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global eyes French pureplayer looks for more We’ve reported previously on the French DIY and home marketplace pureplayer, ManoMano. ManoMano operates in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. In France, ManoMano boasts some 2.5 million active customers (roughly 75% of its total business) and is already generating €400 million in gross merchandise value. But now it wants more. Now, armed with a recent funding injection of €110 million, it’s aiming to make a stronger push overseas, not to mention also being intent on expanding into the trade with its Mano Fulfillment offshoot. www.manomano.fr French industry signs up to energy savings The French DIY retail association Fédération des Magasins de Bricolage et de l’Aménagement de la Maison (FMB) has signed a charter for the promotion of energy saving renovations initiated by the French Government. The action plan called “Engagé pour faire” (“committed to doing”) is supported by France’s Ministry for Ecological & Solidarity Transition and by the Housing Ministry. According to official statistics, several million French households do not meet minimum standards in insulation technology. www.fmbricolage.com THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT by US retailer Kohl’s that it would be accepting free, unpackaged returns for Amazon customers starting in July made sense to some commentators and no sense to others. Take this comment from John Markman on Forbes.com: “The Kohl’s deal is remarkable because Amazon. com is not a friend. It’s the worst kind of competitor. “It’s a company less worried about profitability and more consumed with killing the competition.” In 2017, Kohl’s and Amazon worked together to pilot the returns program, which is currently operating in 100 stores in Los Angeles, Chicago and Milwaukee. Now, Kohl’s and Amazon will roll the programme out to all of Kohl’s 1,150+ locations across 48 states. Kohl’s will accept eligible Amazon items, without a box or label, regardless of the reason, and return them to Amazon for free and is happy as Larry about the extra foot traffic this should bring. “We are thrilled to bring Amazon Returns at Kohl’s to all of our stores across the country,” says Michelle Gass, Kohl’s Chief Executive Officer. “Amazon and Kohl’s have a shared passion in providing outstanding customer service, and this unique partnership combines Kohl’s strong nationwide store footprint and omni- channel capabilities with Amazon’s reach and customer loyalty. “This new service is another example of how Kohl’s is delivering innovation to drive traffic to our stores and bring more relevance to our customers.” As Kohl’s said last March when it announced its wide-ranging transformation plan, it’s all about omni- channel and remaining relevant, part of which has been about both rightsizing and standardising stores and opening smaller format stores. In a nutshell, Kohl’s is “focused on amplifying the role and relevancy of our stores while also working to ensure that shopping in a Kohl’s store is an engaging and inspiring experience for our customers.” Makes sense from Kohl’s perspective, then. Is this a case of keeping its friends close and enemies closer? www.kohls.com 40 NZHJ | MAY 2019 MORE AT www.hardwarejournal.co.nz Is Kohl’s Amazon initiative a Trojan Horse?