1999
N Brown, the mail order company, is launching a new service called Zendor that will provide logistical back-up to other retailers offering internet sites. 08-Oct-1999
Thorntons is to open cafes in 20 of its chocolate stores this year, and a further 70 over the following two years. 07-Oct-1999
Co-operative Wholesale Society is considering plans to merge with the Co-operative Retail Society early next year, to create the country's largest mutual retail group. 07-Oct-1999
City Gourmets is planning to open a further five coffee shops this year, including a new drive-through format. 07-Oct-1999
Hamleys is considering plans to open a further three Toystack shops in the next year and more Hamleys satellite outlets. 07-Oct-1999
University of Aberdeen has announced plans to build a new shopping centre in Bridge of Don, including banking and medical facilities, a library, veterinary centre, and restaurant. 06-Oct-1999
Oasis Stores is planning to scrap its mail-order business and replace it with a web site selling fashion items. 06-Oct-1999
Peter Black is seeking European acquisitions to expand the healthcare side of its business, and has also announced plans to sell vitamins and minerals via the internet. 05-Oct-1999
Minerva is planning to redevelop Croydon town centre with a new £500m shopping mall, but planning permission is not expected until mid-2001. 05-Oct-1999
Peacocks is planning a £200m flotation later this year, and believes there is potential to expand its chain of clothing stores from 261 to 600 outlets. 04-Oct-1999
Debenhams is to open Manchester United merchandise outlets in 21 of its stores by the end of the year. 04-Oct-1999
Taylor Woodrow is seeking permission to build a £10m supermarket at Sandiacre in Derbyshire. 02-Oct-1999
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has approved plans from IM Properties to redevelop the Baths Road site in Longton into a major retail and leisure complex, with the creation of up to 500 jobs. 02-Oct-1999
B&Q is seeking 100 workers for a new DIY store that will open in Washington in November, and there are also vacancies at another store in nearby Sunderland. 01-Oct-1999
Selfridges is looking to open three more department stores, including a £30m outlet in Birmingham. 01-Oct-1999
Plymouth City Council has approved a £1m funding bid to create a retail centre at the former Jaeger factory on Union Street. 30-Sep-1999
Moss Construction has won a £2.6m contract from Pillar Property to refurbish the Castle Quay shopping centre in Banbury. 30-Sep-1999
Kingfisher is to open a Big W superstore in Coventry in October with the creation of 250 jobs. 30-Sep-1999
Storehouse is planning to move its Mothercare business into internet retailing by setting up a joint venture with an unnamed internet operator. 30-Sep-1999
Arcadia is to centralise its head office functions in Leeds with the creation of 59 jobs, but 103 jobs will be lost at the recently-acquired Sears offices in Leicester. 29-Sep-1999
Poundland is creating 80 new jobs at its base in Wolverhampton, as part of an expansion programme that will result in eight new stores nationwide. 29-Sep-1999
Costco UK is seeking permission to build a retail warehouse near the Wyvern Centre in Derby, which would create 250 jobs. 29-Sep-1999
Tesco has announced details of its overseas expansion plan, which will involve investing £3bn in about 100 hypermarkets in Asia and central Europe by 2002. 29-Sep-1999
Rosebys has bought three stores in Eastbourne, Winchester and Sheffield from Fabric Warehouse for £0.5m. 28-Sep-1999
Photo-Me International, the photo booth operator, has received a number of takeover approaches and is considering its strategic options. 28-Sep-1999
Carphone Warehouse is to acquire 46 telephone shops in France from FNAC Telecom, and the two companies are forming an alliance to create one of the largest distributors in Europe. 28-Sep-1999
TJ Hughes is planning to set up five discount department stores in southern England, as part of an ongoing nationwide expansion. 28-Sep-1999
Bath & North East Somerset Council is to consider plans from developers CGU Life and Shearer Property Holdings to replace the Southgate shopping centre with a three-storey complex incorporating shops, housing, restaurants and a cinema. 25-Sep-1999
Wolverhampton Council has approved plans for a multi-million pound shopping complex with 14 outlets in Wednesfield. 25-Sep-1999
Staples is to open an office supplies superstore in Grimsby next month with the creation of 30 jobs. 25-Sep-1999
Thomas Pink, the London-based shirtmaker, has sold a 70% stake to LVMH of France for about £30m, and new outlets will be set up worldwide. 25-Sep-1999
Lidl is to develop a 300,000 sq ft distribution unit in Bexley in order to serve stores in the south east. 25-Sep-1999
Blakedown Nurseries is to cut about 25 of the 100 jobs at its garden centre near Kidderminster, in order to keep the troubled business trading. 24-Sep-1999
Carphone Warehouse is creating 60 jobs in the West Midlands by opening new outlets in Dudley and Coventry, as part of a nationwide expansion programme that will create 750 jobs before Christmas. 24-Sep-1999
Clinton Cards is planning to expand its chain of greeting card stores from 703 to 730 outlets by the end of the year. 24-Sep-1999
Swansea Council has approved plans from MEPC for the £160m Castle Quays retailing project. 23-Sep-1999
Laura Ashley is to close its remaining clothing factory in Wales with the loss of 150 jobs, and negotiations are taking place to sell its two remaining home furnishing plants. 23-Sep-1999
Boots is planning to reduce costs by £160m over the next three years, which includes the loss of about 500 head office jobs. 23-Sep-1999
Tesco is planning to spend £1.5bn adding 1m sq ft to its selling space this year, and up to £600m will be spent on overseas hypermarkets in Asia and eastern Europe. 22-Sep-1999
French Connection is planning to open a further 100 outlets worldwide by 2002, and is also considering the launch of stand-alone menswear stores. 22-Sep-1999
Capital Shopping Centres has opened the £285m Braehead shopping and leisure centre near Glasgow, which is expected to be the country's last major out-of-town retail complex due to strict government guidelines on such developments. 21-Sep-1999
T&S Stores is planning to expand its chain of convenience stores from 764 to 1,000 outlets by 2002, and the Dillons stores will be renamed One-Stop. 21-Sep-1999
Boots is planning a major expansion programme for its out-of-town stores, and aims to invest £65m in 150 shops over the next five years. 18-Sep-1999
Somerfield is planning to relocate its team of fruit and vegetable buyers from Rainham to its Bristol headquarters. 18-Sep-1999
Next is planning to expand its chain of clothing stores by opening an additional 120,000 sq ft by the end of January, but is only interested in buying individual stores. 17-Sep-1999
Body Shop International is to take closer control of its retail business by buying 41 stores run by 13 franchise groups at a cost of £16m. 17-Sep-1999
Costco has won permission to build a £15m cash and carry store on the site of the former Dunston Power Station at Gateshead, with the creation of up to 300 jobs. 16-Sep-1999
Kingfisher is planning to open a second BigW general merchandise superstore in Coventry, as the pilot store in Edinburgh is said to be performing well. 16-Sep-1999
Tesco is to recruit about 60 additional staff for its call centre in Dundee, taking the total to 450. 15-Sep-1999
Morrison Construction has announced plans for two retail developments in South Wales, including a £50m shopping mall in the centre of Newport and a distribution hub for Tesco at the Gwent Europark. 15-Sep-1999
Marks & Spencer is looking to sell its Kings supermarket business in the US, but will retain the larger Brooks Brothers division. 15-Sep-1999
Freeport Leisure is planning to expand its factory outlet business into continental Europe at a cost of £150m, and is in negotiations to acquire six sites. 15-Sep-1999
House of Fraser is considering plans to bid for Allders, the rival department store group. 14-Sep-1999
Marks & Spencer is linking up with Orange and Motorola to sell mobile phones in its stores, and this could be followed by other products such as faxes and pagers. 13-Sep-1999
Morning Noon & Night is to acquire three new outlets in Drumnadrochit, Grantown, and Inverness to take its chain of convenience stores to 40. 11-Sep-1999
Decathlon of France is planning to set up two more sports superstores in Stockport and Nottingham. 11-Sep-1999
Somerfield is to build five new regional depots over the next three years at a cost of £100m, and sites are being considered in St Helens and Bridgewater. 11-Sep-1999
Oxford City Council is considering plans from Capital Shopping Centres for a £220m project to double the size of the Westgate shopping centre. 10-Sep-1999
Chichester Council has appointed property consultants Drivers Jonas to invite development companies to propose potential retail and leisure schemes for a town centre site. 10-Sep-1999
Ericsson is to launch a global trial of branded mobile phone stores, and a UK outlet is expected within two months. 10-Sep-1999
Alldays is looking to sell its Dundee-based Trademarket cash-and-carry subsidiary as part of a strategy to focus on convenience retailing. 09-Sep-1999
Ashfield District Council is to consider plans from Sheffield-based Dransfield Properties for the construction of a retail park at the former Evans Halshaw site in Sutton, Nottinghamshire, which would create 100 jobs. 09-Sep-1999
James Beattie has announced a £14m expansion programme for stores in Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and Wolverhampton, with the creation of about 300 jobs. 09-Sep-1999
Waitrose is planning to launch an internet service business that will raise money for charity, and will also offer home delivery of organic produce. 09-Sep-1999
Iceland is to become the first food retailer to launch a nationwide home shopping service, and it will be free for customers with a minimum order of £40. 08-Sep-1999
Hay & Robertson is to launch an online football store in the autumn selling a range of leisurewear. 07-Sep-1999
Harrods is to launch an online shopping service that will enable customers all over the world to order goods. 07-Sep-1999
Landmark Securities is planning a £10m development at the Whitley Shopping Mall in Whitley Bay, including 16 new units. 04-Sep-1999
Costco UK is still planning to build up to 40 warehouse stores throughout the country, despite recent problems trying to secure planning permission. 04-Sep-1999
Morrisons is planning to build a regional distribution centre in order to support its expansion into the south of England, and is said to have identified a possible site near Bedford. 04-Sep-1999
Tesco is planning to sell discounted electrical goods in its supermarkets and may join the auction for the fifth mobile phone licence. 03-Sep-1999
Taylor Woodrow is linking up with Centros Miller and British Land to plan a £150m redevelopment of Portsmouth city centre. 02-Sep-1999
Matalan is planning to expand its chain of cut-price clothing and homewares stores from 90 to 200 over the next six years. 02-Sep-1999
Monsoon is to open 30 fashion stores this year and the company is also looking to expand sales through the internet. 02-Sep-1999
Lincoln Co-operative Society has announced plans for the redevelopment of its Lincoln department store into a nightclub-restaurant complex. 01-Sep-1999
Somerfield is planning to offer additional services when it launches its home shopping business later this year, and possibilities include dry cleaning, ticket booking, and shoe repairs. 28-Aug-1999
MFI, the furniture retailer, is looking to raise more than £100m by selling half of its out-of-town property assets, in order to fight off an anticipated hostile takeover. 28-Aug-1999
Sainsbury has submitted plans to build a new supermarket in Otley with the creation of 150 jobs. 26-Aug-1999
Kingfisher is linking up with AOL Europe to launch the Netscape Online subscription-free internet service, which will be available in Woolworths outlets. 25-Aug-1999
Sainsbury is planning a £2m refurbishment at its Trinity Street supermarket in Coventry, in order to support the city's millennium redevelopment. 23-Aug-1999
Tesco is considering plans to set up internet cafes in its stores, and is also expanding its internet ordering service with five stores a week going online. 23-Aug-1999
Arcadia has announced plans to step up its overseas expansion programme by opening stores in Poland, Hungary, Turkey and the Czech Republic. 23-Aug-1999
Allders is launching an online auction catalogue in partnership with Loot and National Tender of Israel, offering discounts on products such as household appliances, cars and holidays. 21-Aug-1999
Taylor Woodrow Property has acquired Waterlooville's proposed £14m Dukes Walk shopping centre development, at a cost of £3.5m. 19-Aug-1999
BlackStar is to create 75 jobs at its online video retailing business in Belfast, having secured £3.8m of private equity from two US venture capital houses. 19-Aug-1999
Hamleys is to close some of its House of Toys concessions by ending its contract with Debenhams, and its lossmaking toy shop at Singapore airport will also be closed. 19-Aug-1999
Brown & Jackson has announced a £46m indicative offer for Allied Carpets, prompting speculation that Wassall could make a rival bid. 18-Aug-1999
Sainsbury is to create 650 jobs in its Homebase division by centralising regional administration and expanding the floors business, but 1,200 jobs will be lost by removing a layer of management and withdrawing from the kitchens market. 18-Aug-1999
Punch Taverns is said to be discussing plans to sell its 50% stake in the First Quench off-licence business to Parisa Group. 18-Aug-1999
Wilkinson Hardware Stores is to open five household goods stores and a distribution centre in Wales over the next year, with the creation of more than 1,000 jobs. 18-Aug-1999
Carphone Warehouse is to convert its 270 Tandy retail outlets into high-tech shops selling mobile phones, digital televisions and personal computers. 14-Aug-1999
Sainsbury is seeking permission for a £5m extension at its superstore near Ilkeston, which would create up to 80 jobs. 13-Aug-1999
Perfect Pizza is planning to open 100 new takeaway stores over the next five years with the creation of 2,000 jobs, and the focus of the expansion will be in the North of England and Scotland. 13-Aug-1999
Rosebys has bought four out-of-town stores from Fabric Warehouse for £2.9m, giving it new sites in Southampton, Weybridge, Aylesbury and Poole. 13-Aug-1999
Boots is to set up two pilot stores aimed at men in Bristol and Edinburgh, offering a wide range of men's health and fitness products. 13-Aug-1999
Asda has announced revised proposals for a £25m superstore in Hull, which will create 400 jobs. 12-Aug-1999
Dixons has confirmed plans to set up a call centre at the Nunnery Square offices in Sheffield, with the creation of up to 2,000 jobs. 12-Aug-1999
Lidl is planning to set up a warehouse and distribution centre in Runcorn, with the creation of 250 jobs. 11-Aug-1999
Asda has announced plans to build a £25m superstore in Cannock, with the creation of 400 jobs. 11-Aug-1999
Tesco is to swap its three stores in Dunbar, Kirriemuir and Carnoustie for a Lothian Borders & Angus Co-operative Society superstore in Galashiels. 11-Aug-1999
Costco UK is submitting plans to Derby City Council for the construction of a members-only warehouse store at the Wyvern shopping centre, with the creation of 250 jobs. 10-Aug-1999
Sainsbury is linking up with Starbucks of the US to install branded coffee bars in its supermarkets. 10-Aug-1999
Alldays is seeking to raise £200m to buy in the franchise businesses for 400 of its stores. 10-Aug-1999
Asda is seeking permission to build a £25m superstore at Middlesbrough's Middlehaven development. 09-Aug-1999
Tesco is seeking permission to build a new superstore in Cleckheaton with the creation of 300 jobs. 06-Aug-1999
Wickes is investing £50m in its DIY outlets and distribution system this year, and similar amounts in 2000 and 2001. 06-Aug-1999
Tesco is seeking planning permission for a £7m superstore on the site of the Grampian Fire Brigade HQ in Aberdeen, with the creation of 300 jobs. 05-Aug-1999
Mulberry has announced a £50m deal in which Toray Industries will distribute its luxury goods to Japanese department stores. 02-Aug-1999
Sainsbury is planning a £50m retail and leisure scheme in Kingston-upon-Thames, including supermarket, multiplex cinema and restaurants. 31-Jul-1999
Bride Hall is planning to develop a £25m shopping centre next to the Broadway Centre in Bexleyheath. 31-Jul-1999
Tesco has announced plans to build a new superstore and health club on Merseyside, creating more than 600 jobs. 30-Jul-1999
Argos is relaunching its stores so that they all offer home delivery and the same product range. 30-Jul-1999
Boots is opening its first health and beauty store in Japan, as part of a pilot project in partnership with Mitsubishi. 30-Jul-1999
Tesco has revealed plans to build a new multi-million pound store in Northampton. 29-Jul-1999
TJ Hughes has outlined plans to create about 500 jobs by opening new discount stores across the country, including sites in Crawley, Boscombe, Weston-Super-Mare, Wrexham, Middlesbrough and Burnley. 29-Jul-1999
Topps Tiles is planning to open a further 15 tile outlets this year, and aims to expand its chain from 100 to 200 within five years. 28-Jul-1999
Newcastle City Council has announced plans to transform the city centre with new shopping and leisure facilities, including two large stores and apartments overlooking the Tyne. 27-Jul-1999
Tetley is planning to launch a chain of tea bars following the success of its Gaffers pilot outlet in Manchester, and talks have started with potential partners. 26-Jul-1999
Marks & Spencer is planning to sell a range of about 200 gift and clothing products on its internet site by Christmas. 26-Jul-1999
Tesco is to spend £50m expanding its business in Scotland this year, including store refurbishments and site acquisitions. 24-Jul-1999
Halfords is linking up with Granada to open 14 new roadside car parts stores. 24-Jul-1999
Budgens is to sell and lease back 10 of its freehold supermarkets to Topland in a £17m deal, in order to help fund its £30m investment programme. 24-Jul-1999
Eagle Star Life Assurance is planning to invest £7m at the Market Centre retail complex in Crewe with the creation of 50 jobs, including an extra 19,000 sq ft of retail space. 23-Jul-1999
Tesco has bought the Yorkgate Superstore in Belfast from the Northern Ireland Co-op, and plans to carry out a major refurbishment. 23-Jul-1999
Focus is looking to sell or close its Botley Road DIY outlet in Oxford due to poor sales figures. 22-Jul-1999
TK Maxx is planning to open a fashion store in the Captain Cook Square complex in Middlesbrough later this year, with the creation of 50 jobs. 22-Jul-1999
Somerfield has awarded a £25m contract to Tilbury Douglas for the construction of a distribution depot at Sherburn-in-Elmet in Leeds. 22-Jul-1999
Halifax and Clerical Medical are jointly planning to build a £100m retail and leisure complex at Headrow Buildings in Leeds, and six contractors are bidding for the £30m construction management contract. 22-Jul-1999
Kingfisher is planning to acquire Screwfix, the DIY mail order company, and is expected to invest in the internet side of the business. 22-Jul-1999
Sainsbury is planning to open 200 convenience stores over the next three years, and about 1,000 in the long-term. 22-Jul-1999
Boots is to spend £14m installing interactive terminals into 350 stores, in order to offer special promotions to loyalty card holders. 21-Jul-1999
Centrica is to close its 243 gas showrooms over the next few weeks with the loss of 1,445 jobs, blaming the effect of competition from out-of-town retailers. 20-Jul-1999
Netto is to open a second discount supermarket in Northampton, with the creation of 30 jobs. 19-Jul-1999
Modus Properties is planning to build a £80m shopping centre in Wigan, in partnership with the Stadium Group. 19-Jul-1999
Storehouse is looking to raise £43m by selling six of its Bhs stores. 19-Jul-1999
Norwich Union Investment Management is forming a joint venture with Milner Estates to exploit the value of shopping centres, and will start with the acquisition of five centres from Norwich Union. 19-Jul-1999
The Retail Motor Industry Federation has welcomed plans from a group of Far East investors to set up a £750m chain of shopping malls for new cars, including potential sites in Burton-on-Trent, Newbury, Leeds and four in continental Europe. 19-Jul-1999
Sunderland Council is considering plans from the North Eastern Co-op to build a new supermarket, as part of a £4.8m redevelopment of Houghton town centre. 16-Jul-1999
Co-operative Wholesale Society of Manchester has announced plans to buy 200 convenience stores over the next three years, and is seeking opportunities in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the South East. 16-Jul-1999
Somerfield has announced the creation of four separate trading divisions - Somerfield, Somerfield Convenience, home shopping and Kwik Save. 16-Jul-1999
Plymouth City Council is considering plans from Salmon Harvester Properties to transform the former First Western National bus depot into six retail units totalling 69,000 sq ft. 15-Jul-1999
Tesco has submitted plans for a new supermarket in Burnley town centre, which would create about 300 jobs. 15-Jul-1999
New Look is considering plans to move out of 300 of its 490 clothes stores as they are too small. 15-Jul-1999
Rosebys is acquiring 16 Fabric Warehouse shops for £5m, as part of a strategy to focus its furnishings retailing business on larger out-of-town outlets. 15-Jul-1999
JJ Gallagher is planning to build a £8m out-of-town shopping centre in Scunthorpe, with the creation of up to 200 jobs. 14-Jul-1999
Safeway is planning to create 3,500 jobs by opening and extending stores, but up to 100 jobs will be lost by removing a layer of regional management. 14-Jul-1999
House of Fraser is placing 15 of its stores into a sale and leaseback joint venture with British Land, in order to generate funds for its capital investment programme. 14-Jul-1999
Lansbury Holdings is planning to invest £35m in three retail and industrial projects in Southend, including a new B&Q DIY store and the creation of up to 760 jobs. 13-Jul-1999
Lend Lease is planning to build a £200m retail complex in the centre of Norwich, including a department store and 75 other shops. 10-Jul-1999
Marks & Spencer is to close four German and two French stores and reduce the size of its French head office in order to save £10m a year, and up to 310 jobs will be lost. 10-Jul-1999
British Land has agreed to buy the Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield for £1.17bn, including an option to buy 48 acres of potential development land next to the centre. 09-Jul-1999
Boxman, the Swedish online retailer of music and videos, is planning to buy UK rival iMVS.com, in preparation for a flotation next year. 09-Jul-1999
Blyth Valley Borough Council is considering plans from clothing retailer Sizecheck to relocate its head office to the former Wilkinson Sword plant at Cramlington, where it would set up a distribution centre, offices and factory shop. 08-Jul-1999
Electricworld of Northern Ireland is planning a £12m expansion south of the border, which will involve opening nine electrical megastores and the creation of 750 jobs. 08-Jul-1999
Dixons is planning to create 3,000 jobs this year by opening 100 stores across all five of its retail chains. 08-Jul-1999
Budgens is to focus its expansion on convenience stores, village stores and petrol forecourts, and will launch a home shopping service in August. 08-Jul-1999
Pentland, the supplier of branded sports goods, is considering plans to go private in a £490m deal. 08-Jul-1999
HMV Media is to rebrand the 34 remaining Dillons book shops as Waterstones. 07-Jul-1999
Marks & Spencer is to refurbish 125 stores to include miniature catwalks, large window displays, wide aisles and wall-size posters, at a cost of £30m. 07-Jul-1999
Tesco is to close its Waterlooville store in August and the 35 staff will be offered employment at the company's six other stores in south-east Hampshire. 06-Jul-1999
Dobbies Garden Centres is planning to expand its chain of 10 outlets by adding about two a year for the next five years. 06-Jul-1999
Homebase is seeking planning permission to build a new DIY store and garden centre at the Plas Coch retail park in Wrexham. 05-Jul-1999
Sainsbury is to roll out its Reward Point interactive terminals to 300 stores over the next year following a successful trial. 03-Jul-1999
Holiday Hypermarkets has announced plans to set up travel agency outlets in Basildon and Sheffield, as part of a nationwide expansion programme. 02-Jul-1999
Dixons and Halfords are considering plans to open superstores at the new Towngate retail park in Newport, Isle of Wight. 02-Jul-1999
Somerfield is to roll out its home shopping business nationwide from September, under the Somerfield 24-7 brand, and has also announced plans to open another 50 mini-stores at Elf petrol stations over the next 18 months. 02-Jul-1999
Dixons is considering plans to set up a call centre in Sheffield, which would create an initial 300 jobs and up to 2,000 in the long-term. 01-Jul-1999
Ikea has expressed interest in setting up a furniture store at the planned £50m Tipner retail development in Portsmouth, but the project has not yet been submitted to Portsmouth City Council for planning consent. 01-Jul-1999
Safeway is to open a late-night mini-store in Warwick, one of 50 outlets being set up on BP petrol forecourts throughout the country. 01-Jul-1999
Swansea Council has approved plans from Sears Property Developments for the construction of a £27m retail park in Fforestfach, which will include eight retail units. 01-Jul-1999
Gieves & Hawkes is to set up a 2,800 sq ft men's clothing store in Briggate, Leeds, in September. 01-Jul-1999
JJB Sports is planning to open a further 12 superstores this year and is about to open a Soccer Dome in Wigan, which will include 11 indoor pitches, a superstore, and bars. 30-Jun-1999
Lidl is planning to open up to 10 discount supermarkets in Plymouth with the creation of about 200 jobs. 30-Jun-1999
Netto is planning to set up a £3m supermarket in Scunthorpe with the creation of 30 jobs. 30-Jun-1999
The Belfast Development Office is considering plans from the Dutch company Multi Development Corporation for a £200m regeneration of the city's Victoria Square into a shopping, leisure and residential centre. 30-Jun-1999
Littlewoods is planning to spend £120m revamping its high street stores over the next three years, incorporating Index catalogue outlets and cafes. 30-Jun-1999
Boots is planning to revamp its Cornmarket store in Oxford, which will involve taking over three other shops and could cost up to £16m. 29-Jun-1999
Batleys has confirmed plans to relocate its 50 head office staff from Huddersfield to a new £1.4m building near its Leeds depot, while the company is also seeking to expand its chain of wholesale outlets from 16 to 20 by late next year. 29-Jun-1999
MEPC and John Laing Property have announced plans to double the size of the CastleCourt shopping centre in Belfast, with the creation of up to 2,000 jobs. 29-Jun-1999
Alldays is to relocate its convenience stores head office from Dundee to Southampton later this year, which could affect about 50 jobs. 28-Jun-1999
Marks & Spencer is to trial a telephone-based foreign currency service that will offer next-day delivery of cash and travellers cheques. 28-Jun-1999
City Gourmets has acquired the Carwadine chain of seven coffee bars in the South West, and is planning a nationwide expansion campaign. 26-Jun-1999
Gap is planning to open 150 fashion stores over the next three years, following its recent acquisition of 11 high street sites from Mothercare. 26-Jun-1999
Carrick Council has approved plans from Royston Leigh for the construction of a £25m shopping centre in Truro, and completion is due in spring 2002. 26-Jun-1999
Victory, the Virgin-owned cosmetics group, is planning to recruit a further 3,000 consultants by the end of the year to sell products direct to the public in their homes. 26-Jun-1999
Prudential is planning a £22m extension at its Grafton shopping centre in Cambridge, creating 17 new shops. 25-Jun-1999
Matalan is planning to set up a 25,000sq ft clothes store in Inverness with the creation of about 80 jobs. 25-Jun-1999
Bradford Council is to consider revised plans from Caddick Construction and Magellan Estates for a major redevelopment of the city centre. 25-Jun-1999
Body Shop International is in discussions to sell its Littlehampton manufacturing plants to Pac Creative, the South African contract manufacturer. 25-Jun-1999
Lidl has won permission from East Staffordshire Borough Council to build a discount supermarket in Uttoxeter, creating 25 jobs. 24-Jun-1999
Highland Council has approved plans for a £40m expansion of the Eastgate shopping centre in Inverness with the creation of 500 jobs, and work is expected to be completed in spring 2001. 24-Jun-1999
Redcar Council has announced plans to build a £30m shopping centre in the town in partnership with the Teesland Development Company, and discussions are taking place with property owners at the site. 24-Jun-1999
Storehouse is to open a 31,000 sq ft Bhs store in Wrexham's Henblas Square development in August, with the creation of 90 jobs. 23-Jun-1999
Arcadia is to create 200 jobs by setting up Hawkshead clothing distribution centres in Preston and Burton-on-Trent, but existing warehouses in the Lake District, Barrow and Lancaster will be closed. 23-Jun-1999
Winchester City Council is considering plans to redevelop the Broadway-Friarsgate area of the city centre, including new shops, a bus station, art galleries and public spaces. 23-Jun-1999
Carpetright is planning to open about six carpet stores this year, and capital expenditure will be cut from £18m to £4m. 23-Jun-1999
Arcadia, the fashion retailer, is to sell its 51% stake in the Consumer Access marketing company to Consodata of France for £7m. 23-Jun-1999
Harvey Nichols is looking to open department stores in Saudi Arabia, eastern Europe and South America, and the first will be in Riyadh in a licensing deal with the King Faisal Foundation. 23-Jun-1999
Austin Reed is to open a chain of eight clothing stores in the Middle East over the next five years, in a distribution agreement with Dubai-based Al Ghurair Retail. 23-Jun-1999
Majestic Wine is planning to open ten drinks warehouses this year, and also expects to increase the sales generated by its web site. 22-Jun-1999
Chips, the Teesside-based computer games store chain, is relocating its head office to larger premises in Middlesbrough and opening its first franchise outlet in Bishop Auckland. 21-Jun-1999
Tempo is looking to sell its electrical retailing business, and is said to be seeking offers of over £50m. 21-Jun-1999
Halal World is planning to expand its chain of butchers from five to 50 outlets over the next five years, and is raising £3m with a flotation on Ofex. 21-Jun-1999
Holiday Hypermarkets has opened what is claimed to be the world's largest travel agency outlet in Croydon, and the £1.3m project has created 70 jobs. 18-Jun-1999
Arcadia has offered to buy a number of retail chains from Sears, including Richards, Wallis and Warehouse, for £170m. 18-Jun-1999
Manchester United is to award exclusive rights to FJ Benjamin Holdings of Singapore to open Theatre of Dreams football stores in south-east Asia. 18-Jun-1999
Great Universal Stores is considering plans to offer service-related products, such as holidays and entertainment, in its home shopping catalogues. 18-Jun-1999
Littlewoods has announced details of a £31m programme to refurbish 24 stores throughout the country. 17-Jun-1999
Sainsbury has announced plans for a new £20m store in the Northfield area of Birmingham, creating at least 100 jobs. 17-Jun-1999
Haq, the Yorkshire-based food retailer, is planning to open five new stores in a £9m nationwide expansion that will create 275 jobs. 16-Jun-1999
Tulloch is planning to build a £3m retail park at Portree on the Isle of Skye, which could create about 60 jobs. 16-Jun-1999
Marks & Spencer is to close its warehouse and distribution centre in North Shields with the loss of 150 jobs, and stores in the north east will now be supplied from Glasgow. 15-Jun-1999
Oriflame International, the cosmetics marketing company, is considering plans for a £230m management buy-out. 15-Jun-1999
Tesco has announced plans for a new superstore that will be the centrepiece of a multi-million pound shopping complex in Kidderminster. 14-Jun-1999
Panther Securities is planning to build a £10m retail centre in the Hartcliffe area of Bristol, including a supermarket and a number of smaller shops. 14-Jun-1999
Arcadia, the fashion retailer, is launching a cyber mall that will enable internet users to buy products from a number of high street retailers. 12-Jun-1999
Photo-Me International is to acquire the 49.8% minority interest in its Japanese photo-booth subsidiary Nippon Auto-Photo Kabushiki Kaisha, in a £25m deal. 12-Jun-1999
Newcastle City Council is in negotiations with Capital Shopping Centres to sell its stake in the city's Eldon Square shopping complex. 10-Jun-1999
John David Sports is planning to open 10 new outlets next year, taking the total to 136. 10-Jun-1999
TK Maxx is to set up a 27,000 sq ft fashion store at the £50m Kingsgate shopping scheme in Huddersfield, creating 30 jobs. 09-Jun-1999
Safeway is seeking planning permission to build a superstore in Worcester, which would create up to 280 jobs. 09-Jun-1999
House of Fraser has identified 24 towns suitable for new department stores, but has said there will be no new openings until at least 2002. 09-Jun-1999
Littlewoods is considering plans to install online catalogues in its in-store cafes, to enable customers to order products via the internet. 08-Jun-1999
Littlewoods has put three former cotton mills on the market, two in Oldham and one in Bolton, and expects to generate interest from manufacturing and distribution companies. 08-Jun-1999
Gieves is to demerge its Chivers Press division, the large-print book and audio retailer, in order to focus on men's clothing. 08-Jun-1999
Dixons, the electrical retailer, has confirmed plans to float a minority stake in Freeserve, its internet access business. 07-Jun-1999
Decathlon of France is opening the UK's largest sports store in London's Docklands, and plans to open up to six outlets over the next few years. 07-Jun-1999
Batleys, the cash and carry group, is to relocate its head office to Leeds later this year in order to provide room for expansion. 05-Jun-1999
Tesco has confirmed plans to open 26 stores in the UK and 13 overseas, while its home shopping service will be introduced in another 100 stores. 05-Jun-1999
Boots is to cut about 100 jobs following the relocation of its Nottingham head office, but many more jobs are expected to be created as a result of its store opening programme. 04-Jun-1999
Joseph, the fashion retailer, is considering plans to raise new capital in order to fund an overseas expansion programme, and is particularly interested in south-east Asia, Europe and North America. 04-Jun-1999
The Outdoor Group is planning to invest £4.5m in its chain of Milletts leisure stores this year, and hopes to increase the number of outlets from 206 to at least 300 in due course. 04-Jun-1999
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has announced plans to build a neighbourhood shopping complex at the Florence Park housing development in Longton, with the creation of about 50 jobs. 03-Jun-1999
Direct TT Supplies has announced an expansion programme with one of its franchise partners, KFC, to open a number of National Milk Bar outlets in North Wales over the next three years. 03-Jun-1999
St Modwen Properties has won approval to build a £20m shopping centre in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and work will start in July. 03-Jun-1999
T&S Stores is to relocate the head office of its recently-acquired One Stop Community Stores from Waterlooville to Birmingham next year, with the loss of up to 100 jobs. 03-Jun-1999
BeerRitz UK of Knaresborough is planning to expand its chain of five off-licence stores with a number of new outlets in Yorkshire. 03-Jun-1999
Tiles R Us and Gema Interiors are to open home improvement stores at the St Margaret's Retail Park in Swindon this summer. 03-Jun-1999
B&Q has awarded a £5m contract to Ballast Wiltshier for the construction of a DIY warehouse in Oldham. 03-Jun-1999
Coffee Republic is to raise £7.4m in a share issue in order to finance the opening of 30 new espresso bars. 03-Jun-1999
Sainsbury is to cut 1,100 management jobs at stores throughout the country, in order to save £160m over three years. 02-Jun-1999
New Look is to close its three fashion stores in Germany due to falling sales. 02-Jun-1999
Marks & Spencer is to enlarge its Paris city centre store from 71,000 to 110,000 sq ft, and will acquire the site's freehold. 02-Jun-1999
Leekes has announced a £2m expansion and refurbishment programme for its West Wales department store at Cross Hands, and its other outlets at Llantrisant and Melksham will be revamped next year. 01-Jun-1999
Gloucester City Council is considering plans from Cheltenham-based developer Robert Hitchins Properties for the final phase of a new retail and leisure complex at Quedgeley, which would create about 115 jobs. 31-May-1999
BAA McArthur Glen is planning to open a £70m designer outlet retail centre in Livingston in August 2000, including space for 100 shops and a 10-screen multiplex cinema. 28-May-1999
B&Q is considering plans to set up a DIY warehouse at the former Alcad battery factory in Redditch, as part of a £20m redevelopment of the site being proposed by Parkridge Developments. 27-May-1999
Pillar Property has won planning permission for a £65m scheme to redevelop Fulham Broadway Underground Station, including 12 new shops, a health club and 12-screen cinema. 27-May-1999
Allied London Properties is planning a £14m retail and leisure scheme in Carlisle. 27-May-1999
Lincoln City Council is to consider plans from Lindsey Securities for the construction of a multi-million pound shopping, housing and leisure development that would create 150 jobs. 26-May-1999
Boots is to invest £12m in the launch of a health and beauty magazine, which will be mailed free to holders of its loyalty card. 26-May-1999
Merchant Retail is to refurbish its Joplings department store in Sunderland at a cost of £2.5m. 25-May-1999
Merchant Retail, the department stores and perfume group, is planning to open 10 stores this year, and is also seeking to expand into Ireland, Spain and Australia. 25-May-1999
British Land is in negotiations to acquire the Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield for about £1.2bn. 25-May-1999
Calderdale Council is developing plans for a new retail complex at the former Sugden flour mill in Brighouse, in partnership with British Waterways and Associated British Foods. 24-May-1999
Derby City Council has selected John Laing Property for a £100m refurbishment of the Becket Well shopping centre, and work is expected to start in 2001. 24-May-1999
Just Rentals, the South Wales electrical retailer, is changing its name to Buy As You View, and is planning to open stores across the country starting with an outlet in Sunderland next month. 24-May-1999
Dean & Reddyhoff is planning to build a £0.6m retail and workshops complex at its marina site in Gosport, with the creation of up to 20 jobs. 24-May-1999
Matalan is buying the trademark of Falmer Jeans for £1.25m, in order to add value to the brand by selling it in its own stores and by acting as a wholesaler for other retailers. 22-May-1999
Psyche is planning to set up a fashion store in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and is also in talks with an unnamed Danish company about running its franchise across the UK. 21-May-1999
Storehouse is to close 68 Mothercare stores with the loss of 150 jobs, in order to focus on the larger Mothercare World outlets. 21-May-1999
Screwfix, the direct-mail DIY company, is considering plans to sell the business for about £60m and efforts are being made to find a buyer. 21-May-1999
Somerfield is set to award a £25m contract for the construction of a distribution depot in Leeds. 20-May-1999
WH Smith has announced a deal to sell books to passengers on Britannia Airways flights. 20-May-1999
Upton & Southern is in discussions to sell its chain of department stores in the north east, as part of a strategy to withdraw from retailing and focus on recruitment. 20-May-1999
The Office of Fair Trading is reviewing the activities of motorway service station operators, and may launch a formal investigation due to concern about the prices being charged in shops and restaurants. 20-May-1999
Scotoil has won outline planning permission for a £24m retail park at Boulevard Park in Aberdeen. 19-May-1999
Sainsbury is expanding a pilot scheme that enables village shops to stock its products, having agreed a deal with the Post Office to include sub-postmasters. 19-May-1999
Kingfisher is closing the Stockton head office of the recently-acquired Dickens DIY chain, and 18 buyers are being offered jobs at its base in Hampshire. 18-May-1999
WH Smith is to spend £15m rebranding its 90 John Menzies stores in Scotland as WHS outlets, and they will focus on books, stationery and newspapers. 17-May-1999
Harvey Nichols is in discussions that could lead to it opening a department store at The Shambles retail complex in Manchester. 17-May-1999
Asda is planning to open three new depots by the start of next year that will enable it to offer a home shopping service to 2m households in the London area. 17-May-1999
Eismann is planning to launch its frozen food home delivery service nationwide within five years, and is looking to expand its network of 75 franchisees. 15-May-1999
Tameside Council is considering plans from Reeb Estates for the construction of a new retail park at Denton that could create 750 jobs. 14-May-1999
Sainsbury is to create 500 new jobs at a new store near the Millennium Dome in East London, and it is expected to open in September. 13-May-1999
Safeway is planning to spend up to £270m buying back shares, which should put an end to speculation that the supermarket chain is seeking a merger partner. 13-May-1999
Grantchester, the retail warehouse company, is arranging a £225m bank facility in order to repay debts and finance its £175m development programme. 13-May-1999
Blacks Leisure is to slow down its store opening programme by opening just 12 First Sport outlets this year, as it believes that rivals have expanded too quickly and will soon be selling unwanted stores. 12-May-1999
Marks & Spencer is to increase the size of its central Sheffield store at a cost of £5m, with the creation of 80 jobs. 11-May-1999
Costco UK has submitted plans to Aberdeenshire Council to build a £7m warehouse store on the outskirts of Aberdeen, with the creation of more than 200 jobs. 11-May-1999
Marks & Spencer is to cut 290 store management jobs in response to a fall in trading conditions. 11-May-1999
Plymouth City Council is to consider plans from P&O Properties for a new £165m shopping centre at Drake Circus in the city centre. 10-May-1999
Tesco is planning to expand its Hartlepool store and create 52 new jobs. 07-May-1999
N Brown is launching its clothing catalogue on the internet, and is also looking at opportunities in interactive TV and the possibility of acquisitions in its electronic commerce division. 07-May-1999
Sainsbury is forming an alliance with Meyer International to trial a 100,000 sq ft Homebase store in Dundee that will include products from Jewson, Meyer's builders merchants chain. 07-May-1999
Body Shop International has confirmed plans to cut 300 jobs at its Littlehampton base, and is in talks to sell its factories. 07-May-1999
B&Q is seeking to build a DIY store at Newport Football Club's St George's Park HQ on the Isle of Wight. 06-May-1999
McDonald's is planning to build a new flagship restaurant in Birmingham, at the former Bank of England premises in Temple Row, creating 80 jobs. 06-May-1999
Birmingham City Council has approved plans for three shopping developments that will create 1,500 jobs, including a £35m shopping centre and Sainsbury's at Castle Vale, a £20m Sainsbury's store at the Maypole, and a £15m development in Small Heath. 06-May-1999
Bowmer & Kirkland has won a £15m contract for the construction of a shopping development for Swan Hill Whiteley near Fareham in Hampshire. 06-May-1999
Amec has won a £10m contract to revamp Workington town centre, and the project is expected to take two years. 06-May-1999
Croydon Council has approved plans from St Martins for a 15,000 sq ft extension to the Drummond Street shopping centre. 06-May-1999
Moss Chemists is acquiring a 74% stake in AMFA, the Italian chain of eight large pharmacies in Rimini. 06-May-1999
Sainsbury is to cut 230 jobs at its Savacentre store at the Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield, in order to convert the hypermarket into a conventional supermarket. 05-May-1999
Diespeker, the Osset-based manufacturer of shop fronts, is to relocate to the Shaw Cross Business Park in Dewsbury in order to expand its production capacity. 05-May-1999
Asda is planning to invest £70m in two new stores in Aberdare and Swansea and a distribution centre in Chepstow, with the creation of about 750 jobs. 05-May-1999
Sainsbury is withdrawing its internet shopping service at 18 stores nationwide due to lack of demand, but is retaining it within the M25 and London area. 04-May-1999
Barclays Private Equity is arranging a £50m deal to acquire Catimini and Groupe Permis de Construire in order to create the second largest retailer of children's clothes in France. 04-May-1999
Leekes, Wales's largest independent retailer, has announced a £2.5m project to set up a new company headquarters at the Mwyndy Industrial Estate Llantrisant, in order to centralise its warehousing, distribution, administration and accounts departments. 03-May-1999
Joden, the manufacturer of Jessica Maybury jewellery, is planning to relocate from Hove to Port Talbot, where it will create dozens of new jobs. 03-May-1999
Asda is forming an internet shopping alliance with The Sun newspaper, in which customers of The Sun internet access service will be able to buy music, books and clothes from Asda. 03-May-1999
Wyre Council is to consider plans from Sheffield-based developer Dransfield Properties for a multi-million pound town centre superstore and shops in Fleetwood, creating 400 jobs. 30-Apr-1999
WH Smith has announced plans to sell books on-line in an alliance with Open, the British Telecom and BSkyB interactive TV joint venture. 30-Apr-1999
Merchant Retail Group is in discussions to acquire the remaining 72% of A De Gruchy Holdings, the retailer and shopfitter, for £33m. 30-Apr-1999
Wickes Home Improvement Centres and Blockbuster Video have announced plans to set up stores at a new retail park in Blackburn, and other interested retailers are said to include Argos, Staples, PC World, Pets at Home and Boots. 29-Apr-1999
BAA McArthur Glen is planning to sell a 50% stake in the designer shopping village at Sarn, Bridgend, in order to fund its expansion programme. 29-Apr-1999
Sunley Holdings and Hawk Property Development Company are planning a new £11m retail park in Torquay, which will include a McDonald's drive-thru restaurant and up to three other retail stores, creating 100 jobs. 29-Apr-1999
Health Stores Partnership of Nottingham is to set up a national health and wholefood retail chain, and expects more than 200 of its members to adopt the Health Store brand by 2002. 29-Apr-1999
Clugston Construction has won a £10m contract from Teesland Group for a mixed retail development in Basildon town centre. 29-Apr-1999
Marks & Spencer is to close all 38 M&S stores in Canada with the loss of 900 jobs, due to ongoing losses caused by tough local competition. 29-Apr-1999
Booker is cutting a further 170 jobs at its northern distribution depots, as part of an ongoing strategy to reduce costs. 28-Apr-1999
Kingfisher is linking up with Group Arnault to launch a free internet access service in France called Libertysurf, which will be available through Kingfisher's French stores and then extended to other countries in continental Europe. 28-Apr-1999
The government is to fully enforce the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act, which means that shops will be required to spend up to £230m improving access for the disabled by October. 28-Apr-1999
Kingfisher has bought 10 Homeworld stores from Co-operative Retail Services for £80m, and plans to convert four into the Big W general merchandise format and two into B&Q Warehouses. 27-Apr-1999
Co-operative Retail Services has sold 46 Living department stores to Miller, the Scottish construction company, for £69m, and Miller will sell 10 to Primark and redevelop the other 36. 27-Apr-1999
WH Smith has launched a free internet access service called WHSmith Online, which will focus on educational content. 27-Apr-1999
Whittard of Chelsea is planning to dispose of a number of a tea and coffee shops, clear redundant stock, and reduce head office costs, in response to the current retail environment. 27-Apr-1999
Inverclyde Council is considering plans from Gallacher Estates for a £45m retail and leisure development at the former Scott Lithgow site in Port Glasgow, including food store, hotel, petrol station, restaurant area, and warehousing. 26-Apr-1999
Dusco Asset Management is planning a multi-million pound refurbishment of the Victoria shopping centre in Nottingham, including a two-storey extension to house a range of new shops. 26-Apr-1999
British Land and Centros Miller are bidding to transform the north of Portsmouth's city centre into a major retail and leisure complex, and they are expected to submit outline planning applications in June. 26-Apr-1999
Sainsbury has agreed a deal with Card Clear that will enable it to protect its payment card transactions by checking a database of lost and stolen cards. 26-Apr-1999
Dawn Til Dusk is planning to close its chain of 19 discount off-licences and a distribution centre in Peterlee, with the loss of up to 100 jobs. 24-Apr-1999
Bestway is to open cash-and-carry outlets in Swansea and Gateshead next month. 24-Apr-1999
Budgens is considering plans to raise cash through the sale and leaseback of some of its stores, in order to fund store openings and refurbishments. 24-Apr-1999
Gateshead Council is reconsidering plans from Costco of the US to build a warehouse shopping outlet on the former Dunston Power Station site, which would create hundreds of jobs. 23-Apr-1999
Brosgill & Procter, the Yorkshire-based opticians, has acquired the trading outlets of the local Angela Campbell Group. 23-Apr-1999
JJB Sports is to set up more than 300 England football team concessions within its stores, and an internet store will be launched next month. 23-Apr-1999
Swan Hill has announced that it expects at least 400 jobs to be created when the £60m shopping village opens at Whiteley near Fareham in the autumn, and it will include 50 shops. 22-Apr-1999
Claire's Accessories, a subsidiary of US-based Claire's Stores, is to set up a head office and jewellery distribution centre at the Bromford Gate scheme in Birmingham, creating 70 jobs. 22-Apr-1999
Ballast Wiltshier has won a £15m contract to build the first phase of a £45m retail and leisure complex off the M62 motorway near Liverpool. 22-Apr-1999
Liberty has secured £23m of funding to redevelop its Regent Street department store in London and to expand its branded merchandise business. 22-Apr-1999
Co-operative Retail Services is in negotiations to sell its 12 Homeworld stores to Kingfisher for about £120m and its 39 Living department stores to construction group Miller for about £65m. 22-Apr-1999
A new company called Festival Parks Europe is being set up to build and operate 10 factory shopping and entertainment complexes across Europe, with the first opening in Majorca next year. 22-Apr-1999
Debenhams is planning to open a further 15 stores over the next four years and a further 26 will be modernised, while it has also announced plans to launch a wedding gift service on the internet. 21-Apr-1999
TJ Hughes is planning to open at least four discount department stores each year, and has just moved into southern England with a new outlet in Eastbourne. 21-Apr-1999
Belart, the Northern Ireland childrenswear company that has 22 retail outlets, has been put up for sale. 20-Apr-1999
Lidl of Germany is planning to set up a new chain of discount stores in Northern Ireland, with the first outlet opening in Cookstown next month. 20-Apr-1999
Sainsbury has confirmed plans to open a new-format Sainsbury Central convenience store in the Mayfair district of London. 20-Apr-1999
James Beattie, the Midland department store chain, is said to be considering a £35m bid for Dorset-based Beale. 19-Apr-1999
Kingfisher is in merger discussions with Asda, which would create Europe's fifth biggest retailer with sales of more than £19bn. 17-Apr-1999
Sainsbury is to cut 300 jobs at its London head office, and its Savacentre head office in Wokingham will be closed and integrated with its main supermarket business. 17-Apr-1999
Marks & Spencer is buying Cortefiel's 20% stake in their Spanish retailing joint venture for £6.2m. 17-Apr-1999
Wm Morrison is to build a superstore in Killingworth, North Tyneside, as part of a £35m project to regenerate the town centre with a new shopping mall, petrol station, pub, and bus terminus. 15-Apr-1999
Capital & Regional Properties is planning to revamp the Selborne Walk shopping centre in Walthamstow, which will involve the construction of a multiplex cinema, restaurant and leisure facilities. 15-Apr-1999
Diageo is to revamp its chain of Burger King outlets with a new logo, more comfortable eating areas, and playground areas featuring computer games. 15-Apr-1999
Hull City Council is considering four alternative proposals for the redevelopment of the Ferensway area of the city, including a £100m plan from Amec Developments that involves retailing, leisure and housing. 14-Apr-1999
Booker is planning to raise margins at its cash-and-carry business by doubling the sales of chilled foods, and it expects to soon announce the sale of Booker Foodservice and the Arbor Acres chicken breeding operation in the US. 14-Apr-1999
Unilever is planning to launch a chain of sandwich and tea bars under the Cha name, starting with two trial outlets in Brighton. 14-Apr-1999
Tesco has announced plans to create 10,000 new jobs by building new stores and expanding existing outlets, while its internet shopping trial will be extended to 100 stores by the end of the year. 13-Apr-1999
Boots is planning to open four health and beauty stores in Japan this year, in a joint venture with Mitsubishi Corporation. 12-Apr-1999
Midlands Co-op is planning to invest £20m this year, including £10m on upgrading existing stores and distribution centres and £3m on new production facilities for its Birmingham milk processing plant. 10-Apr-1999
North Tyneside Council has announced the go-ahead for a £10m shopping centre development in Whitley Bay which will create 170 jobs, and construction company Melville Dundas expects to start work in the summer. 09-Apr-1999
Harvey Nichols could soon face a change in ownership following a deal to restructure a 51% stake held by Dickson Concepts, the Hong Kong retail group. 09-Apr-1999
Pedigree Wholesale is buying Three Shires Pet Supplies of Yate for undisclosed terms, to add to its distribution network which already includes depots in Nottingham, Leeds and Bury St Edmunds. 08-Apr-1999
PMS International is planning to expand its toy warehouse in Basildon with the creation of 20 jobs. 08-Apr-1999
Borders is planning to open book superstores in Oxford and Cambridge next year. 08-Apr-1999
Galliford and Christiani & Nielsen have jointly won a £60m contract to build Birmingham's Millennium Point retail and leisure scheme, which will create more than 500 jobs over the next two years. 08-Apr-1999
Asda has started recruiting 200 additional staff for its new hypermarket in Swansea, which is due to open in July. 08-Apr-1999
Tesco has awarded contracts worth about £15m to Taylor Woodrow for the construction of supermarkets in Newcastle upon Tyne and Gainsborough. 08-Apr-1999
Oasis Stores is to open nine more fashion stores this year to add to the existing 140. 07-Apr-1999
Moss Bros is planning to launch a credit card for its men's wear stores later this year. 07-Apr-1999
James Beattie is planning to open a new department store in Huddersfield and expand existing stores in Northampton, Sutton Coldfield, Wolverhampton and Solihull, with the creation of 600 jobs. 07-Apr-1999
Clinton Cards is planning to open up to 40 new greeting card stores a year, and will refurbish about 60 of the recently-acquired CSG stores this year. 07-Apr-1999
Whitbread is to expand its nationwide chain of Costa coffee shops with 50 new outlets over the next 12 months. 07-Apr-1999
Anglia Railways is seeking retailers to take over nine new units at Norwich railway station. 07-Apr-1999
Milburngate Shopping Centre in Durham is to get a £4m refurbishment that will cover external work, lighting and fittings. 06-Apr-1999
Coventry City Council has won government approval for a £33m plan to refurbish the city's Lower Precinct shopping area, which will involve a glass roof and 33 new shops. 06-Apr-1999
Tesco is planning to relaunch its Clubcard loyalty scheme this summer in order to attract higher-spending customers, and may also offer new rewards such as holidays and flights. 06-Apr-1999
Asda is considering plans to set up a hypermarket chain called Supercentre in order to extend the George clothing brand into household products. 05-Apr-1999
Marks & Spencer is planning a major promotional and advertising campaign, and will launch a number of new food and non-food ranges. 05-Apr-1999
Selfridges is in discussions with seven major hotel groups about possible options for the expansion of the retail and hotel space at its Oxford Street site in London. 31-Mar-1999
Safeway has submitted plans to Hyndburn Council to build a new store in Great Harwood near Blackburn, creating 180 jobs. 30-Mar-1999
T&S is in discussions to acquire the One Stop chain of 200 convenience stores from Portsmouth & Sunderland, in a deal that could be worth more than £50m. 30-Mar-1999
Marks & Spencer is to cut a further 200 jobs at its London head office, in order to reduce the size of its buying and store development departments. 30-Mar-1999
French Connection is expanding its fashion retailing business into new products such as glasses and watches, and is seeking additional licensing deals over the next year. 30-Mar-1999
Arriva has won planning permission to develop a B&Q DIY store in Sunderland that will create 250 jobs. 29-Mar-1999
Bibby Distribution Services is planning a £3.7m expansion at its Scunthorpe operation to distribute drinks for the Nisa Today grocery chain, and up to 150 jobs will be created. 29-Mar-1999
Holland & Barrett has opened a new health food store in Burton-on-Trent, and a distribution centre that will employ 300 is being built at the nearby Centrum 100 Business Park. 29-Mar-1999
Signet, the jewellery retailer, is under pressure from shareholders to sell or float its US business, which is worth about £900m. 29-Mar-1999
The Monopolies & Mergers Commission is to launch an inquiry into the supermarket industry, due to Office of Fair Trading concerns about pricing strategies. 27-Mar-1999
Next has announced plans to create an additional 2,000 jobs at the Ventura call centre that is being built in the Dearne Valley in South Yorkshire. 26-Mar-1999
Ottakar's is planning to open 15 book shops this year and will also set up an internet site. 26-Mar-1999
WH Smith is linking up with Microsoft and British Telecom to develop an internet gateway to sell books, videos, music, and other services. 25-Mar-1999
Tesco has confirmed plans to form a joint venture with Samsung to develop hypermarkets in South Korea. 24-Mar-1999
Iceland is planning to launch internet and TV shopping services later this year, and is also positioning itself as the UK's ethical food retailer by removing genetically modified ingredients and artificial colours and flavours. 24-Mar-1999
Tesco has agreed to acquire a site near Walsall town centre for £5m in order to build a supermarket and petrol station, creating up to 500 jobs. 23-Mar-1999
Tesco is to open a store at Whiteley near Fareham with the creation of 200 jobs, as part of a £60m retail complex that is due to open in the autumn. 23-Mar-1999
English Partnerships has submitted plans to Easington District Council for a retail, housing and hotel development in the centre of Seaham, that could create more than 200 jobs. 23-Mar-1999
Sainsbury is acquiring a 25% stake in Edge, the Egyptian chain of grocery stores, for £10m. 23-Mar-1999
Calderdale Council is to consider plans from John Radcliffe Associates for the construction of a £15m retail development at a former mill in Brighouse, which would create 200 jobs. 22-Mar-1999
Marks & Spencer is planning a £20m advertising campaign and is also said to be preparing to sell up to 40 high street properties in order to raise £250m. 22-Mar-1999
Portsmouth & Sunderland Newspapers is in discussions to sell its chain of 200 One Stop convenience stores. 20-Mar-1999
Carpets International is to open a carpet distribution centre in Doncaster in June with the creation of 85 jobs, but 111 jobs will be lost at a site in Bradford. 19-Mar-1999
Price & Finch is to close its lace factory at Heanor in Derbyshire with the loss of more than 100 jobs, and the company is being put into liquidation. 19-Mar-1999
Wm Morrison is planning to open 11 new supermarkets by the end of next year, as part of an expansion plan that will create 3,500 jobs. 19-Mar-1999
Whitbread's Thresher off-licence chain is to close its finance office at Huyton on Merseyside and transfer the operations to group headquarters in Surrey, putting up to 100 jobs at risk. 18-Mar-1999
Lambert Smith Hampton, the commercial property agent, has announced that The Yankee Candle Company of the US is setting up a European headquarters in Bristol, creating at least 15 jobs. 18-Mar-1999
L'Oreal has awarded a £6m contract to Interior for the fitting out of its headquarters in Hammersmith. 18-Mar-1999
Ocean Terminal, the joint venture between Forth Ports and Royal Bank of Scotland, is expected to choose between Bovis and Tarmac for the construction of a £60m retail and leisure scheme at Leith Docks in Edinburgh. 18-Mar-1999
Kingfisher is planning to open 103 new stores with the creation of 4,800 jobs, and has also announced a strategy to develop its business in continental Europe. 18-Mar-1999
Deeley Properties is planning to build a £5m shopping centre in Normanton Road, Derby, which will create about 100 jobs. 16-Mar-1999
Adria is planning to create 100 new jobs at factories in Strabane and Newry following an increase in demand for its hosiery and lingerie products. 16-Mar-1999
Wilkinson Hardware Stores is to move to a larger store in Ilkeston this month, with the creation of 39 jobs. 16-Mar-1999
Hays has won a contract to set up a national distribution network for the B&Q retailing chain, creating 400 jobs. 16-Mar-1999
Burnley council has unveiled a £12m plan to extend the town centre, opening up space for retail and commercial development and creating 170 jobs. 15-Mar-1999
Holiday Hypermarkets is to expand its call centre in Stourbridge with the creation of 200 jobs, and its chain of stores is rising from six to 24. 15-Mar-1999
Boots is opening chiropody and foot care practices in a number of branches over the next few weeks, and its first dental practice will be launched in Milton Keynes in May. 15-Mar-1999
New Covent Garden Soup Company is planning to open 200 soup bars throughout the country over the next five years. 13-Mar-1999
Freshlands is planning to open 20 organic food supermarkets in the London area over the next five years, and the first is opening in Camden this month. 13-Mar-1999
Somerfield is to build a distribution depot near Selby in North Yorkshire with the creation of 600 jobs, as part of a plan to set up four such facilities throughout the UK. 12-Mar-1999
Sears Property Developments has announced plans to set up a retail park of eight units at Fforest Park Estate, Ffordd Cynore. 11-Mar-1999
Craigavon Borough Council has approved plans from Windsor Securities to develop a £20m factory outlet centre at Northway in Portadown, which could create 600 new jobs. 09-Mar-1999
Harry Ramsden is planning to open 100 fish and chip kiosks around the world, creating 1,000 jobs. 09-Mar-1999
Methven's is to open its ninth bookshop in Canterbury in the summer and has also announced plans to sell books on the internet. 09-Mar-1999
Courtaulds Textiles is considering plans to sell its home furnishings business for about £30m, in order to focus on fabrics and branded clothing. 09-Mar-1999
B&Q is planning to open 10 warehouse stores over the next year as well as three supercentres in Cannock, Yeovil and Ashford, with the creation of 2,500 jobs. 08-Mar-1999
Austin Reed is to close its machine-made suits factory in Crewe with the loss of 250 jobs, although some workers will be transferred to the nearby Chester Barrie site. 06-Mar-1999
Greggs has won a concession to operate a bakery outlet at the Millennium Dome, in order to raise the profile of its Baker's Oven brand. 06-Mar-1999
Marks & Spencer is planning to open a 200,000 sq ft store in Bracknell, as part of a regeneration of the town centre. 06-Mar-1999
Wm Morrison is to refurbish its recently-acquired store in Chingford at a cost of £3.5m. 06-Mar-1999
Partridges is planning to open a third fine food gift store in Covent Garden, London, and is also seeking to set up a business in the US. 06-Mar-1999
Day & Nite is opening a convenience store in Leeds as part of a strategy to open one store a month within a 55 mile radius of Manchester. 06-Mar-1999
Greggs is to rebrand its 100 Braggs bakers shops as Greggs of the Midlands and its Leeds-based Thurston chain as Greggs of Yorkshire. 05-Mar-1999
Berghaus, the outdoor clothing and equipment firm, is to build a new headquarters in Sunderland, where it will employ 100 staff. 05-Mar-1999
Primark is to open a 30,000 sq ft clothing store in Reading, and about 100 office staff will relocate from Bracknell and Kilburn to the new location. 05-Mar-1999
BAA is to take over the retailing operations of Eurotunnel in July, which will involve shops in Folkestone and Calais and will enable Eurotunnel to focus on its rail operations. 05-Mar-1999
The Prison Service is planning to transfer more than 100 prison shops to the private sector in order to save about £7m a year. 05-Mar-1999
Dawson International is looking to sell a number of businesses, including fur fabrics and carpet yarns, in order to focus on cashmere products and leading brands such as Pringle and Ballantyne. 04-Mar-1999
William Baird has warned that more UK clothing factories may have to close with production moving overseas, due to overcapacity and price competition. 04-Mar-1999
Blakes Clothing, the menswear retailer, is planning to raise £1.1m of new equity in order to maintain the support of its bank and continue to trade. 04-Mar-1999
Birmingham City Council has announced that the Bull Ring market is to be moved into an underground bus station in August, while new facilities are built for the 500 stallholders. 03-Mar-1999
Chartwell Land has acquired the former Mark One department store in Walsall town centre for £2.2m, and will create three retail units at the site. 03-Mar-1999
Cardiff County Council is planning to reduce the size of the retail element in the £240m Cardiff Bay Sports Village project from 235,00 sq ft to 110,000 sq ft, due to concerns over the impact on other retailers in the area. 02-Mar-1999
Leading Labels is to open a fashion store at the new £6m Peak Village factory shopping outlet at Rowsley, and other retailers joining the development include Ponden Mill home furnishings and The Book Depot. 02-Mar-1999
Tesco has opened a new £16m store in Lisburn, and three additional Northern Ireland stores will be opened later this year in Newcastle, Banbridge and east Belfast. 01-Mar-1999
Cooplands of Scarborough has announced plans to open 10 new shops and expand production at its Scarborough bakery by 75%, with the creation of 80 jobs. 01-Mar-1999
Kingfisher is considering plans to expand its chain of B&Q DIY stores by buying out-of-town superstores from Co-operative Retail Services. 01-Mar-1999
Planet Organic is planning to set up a nationwide chain of organic supermarkets over the next 10 years. 27-Feb-1999
FII Group is to cut 430 jobs at its footwear factories following a fall in orders from Marks & Spencer. 27-Feb-1999
Pillar Property and Equitable Life have acquired part of the Clifton Moor Retail Park in York from Guardian Properties for £22m. 26-Feb-1999
Land Securities and Hammerson have announced plans to combine the Bull Ring and the Martineaux Galleries in Birmingham into a single £800m shopping complex, and up to 8,000 jobs will be created. 26-Feb-1999
Intimate Moments is opening a lingerie factory in Derby next month with the creation of 50 jobs, and also plans to open about 10 stores in major shopping centres over the next two years. 25-Feb-1999
Bradford Council is considering plans from London-based Highlands Developments to transform the Talbot Hotel in Kirkgate into a shopping complex. 25-Feb-1999
Kingfisher is in discussions with property companies about plans to develop a chain of Woolworth's discount stores in out-of-town locations, and a trial store is expected to be built at Kinnaird near Edinburgh. 25-Feb-1999
Electronics Boutique is in discussions to acquire Game, the games software retailer thought to be worth up to £150m. 25-Feb-1999
Wickes is to invest £50m this year in the expansion and refurbishment of its chain of DIY stores, in order to give higher priority to kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms and increase the range of decorative products. 25-Feb-1999
Tilbury Douglas has won a £6m contract to build a retail complex in Milton Keynes on behalf of Central Business Exchange II. 25-Feb-1999
Camden Borough Council has approved plans from Matsushita for the construction of a £54m retail and office development in central London. 25-Feb-1999
Elmbridge Borough Council has approved plans from Frogmore Estates for the £30m redevelopment of Walton-on-Thames town centre, including retail and office space and a health and fitness centre. 25-Feb-1999
Perth & Kinross Council is to consider plans from the Guinea Group for the construction of a £25m factory outlet shopping development in Kinross. 23-Feb-1999
Portsmouth City Council has approved plans to spend £4m on improvements to the city centre, in order to make the area more attractive to shoppers. 23-Feb-1999
Henry Boot has started work on the construction of the £30m Kingsgate shopping centre in Huddersfield, which is expected to open in spring 2001. 22-Feb-1999
Wickes, the DIY retailer, is considering plans to offer architectural and surveying services in order to assist customers with large-scale home improvement projects. 22-Feb-1999
Holland & Barrett is to set up a new health foods distribution centre at the Centrum 100 Business Park near Burton-on-Trent. 20-Feb-1999
Tesco is launching a major price-cutting campaign that will reduce prices on 240 key items by up to 25%. 20-Feb-1999
Goldsmiths, the jewellery retailer, is expected to receive a £42m takeover offer from the Alchemy venture capital group. 20-Feb-1999
Woolworths has awarded a five-year contract to Freemans for the supply of telesales, marketing and distribution services for its new home shopping operation. 20-Feb-1999
Burford is selling its 75% stake in the O2 retail and leisure park in Finchley Road, London, to Marylebone Warwick Balfour's Leisure Fund for £62m. 19-Feb-1999
Brown & Jackson plans to open a further 29 discount stores by the end of June to take the total to 530, and about 300 jobs will be created. 19-Feb-1999
Liverpool City Council has identified a potential site behind the Bluecoat Chambers for a £700m retailing development to rival Manchester's Trafford centre. 18-Feb-1999
Morrison Developments is to open a £25m designer outlet village at Tillicoultry in Clackmannanshire in April, and 500 jobs are expected to be created in the 47 shops. 18-Feb-1999
Tempo is to open a computer superstore at Brierley Hill in April, with the creation of 25 jobs. 18-Feb-1999
Torfaen County Borough Council has approved plans for the £15m redevelopment of the Cwmbran Shopping Centre. 18-Feb-1999
Virgin is planning to invest £50m in the expansion of its retailing business on the internet. 17-Feb-1999
Albemarle & Bond, the jewellery retailer, is planning to open 10 more shops to add to the existing 29 this year. 16-Feb-1999
Heal's is planning to open a new home furnishings store in Kingston upon Thames in November, and will then open one store a year for the next eight years. 16-Feb-1999
Pillar Retail Parks is planning to open a 300,000 sq ft shopping park in Broughton near Chester in May that will create more than 1,000 jobs. 15-Feb-1999
Wm Morrison is to create 100 jobs in Chester following the refurbishment of the recently-acquired Pioneer store. 15-Feb-1999
BAA McArthur Glen is planning to increase the size of the Great Western Designer Outlet Village in Swindon by a further 26,550 sq ft. 15-Feb-1999
B&Q is planning to open a new DIY store on the site of engineering company Freudenberg Technical Products in Wallsend, with the creation of 200 jobs. 15-Feb-1999
Tesco is to build a Tesco Extra store on Tyneside near its existing building in Kingston Park, Newcastle, with the creation of about 200 jobs. 15-Feb-1999
St Modwen Properties is planning to build a new £20m shopping street in Newcastle-under-Lyme, on the west side of the town centre next to a proposed multiplex cinema. 15-Feb-1999
Merchant Retail Group is opening three new perfume shops in London, Glasgow and the Bluewater centre in Kent. 15-Feb-1999
Londis is planning to expand its grocery retailing business in Scotland and the north of England, and is seeking a suitable site for a distribution centre in the Leeds area. 13-Feb-1999
Sainsbury is planning to set up 30 Central stores over the next five to ten years, and the first will open in Glasgow next month. 13-Feb-1999
Somerfield is to start a home shopping service on British Interactive Broadcasting's shopping channel in the autumn. 13-Feb-1999
Marks & Spencer is said to be planning to cut about 200 management jobs at its head office as part of a restructuring process designed to speed up decision-making and improve flexibility. 13-Feb-1999
Bertram Books is to relocate its book wholesaling business from Norwich to the nearby Broadland Business Park development, where it will eventually house some 880 workers. 11-Feb-1999
John Menzies has won approval to set up a newspaper and magazine distribution centre at the Broadland Business Park development near Norwich, where it will employ 80 people. 11-Feb-1999
Heal's, the home furnishings retailer, is planning to open one store a year for the next eight years. 11-Feb-1999
Cadoro has had its shares suspended due to cash flow problems caused by changing the format of its stores from sports footwear to menswear. 11-Feb-1999
Littlewoods has announced a £4m refurbishment programme at its football pools base in Walton, the relocation of its lottery operation to Liverpool, and the loss of a further 250 jobs at Ralli House, Index House and the Albert Dock. 10-Feb-1999
Synchro Systems is creating 50 jobs in Newcastle-under-Lyme to handle a new national identity card scheme that is designed to stop children buying cigarettes and alcohol. 10-Feb-1999
Terrace Hill is to create 150 jobs in the Peak District when it completes the construction of the Peak Village Factory Shopping Outlet at Rowsley. 10-Feb-1999
House of Fraser is planning a new £12m store in High Wycombe, which will create 400 jobs. 09-Feb-1999
Heron Frozen Foods Group is to relocate its Scunthorpe store to the high street, and the existing site will be sold off. 08-Feb-1999
Next Group has opened a new £15m customer service centre through its Ventura division in Wath near Rotherham, which will create 1,750 new jobs over three years. 05-Feb-1999
Coats Viyella is to close a knitwear factory in Loughborough with the loss of 287 jobs, while a further 143 jobs will be moved to a nearby site. 05-Feb-1999
Virgin Entertainment has pulled out of talks to sell its Our Price music stores to PPM Ventures due to disagreement over price, and another buyer is now sought. 05-Feb-1999
South Ribble Council has approved plans from AMEC Developments for a major new retail and leisure development at Bamber Bridge near Preston, which could create up to 1,000 jobs. 04-Feb-1999
Darlington Council is considering plans from Miller for a £70m retail and business park scheme next to Lingfield Industrial Estate, and it could create up to 3,500 jobs. 04-Feb-1999
Safeway is to relocate its existing supermarket in Wimbledon town centre to a new and larger site, and is also pressing ahead with plans for an additional store at nearby Plough Lane. 04-Feb-1999
Ikea is planning to build a £20m furniture superstore in Glasgow. 04-Feb-1999
Tesco is in discussions with Samsung about the possibility of setting up a retailing joint venture in South Korea. 04-Feb-1999
Tiny Computers is planning to move into the US retail market by investing £15m opening 125 computer stores in Washington state, Oregon and California. 03-Feb-1999
Halley Stevensons has cut 48 of the 120 jobs at its Baltic Works textile finishing factory in Dundee due to a fall in orders. 02-Feb-1999
Richard Roberts, the knitwear and fashions company, is opening a new factory in Leicester which will create up to 50 new jobs. 01-Feb-1999
Tesco is planning to offer a free internet access service to its 14m Clubcard members, in response to the success of Dixons' Freeserve service. 01-Feb-1999
Asda has launched a catalogue-based home shopping service from a depot in Croydon, and further depots will be set up throughout the country if the trial is successful. 30-Jan-1999
Boots is to close its Erdington distribution centre in Birmingham in April with the loss of about 100 jobs, and the operation will be transferred to Nottinghamshire. 29-Jan-1999
Birmingham City Council has approved plans from Land Securities and Henderson Investments for the construction of the £90m Martineau Galleries retail and leisure complex, which will include health facilities, a hotel, and a cinema. 29-Jan-1999
B&Q has announced plans to build a £20m DIY warehouse store in Chester, which could create more than 200 jobs. 29-Jan-1999
Kangol is to cut more than 130 jobs at its hat-making factories in West Cumbria. 29-Jan-1999
Boots has confirmed plans to open 40 new stores in the Netherlands following a successful trial. 29-Jan-1999
Littlewoods is to close its distribution centres in Preston and Bolton with the loss of more than 250 jobs, and the business will be transferred to a new facility being set up in Oldham. 28-Jan-1999
Sainsbury is to open a convenience store at Paddington station later this year, which will make it the first supermarket group to trade at a railway station. 28-Jan-1999
Games Workshop is planning to open 17 more stores by June to add to the existing 197. 28-Jan-1999
Wardell Shopfitters is moving from Middlesbrough's Lawson Industrial Estate to a larger site in Eaglescliffe, and is recruiting eight new staff to help it adapt the tills of major retailers to cope with the millennium bug. 27-Jan-1999
BAA McArthur Glen has started work on the expansion of its designer retail outlet at Bridgend, which will add a further 34 retail units to the current 60 and create 300 more jobs. 27-Jan-1999
Safeway has announced plans to build a superstore at Alness in the Highlands, which will create 200 jobs. 27-Jan-1999
Tesco is to launch a hand-held scanner next month, that will enable customers to build up a computerised shopping list by scanning barcodes at home and then place an order via the internet. 27-Jan-1999
The government has announced plans to impose a new levy on shops and restaurants to raise £65m towards the annual costs of the proposed Food Standards Agency. 27-Jan-1999
FII Group is planning to move more of its shoe manufacturing operations to other countries, which is likely to result in job losses among its 1,100 UK workforce. 27-Jan-1999
Body Shop International has announced a restructuring programme that will involve the introduction of a loyalty card scheme and a withdrawal from manufacturing, including the sale of its Littlehampton factory. 27-Jan-1999
Photo-Me International is planning to double its investment in research to £6m this year, and will launch a new coin-operated photo booth that can provide on-the-spot enlargements. 27-Jan-1999
Tesco is seeking planning permission to build an 80,000 sq ft store in Washington, Tyne & Wear, which would create up to 500 jobs. 26-Jan-1999
Dixons has announced a corporate reorganisation that will divide its retail operations into three units - Currys, PC World, and Dixons - and a new subsidiary will be created for its Freeserve internet access service. 26-Jan-1999
Monsoon is planning to open a further 50 clothing stores this year and it will also move into the homeware market in order to broaden its product range. 26-Jan-1999
C&A and Toymaster are to close their stores in Darlington's Cornmill centre, with the loss of 44 jobs. 25-Jan-1999
C&A is to close stores in Ipswich, Southend and Basildon with the loss of more than 100 jobs, and the savings will be used to fund improvements in other stores throughout the country. 25-Jan-1999
First Quench, the joint venture between Allied Domecq and Whitbread, has announced plans to close 150 off licences, most of which are former Victoria Wine branches. 23-Jan-1999
Tesco is planning to invest £70m in the expansion of its stores in Thailand this year. 23-Jan-1999
Arriva and B&Q have announced a £16m plan to build a B&Q retailing super-centre next to Arriva's main dealership in Sunderland city centre, creating up to 250 jobs. 22-Jan-1999
Asda is to build a new store on the existing site of North Hertfordshire College in Stevenage, creating up to 400 jobs. 22-Jan-1999
Virgin Megastores is to redesign some of its music stores to target the over-30s, and the first new-look store will open in Glasgow this autumn. 22-Jan-1999
John Menzies is to cut 60 jobs as part of a £15m restructuring of its THE Home Entertainment business. 21-Jan-1999
Marks & Spencer is planning to open a neighbourhood store in Southgate next year. 21-Jan-1999
Arcadia is to cut 300 jobs as part of a cost-cutting campaign, in response to disappointing sales at its Top Shop, Burtons and Dorothy Perkins shops. 21-Jan-1999
Alldays, the convenience stores group, is planning to repurchase some of its 32 multiple franchisees as they are underperforming. 21-Jan-1999
Coca-Cola is to launch a range of fashion and sports clothing for sale through concessions in department stores and fashion outlets, and the UK will be the first European market for the products. 21-Jan-1999
The Wrangler jeans factory near Falkirk is to close with the loss of 450 jobs, following an announcement by its US owners VF Corporation. 20-Jan-1999
Gardiners of Selkirk is to close its cloth weaving department with the loss of 33 jobs, and production will be transferred to Shipley in Yorkshire. 19-Jan-1999
Post Office Counters is to open a £15m administrative centre in Chesterfield in June, with 850 staff being transferred to the building. 19-Jan-1999
Slater Menswear has announced plans to set up the largest menswear store in Wales, on the first floor of Hodge House on Cardiff's St Mary Street. 19-Jan-1999
Somerfield has announced plans to expand its petrol forecourt retailing business in partnership with Elf, as part of a £25m investment programme that will create 1,500 jobs over the next 18 months. 19-Jan-1999
Budgens, the supermarket group, is to announce plans to expand its home-delivery operations later this year, following the recent acquisition of Teleshop Services. 19-Jan-1999
Domino's Pizza is planning to expand its chain of pizza outlets with the creation of more than 500 jobs this year. 18-Jan-1999
FT5K, the sandwich retailer, has secured £3m of funding to expand its chain of stores from nine to 50. 16-Jan-1999
Waitrose is to step up its new store development programme this year, and the plans include sites in Okehampton and Staines. 16-Jan-1999
Peter Christian has bought the Dewhirst clothing factory in Knighton, Powys, and is to create 45 jobs to manufacture knitwear garments. 15-Jan-1999
British Mohair is to close two textile mills in Bradford, with the loss of up to 186 jobs. 15-Jan-1999
Marks & Spencer is to reorganise its management structure along three lines - UK retail, overseas, and financial services - and will review its costs in response to a fall in sales. 15-Jan-1999
B&Q is to open a new DIY warehouse store in Reading in April, creating 250 jobs. 14-Jan-1999
Bleckmann Logistics of the Netherlands is to set up a warehouse in Basildon to distribute clothes for a US company, and up to 200 jobs will be created. 13-Jan-1999
Dixons is planning to create up to 2,000 jobs this year by expanding its chain of electrical stores. 13-Jan-1999
Matalan is planning to open a further 12 discount shops this year, to add to the existing 86. 13-Jan-1999
Harvey Nichols has confirmed that it will set up a department store at a new £50m retail development in St Andrew Square, Edinburgh. 12-Jan-1999
Bradford Council has referred plans for a £3m shopping centre in Haworth to the government. 12-Jan-1999
Austin Reed, the clothing retailer, is to close the Donegal Shirt Company in Ireland with the loss of 136 jobs. 12-Jan-1999
Majestic Wine is to open new stores in Banbury and Sutton next month, taking its total to 80. 12-Jan-1999
C&J Clark, the shoemaker, is to close its Exmouth factory with the loss of 85 jobs and its Bath factory with the loss of 250 jobs, and 105 jobs will be cut at its Kendal factory. 09-Jan-1999
Wm Morrison is moving into Wales for the first time with the acquisition of a CRS store in Saltney, Deeside. 09-Jan-1999
Costco is planning to open 12 more stores and a chain of petrol stations over the next few years, including outlets in Twickenham, Chingford and Gateshead. 09-Jan-1999
Harry Ramsden is seeking to set up 20 fish and chip restaurants in South Wales, and the first will be at the Hollywood Park leisure scheme in Port Talbot. 08-Jan-1999
MFI, the furniture retailer, has set up a customer service centre at the Sunderland Enterprise Park, creating 120 jobs. 08-Jan-1999
Clinton Cards is to convert the 206 recently-acquired Greetings Store shops into its own format during 1999. 08-Jan-1999
Carpets of Worth is cutting 53 jobs at carpet factories in Kidderminster and Stourport. 07-Jan-1999
Boots has moved more than 1,000 staff to a newly refurbished head office building in Nottingham, and a further 350 staff will be transferred later this month. 07-Jan-1999
Halfords is planning to open 20 car parts superstores each year for the next 10 years. 07-Jan-1999
Booker is to cut 200 jobs at its cash-and-carry head office in Well
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