News roundup--Selfridges, Fortnum and Mason, Harrods, more

Selfridges’ Ewan Venters is joining luxury hampers specialist Fortnum & Mason as chief executive to replace Beverley Aspinall who left in May, writes the Evening Standard.

According to the Guardian, Qatar Holding, the owner of Harrods, is planning to open hotels in the luxury department store’s name in cities such as Kuala Lumpur, New York and London, as well as in China. The move is part of the company’s “grand plan to make Harrods a global luxury brand”.

Printing company St Ives Direct has announced plans to close its site in Leeds and transfer operations to Bradford, reports the Yorkshire Business Desk. The group's St Ives Direct facility in Leeds employs 177 staff. A 30 day consultation period has begun with affected staff at the location.

Nursery equipment specialist Kiddicare has appointed Wincanton to provide logistics services to extend its multichannel offering. Wincanton will refit its 200,000 sq-ft site in Daventry to receive, pick and pack millions of items annually for the new network of Kiddicare outlets—which now include the former Best Buy locations parent company Morrisons acquired in January—as well as Kiddicare’s online orders. These will continue to be despatched direct to the customer from the Kiddicare’s Peterborough distribution centre.

Toy chain The Entertainer has raised more than £150,000 for charity in less than a year by donating electronic “spare change” half a million times. The donations, made through Pennies the electronic charity box, are already helping patients at four children’s hospitals.