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.
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Feb- 2025 -26 February
M&S and John Lewis top list for highest female board representation
M&S and John Lewis are among several retailers who are leading the way for gender equality in boardrooms. According to the FTSE Women Leaders Review report for 2025, women now occupy nearly 43% – or a total of 1,275 – of roles on company boards in the UK. A number…
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24 February
DFS appoints former Holland and Barrett CEO as NED
DFS Furniture has announced the appointment of former Holland and Barrett CEO Tony Buffin as an independent non-executive director. Buffin was the leader of the health and wellness retailer between 2019 and 2021 and will join the DFS board with immediate effect. He is also the chair of Nobia AB,…
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21 February
Primark to open first standalone homewares store in March
Primark has announced that it is set to open its first standalone homewares store in Belfast on 6 March 2025. The 8,700 sq ft one floor store is located in the iconic Fountain House building on Donegall Place in Belfast. Primark’s homeware offering will move out of the Bank Buildings,…
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12 February
Beales to shutter last remaining store amid budget changes
Beales, one of Britain’s oldest department stores, will shutter its last remaining store after more than 140 years of trading amid cost pressures arising from the latest budget. The business, which opened in Bournemouth in 1881, will close its last remaining store in Poole’s Dolphin Centre at the end of May.…
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10 February
New WH Smith owner ‘could close’ half of high street stores, experts warn
Any potential new WH Smith owner could close at least half of the retailer’s 500 high street stores if they take over the business, The Guardian has reported. It comes as industry experts told the outlet that they could see a reduction in the size of the business after any…
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10 February
Ikea receives 3,730 job applications in five days for Oxford Street store
Ikea has received 3,730 applications in just five days for its new Oxford Street store which is set to open in Spring 2025. According to Ikea, the high level of interest in the 150 available positions marks the “largest-ever” response the home furnishing retailer has seen in the UK, “breaking…
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4 February
High street sales rise 7.1% in January but concerns on rising costs remain
Total retail sales in discretionary spend categories grew by 7.1% in January amid concerns that 2025 is set to be another “difficult” year for retail as rising costs continue to mount, according to BDO’s latest High Street Sales Tracker. The latest report from BDO shows that the 7.1% growth comes…
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Jan- 2025 -30 January
BRC: Retail crime ‘out of control’ as theft losses hit record £2.2bn
The BRC has said that retail crime is “out of control” after its Annual Crime Survey figures revealed that losses from customer theft reached a record £2.2bn in 2023/24. The association said the figures come as more incidents have been linked to organised crime, with gangs “systematically” targeting stores. This…
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29 January
Lloyds Banking Group to close 136 branches in further blow to UK high street
Lloyds Banking Group is reportedly set to close another 136 of its branches as it aims to adapt to customers’ shifting preferences for online banking, in what is another blow to the UK high street, according to the Financial Times. Reports suggest the group will close 61 Lloyds branches, 61…
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28 January
Pets at Home maintains guidance despite stagnant Q3 revenues
Pets at Home has maintained its full-year profit guidance despite the fact that its total group revenue fell 0.2% to £361.6m for the 12 weeks ended 2 January 2025. Its persistence comes as the company saw its consumer revenue increase 2.3% to £468m during the period. Pets at Home stated…
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