News roundup--Whatafind secures investment, more

Whatafind, which sells high-end clearance stock online, has received an undisclosed investment from Eden Ventures and angel investors Mark Zaleski and Robert Dighero, who were both formerly executives at online auction site QXL.

Like-for-like sales at Argos for the second quarter were down 5 percent. Overall in the first half of the fiscal year to 28th August, like-for-like sales were down 6.5 percent to £1.81 billion. At sister company Homebase, second quarter sales were flat, and first-half sales were marginally down (0.8 percent) to £855 million.

Electronic components firm Premier Farnell announced that group sales for the second quarter grew 29.6 percent year-on-year. In the first half ended 1st August, revenue rose 25 percent to £388 million, whilst operating profit increased by 50 percent to £34.1 million.

Luxury-fashion etailer Net-a-Porter.com has hired Esquire editor-in-chief Jeremy Langmead as editor-in-chief for its new menswear site Mr Porter.