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.
-
Mar- 2024 -14 March
Poundland to start TV ad campaign to showcase new ranges
Poundland has confirmed it will start advertising its all-new clothing, homewares and grocery ranges on UK and Ireland TV for the first time. The TV slots which will debut tomorrow (15 March) and run until mid-April will highlight the value Poundland is now able to bring shoppers, having completely revamped…
Read More » -
13 March
Local business partnership forms in Dorset to quash retail crime
Local businesses in Dorset have united with police and the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to tackle antisocial behaviour and retail crime, with information sharing and better incident recording that aims to empower more targeted action. The new conurbation-wide ‘Against Business Crime’ partnership will be led by three of the…
Read More » -
12 March
Ann Summers profits hit £61.8m in FY23
Ann Summers has reported that gross profits for the 53-week period to 1 July 2023 hit £61.8m, spelling a 3% rise on the £60m reported in the prior year. The lingerie retailer has attributed its performance during the year to in-store sales growing by 12% year-on-year, as more consumers returned…
Read More » -
11 March
HMV owner considers Body Shop rescue bid
HMV owner Doug Putman is reportedly considering a bid to acquire the body shop from its administrators. According to The Telegraph, Putman has yet to table any formal offer but his interest has raised hopes that the firm may yet be saved. This news follows reports that The Body Shop…
Read More » -
8 March
Majestic opens latest small-format store in Marlow
Majestic has opened the doors to its newest small-format store in Marlow ahead of the four-day Easter weekend. The 2,200 sq ft unit is around half the size of the average Majestic store, and stocks a “carefully” curated range of more than 600 wines – including a dedicated area for…
Read More » -
5 March
Greggs profits and sales soar in FY23
Greggs has reported pre-tax profits of £188.3m for the 52 weeks ended 30 December 2023, compared with £148.3m from the previous year. Its sales also increased 19.6% to £1.8bn and its underlying profit before tax excluding exceptional income was up 13.1% to £167.7m. The group opened a “record” 220 new…
Read More » -
Feb- 2024 -29 February
Majestic named exclusive UK distributor for Blake Lively’s drinks
Majestic has become the exclusive distributor of actress and entrepreneur Blake Lively’s drinks brands – Betty Buzz and Betty Booze – across England, Scotland and Wales. The new partnership will see the retailer add seven products from the Betty Buzz premium sparkling soda and Betty Booze ready-to-drink ranges to its…
Read More » -
29 February
Half-term boost fails to save Feb footfall
Half-term failed to save footfall figures in February as it declined by -2.2% across UK retail destinations for the second consecutive month, largely driven by a drop in footfall of -3.5% in high streets, according to the latest figures from MRI Springboard. MRI said the start of the month was…
Read More » -
29 February
Central Co-op calls on gov to address ‘alarming rise’ in retail crime
Central Co-op is encouraging its members and customers to write to their local MPs and advocate for legislative reform that will help to criminalise assaults on shopworkers. It comes as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) recently reported that incidents of violence and abuse in retail environments have increased to over…
Read More » -
28 February
UK’s largest retailers ‘greener but less focused on DE&I’, study finds
The UK’s largest retailers are stepping up their efforts to become greener but losing focus on diversity and inclusion initiatives and cyber security, national law firm Irwin Mitchell’s new Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report has revealed. Irwin Mitchell has analysed the annual reports of the retailers in the FTSE…
Read More »
