Hitwise today (21 August) publishes the tenth quarterly edition of the IMRG-HITWISE HOT SHOPS LIST, which ranks by popularity, as indicated by visits, the top 50 UK e-retailers* selling goods and services within the IMRG Index Classification**.

IMRG-Hitwise Hot Shops List, August 2008

1. Amazon UK
2. Argos
3. Play.com
4. Tesco.com
5. Next
6. Amazon.com
7. Thomson Holidays
8. Marks & Spencer
9. Tesco Direct
10. easyJet
11. Expedia.co.uk
12. lastminute.com
13. RyanAir
14. John Lewis
15. PC World
16. ASOS
17. Dell EMEA
18. Currys
19. Apple Computer
20. HMV.co.uk
21. Thomas Cook
22. Ebuyer
23. Comet UK
24. Woolworths UK
25. Staples
26. B&Q
27. Odeon Cinemas
28. Ticketmaster UK
29. First Choice
30. British Airways
31. Debenhams
32. GAME
33. Screwfix Direct
34. O2 Shop
35. LOVEFiLM
36. ASDA
37. Vue Entertainment
38. Topshop
39. Littlewoods
40. Travelodge UK
41. TravelRepublic.co.uk
42. The Orange Shop
43. River Island
44. Sainsbury's
45. QVCUK.com
46. Carphone Warehse
47. Boots
48. HP
49. Thomsonfly
50. Symantec Store

The IMRG-Hitwise Hot Shops List of the top 50 UK e-retailers is the key indicator of online merchant performance.  The List is published quarterly and tracks popularity, as indicated by visits, of those selling goods and services within the IMRG Index Classification.  This List is based on July 2008 data.

COMMENT - SINCE MAY 2008

- 1  NEW ENTRANT
- 17  RISERS
- 23  FALLERS
- 7  RETAIN SAME POSITION

This tenth quarterly Hot Shops List is notable for rises in the Electrical and Fashion sectors, while Computer companies fell as consumers, with hard times looming, adjusted their priorities.  The only new entrant was Staples, which roared in halfway up the List at 25.

Amazon.co.uk (1) as ever, and Argos (2) and Play (3) as usual, led the field while Tesco (4) held on to its habitual fourth position.

The first fashion brand into the top five, Next (5) was definitely hot, reaching its highest ever ranking, up from 9th place in May and 11th place a year ago.  ASOS’s (16) stellar performance continued, climbing another two positions since May and a massive thirty places from the 46th slot it occupied a year ago.  ASOS ranked 50th in the first ever Hot Shops List, published in May 2006.

Electrical e-retailers also had a strong month.  PC World (15) reached its all-time high, having risen from 26th place in May, 23rd a year ago and the 36th slot the year before that.

Woolworths stormed up the List to 24, having jumped 14 places since May, and seventeen places from its 41st ranking a year ago.

John Lewis (14) continued its inexorable climb up the Hot Shops List to its best position to date, up another place from last quarter and improving on the 18th position it occupied last August.

Ebuyer (22) was on the rise again; it was up two places since last time, having first entered the List in May 2007.

The Entertainment sector benefitted from July’s poor weather, with Odeon Cinemas (27) rising from 45th in May, and LOVEFiLM (35) popping in for the second time, having debuted on the List at 37 in February this year.

Not so hot were the computer companies:  Dell (17), Apple (19) and HP (48) fell four, seventeen and nine places respectively from their rankings in May, and three, eleven and five places on the year.

IMRG's CEO, James Roper, comments:

"With the market hardening under the daily hammer blows of worsening economic news, one would expect more volatility within the List.  It is a measure of the competence that sets these brands out as market leaders that they consistently continue to attract high customer traffic volumes, even under harsh trading conditions.  The e-retail sector continues to enjoy double-digit growth, which is good news for the twenty seven high street brands that now appear on the Hot Shops List, as their traditional channel’s sales falter.  If a recession does come it will bias change in favour of e-commerce practitioners such as these."

Hitwise's Director of Research, Robin Goad, comments:

"We always see travel companies improve their ranking during this quarter, and this year is no different.  However, despite the eleven travel brands on the list having moved up compared with last quarter, they are all down when compared with the same quarter last year.  While this is partly a reflection of the sector’s maturity, it also points towards the negative impact of rising fuel prices and the squeeze on consumer spending as a result of the credit crunch.  However, one sector that continues to perform well is fashion, with both Next and ASOS achieving their highest ever rankings this quarter."

* The IMRG-Hitwise Hot Shops List excludes eBay and price comparison / aggregator websites such as Kelkoo and Froogle.

** IMRG Index Classification:  Beer / wine / spirits; Books; CDs / tapes / records; Clothing / footwear / accessories; Computer hardware / peripherals / consumables; Consumer electronics; Digital downloads (e.g. music, software); Flowers; Food, beverages and household supplies; Furniture; Garden / DIY; Health and beauty; Home appliances (e.g. washing machines); Household goods (e.g. kitchenware, bedding); Jewellery / watches; Software; Sporting goods; Tickets (e.g. cinema, theatre, events); Toys; Travel (e.g. flights, holidays, hotels, car hire); Video games; Videos / DVDs

ENQUIRIES

IMRG
Paul Evans
Tel: +44 (0) 7000 46 46 74
Email: paul@imrg.org
Web: www.imrg.org

HITWISE
Jannie Cahill
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7378 3619
Email: jannie.cahill@hitwise.com
Web: www.hitwise.co.uk

ABOUT IMRG:  IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group), founded in 1990, is the industry body serving e-retail:  www.imrg.org

ABOUT HITWISE:  Hitwise, established in 1997, is the world's leading online competitive intelligence service:  www.hitwise.co.uk

ENDS

Beth Mathieson
Administration Manager
IMRG
email: beth@imrg.org
Telephone: 07000 464 674
Skype Name: BethIMRG
www.imrg.org