Newsletter Q4 2015 Hilco appointed to Denby sets up shop in South Korea manage 99p Stores transition company’s products are currently sold to a network of wholesalers and through 47 department store concessions. Denby Korea Limited takes over from a local operator and will enable the company to develop the brand’s premium positioning and improve the customer experience in-store and online. South Korea has become one of the most important territories for Denby globally in recent years. Brand research shows that Denby is strongly differentiated from other British tableware brands in Poundland Group Plc appointed the region, scoring favourably for Hilco’s retail team to assist in Denby opened its first directly innovation and sophistication. The managing the 99p Stores assets owned sales and distribution business in Asia brand resonates particularly with affluent, young in October. The Willenhall- in December. Denby Korea Limited will handle consumers, a fact which is borne out by the huge based retailer acquired the the marketing, sales and distribution of Denby’s volume of food photos featuring Denby products 250 store business of 99p products from its new office in Seoul. The posted by Korean consumers on Instagram. Stores in late September. Hilco is providing additional operational support to the HMV grows UK market share management team of the 99p Stores business and is managing HMV grew its share of the UK home video market the year with the retailer selling one every minute the transition of the store from 20.1% to 21.2% in 2015. during the festive trading base to the Poundland fascia. The retailer consistently period. HMV’s Christmas ad outperformed the market campaign caught the public’s A team of up to 10 Hilco staff are despite a challenging retail attention with a high profile currently based at 99p Stores’ environment and a less-than- TV spot promoting its vinyl and head office in Northampton with stellar release slate for film turntable ranges. a further 12 staff assisting the and TV product. regional store teams in the field. HMV’s UK online store, In the music sector, HMV’s which relaunched in The project draws on market share rose from June following a two year Hilco Capital’s expertise in 27.7% to 28.8% in the hiatus, smashed its sales managing large scale business final quarter of the year. Vinyl was a big hit while and margin forecasts for the year and is set for transition projects in the turntables were the runaway Christmas gift of substantial growth in 2016. UK and continental Europe. www.hilcocapital.com Newsletter HMV Soloist 2015 prize goes to two Record year for Clipper Marine winners Clipper Marine achieved its best ever year in 2015, selling close to 200 boats and delivering strong profit growth. Unit sales were split equally between sail and power boats but power was the more lucrative product category as confidence in the UK economy and falling fuel costs drove Now in its second year, The Soloist sales of higher end models. The 2015 competition attracted company has seen particular such a high level of talent that success in selling Bavaria yachts the judging panel awarded the and is now the largest dealer for the brand outside options for further international expansion in 2016. prestigious title to two talented its home market of Germany. young musicians. At the time of going to press, the Clipper team had Clipper continued to expand in Europe with the completed another successful London Boat Show The contest, which is organised opening of a new office in Mallorca in the fourth (pictured) with sales at the show 30% up on the by the Cross Border Orchestra of quarter. The company is considering a number of previous year. Ireland and sponsored by HMV, saw 30 semi-finalists whittled down to just 12 before the panel Tills ring out for Productivity picking up settled on the joint winners. Christmas at Chapelle steam at Tilley Pianist Daniel Kearney wowed the crowd on Sunday with flawless performances of Kapustin’s JEWELLERY Étude, Opus 40 No. 6 and Puck’s Dance by Debussy. The 21-year Chapelle, the jewellery retail chain purchased by old had only returned to playing Hilco in July, enjoyed brisk Christmas trading in spite this year following major surgery. of an overall decline in shopping centre footfall. Like for like store sales over December were up 1% on 27-year-old mezzo soprano Sarah the previous year. Hilco Capital’s manufacturing specialists have Richmond gave breathtaking designed and built specialised hat steaming performances of Time to Say The highlight of Chapelle’s Christmas trading was machines as part of the ongoing productivity Goodbye, written by Francesco the performance of the new format stores which the improvement project at Tilley. Previously, hat Sartori and Lucio Quaratotts, and company opened in the fourth quarter. These stores steaming was done by hand using a single domestic Una Voce Poco Fa from Rossini’s performed more than 21% ahead on a like for like steamer, causing a significant production bottleneck. Barber of Seville. basis. The proven new store format will continue to be rolled out across the existing estate and in new The four new machines, which were created for less The two winners will spend 2016 locations in 2016. than $8,000, allow one operator to steam four hats touring with the renowned Cross simultaneously and have helped contribute to a 25% Border Orchestra of Ireland. Online sales were ahead of the prior year by 11%. increase in factory output over the last six months. 2 Hilco Capital Newsletter Q4 2015 www.hilcocapital.com Newsletter Hats off to record Kraus awarded Supplier of the Year breaking rower exceptional fourth quarter which saw a strong performance in all areas of the business. Kraus finished the year off on a positive note by winning the Carpet One Speciality Supplier Partner of the Year 2015. The award is voted for by the members of Carpet One Floor & Home, a flooring retail cooperative group with over 1,000 stores across North America, Australia and New Zealand. Carpet One described Kraus as “a forward thinking company with excellent Kraus Group achieved 10% sales growth over the customer service.” prior year as the turnaround plan at the flooring manufacturer and distributor continued to bear fruit. The company is very well positioned for the year The team at Tilley are well used Much of the year-on-year increase was driven by an ahead with 40% growth in its order book. to their customers sharing stories and pictures of their adventures with their beloved Tilley hats. Oceans to launch in Spain Hilco appointed to operate However, John Beeden went the Co-Op department store extra mile – or 6,100 nautical miles to be precise – by single handedly rowing across the Pacific Ocean with just his trusty Tilley (and the occasional resupply ship) for company. The 53-year-old Brit departed from San Francisco in June and arrived in Cairns 209 days Outdoor furniture specialist, Oceans, is gearing up later, becoming the first person for further expansion with the opening of a store to complete the solo, nonstop in the Costa Calida region of Spain in February. journey. Beeden described the Many of the company’s existing British customers Hilco Capital’s retail team was appointed to operate gruelling Pacific crossing as “100 have second homes in the region but have found the 50,000 sq ft Co-Op Department store in Paisley times more difficult” than he had shipping single orders from the UK to be prohibitively in December. The Co-Operative Group appointed anticipated. expensive. The new store, which follows a successful Hilco to manage all aspects of retail operations at trial in 2012, will remove this barrier to sales. the city centre store on an ongoing basis. When asked en route what the most cherished item he To browse Oceans’ range of outdoor products, visit In addition to managing day-to-day operations, had with him was, the record www.oceansrattanfurniture.com. Readers of Hilco’s retail specialists are actively involved in breaking rower told The Toronto the Hilco Capital Newsletter can obtain a further sourcing ‘own-bought’ stock for the store and Star newspaper: “Tilley hat. 10% off online prices by entering the discount code engaging new concession partners to revitalise the It’s scorching hot most days. HVDISC10 on the checkout page. customer offer. Wouldn’t survive without it.” www.hilcocapital.com Hilco Capital Newsletter Q4 2015 3 Newsletter Burleigh pops up for Movember NEWS FROM ACROSS THE POND Hilco Global has acquired fashion brand Haute Hippie in partnership with luxury fashion distributor Madaluxe. The brand is distributed through high end department stores including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Harvey Nichols and counts Beyoncé among its fans. Hilco Brands and Infinity Burleigh hosted a pop up brand experience in the Lifestyle Brands have acquired ‘lifestyle apparel’ brand Le Tigre heart of Soho in November. Burleigh Gentlemen’s Burleigh from Kenneth Cole Productions in Club was created to launch the Moustache Mug, an Gentlemen’s Club also offered visitors a traditional a private asset sale. Edwardian design incorporating a moustache guard wet shave and shoe shine in exchange for donations to “protect a gentleman’s whiskers from a drenching to the Movember Foundation. Walgreens has appointed Hilco Fixture Finders to liquidate with tea, coffee or his favourite snifter!” fixtures, furniture and equipment The activity represents a fresh approach to from five closing stores. The The historic mug design was brought back from the marketing for the 165-year-old company. Other appointment is a test programme in advance of 200 planned store archives and given a contemporary redesign to raise initiatives include shareable video content such as closures during 2016.