News roundup--eBay, New Look, Stella & Dot

Online marketplace eBay has appointed Sainsbury’s director of digital and cross-channel Tanya Lawler to the newly created role of vice president of UK trading. She joins in the autumn with the brief to develop eBay’s customer strategy and drive growth in eBay’s retail brand business and business seller partnerships, which include Superdry, Bench, House of Fraser, LK Bennett and Comet. Lawler will report into Clare Gilmartin, vice president Marketplaces UK and rest of Europe, with the buyer, enterprise sales and marketing functions reporting to her.

Apparel retailer New Look says it will close up to 100 stores as it turns its focus to its online and multichannel offer. However, the retailer stressed stores will continue to remain core to the business and as such will refurbish the store portfolio to improve the customer shopping experience. New Look today confirmed that it has received consensus from its lenders to restructure its debt and improve the financial position of the company. Group sales for 2011/2012 were down 2 percent to £1.5 billion, while earnings plunged 23 percent from £191 million to £147 million.

Jewellery and accessories business Stella & Dot is on target to achieve sales of £7 million in the UK this year, reports the Express. It notes that the US-based firm currently employs 800 direct sellers in the UK and plans to recruit a further 1,000 by the end of the year. It will also expand into Germany and Ireland by 2013.

According to the Sunday Times Top Track 100, Alliance Boots is the largest privately held company in the UK. However, following its proposed merger with publicly listed Walgreens this is no longer necessarily the case. Other retailers in the newspaper’s top 20 list include the John Lewis Partnership at number 4, TopShop’s parent company Arcadia at number 11 and Littlewoods owner Shop Direct Group at number 18. New Look (27), Clarks (29), River Island (45), House of Fraser (87) and Monsoon (91) also feature in the table.