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 -26 October
Footfall declines in lead up to half-term
Footfall across retail destinations declined by -1.5% across the UK in the last week, according to retail intelligence experts Springboard. This drop was driven by a -3.6% decline in footfall in high streets, whilst footfall rose marginally in both retail parks by +0.9% and shopping centres by +0.4%. Whilst footfall…
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25 October
Tesco launches new quiet hour
Tesco has announced the launch of its new scheme ‘quiet hour’ in a bid to make its stores a “calmer environment” for people with disabilities, the elderly, people with children and those experiencing mental health issues. The chain will lower the checkout noise in all of its larger stores, as…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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