News
News is Retail Sector’s central hub for breaking stories, market developments and company updates from across the UK retail industry. This category delivers authoritative, timely coverage on everything from trading performance and executive changes to store openings, brand activity and supply chain developments.
Retail Sector’s news coverage focuses on the business realities behind the headlines — providing retail professionals with context on how each development impacts operations, strategy and market confidence. Readers can expect clear, accurate reporting designed to keep decision-makers informed and competitive in a fast-moving retail landscape.
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Nov- 2018 -29 November
Whittaker-led consortium abandons £2.8bn Intu offer
John Whittaker’s consortium has decided to scrap its bid to acquire Intu Properties following three extensions blaming the “uncertainty around current macroeconomic conditions” and the “potential near-term volatility across markets”. On 4 October 2018 a consortium comprising the Peel Group, the Olayan Group and Brookfield Property Group announced they were…
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28 November
Primark, Topshop and ASOS defend practices in Parliament
Primark, Arcadia, ASOS were among some of the retailers who had executives and representatives appear before the Environmental Audit Committee to answer questions on sustainability in their businesses. This was part of the Environmental Audit Committee’s ongoing inquiry into the sustainability of the fashion industry. Representatives from Marks and Spencer,…
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28 November
Missguided inspectors ‘chased out’ of factory by workers
Clothing retailer, Missguided’s head of product quality Paul Smith, has said the company’s inspectors were “chased out” of a supplier’s factory by workers after asking questions about their sourcing. Smith also claimed his staff had been threatened and assaulted by workers at the Leicester factory. He said: “These were people…
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28 November
Retail sales warm in November
Retail sales growth picked up in the year to November after growth largely stalled in October, according to figures from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). However, the group said retailers are “feeling the pinch”, with continued weakness in investment intentions, employment, and business optimism. That’s according to the latest…
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28 November
H&M to scrap Cheap Monday brand leaving 80 jobs affected
H&M has announced it is to close down its Cheap Monday brand blaming “a negative trend in the Cheap Monday’s sales and profits over a long time”. The fashion retailer said the fashion industry is “in a period of extensive change as a result of ongoing digitalisation” and as such…
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27 November
Quiz shrugs off ‘challenging market conditions’ with strong revenue growth
Fashion brand Quiz had revealed strong revenue growth across all channels for the six months ending 30 September 2018. Despite “challenging external market conditions”, the retailer reported a group revenue increase of 19% to £66.7m, compared with £56.1m in 2017, and EBITDA increased by 11% to £5.6m for the period.…
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27 November
Esprit to cut 40% of non-store jobs and reduce product line
Esprit has announced it is to cut 40% of non-store jobs and reduce its product line by 30% as part of a restructuring attempt following tough competition from fast-fashion and online retailers. On Monday (26 November) the retailer said in an investor presentation that it had “lost touch” with its…
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27 November
Pets at Home suffers 80% drop in pre-tax profits
Pet retailer Pets at Home has reported an 80.5% drop in pre-tax profits from £40.8m to £8m in its financial results for the 28 weeks from 30 March to 11 October 2018. The company attributed its performance to “increasing cost pressures” faced by its veterinary business. The company said it…
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27 November
Kering to take e-commerce in-house by 2020
Luxury fashion house Kering has announced it is to bring its e-commerce entirely in-house by 2020. The company that owns brands such as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga will leverage its in-house technology and operations team to fully internalise the e-commerce activities currently handled through its joint…
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26 November
Black Friday provided ‘little benefit to struggling high street’
This year’s Black Friday has done “little to help the struggling bricks-and-mortar stores throughout the UK”, according to data from Springboard. The group, which provides insights on retail performance, said overall footfall declined by 5.4% from Black Friday 2017, with declines of similar magnitudes throughout the weekend from last year…
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