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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May- 2019 -3 May
Sports Direct facing probe from financial regulators
Sports Direct is facing scrutiny from two financial regulators over its accounts and information relating to a possible bid for Debenhams. According to The Times, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is looking into the retailer regarding the disclosure of information in relation to its bid for the department store. Questions…
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Apr- 2019 -29 April
Arcadia secures help from HSBC
Arcadia, which is owned by Phillip Green, has secured help from HSBC in order to reassure suppliers as the retailer seeks out a rescue deal. According to a report by The Times, HSBC agreed to stand behind Arcadia’s debts to suppliers, which have asked for advance payments since credit insurers…
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29 April
Retail rents fall as pressure on sector continues
High street shop prime rents fell by 1% in the first quarter of the year, according to real estate company CBRE’s latest Prime Rent and Yield Monitor. This indicated an acceleration of the falls reported in Q3 (0.4%) and Q4 (0.4%) of 2018. Shopping centre prime rents fell 1.3% over…
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24 April
Majestic Wine could sell all UK stores as it moves online
Specialist wine retailer Majestic Wine could sell all 200 of its UK stores as the business prepares to move its operations online under the Naked Wines brand. The company has reportedly appointed investment bank Rothschild and Co to discuss options on a potential sale. Last month, the company announced its…
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23 April
Hot weather increases high street footfall over Easter weekend
High street footfall over the Easter bank holiday weekend increased by 6.5% on Friday, 1.2% on Saturday and 8.4% by 12pm on Easter Monday, as a result of the hot and sunny weather. According to retail intelligence firm Springboard, the result is a “clear contrast” to Easter 2018, when poor…
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17 April
Over 100 Whitbread jobs face axe following Costa sale
Around 100 jobs are expected to be cut at the head office of Whitbread following the sale of Costa Coffee to Coca Cola for £3.9bn. According to reports by The Times, a consultation involving around 10% of the company’s head office staff was expected to be concluded this month, however…
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16 April
Card Factory profits fall as footfall hits LFL sales
Card Factory has reported in its latest full-year results that profit before tax fell by 8.3% to £66.6m as its like-for-like sales stagnated with a 0.1% decrease. The company attributed the fall in sales to a decrease in footfall across its 972 stores and a “tough consumer environment”. However its…
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16 April
JD Sports reports ‘record’ 15.4% profits jump
Sportswear retailer JD Sports has reported a 15.4% increase in pre-tax profits to £339.9m for the year ending 2 February 2019. Total like-for-like sales grew by 6% for global Sports Fashion fascias, against a backdrop of “widely reported retail challenges” in the group’s core UK market. The retailer also recorded…
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15 April
Mike Ashley warned over plans for retail ‘oligopoly’
Former Marks and Spencer boss Lord Stuart Rose has warned Mike Ashley over plans for a retail ‘oligopoly’, following his attempted acquisition of embattled department store chain Debenhams. According to a report by Aol.com, Rose said he would “think twice about building an empire of high street chains”, and he…
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15 April
Springboard predicts Easter weekend footfall to ‘bounce back’
According to retail experts Springboard, Easter weekend UK footfall is forecast to rise by +2.1%, bringing a “sigh of relief” to high streets and retail parks in what has been a challenging year. The forecast expects a “bounce back” over the key trading period from what was a poor Easter…
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