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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Sep- 2019 -11 September
Labour pledges £10 minimum wage for all workers over 16
Jeremey Corbyn has pledged a £10 an hour minimum wage for all workers over 16 if his party is elected to government. In a speech delivered to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Brighton, Corbyn said Labour would also deliver action on the gender pay gap, equal rights for all…
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11 September
Most valuable UK retailers ‘falling behind’ global rivals, study finds
The value growth of the UK’s top retail brands is “falling behind” that of the leading global retail brands, according to Kantar’s ‘2019 BrandZTM Top 75 Most Valuable UK Brands’ ranking. While the UK retailers in the Top 75 grew their combined value by 4% over the last year, their…
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11 September
Inditex reports record net sales and revenue in H1
Inditex Group, owners of retail chain Zara has reported record revenue and net sales for the first half of 2019. Net sales topped €12.82bn (£11.4bn) for the first time, a year-on-year growth of 7%, for the period from 1 February-31 July 2019. Net profit hit a new record of €1.55bn…
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11 September
Store closures hit record levels in the first half of 2019
The number of stores closing down in the first six months of the year has reached its highest levels, with 2868 closures recorded for the period. An average of 16 stores a day shut their doors, according to research by the Local Data Company (LDC) and accounting firm PwC. The…
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10 September
JD Sports revenues jump 47% in wake of Finish Line acquisition
Sports fashion retailer JD Sports has reported a 47% increase in revenue to £2.7m for the 26 week period ending 3 August 2019. The increase in revenue was attributed to a £725.2m contribution from Finish Line, which the retailer acquired in a £396m deal last year, and its JD stores…
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10 September
Sports Direct among bidders for Links of London
Sports Direct is one of two final bidders attempting to buy jewellery brand Links of London from current owner Folli Follie (FF Group), according to reports from Sky News. FF Group appointed firms Deloitte and Savigny to find a buyer for Links in late August, after the brand pulled out…
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9 September
H&M battles with landlords over rents
Fashion retailer H&M is battling with landlords over rent reductions, which could potentially see property owners bear the cost of the rising number of returned clothes. According to a report from The Times, the retailer is pushing for “total occupational deals” where it discusses with landlords a sum linked to…
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9 September
Primark expects like-for-like sales dip in FY results
Clothes retailer Primark, which is owned by Associated British Foods (AB Foods), has revealed it expects a 2% decline in like-for-like sales for the year to 14 September 2019. Despite this, sales for the full year are expected to be 4% ahead of last year at constant currency and actual…
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9 September
Footfall drops off in late summer
Footfall continued its decline over the late summer, recording a 1.3% decline for the four week period to 24 August. According to the latest BRC-Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor, the latest decline is compared with 1.6% drop for the same period last year. High street footfall declined by 1.9%, following…
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6 September
Philip Green’s retailing empire posts £169.2m loss
Philip Green’s Arcadia has reported losses of £169.2m in its latest accounts posted on Companies House, blaming the “dramatically” changed retail landscape. For the 53 weeks to 1 September 2018 Arcadia losses totalled £169.2m compared with £49.4m profit the previous year. Its turnover also fell 4.5% to £1.8bn. However the…
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