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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Aug- 2018 -10 August
Superdrug brings HIV tests to the high street in UK first
HIV tests are available to purchase on the UK high street for the first time as health and beauty retailer Superdrug will now sell the BioSURE tests in its pharmacies. The self-testing kit retails for £33.99 and has been available online since 2015. It was the first legally approved test…
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10 August
Sports Direct saves House of Fraser in £90m eleventh-hour deal
Sports Direct has agreed to acquire House of Fraser for £90m in a deal that came just minutes after the department store chain entered administration. A Sports Direct statement read: “The group has acquired all of the UK stores of House of Fraser, the House of Fraser brand and all…
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10 August
Irish retail family in talks to save Poundworld
Poundworld could be saved in a last minute rescue as an Irish retail family is in talks with its administrators to purchase some of the stores. The Hendersons founded Irish company Poundworld in 1984 and sold it in 2007. The retail chain has no relation to the Poundworld UK. The…
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10 August
House of Fraser site offline as administration threatens 17,500 jobs
House of Fraser has appointed administrators after talks with investors and creditors were “not concluded in a solvent solution”. The department store currently employs 17,500 people across its 59 stores of which 31 have already been earmarked for closure. Despite the administration all House of Fraser stores are expected to…
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9 August
ScS growth edges up in ‘encouraging’ results
ScS has announced it is trading “in line with its expectations for the year” despite concerns it may have been hit by the decline in retail footfall. The furniture retailer saw an overall order growth of 1.3% in the 52 weeks up to 28 July, along with a like-for-like order…
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9 August
Pandora CEO steps down following profit warning
Pandora has announced Anders Colding Friis is stepping down as president and CEO of the company effective 31 August 2018. The company saw its shares slump nearly a quarter on Tuesday 7 August when it announced it was reducing its sales and profit growth forecast, and after a follow-up announcement…
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9 August
Card Factory sales up 3.2% despite ‘extreme weather’
Card Factory has reported 3.2% growth in total group sales for the six months ending 31 July, despite the impact of the year’s “extreme weather conditions” on high street footfall. The retailer’s like-for-like sales decreased to -0.2%, a drop of 3.1% when compared with the same trading period last year…
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8 August
BTA urges retailers to open their toilets to the public
The British Toilet Association (BTA) has urged retailers to open their toilets to the public after the number of public facilities in the country slumped from 3,955 in 2000 to 2,414 this year. Retailers are being asked by the association to join a Community Toilet Scheme as part of its…
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8 August
New charity shop count shows over 11,000
New research into charity shop volume on UK high streets has found there are currently 11,249 charity outlets across the country. The research, which the Charity Retail Association (CRA) told Retail Sector was the “first of its kind”, found that England alone has 9,437 charity shops on its streets. CRA…
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8 August
‘Misleading’ Sports Direct ad reprimanded by ASA
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a Sports Direct ad for “misleading” customers about the original price of a product, and warned the firm to make its delivery charges to online customers clearer. The sportswear retailer’s website was found to be promoting a pair of Karrimor walking boots for…
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