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.
-
Oct- 2021 -21 October
Boots to hire 5,500 Christmas staff
Boots has announced it will hire 5,500 seasonal roles as the retailer prepares for the busy Christmas shopping period. The recruitment drive includes up to 4,000 Boots Christmas customer advisor roles available at stores across the UK, and over 1,000 roles available for Christmas warehouse operatives and picker packers at…
Read More » -
19 October
UK footfall return remains steady
Footfall across UK retail destinations declined marginally by -0.7% last week from the week before, according to Springboard. UK footfall last week was +28.1% higher than in the same week in 2020, which was a strong improvement from +24.5% in the week before. The fact that footfall did not change…
Read More » -
18 October
Asda opens first premium store in partnership with EG Group
Asda has announced the opening of its first premium site in partnership with EG Group in Beaconsfield, one of four premium Asda On The Move (AOTM) sites to open this year. The store is located on EG Group’s Oxford Road forecourt in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire and stocks 2,500 products including a…
Read More » -
15 October
Boots owner sees Q4 sales surge 12% to $34bn
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), the owner of Boots, has seen its sales for the Q4 period ending 31 August 2021 increase 12.8% to $34.3bn (£25bn). The UK high street brand itself saw comparable pharmacy sales increase 11.4% compared with the year-ago quarter, which it said reflected “stronger demand” for pharmacy…
Read More » -
15 October
September online retail sales drop by 12.5% YOY, data warns
Online retail sales fell back 12.5% year-on-year in September, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Index, which tracks the online sales performance of over 200 retailers. The drop was driven by poor sales in the first week of the month which typically would have fared better through the…
Read More » -
14 October
Over 40 employee groups pen letter urging Sunak to cut business rates
The CBI, along with 41 trade associations spanning the UK economy, have issued a joint statement urging the chancellor Rishi Sunak to reform the business rates system and “unleash a wave of business investment across key government priorities, including net zero and levelling up”. The joint statement from businesses is…
Read More » -
14 October
Hobbycraft launches second exclusive Joules range
Hobbycraft has announced the launch of its second exclusive fabric collection with lifestyle brand Joules. The new range will include Christmas fabric designs, festive panels, as well as sewing accessories in some of Joules most recognisable heritage patterns. It revealed the new fabric designs are available in a “variety of…
Read More » -
14 October
Poundstretcher prepares for branded price rises
The CEO of Poundstretcher has warned that some of the retailer’s product prices are set to rise in the run-up to Christmas, but has pledged to “absorb some of the potential cost rises” from big brands including Coca Cola, Fox’s, Kellogg’s and Heinz. Aziz Tayub said: “We do not see…
Read More » -
13 October
Holland & Barrett to close stores on Boxing Day
Holland and Barrett is the latest store to announce plans to close all its stores in the UK and Ireland on Saturday, 25 December and Sunday, 26 December 2021, as a “thank you to colleagues for their efforts during the pandemic”. It follows in the footsteps of Morrisons, Marks and…
Read More » -
12 October
John Lewis sees online sales surge to 70% of total sales
John Lewis has revealed it has seen a surge in online sales amid the Covid-19 pandemic with consumers changing the way they shop with online sales accounting for between 60% to 70% of the retailer’s total sales, up from 40% before the pandemic. The report, Shop, Live, Look 202, which…
Read More »
