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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May- 2018 -31 May
Card Factory reports ‘robust’ performance
Card and gifts retailer Card Factory has revealed a 3% increase in total group sales in its first-quarter trading update. Like-for-like sales decreased by 0.4%, but total and like-for-like sales over the quarter showed a robust performance. Karen Hubbard, Card Factory’s CEO, said: “We have had a solid start…
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31 May
TUC, Usdaw launch petition calling for Marks and Spencer transparency
Shopworkers’ trade union Usdaw has joined with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to launch a petition calling on Marks and Spencer to immediately open up a dialogue with the union to ensure staff are properly represented throughout its programme of store closures. Paddy Lillis, Usdaw General Secretary Elect, said: “All staff…
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31 May
World Cup boost of £1.33bn awaits
UK retailers could benefit from a £1.33bn economy boost during the 2018 World Cup this summer if England make it through the second round, according to research. A study conducted by the Centre of Retail Research (CRR) and VoucherCodes also suggested that this could rise to £2.72bn if the team…
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31 May
Intu Chapelfield shopping centre gives shoppers space-hoppers
Intu Chapelfield in Norwich is trialing the use of space-hoppers for visitors this week as it hopes to encourage more footfall. The ‘Happy S-hopping’ initiative aims to appeal to shoppers’ childish side, with research by Intu showing that 63% of adults still get the same thrill from playing childhood games…
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31 May
40% of independent Amazon shareholders oppose Bezos ‘being his own boss’
Over a quarter of Amazon shareholders have voted in favour of a resolution filed by SumOfUs calling on the company to separate Jeff Bezos joint roles of CEO and chair of the board. At an annual general meeting shareholders argued that “Bezos shouldn’t be his own boss”. Due to the…
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30 May
B&M profits buck high street blues, jump 20%
Discount retailer B&M has seen pre tax profit rise by 25.4% to to £229.3m along with group revenues rising to 22.4% for the year ending 31 March. The group opened 47 new stores last year and plans to open a further 45 this year as it continues to grow. The…
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30 May
Average online order value rises for 14th consecutive month
The average order value for online purchases has increased for 14 months in a row, according to new data. Figures from the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index showed UK shoppers fuelled most of the increase, with the value for each month increasing compared with the same month the previous year.…
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30 May
Women paid ‘significantly’ less in ecommerce roles, research reveals
Men in the ecommerce industry are earning 26% more than women, according to new research. The findings from ecommerce and digital recruitment agency, Cranberry Panda, has revealed that the average salary for men per annum sits at £60,606, while women earn an average of £46,564. A survey was conducted with…
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30 May
Grocery market buoyed by hot weather and the royal wedding
The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel for the 12 weeks to 20 May found the hot weather combined with events such as the royal wedding sparked strong market growth – up 2.7% on last year. Most notably grocery sales totalled £415m on Friday 18 May in the…
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29 May
WH Smith bottom of the pile in Which? survey
WH Smith has been named the UK’s worst-rated retailer by consumers with a 58% consumer satisfaction rate in a new survey of 10,356 people. The survey by consumer group Which? saw responses from customers who found the store “very expensive” and said that it needs “updating”. WH Smith customer responses…
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