News roundup--Argos files toxic sofa lawsuit, new FD at Findel, more

Argos’s insurers have launched a £13 million lawsuit against leather technology supplier Leather Trade House with the aim of recovering millions of pounds after the retailer was found to have sold toxic sofas, reports the Telegraph.

Kristine Kirby, formerly home shopping director at apparel retailer Fat Face and ecommerce and systems director at fashion boutique Lipsy, has joined Monsoon Accessorize as ecommerce and multichannel marketing director.

Findel has a new finance director. Tim Kowalski, formerly of N Brown Group, joins as group finance director effective 2nd August replacing Chris Hinton. Hinton will remain with the company in the short term to facilitate a smooth transition.

Kitchenware cataloguer/retailer Lakeland is funding a new Channel 4 daytime TV series called Lake on a Plate. According to the Guardian, the show will feature recipes using ingredients sourced in the Lake District that will then be posted on Channel 4's website and on Lakeland's online shop.

The Guardian reports that only 3 percent of eligible customers have taken up the option of buying Ocado shares ahead of the grocery business’s float. The article goes on to say that the offer to customers is “believed to have raised somewhere between £6 million and £10 million, far short of the £50 million maximum directors had set”.

Littlewoods is sponsoring this year’s Pride of Britain awards, writes the Mirror.