Hobbs has appointed Claire Dobbie as marketing director, placing her in charge of brand, marketing and online teams as well as international expansion programme, reported Diary Daily on Friday. As a previous Asos global marketing director, Dobbie could be seen as a strategic choice for Hobbs as it looks to move into a more fashion-focused offering.

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‘A feast of British music and food’, Morrisons has announced it will host a two-day festival at Harewood House in Leeds in July. According to The Grocer, Texas, The Human League and Bob Geldof have all been confirmed as acts for the MFEST weekend event, for which Morrisons hopes to raise £500,000 for Save the Children.

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Pets at Home on Friday announced that its outgoing chief executive will be replaced by Nick Wood, a former senior member of staff at DSG International (now Dixons Retail). The pet specialist has been on the hunt for a boss since news broke last October that its chief executive of ten years, Matt Davies, is set to leave the company on 24 April to pursue other opportunities.

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Kenneth Cole on Thursday posted a strong quarterly profit against tough yearly comparables. The American fashion and accessories label managed a fourth quarter income of USD 8 million, or 43 cents a share, compared with last year’s loss of USD 2.7 million or 15 cents a share, according to Reuters.

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The Danish toymaker, famous for its ingenious brick-based creations, reported record revenues and profits for 2011, with sales up 17 per cent to almost USD 3.50 billion. Operating profit for the year grew nearly 20 per cent to USD 1.06 billion, but Lego is now said to be treating 2012 with caution.

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John Lewis Partnership, the largest employee-owned company in the UK, is expected to announce a drop in its staff bonuses next week. According to the Independent, some 76,500 members of staff will receive a 16 per cent bonus of their annual salary on Wednesday, down two percent from last year’s pay-out.

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The premium department store has appointed Richard Taylor to the role of marketing director. Fashion Monitor today reported that Taylor will oversee Selfridges’ marketing, PR and communications, and report to the retailer’s managing director Anne Pitcher. A former customer experience director for retail at RBS, Taylor has held a number of senior marketing roles for brands including Budweiser and Egg, and will take up his new position at Selfridges on 23 April 2012.

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After conquering the US, venerable bridal and fashion house Vera Wang is set to take on the Asian markets. President of Vera Wang, Mario Grauso, spoke to WWD this week about a Far East expansion (subscription only access).

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The British urban label has opened a brand new store in Dubai’s Marina Mall this week. It will be the fourth outlet under Superdry’s Middle Eastern expansion agreement with Al Khayyat Investments, a UAE-based holding company representing more than 200 international brands.

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The latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel show Waitrose’s market share stands at an all time high of 4.5 per cent of the grocery sector. During the 12 weeks to the 19 February, Kantar Worldpanel found the grocery market grew 4.5 per cent, broadly in line with its performance over the past six months.

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