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- 2023 -6 March
Retail leaders criticise business rates reform
Retail bosses from M&S, Sainsbury’s and Currys have criticised the changes made to business rates, according to This is Money. According to the retailers, these changes will still leave high streets and shopping centres still facing high taxes, as the new business rates are charged on shops, pubs and other…
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3 March
WH Smith hit by cyber security attack
WH Smith has been hit by a large cyber security incident which has resulted in company data, including current and former employee data, being hacked by attackers. The group said the attack had no impact on its trading activities, and that its website, customer accounts and customer databases were unaffected…
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2 March
Footfall falls by 5.3% following half-term boost
Footfall across UK retail destinations declined by -5.3% last week from the week before when it surged +7.6% thanks to school half-term. Over the three days from Monday to Wednesday footfall declined by an average of -12.6% in response to an average rise of +16.8% over the same three days…
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2 March
High street chain stores closing at lowest rate since 2014
High street chain stores closed at the slowest rate since 2014 in the second half of 2022 according to data from accounting firm PWC. A total of 11,530 chain outlets, brands with five or more stores, exited GB high streets, shopping centres and retail parks, an average of 32 closures…
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1 March
B&M announces store reshuffle
Discount retailer B&M has announced that it is closing a number of stores over the next few weeks not for financial reasons but as part of a reshuffle of its store estate According to The Mirror, the closures are due to some stores moving to bigger sites or other external…
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Feb- 2023 -22 February
Paperchase to shut all stores after failure to find buyer
Paperchase’s remaining 106 stores will be closing, The Times has reported, after its administrators failed to find a buyer for the retailer’s remaining assets. The news of the closures, which will result in 900 redundancies, comes as Tesco purchased the stationery retailer’s brand and IP out of administration earlier this…
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16 February
500 jobs at risk at New Look distribution centre
New Look is reportedly planning to axe up to 500 roles at its distribution centre in Lymedale, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Drapers has reported. It comes as the brand has been forced to shut down night shifts due to a reduction in its store portfolio over the last several years. According to Drapers,…
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16 February
Wilko to axe over 400 jobs as sales fall
Wilko is reportedly set to axe over 400 jobs across the company as part of plans to cut costs amid struggling sales. According to The Guardian, those affected by the cuts may include assistant store managers, retail supervisors, head office managers and call centre workers. The group reportedly told staff…
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15 February
Lush appoints new UK&I head of retail
Lush has announced the appointment of Kasey Swithenbank as the brand’s new head of retail for the UK and Ireland. Swithenbank has over 13 years of experience with the retailer, having previously managed and directed over 100 Lush shop managers. She joined Lush as a sales associate in the Cardiff…
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14 February
Footfall surges 9% amid city centre recovery
Footfall across all UK retail destinations surged +9.1% annually, with a week-on-week footfall boost of +1.6% as office workers returned to city centres, according to the latest figures from Springboard. It found that consumers returned to UK high streets after train strikes the week previous, as Footfall at MRI Springboard’s…
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