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Zavvi says it's time to get net-savvy

Gunning for 10 per cent of business online

Tags: online retail, virgin, zavvi

By Julian Goldsmith

Published: 9 October 2008 11:49 BST

High street entertainment retailer Zavvi has set its sights on growing its internet business to 10 per cent of total sales by 2011.

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In an interview with silicon.com, Zavvi IT director Tony Johnson said the retailer, which was formerly branded Virgin Megastores before a management buyout in September 2007, is late to market in its internet channel.

However a site relaunch in July 2007 has resulted in triple-figure sales growth year-on-year, on the back of investment reaching seven figures.

"ROI isn't year one but it should be year two. That's part of the challenge of building a business case. We are coming from a fairly low base of business, so that is the level of growth we need to see to justify the investment we've made," he said.

However, multichannel retailing may be a way off for the retailer. Johnson confirmed click and collect services, where the shopper buys a product online and collects it from a local store, is not on his agenda.

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