High Street
The latest news, updates and analysis on the the British High Street and UK retail industry. Sign up to the Daily Briefing and let Retail Sector’s business journalists keep you in the picture.
-
Apr- 2021 -14 April
Grocery sales boost retail figures in March
New research has found that grocery sales have boosted overall retail sales in March, despite many categories remaining in decline due to the pandemic. According to KPMG and the British Retail Consortium (BRC)’s retail sales monitor, total retail sales rose by 8.3% in March compared to the same period in…
Read More » -
13 April
Cake Box sees FY21 sales rise 14.7%
Cake Box, a cream cake retailer, saw like-for-like sales in its franchise stores increase 14.7% year-on-year for the 40 weeks ended 7 March 2021. In turn, the group said that it expects to report “record revenue” for the period, representing an approximate 16% rise profit before tax rise when compared…
Read More » -
12 April
Hundreds of Bonmarché jobs at risk amid reports some stores may never reopen
Hundreds of jobs at Bonmarché are reportedly at risk as administrators struggle to decide how many stores should open as the ban on non-essential retail lifts. According to The Telegraph, administrators RSM have been “reviewing” options for the company’s 148 store estate – noting that many of the stores may…
Read More » -
12 April
Monsoon opens new boutique store in London
Monsoon has opened a new boutique store today (12 April) On London’s Marylebone High Street. The store is part of a “refresh of Monsoon”, taking the brand “back to its roots”, and aims to celebrate its “heritage, craft and commitment to sustainability and ethical trade”. The Marylebone High Street location…
Read More » -
9 April
JD Sports, Frasers Group and Amazon eye Topshop flagship
A number of retailers have reportedly expressed interest in purchasing Topshop’s former flagship store, including JD Sports, Amazon and Frasers. According to Drapers,, the administrators of the 100,000 sq ft store have appointed Eastdil and Savills to explore a sale of the site. It also reports that the London store…
Read More » -
9 April
Total UK footfall decreases by 69%, BRC tracker finds
Total UK footfall decreased by 68.7% in March (Yo2Y), marking only a 4.9% improvement from February, according to the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) Sensormatic tracker. The data, which covered the five weeks from 28 February to 3 April 2021, showed that the footfall drop in March was above the…
Read More » -
9 April
Frasers warns of £200m lockdown hit
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has warned that it expects to take a hit in excess of £200m due to the impact of Covid-19 – double what the retailer predicted in February. The group, which owns Sports Direct and House of Frasers, has said that further Covid-19 restrictions are “almost certain”. …
Read More » -
8 April
Co-op to repay £15m furlough relief as profits rise to £77m
The Co-op has revealed it will repay £15.5m of the Covid relief it received from the government’s furlough scheme but will retain what it received in business rates support. The news comes after it reported a bumper rise in profits after tax and discontinued items for the year to £77m.…
Read More » -
8 April
Retailers rally behind hospitality and reject Covid status certificates
Retailers have rallied behind pubs and clubs in their rejection of Covid status certificates, according to The Guardian. The news follows on from the announcement made by the prime minister last Sunday to confirm the reopening of shops in England from 12 April 2021. In his announcement, Boris Johnson suggested…
Read More » -
7 April
UK retail footfall rises as lockdown comes to end
Footfall across all retail destinations in the UK has jumped by 8.5% in the last week, from the week before, as consumers prepare for the country’s exit from lockdown. Retail parks and high streets saw a footfall increase of 9% and 9.7%, according to data analyst Springboard. Meanwhile, footfall in…
Read More »
