Online & Digital
Online & Digital covers the innovations, strategies and technologies driving the growth of e-commerce and digital retail across the UK. This category explores how retailers and brands are adapting to evolving consumer behaviour, omnichannel expectations and the rapid pace of technological change.
Coverage spans website performance, digital marketing, data analytics, online fulfilment, and the integration of AI and automation in customer experience. Retail Sectorโs Online & Digital section delivers expert insight into how digital transformation is redefining retail operations and competitiveness โ helping professionals stay ahead in an increasingly connected marketplace.
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Feb- 2021 -15 February
Year-on-year online gift cards and e-vouchers increase by 117%
Year-on-year sales of online gift cards and e-vouchers have increased by 117% during the second half of 2020 as Covid restrictions affected consumer trading. According to the latest analysis by the Gift Card & Voucher Association (GCVA) and KPMG UK, there was strong growth in the online channel for both…
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15 February
Made.com explores ยฃ500m stock floatation
Made.com is exploring options for a potential stock market floatation worth ยฃ500m, according to Sky News. The online retailer is reportedly in talks with banks about advising on strategic options, which will include an initial public offering to take place in the coming months. Backed by Brent Hoberman, co-founder of…
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12 February
Amazon investors call for end to anti-union interference
A group of more than 70 Amazon investors are calling on the company to end interference against efforts by its workers to unionise in America, according to the Financial Times. More than 5,800 Amazon employees in Alabama are set to vote in a mail-in ballot; the first time attempt by…
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10 February
Dunelm welcomes โstrongโ H1 as online sales soar
Dunelm has welcomed a โstrongโ performance in its half-year results, with pre-tax profit soaring 34.4% to ยฃ112.4m in the period ended 26 December 2020. Despite ongoing store closures in light of the pandemic, total sales rose by 23% to ยฃ719.4m in H1, up from ยฃ585m the same period the year…
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9 February
Joules acquires Garden Trading
Joules has announced its acquisition of Garden Trading, the online garden retailer which designs its own home, garden and outdoor products. Garden Trading sells its products through its own digital platform directly to consumers to more than 1,000 stockists across the country Nick Jones, CEO of Joules, said: โWe are…
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9 February
Notonthehighstreet acquired by US investment firm
Notonthehighstreet has been acquired by Great Hill Partners, an American investment firm. The online gift retailer was founded in 2006 by Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish, employs more than 150 and manages a marketplace of more than 5,000 small businesses selling more than 250,000 products. The business has seen a…
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8 February
Retail sales fall 10% in January
Total like-for-like retail sales declined by 10% in January as both the national lockdown and impact of Covid-19 affected shops across England, according to BDOโs High Street Sales Tracker. It found that lifestyle total like-for-like sales fell to 16.7% in January. This monthโs result reportedly marked โthe worstโ since June…
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8 February
Boohoo snaps up remaining Arcadia brands
Boohoo has confirmed that it has acquired the remaining brands from fallen retail empire Arcadia, in a move that will see the Burton, Dorothy Perkins and Wallis brands added to the online retailerโs portfolio.ย Following a ยฃ25.2m transaction, the group will acquire all of the e-commerce and digital assets of…
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8 February
Amazon’s tax to turnover ratio dropped to 0.37% in 2020
Amazon saw its tax to turnover ratio fall to 0.37% last year, despite sales rising by more than 51% in the UK. In comparison, the Centre for Retail Research reported bricks-and-mortar retailers paid around 2.3% of annual retail sales overall in business rates. The online retailerโs sales for 2020, ending…
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5 February
ManoMano doubles sales volume to over ยฃ1bn
ManoMano, an online DIY marketplace, saw its global business volume climb to ยฃ1.05bn last year, with its UK sales tripling to ยฃ105m. As a result of the spike in company-wide revenues, which more than doubled, the group is targeting an expansion strategy across Northern Europe. According to Christian Raisson, co-founder…
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