Comment
Comment features expert perspectives and thought leadership from across the UK retail industry. This section includes opinion pieces, analysis, and commentary from senior retail executives, analysts, and sector specialists on the commercial, strategic, and operational forces shaping retail. Retail Sector’s Comment coverage explores issues such as consumer behaviour shifts, technology adoption, sustainability, regulation, and leadership — providing retail professionals with authoritative insight to inform decision-making and strategic planning.
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Mar- 2020 -30 March
The minimum wage increase is about to hit – and it beggars belief
As if to bang the final nail into the coffin himself, we can only assume the Treasury’s top man, chancellor Rishi Sunak, refuses to give ground on the next wave to crash over the retail and hospitality industries. I am talking of course about the increase in the National Minimum…
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30 March
What are your legal rights if your job has been affected by COVID-19?
Ever since the coronavirus outbreak gathered speed, life in the UK has largely been put on hold. From staff being unable to work due to self-isolation, to workers needing to stay at home to care for their children after schools were ordered to close, the impact on many businesses and…
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30 March
Covid 19: The future health of the high street
The health of the high street is up for debate now more than ever. If retailers were struggling before coronavirus set its sights on our shores, following last week’s forced government closure of non-essential brick & mortar stores throughout the UK, it’s likely that many will have pulled down their…
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28 March
Brighthouse set to call in administrators
Rent-to-own home furnishings brand Brighthouse is reportedly set to call in administrators, placing around 2,400 jobs at risk. According to the BBC, it comes after an increase in compensation claims for selling to people who could not repay due to the coronavirus outbreak. Brighthouse is thought to be the largest…
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27 March
What we know about furlough leave and the CJRS
HMRC published details of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) on 26.3.20 which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme Key points include: Employees that employers can claim CJRS for For the purposes of CJRS, the definition of employee would include workers and agency workers provided they are subject to PAYE i.e. this…
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27 March
Social shopping is all the rage – but at what cost for retailers?
In recent years, social commerce has become a lucrative way for retailers to easily access new and existing customers through solutions that are easily integrated into a variety of social media platforms. Social commerce has grown quickly, with platforms such as Facebook’s Marketplace and Instagram allowing for a seamless shopping…
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26 March
Preventing inevitable recession from becoming depression
The global economy is heading into a recession, initially at least a pretty severe one. The measures introduced by governments in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus are having a dramatic effect on huge swathes of economic activity. There is the direct loss of output and employment…
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25 March
Keeping shop workers safe through Covid-19
This week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised workers across the UK to work from home if possible. But for thousands of workers, this simply isn’t an option – there are a large number of jobs that can’t be done sitting at the dining room table. The retail sector is a…
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24 March
The furloughs and loans are useless to small businesses
The small business community has been watching with great hope to see if the government will introduce measures that are useful for them to survive this period. Alas, those announced are absolutely useless for small companies, which make up an extremely significant portion of the UK economy. Coronavirus Business Interruption…
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24 March
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – Advice for employers
Nigel Morris, tax director at MHA MacIntyre Hudson explains how employers can access the Job Retention Scheme (JRS) to continue paying 80% of the salary for employees that would otherwise have been laid off or made redundant, the practical next steps and potential complications of the scheme. Key points include:…
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