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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Jul- 2018 -2 July
Retail job losses make up almost half of 50,000 lost this year
Almost half of the 50,000 jobs lost in the UK this year have been in the retail sector, new figures suggest. Data from the Press Association shows that around 50,000 have seen their jobs cut or have had their positions threatened during the first half of the year, while additional…
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2 July
Tesco and Carrefour to form ‘strategic alliance’
Tesco and Carrefour are to form a “strategic alliance” in order to offer “even lower prices” and “improve the quality and choice of products available”. A long term relationship will see the two supermarkets making joint purchases of own brand products and goods not for resale. The deal will be…
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Jun- 2018 -29 June
Boots shares plunge 10% following Amazon medicine service acquisition
Shares in the parent company of pharmacy chain Boots, Walgreens Boots Alliance, have plummeted by 10% this morning following news that Amazon has acquired medicine delivery company Pillpack. The American startup made $100m last year and will now see Amazon take over late next year, with the price of the…
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29 June
Tesco joins Amazon and Microsoft ‘checkout-free’ war
Tesco has announced it is trialling new till-free technology as it looks to take on Amazon and Microsoft, which have also been carrying out checkout-free tests. The British supermarket has been trialing the equipment in its Welwyn Garden City branch where its head office is based. The new technology allows…
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29 June
Wickes to take on 900 staff from B&Q to meet kitchen and bathroom demand
Wickes has announced that it will take on 900 staff from B&Q to add to its bespoke kitchen and bathroom department to meet demand. The DIY retailer has said that demand for fully designed and installed kitchens is continuing to grow so it is investing significantly in its professional kitchen…
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29 June
Record use of next-day services for online orders in May
The use of next-day and specified-day services for online orders hit record levels in May, accounting for 37% of UK delivered orders, data from online retail association IMRG shows. Online retail parcel delivery order volumes were up 14.8% year-on-year in May, according to the latest data from the IMRG MetaPack…
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29 June
H&M profits plunge 22% prompting price cuts
H&M has reported a 22% drop in profits before taxation for the first half of the year, with its CEO saying he expects a “tough first half-year”. Profits fell to 6bn Swedish krona (£510m) and net sales were almost flat at 51.98bn krona (£441m). Overall, its sales for 2018 Q1…
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29 June
Homebase to axe 303 head office jobs
Embattled DIY retailer Homebase will restructure operations at its store support centre in Milton Keynes, resulting in the loss of around 303 head office roles, it has announced. The support centre had served both Homebase and Bunnings brands prior to the recent sale of the business. (will link to coverage)…
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28 June
London retail properties boost Crown Estate to £329m
The Crown Estate, the Queen’s main source of income, has announced a increase in return to the Treasury of £329.4m, boosted by its central london retail property. On a like-for-like basis income was up 4% when compared with the £316.7m returned in 2016/17. The Crown Estate said that business “continued…
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28 June
Head office jobs more likely to face axe than shop floor following national living wage rises
New research has found that those working in head office are more likely to lose their jobs as the result of an increase to the national living wage. Research by Foot Anstey found that 52% of companies would rather keep front line staff and make cuts to head office headcount.…
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