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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Oct- 2021 -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…
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12 October
French Connection CEO to retire as H1 losses narrow
French Connection has revealed that its chairman and chief executive Stephen Marks will retire from the company following its completion of the £29m buyout deal. It comes as the group saw its losses narrow for the six-month period ending 31 July 2021 to £900,000 from £12.2m the previous year. During…
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12 October
Retailers plan increased store space despite business rates challenge
Mid-market retailers are set to invest in more physical stores over the next two years in a bid to increase their store space and focus on the in-store customer experience, new research from RSM has found. Its latest survey revealed that 58% of physical retailers plan to increase their retail…
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11 October
Poundland owner names new chief operating officer
Pepco Group, the owner of budget retailer Poundland, has announced the appointment of Trevor Masters as the group’s chief operating officer (COO), effective from 1 January 2022. Masters will be based in Poland and retain his current leadership responsibilities as managing director (MD) as well as providing “strategic direction and…
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7 October
‘Strong return’ to pre-pandemic shopping patterns, report finds
There has been a “strong return” to pre-pandemic shopping patterns, according to new data released by Airtime. The group assessed shopping patterns and retailer responses across 100 household brands, both on and offline, amongst its 1.5 million members during September 2021. Three in five consumers were reported to be shopping…
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7 October
Footfall continues steady improvement in September
Retail footfall continued to strengthen in September, narrowing the gap from 2019 to -17.4%, down from -18.6% in August, countering the downward trend in footfall often recorded in September. The month also saw a 20% increase on September 2020 levels. Springboard said that this month’s results go against the long-term…
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5 October
Deliveroo expands offering with new Starbucks partnership
Deliveroo has announced a new delivery partnership with Starbucks and 400 of its stores which will now be available live on the app across the UK. The partnership will allow Deliveroo customers the chance to order the coffee chain’s beverages, plus menu options including a range of sandwiches, wraps, juices…
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5 October
Hotel Chocolat profits hit £10.1m in FY21
Hotel Chocolat has welcomed “better than expected” results for the year ending 27 June 2021, with pre-tax profits reaching £10.1m, up from £2.4m the previous year. Revenue increased 21% to £164.6m up from £136.3m in 2020, with 70% of revenue in the year generated through UK digital, partners and continuity,…
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5 October
M&S to unveil first Jaeger collection
Marks and Spencer has announced that it will officially launch the first collection with clothing brand Jaeger on 6 October, with a new capsule collection available to customers. The retailer previously acquired the brand in January for a total of £6m as part of its wider ‘brands at Marks and…
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5 October
Greggs lifts guidance despite supply chain disruptions
Greggs has welcomed a resilient performance in its third quarter of trading, with like-for-like sales up by 3.5% against 2019, despite ongoing supply chain issues and staff shortages. Growth was particularly strong in August when the ‘staycation’ effect was evident, and remained in positive territory in September, with two-year like-for-like…
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