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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Feb- 2022 -4 February
West End footfall resurges as Plan B is scrapped
London’s West End has welcomed a “promising” boost to its footfall in the first full week following the end of Plan B restrictions. Weekend footfall reached the highest level since November 2021, hitting 79% of pre-pandemic levels. It was also up by 11% against the previous weekend as more consumers…
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3 February
Jan footfall 20% down on 2019 figures
Footfall in UK retail destinations weakened in January, reaching a gap of -20.8% from the 2019 level versus -18.6% in December, according to Springboard. It said that the drop in levels was driven by a “poorer relative performance in high streets and shopping centres”. However, it said it was “a…
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Jan- 2022 -31 January
Walgreens set to start £7bn Boots sale process
Walgreens Boots Alliance has reportedly started the sales process for its Boots international drugstore unit, according to Bloomberg. Walgreens is said to be “sending out preliminary information on the business to potential suitors ahead of first-round bids due in the coming weeks”. Boots, which has 2,200 stores in Britain and…
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28 January
Store vacancy rate improves for first time since 2018
New research has found the number of vacant stores has decreased for the first time since 2018, according to the latest BRC-LDC Vacancy Monitor. In Q4, the GB store vacancy rate fell to 14.4%, 0.1 percentage points below the Q3 level. Shopping Centre vacancies improved to 19.1% for Q4, a…
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26 January
Over 90% of eligible transactions used contactless in 2021
Contactless payments surged in 2021 as shoppers took advantage of the new £100 limit, with 91.1% of all eligible card transactions being made using contactless, and the total value of contactless payments rising 40.2% year-on-year. The latest figures come from Barclaycard, whose data also showed that the average number of…
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26 January
Pets at Home ups profit guidance to £140m
The Pets at Home Group has reported its total group revenues grew by 5.8% to £319.4m over the 12 week period from 8 October to 30 December 2021, and the group has now upped its full year pre-tax profits forecast to £140m for FY22. Despite supply chain pressures, group like-for-like…
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25 January
Gorillas enters discussion for international expansion
Gorillas, the on-demand delivery company, has entered into an exclusive discussion to acquire the French delivery firm Frichti, to allow for “immediate” access to curated, fresh and local products. Founded in 2015, Frichti has become a “national leader” in instant food and grocery delivery in France. It delivers fresh groceries,…
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24 January
Bradford chosen for UK’s first sustainable high street scheme
Bradford has been chosen as the location for the UK’s first Green Street pilot scheme, which aims to help small and independent businesses on local high streets become sustainable. The Green Street scheme will be led by Bradford retailer and businesswoman Victoria Robertshaw, with help from initial funding from the…
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21 January
The Works H1 sales rise 30.6% to £116.1m
The Works has announced its revenues increased by 30.6% to £116.1m in the 26 weeks ending 31 October 2021 (H1 FY22), up year-on-year from £88.9m and 17.9% from pre-pandemic levels (H1 FY20). The group has also reported Pre IFRS 16 Adjusted EBITDA of £2.5m for the period, compared to £1.5m during…
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21 January
December retail sales dented by Omicron
Retail sales across the UK were dampened by the impact of Omicron last month, as volumes of sales fell by 3.7% in December 2021, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. While this was the largest monthly fall since January 2021, which saw a decline of…
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