News roundup--acquisition for Ideal Shopping Direct, Seasalt launches catalogue, more

TV-shopping specialist Ideal Shopping Direct has acquired Createtoday, an online platform for creating and customising greeting cards and wall art, from Internet Media Marketing. This marks the first acquisition by Ideal since it was taken private last year.  According to chief executive Mike Hancox, the Createtoday platform will be used to enhance the company’s Create and Craft business and help Ideal “leapfrog” the competition in the craft market by “offering customers a superior digital experience and access to more diverse content”. 

Seasalt, a Cornwall-based apparel brand, is launching a print catalogue following a 22 percent increase in year-on-year sales. Some 100,000 copies of a 68-page catalogue will be mailed out to customers and requesters in March. Director Neil Chadwick says the catalogue is part of plans to make the Seasalt brand more accessible across the country, without the need to put a shop on every high street.

Helen Weir was appointed group finance director at John Lewis Partnership, effective 1st June. She replaces Marisa Cassoni, who announced her retirement this past September. Weir was most recently the chief executive of the retail division of Lloyds Banking Group and previously held senior financial roles at B&Q and later Kingfisher.

Consumer electronics specialist Maplin has integrated Shutl’s delivery service into its website allowing online customers to have their orders delivered within 90 minutes or choose a convenient one-hour delivery window from 9am to 9pm, seven days a week.  Stores in London, Bristol, Glasgow and Belfast among other cities will be part of the initiative.