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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Apr- 2025 -22 April
Easter gives much needed footfall boost
The later timing of the Easter bank holiday weekend provided retailers with a much-needed footfall boost, with the number of shoppers visiting the high street up 15.7% compared with last Easter, according to the latest MRI Software data. In the week leading up to Easter, overall retail footfall remained flat…
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22 April
Matalan secures £25m in funding for store and digital transformation
Matalan has announced that it has secured an additional £25m of funding from its anchor investors Invesco, Tresidor, Man Group and Napier Park. The retailer stated that the funding will be used to accelerate investment to support Matalan’s multi-year business transformation plan and the delivery of its strategy. This will…
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22 April
New Original Factory Shop owner eyes major rent cuts as part of CVA
The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) landlords could face a package of major rent cuts as its new owner aims to finalise plans for a CVA for the group, with potential store closure also featuring as part of the move. According to Sky News, Modella Capital is now preparing to unveil a…
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16 April
WH Smith H1 high street profits fall to £15m ahead of sale
WH Smith has reported that high street trading profits fell, from £22m to £15m, in the six months ended 28 February 2025, while total travel trading profits saw an uplift of 12% to £56m during the same period. The group agreed the sale of its UK high street business on…
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15 April
B&M to open 45 new UK stores despite sales drop
B&M has revealed that it is aiming to open 45 new stores in the UK in 2025 despite the fact it saw its UK like-for-like sales drop 3.1% to £4.5bn in the year ended 29 March 2025. Alongside this, the discount retailer stated that its UK like-for-like sales fell 2.1%…
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15 April
Majestic completes acquisition of Enotria&Coe
Majestic, the wine specialist in retail, wholesale and hospitality, has completed the strategic acquisition of Enotria&Coe, a supplier of premium wines and spirits for an undisclosed sum. Majestic said the combination accelerates its ambition to become the “go-to” supplier of wines, beers and spirits in the UK on-trade, creating a…
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14 April
Hilco closes in on Lakeland deal
Family-owned homeware retailer Lakeland is close to being acquired by high-street investment firm Hilco Capital, according to reports from Sky News. Hilco, which has previously backed retailers including HMV and Superdry, could agree a deal in the coming days, according to insiders. If confirmed, the deal would follow months of…
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8 April
Clintons returns to FY profit following store closures
Clintons has returned to profit following a period of store closures and job losses, with pre-tax profits rising to £8.1m in the year ended 29 June 2024, up from a loss of £5.4m the prior year. Full-year sales fell from £96.5m to £82.6m over the period, which was a “satisfactory…
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4 April
Nearly half of all retail staff worked while unwell last year
Nearly half (46%) of retail staff worked while unwell at the end of last year, which is 5% higher than the end of 2023, as fears around job cuts following the autumn Budget’s tax rises took hold. According to the new Retail People Index, published by the Retail Trust and…
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4 April
Carphone Warehouse founder to invest £5m in Jigsaw
Carphone Warehouse co-founder, David Ross, is reportedly investing about £5m in Jigsaw, which will result in him becoming the fashion retailer’s majority shareholder, according to Sky News. The multi-million pound investment comes seven years after Ross’ first cash injection, and it is understood that this financing will see him replace…
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