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 -15 August
Former Co-op director claims she was fired over equal pay claim
The former HR director of the Co-op, Sam Walker, has claimed she was fired from the company after raising an equal pay claim three times with then CEO Richard Pennycook. According to a report by The Guardian Walker has warned that the retailer could be paying its male and female…
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14 August
High street job losses ‘cost British economy £1.5bn’
New research has found that high street job losses have cost the British economy £1.5bn, as the number of lost jobs exceeds 30,000. Figures from the New Economics Foundation (NEF) include those facing imminent redundancy alongside those who have already lost their jobs, adding up to £1.5bn in lost GDP.…
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14 August
Asda, Argos, Sainsbury’s and M&S sign up for ‘Purple Tuesday’
‘Purple Tuesday’, the UK’s first day dedicated to ‘accessible’ shopping, will take place on 13 November and will see retailers such as Asda, Argos and Sainsbury’s introduce new measures to make the shopping experience more inclusive for disabled customers. The initiative is being coordinated by the disability organisation Purple and…
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13 August
Retail footfall down 0.8%, shopping centres continue to suffer
Retail footfall fell by 0.8% in July when compared to the same time last year, despite the high street again seeing a slight rise. The figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard show that high street footfall increased by 0.3% which was the third consecutive month of growth.…
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13 August
Ex-BHS staff to receive pension payouts
Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC), a specialist insurer of defined benefit pension funds, has completed a full pension insurance buyout of the BHS2 Pension Scheme. This buyout will cover £800m of the defunct retailer’s liabilities and all of the approximately 9,000 members of the BHS2 Scheme. The pension obligations of the…
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10 August
Arcadia terminates contract with Chinese partner Shangpin
Philip Green, owner of the Arcadia retail empire, has scrapped an expansion deal with Chinese franchise partner, Shangpin, that would have seen 80 stores open in the country. A spokesperson for Topshop Topman said the groups “have reached a mutual agreement to an early termination”, and have “enjoyed a successful…
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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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