News
The latest news, updates and analysis on the the UK retail industry. Covering every segment of the market, Retail Sector’s business journalists keep you in the picture.
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Jun- 2018 -4 June
Footfall drops 8.6% as sunshine fails to attract shoppers
The UK high street saw an overall 8.6% year-on-year drop in footfall despite the warm May bank holidays, figures show. According to Ipsos’ UK Retail Traffic Weathermap, London and the south east saw the sharpest decline with 13.3% fewer shoppers on the high street compared with the same period last…
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1 June
Lush ‘anti-police’ campaign heavily criticised
Cosmetics retailer Lush has been shrouded in controversy after releasing window displays described by many on social media as “anti-police”. According to Lush the window displays are aimed at the undercover policing scandal and at highlighting the “current lack of progress of the Undercover Policing Inquiry and the granting of…
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1 June
Mothercare relegated from FTSE 100
Troubled retailer Mothercare has been relegated from the FTSE 100 following financial woes that have seen it enter a CVA and close 50 stores. Analysts suspect that the relegation will see a further negative effect on share prices following the 48% share price drop it has already seen. The retailer…
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1 June
Over 10,000 stores predicted to close in 2018, analysts say
A new report from the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has predicted that 2018 will be the worst year on record for store closures, with more than 10,000 outlets disappearing from the high street. The ‘Retail At Bay 2018’ study also argues that the developing crisis in the retail sector…
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1 June
BHS.com to shut down just two years after relaunch
Online fashion retailer BHS.com has announced it will be shutting down its site following a review by its Qatari based owners Al Mana. The group purchased the retail giant’s brand and worldwide IP in 2016 after the company collapsed, and launched the site later that year in September. The announcement…
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1 June
ASA wants Viagogo adverts blocked as it battles with ticket vendor
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has told search engines including Google and Bing to block all adverts by secondary ticket retailer Viagogo. The move comes after the ASA said Viagogo promised on 23 March 2018 to “make compulsory fees sufficiently clear by 26 May 2018”. The ticket retailer appears to…
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1 June
Pension Regulator’s Lesley Titcomb to step down
The chief executive of The Pensions Regulator (TPR), Lesley Titcomb, is to step down at the end of her contract this February, it has been announced. Titcomb has been the head of the watchdog for the past four years and in that time has used anti-avoidance laws to force companies…
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May- 2018 -31 May
Poundland spits back at Thameslink after Twitter jibe
Train operator Thameslink and discount retailer Poundland have traded barbs after a disgruntled rail passenger tweeted innocuously about delays. Thameslink has come under heavy fire in recent weeks due to unpopular timetable changes, and another set of delays prompted a Twitter user, ‘Kevin’, to tweet an image of a departure…
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31 May
Asda profits plunge 10% due to price cuts aimed to ‘return momentum’
Supermarket giant Asda has reported a 10% drop in profits for the full-year period up until 31 December 2017 attributed to “investments in lowering prices to mitigate the impact of food inflation”. The company reported pre-tax profit of £712.6m down 9.6% from £791.7m the previous with operating profit also having…
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31 May
Ocado enters FTSE 100, M&S narrowly avoids relegation
Ascendant online supermarket delivery service, Ocado, has secured a position in the FTSE 100, while Marks and Spencer narrowly avoided being dropped. Ocado’s share price has roughly trebled over the last 12 months, in a strong performance which boosted the group onto the list of the UK’s top 100 companies…
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