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.
-
Jun- 2025 -4 June
WH Smith travel sales jump 7% ahead of high street arm sale
WH Smith has reported that its travel business revenues have increased 7% on a constant currency basis during the 13-week period to 31 May. The update follows WH Smith’s sale of its high street estate to Modella Capital on 28 March, meaning that it now identifies as “a pure play…
Read More » -
4 June
B&M profits slump as inflation hits
B&M has seen its profit-before-tax fall 13.2% to £431m, compared with the £498m it posted in the same period last year. This came as a result of UK inflation, with the company’s UK revenues falling 3.1%, despite its overall group revenue rising 3.7% to £5.57bn. B&M put this revenue increase…
Read More » -
2 June
Retail footfall rises 7% as shopping centres see improved performance
Footfall rose by +7% week-on-week in all UK retail destinations last week driven by a +12% rise in shopping centres and was followed by rises of +5.6% and +4.5% in high streets and retail parks, respectively, according to the latest figures from MRI Software. Smaller centres drove much of last…
Read More » -
May- 2025 -28 May
Pets at Home FY profits rise 14% to £120m despite flat revenues
Pets at Home has seen its profit before tax rise 14% to £120.6m for the year ended 27 March 2025, following strong growth in its veterinary sector. Its vet group consumer revenue was up 13%, with record sales supported by higher visits, average transaction values and significant growth in Care…
Read More » -
27 May
Oxford Street vacancies drop below pre-pandemic levels
The rate of vacancies on Oxford Street in London has fallen to 0.5%, the first time it has fallen below 1% since before the pandemic, according to data from Savills. Savills attributed this to an undersupply of quality vacant space, noting that good quality retail space has become “increasingly constrained”.…
Read More » -
27 May
Monsoon owner sees FY losses widen to £7.5m
Monsoon and Accessorize owner, Adena Brands Limited, has reported a £7.5m loss before tax and an EBITDA loss of £2.4m for the year to 31 August 2024, due to “significant” cost inflation which was driven by the UK National Minimum Wage rise. The loss also comes as group sales for…
Read More » -
22 May
Poundland slashes guidance as H1 sales worsen
Pepco Group, the owner of Poundland, has slashed its full-year guidance for the discount chain as trading remained “challenging” in the first half of the year. Poundland is now expected to deliver underlying EBITDA of around €0m to €20m (£0 – £17m) in FY25, compared with previous guidance of €50m…
Read More » -
20 May
Greggs sales surge 7.4% to £784m
Greggs has reported a 7.4% increase in total sales to £784m (2024: £730m) for the 20 weeks of 2025, driven by store expansion and product innovation. Its like-for-like (LFL) sales in company-managed shops also grew by 2.9%, with improved performance in the last 11 weeks supported by better trading conditions.…
Read More » -
19 May
Poundland store closures ‘likely’ as sale nears completion
Poundland store closures are reportedly “likely” as Gordon Brothers, the former owner of Laura Ashley, has emerged as a frontrunner to take control of the group, according to The Times. Bids for the group, which is owned by Pepco and employs more than 16,000 people across the UK and Ireland,…
Read More » -
16 May
Retail Trust to offer free training on how to deal with abuse at work
The Retail Trust is set to offer UK shop workers and delivery drivers free training on how to handle abuse and violence at work next month. The charity will be running three online sessions to help retail staff deal with the “soaring levels” of antisocial and threatening behaviour. Attendees will…
Read More »
