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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Jan- 2019 -11 January
B&M shrugs off Christmas retail woes with strong revenue growth
Bargain retailer B&M has reported a 12.1% increase in group sales revenue growth for the 13 weeks to 29 December 2018. UK sales revenue for the period also increased by 4.5% to £874.5m, compared with £837m last year, however, life-for-like sales decreased by 1.6%, against the increase of 3.9% in…
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11 January
Quiz issues profit warning
Fashion brand Quiz has issued a profit warning despite an 8.4% increase in group revenue in the six-week period from 25 November 2018 to 5 January 2019 against the comparable period last year. This was below anticipated revenues and resulted in a “higher than anticipated” level of discounting to clear…
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10 January
M&S sales drop amid ‘difficult’ market
Marks and Spencer has reported a 2.7% drop in its total sales for the 13 weeks to 29 December 2018. Its clothing and home sales saw a 4.8% decline and its food performed slightly better, but still saw a drop with a 1.2% decrease. The retailer said reducing customer confidence…
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9 January
Mothercare sales plunge 11.4% during third quarter
Embattled retailer Mothercare has reported an 11.4% drop in UK like-for-like sales in its Q3 trade update, which covered the 13 week period to 5 January 2019. According to the group the results reflect a combination of the “difficult consumer backdrop” and the “aggressive discounting activity undertaken in the prior…
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9 January
HMV ‘denied’ £3.35m tax lifeline before administration
Beleaguered music and film retailer, HMV, who officially fell into administration during the festive period, was denied a £3.35m government tax cut before it entered administration new figures have revealed. HMV blamed a “tsunami” of retail challenges, including business rate levels, saying it paid £15m on sales of £277m meaning…
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8 January
Footasylum issues profit warning after ‘challenging’ Christmas trading conditions
Footwear retailer, Footasylum has issued a profit warning following “challenging trading conditions” during the festive period. Footasylum said it would cut costs after it changed expectations for gross margin in the 2019 financial year, despite revenue still expected to remain as forecast. The retailer blamed “market backdrop, promotional activity and…
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8 January
Joules continues to defy retail gloom over festive period
Joules has continued to defy the retail gloom with an 11.7% sales increase over the festive period. During the seven weeks ending 6 January the clothing and lifestyle retailer said that online sales attributed to almost half of all sales. Joules said the performance was driven through its own digital…
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7 January
Dunelm posts 9% revenue surge over festive period
Homeware retailer Dunelm has posted a 9% increase in total like-for-like revenues during the 13-week period ending 29 December, including a 5.7% increase in stores. Dunelm also reported a 37.9% increase in online sales although the company added that it remains “cautious” over its outlook given the “ongoing uncertainty in…
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4 January
McColl’s appoints Robbie Bell as CFO
Convenience retailer McColl’s has appointed Robbie Bell to its board as chief financial officer. Bell is moving on from his current position as CFO of Welcome Break Limited following its takeover by Applegreen plc, will take up his appointment on 17 January 2019. In 2017, Bell was appointed CFO of…
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3 January
Home Bargains becomes latest retailer to announce a ‘quiet hour’
Home Bargains has become the latest retailer to announce a ‘quiet hour’ in order to create a calmer environment for customers with autism to shop in. The initiative is being carried out in partnership with the National Autistic Society, and will see all music switched off in its stores each…
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