DSGi Med End?

An article in The Sunday Telegraph says that DSGi has instructed Citigroup to undertake a strategic review of its Italian and Spanish outlets. Now that's not much of a surprise...

CityPulse

Circuit City has announced that it will be working with Pulse LLC to launch what it calls a 'unified community and social network' site, while the platform is described as a 'Retail Social Commerce' system. It seems to be some combination of an online Learning Management System, which acts as a portal for manufacturers to upload online learning modules, plus various associated Web 2.0 capabilities. With the staff turnover rate so high in many electronics retailers, finding an economic way of training transient store staff has been one of the many problems bedevilling this sector.

AppleShack

Seems as if RadioShack is going to be the first electronics retailer to try copying the Apple Store format. Forbes suggests that Radio Shack will be testing a small number of new concept stores in the last quarter of 2008.

Solution Stations

Wal-Mart is testing a number of 'Solution Stations' in its stores in the Dallas area. These stations will be managed by Dell. And there are suggestions, elsewhere, that Dell might be resurrecting its own retail formats, using modified concepts from a Texas-based consultancy - Thinq Design & Interactive.

Pomegranate

Apple will open its first store in China on Saturday. It will be Apple's 219th store worldwide. And Ron Johnson, Apple's Retail SVP, says that there are plans for other store openings in China.

Is Circuit City in Play?

Blockbuster has announced that it will not be proceeding with its acquisition plans for Circuit City. Circuit City, not surprisingly, has said that it is still exploring 'strategic alternatives' to 'enhance shareholder value' - something which should be a big part of any management team's endeavours. But, what could the strategic alternatives be? They have a 'shelf registration' ready for any short term funding needs - whatever they might be. But do they have any natural suitors? Not too sure about that one now that Staples has acquired Corporate Express...

Apple Opens in Oz

Thanks to a recent interview with Apple's Ron Johnson, The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that Apple will open its first store in Australia late next week. This flagship store - one of the biggest so far for Apple - is opening in Sydney's CBD [Central Business District], but later in the year it is understood that two smaller stores will open, one in the North Sydney suburb of Chatswood, and the other in Melbourne.

Wal-Mart Redesign

Earlier in the month, Wal-Mart announced that it had completed a redesign of its consumer electronics department. In the computer area, this includes a new display centre, showcasing the right equipment for the right application - in Wal-Mart's case, that means home, school or entertainment. Good to see a mass merchandiser acknowledge differences in consumers' needs beyond just the price point.

That Was Easy

So, Staples has finally, and predictably, won its battle to buy Corporate Express. Today, Staples increased its offer from €9.15 per share to €9.25 per share. It's first offer back in February was €7.25 per share. Peter Ventress and his team at CXP have clearly done a good job of extracting a good offer for their shareholders. At the same time, he has helped create an office products monster, with a combined turnover of some $27bn, bigger than Office Depot and OfficeMax combined. Lyreco, meanwhile, has received a 'break-up fee' of some €30mn as a reward for trying, and failing, to merge with Corporate Express.

Dell Down Under

Yesterday, Dell announced that it has struck as deal with Officeworks, selling product though its 104 store network which is spread across Australia. Officeworks will stock ten configurations which it claims will not be available elsewhere in the country. It will also be possible for customers to order bespoke specifications of Dell product within the store.