A tough Christmas beckons for retailers, but the worst may already be over

There is no doubt that 2005 has been a dreadful year on the high street and as the festive season approaches, most retailers are extremely cautious about their prospects. However, while the economic news has been highly discouraging for those retailers awaiting an upturn in their fortunes, according to retail specialists Verdict there may soon be light at the end of the tunnel ...

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Amazon and eBay: net gains and losses

Amazon and eBay have reported contrasting sets of results, with Amazon enjoying a 14.5% sales uplift in the three months to June 30, 2009 while eBay's marketplace sector reported a 14.0% decline for the same period. With eBay set to continue shifting its offer away from auctions towards fixed price items, it has to strike a balance between its new strategy and keeping its core smaller businesses.

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Baugur/Woolworths: stake building fuels takeover talk

Baugur's revelation of its 7% stake in Woolworths has fueled speculation of a takeover. Both the value and traded volume of Woolworths shares have been high, amid speculation that the chain had possibly attracted Asda's attention. The size of Baugur's stake in the company is likely to catch the City off guard, and will convince many interested parties that Woolworths is now effectively in play.

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Best Buy joins forces with Carphone Warehouse

US electricals retailer Best Buy has bought a 50% stake in Carphone Warehouse's retail business. While Verdict Research believes that there is an opportunity for Best Buy to succeed, success is by no means assured in what is an extremely competitive marketplace.

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Best Buy: sights set on Europe

US electricals leader Best Buy is stepping up its global ambitions as key electricals retailers are taking an increasingly global approach to business. US retailers have been much slower to globalize than their European counterparts, though this is now changing. However, Best Buy's resources to buy a European retailer will be stretched by a slowing domestic market and an unfavorable exchange rate.

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Best Buy: spending slump hits electricals giant

Best Buy has sharply lowered its guidance for full-year revenues and earnings as it succumbs to the US consumer spending slump. That said, the inherent strength of the retailer's business model and its relatively strong cash position leave it better placed to ride out the recession than its rivals.

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BRC figures positive, not indicative of retail recovery

Despite fears of a slowdown in sales on Britain's high streets, the British Retail Consortium has reported that total retail sales in December 2005 were 6% up on the year before, the best result for any month since May 2004. However these figures should be treated with some caution as they do not account for the myriad exceptional factors influencing Christmas trading this year.

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Carphone Warehouse: from retailer to communications provider

Having delivered an upbeat statement for the year ending March 2007, Carphone Warehouse has many reasons to be positive. The core retail offer has continued to excel and, with teething problems surrounding the TalkTalk free broadband offer now firmly behind it and the UK AOL business on board, Carphone Warehouse is better positioned to compete as a retailer and a serious communications provider.

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Carphone Warehouse: needs to remember its roots

With its vision to become a major UK communications player, Carphone Warehouse's ambitions stretch far beyond the high street where it started out. However, it should be careful not to lose sight of its heritage - in the UK retail stores remain at the foundation of its brand and, in the short-term, an essential channel to market.

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Carrefour: beauty contest with Tesco

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