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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Mar- 2018 -16 March
Conviviality surprise £30m tax bill prompts business review
Off-licence retailer Conviviality has announced it is reviewing the business while holding “constructive” negotiations with lenders, as part of the measures it is taking to handle its £30m tax bill. Earlier this week, the company said that the bill due for payment to HMRC on 29 March had only been…
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14 March
3,000 Toys R Us jobs to go as it confirms ‘controlled store closures’
All UK Toys R US stores are poised to shut down after administrators failed to find a buyer, resulting in a store closure programme and a possible 3,000 job losses. Toys R Us appointed Moorfields Advisory partners Simon Thomas and Arron Kendall to oversee an administration at the end of…
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14 March
Research shows Brexit doesn’t mean exit for international retailers in London
Research from real estate advisor, Colliers International, reveals that in the face economic uncertainty due to Brexit, Central London still remains a prime destination for international brands. Colliers found over 50% of stores on core shopping streets are international brands and 30 new retailers have arrived in the last year…
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14 March
Zara owner Inditex sees 41% jump in online sales
The owner of Zara and Massimo Dutti, Inditex, saw online sales revenue grow by 41% in 2017, according to a trading update. In 2017, Inditex invested €1.8bn (£1.5bn) in further developing its integrated stores and online model and upgrading its technology Specifically, the rollout of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology (used…
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14 March
Poundworld fined £1.1m for ‘out of control’ infestation
Discount retailer Poundworld has been fined £1.1m due to its Croydon store failing food hygiene protocols, with over 100 dead mice and a dead fox found in the premises. The retailer was found to have taped products up that rodents had eaten and put them back on sale, reports the…
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14 March
Adidas reports double digit growth across all ‘key’ regions
Sports retail giant Adidas has reported double-digit growth across all of its key regions over the last year, with sales in Western Europe rising 12.6% to £5.23bn. Overall net sales increased 14.8% to £18.8bn while gross profits rose 17.6% to £8.96bn. Adidas attributed the figures to growth in “key strategic…
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13 March
Oxford street pedestrianisation edges closer amid widespread support
Plans to transform London’s Oxford Street into a pedestrian-only zone has received widespread support, according to a consultation report. Transport for London (TfL) and Westminster City Council said that of the 22,000 responses 48% were completely happy for the plans to go ahead and another 16% were happy despite having…
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13 March
Study finds independent retail and leisure outlet growth is soaring
As multiple stores like New Look, Maplin and Toys ‘R’ Us close, a study by OnBuy.com has found that this has led to a rapid increase in the number of independent retailers. The study from the online retailer considered where multiple stores have declined in comparison to areas independent stores are…
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12 March
Retail footfall drops in February
Retail footfall decreased by 0.5% in February 2018, and is a major decline compared with the rate of 1.0% seen the previous year. According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) this figure is better than the three-month average of -2.0% and the twelve-month average of -0.7%. However, Greater London and…
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12 March
Quarter of major UK retailers likely to suffer ‘financial distress’
A new study of over 1600 larger UK retailers with total assets of £5m or over by Company Watch, a financial analytics firm, found over a quarter were financially vulnerable to rises in interest rate costs this year. Company Watch compares the financial strength of companies using its unique H-Score…
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