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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Nov- 2018 -2 November
RSPH names Grimsby as ‘unhealthiest UK high street’
The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has named Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, as the ‘unhealthiest UK high street’. The announcement came after a league table published by the group ranked 70 of Britain’s major towns and cities by the impact of their high streets on the public’s health and…
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2 November
WHSmith fined £337,500 after customer falls through trapdoor
Newsagent chain WHSmith has been fined £337,500 after a customer fell almost three metres through a trapdoor, suffering serious injuries. WHSmith pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches leading to the fine, after the trapdoor at its Taunton store, located in the greetings card isle, was left open. The retailer…
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1 November
Pets at Home appoints former Argos boss as COO
Pets at Home has appointed David Robinson as COO of retail and Jane Balmain as interim CEO of the Vet Group’s First Opinion business. Robinson has held senior roles at Homebase, Sainsbury’s and Dixons Retail and spent almost 15 years with the Home Retail Group, most recently as COO for…
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1 November
Mothercare culls 200 head office jobs
Mothercare has axed around 200 staff from its head office in an attempt to cut costs and save up to £20m. The job cuts are part of Mothercare’s restructuring program and 50 new jobs are expected to be created in the department, bringing the net job losses to roughly 150.…
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1 November
600 jobs at risk as Crawshaws enters administration
Meat retailer Crawshaws has announced it has entered administration, putting 600 jobs at risk across its 42 stores. A Crawshaws spokesperson told Retail Sector that the company blamed its financial woes on “increasing competitor pressures on the high street”, namely “discount activity from the likes of Aldi and Lidl”. According…
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Oct- 2018 -31 October
‘Brexit anxieties’ lead to decrease in consumer confidence in October
Growth from Knowledge’s (GfK) long-running consumer confidence index decreased by one point to -10 in October 2018, amid consumer anxieties over Brexit. The market research institute said the lack of confidence from shoppers will “concern retailers” in the run-up to Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the key Christmas trading period,…
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31 October
Argos and John Lewis Christmas toy lists create surge in interest
A new study has found interest in this year’s “must-have” Christmas toys surged by almost eight times, following the publication of the Argos and John Lewis top Christmas toys lists. The research by digital marketing agency, Everest Media, analysed the volume of Google searches that each toy on the list…
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30 October
Sports Direct to rescue Evans Cycles with half of its stores to shutter
Sports Direct is to rescue Evans Cycles after it fell into administration on 7 September, with owner Mike Ashley saying the retailer will have to shutter half of its stores to save the business. The closures would result in hundreds of job losses with Evans Cycles, which has been running…
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30 October
Seasalt bucks high street woes with sales and profits increase
Cornish fashion brand, Seasalt, has recorded record turnover and improved margins, signalling the “continuing growth momentum in the business”. Turnover was up 23% on the previous year, at £51m, and is the ninth consecutive year of 20% increases in year-on-year sales growth, reflecting “continued rising demand” for the brand across…
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30 October
Selfridges opens in-store skate park
Selfridges has opened an indoor skate park in its London flagship store as part of refurbishment work in its menswear section. ‘The Bowl’ has become the UK’s only free wooden indoor skate bowl with skate lessons offered for £20 per hour. Selfridges has also added The Designer Street Room to…
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