News roundup--Shop Direct, Fab, more

Very.co.uk, the Shop Direct-owned online department store, is delivering to festival goers at this year’s V Festival in Chelmsford on 18th and 19th August. Revellers at the music event can order from Very using their mobile phones or through a team of order takers at the festival and receive free next-day delivery using the Collect+ service. Especially for the festival, Very has also designed a capsule collection that can be delivered to the official Very tent within one hour.

In related news, Shop Direct Group’s owners, who are suing HMRC to reclaim £1 billion in tax, have had their claim transferred back to the UK following a ruling by the European Court of Justice. Littlewoods, which has already received £204.7 million in overpaid VAT with simple interest of £268.2 million, is claiming a further £1 billion in compound interest. The Financial Times reports that the ECJ has now sent the case back to the UK ruling that it is “for national law to determine whether the principal sum must bear ‘simple interest’ or ‘compound interest’”.

Disability, mobility and healthcare equipment provider BenefitsNow Shop has rebranded as Co-operative Mobility. The move marks the culmination of a number of strategic changes to the business following its acquisition in 2010 by Co-operative Xest, the living aids arm of The Southern Co-operative. Developments to date have included a new, website, the appointment of a business development manager for its corporate customer base and more recently a move to larger, custom designed warehouse premises on the outskirts of Portsmouth.

Fab.com, a members-only shopping site for designer homewares and accessories has secured $105 million in a Series C funding round led by Atomico. The funds will be used to build Fab into a global brand, forecasting sales of $150 million in 2012—five times more than last year. Fab launched in the UK in May.