The economic climate is ushering in a new era of co-branding. In the first ever deal between a consumer packaged goods company and a fashion retailer, Procter & Gamble has tied up with retailer Ann Taylor Loft to turn US stores into launching pads for two new products, Tide Total Care and Downy Total Care. Both products claim to cut down on dry cleaning bills by helping clothes look new for a longer time. The store chain is handing out free samples and coupons to customers who buy machine washable clothes, while posters throughout the stores alert customers to the products’ benefits. The retailer has also produced an eight-page magazine (available free in-store) that provides tips on how to keep clothes looking fresh: unsurprisingly, using Tide or Downy Total Care.

Meanwhile, in the UK, budget hotel group Travelodge has teamed up with low-cost supermarket Aldi to 
develop mixed-use hotel and retail sites. The firms are developing premises in Middlesbrough and Newquay, in order to exploit their growing market share. In Newquay, Cornwall, Travelodge is creating a 74-bedroom hotel above an Aldi store, and a 55-room hotel above a store in Middlesbrough.