Mothercare has announced its new chief executive will be Simon Calver, who joins the company from Amazon-owned LOVEFiLM. In the role, Calver will face the challenge of rebuilding the company’s sales and profits, particularly in its key UK market.

Online sales grew by a more modest 11.3% in January after a December of fast growth, according to the latest BRC figures. The figures also showed that total UK like-for-like sales sales were down by 0.3% as consumers tightened their belts.

TUI today reported rising online sales in its key UK market as it updated the markets on progress since the end of its third quarter. But overall UK sales were down by 10% in January compared to the same time last year.

In our latest preview of one of our major events of the year, Internet Retailing Expo (IRX 2012), we have an interview with Tom Allason, founder and chief executive of online delivery specialist Shutl. We also have the latest news from suppliers showing at IRX, today featuring Intershop and its next generation ecommerce platform Intershop 7.

UK retailers are making their delivery services more flexible, an annual report from MICROS UK found. But there’s still room for improvements that could help retailers gain a competitive advantage, says report sponsor MetaPack

John Lewis has signed up to RichRelevance’s personalisation technology as it looks to grow its online sales. It says that the use of the technology helps it give customers a unique and more relevant experience.

House of Fraser has appointed Norbert Dentressangle to manage its multichannel fulfillment. The role will include supporting the department store as it looks to grow its multichannel sales.

UK high streets of the future will be mainly residential with small-scale shopping that includes local collection points, said Phil Wrigley, chairman of Majestic Wine this week. But does that necessarily mean the death of the high street as it is today?

M&S and Samsung have unveiled a new Smart TV app that they say will show how we’ll shop in the future. The new app can’t be used to buy goods but it does give access to content in areas including the latest fashion and beauty advice as well as tips on buying.

Supermarkets’ websites are testing their users, according to the latest e-Performance Observatory from usability specialist YUSEO. Only 51% of those set a series of tasks to achieve on six supermarkets’ websites were successful, while users said they were less likely to use all of the supermarkets after completing the tasks.

In our latest preview of one of our major events of the year, Internet Retailing Expo (IRX 2012), we have an interview with serial entrepreneur John Sollars, who will be speaking at the Fast Track Conference on March 21, the first day of the free-to-attend two-day event. Now managing director of Stinkyinkshop.com, he shared with us some of the lessons he’s learned from his experiences.

Retailers are competing, whether they know it or not, to satisfy their customers and see repeat business. Doing this successfully starts with a single view of the supply chain, argues Craig Sears-Black of Manhattan Associates.

Amazon.com, owner of the UK’s largest online trader, amazon.co.uk, reported growing sales but a 58% fall in profits as it upped spending on technology and infrastructure. The company said the Kindle e-reader was its biggest seller in both the US and Europe.

Multichannel veteran John Walden is the new appointment at Argos. Walden, who was previously responsible for areas including ecommerce and catalogue sales at US retailers including Sears and Best Buy, is faced with the task of turning around falling sales at the leading UK multichannel retailer.

Online grocer Ocado today unveiled a rise in sales and a narrowing in pre-tax losses as it expanded its service in terms of the area that it serves and of the number of products it sells. Chief executive Tim Steiner said the biggest threat to online growth was ‘under investment in capacity’.

Dixons Retail has looked to multichannel talent within the group to replace its chief executive John Browett as he heads for Apple in California. Sebastian James, responsible for leading the transformation of the group’s stores, will take over his role while Katie Bickerstaffe, who heads its ecommerce operations in the UK and Ireland takes on the new role of chief executive, UK and Ireland.

In our latest preview of one of our major events of the year, Internet Retailing Expo (IRX 2012), we take a look at our conference agenda. The Mobile and Social Commerce Conference will be held on March 22, the second day of the free-to-attend two-day event and is for all retailers who want to use, or extend their use of, mobile or social commerce in their businesses.

The rising generation of Millennials is one that will be more likely to trust opinions they find online or through social media, according to new research. The study found the group will go to social media networks before they

Despite the ‘doom and gloom’ surrounding UK retail, the British are still keen shoppers. But today rather than pacing the high street, they’re buying online instead, according to the Basekit.com study which also found women spend more time shopping, but men spend more money.

MyTuxedo saw traffic and revenues rise after a search campaign. The work, by Site Visibility, also boosted traffic to the formalwear hire business’ overseas websites.