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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May- 2018 -1 May
Sports Direct pips JD Sports, acquires 20% stake in Finish Line
Sports Direct has acquired almost 8 million shares in US sports retailer Finish Line – the company set to be bought by its rival JD Sports. In a ‘Strategic US Investments’ update the company owned by billionaire Mike Ashley revealed it currently holds 7,957,800 shares in Finish Line, representing 19.3%…
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1 May
Sainsbury’s boss sings ‘We’re in the Money’ before TV interview
The CEO of Sainsbury’s and one of it’s largest shareholders, Mike Coupe, was recorded singing ‘We’re in the Money’ while waiting for an interview on ITV about his firm’s merger with Asda. This came just hours after he refused to give reassurance that jobs were not under threat during a…
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1 May
Solid first-quarter growth for online retail orders
Online retail delivery order volumes were up 9.6% year-on-year in March, according to the latest data from the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index. This completes what has been a solid first-quarter for online retail order volumes, with total growth for the quarter increasing by 12.5%, just short of the 13%…
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Apr- 2018 -30 April
New tool developed to match catalogue items with those in a warehouse
Microsoft has developed a new tool aimed at the retail industry, to identify items by rough images and match them with those in a catalogue. The ‘Image Segmentation Tool’ will allow companies to manage the large collections of images held by the retailers. Inventory management is a growing challenge in…
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30 April
Sainsbury’s and Asda £13bn merger to leapfrog Tesco
Supermarket giant Asda has agreed to a proposed merger with Sainsbury’s, worth £13bn. Sainsbury’s CEO Mike Coupe said no stores will be closed and no shop floor jobs will be lost as a result of the merger. He added: “It will enable us to bring prices down, to improve quality,…
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30 April
90% of retail professionals lie on their CV
Some 90% of retail professionals have got away with lying on their CV, according to research from independent job board, CV-Library. Furthermore, 90.9% of retail professionals admitted to knowing that it’s wrong to do so. The research surveyed 1,000 UK workers and asked them if they’ve ever considered lying on…
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30 April
Consumer confidence drops further in April
UK consumer confidence has dropped even further in the month of April, according to market research institute GFK. The institute’s Consumer Confidence Index dropped by two points to -9 in April, the 28th consecutive month without an overall positive index score. Four out of the five index measures decreased, with…
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27 April
Hearty Food Company products recalled by Tesco
Tesco has recalled the Hearty Food Company Sausage and Mash and Cottage Pie, as they contain milk not mentioned on the packaging. A ruling by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said that the products represented a health risk to anyone with milk allergies and intolerances. Milk intolerance can cause problems…
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27 April
Shoppers seek overseas ecommerce to combat Brexit prices
A third of UK online shoppers have chosen to buy from abroad according to a survey by online shopping community Pepper.com. Shoppers are thought to be looking overseas due to a rise in UK prices following the UK’s vote to leave the EU. The UK is much more loyal to…
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27 April
Amazon Q1 sales up 43% to £36.9bn
Amazon has reported a 43% increase in revenue for the first quarter of the year, totalling $51bn (£36.9bn). The online retail giant’s operating income increased 92% to $1.9bn (£1.3bn) compared with operating income of $1bn (£725m) in the first quarter of 2017. Amazon also announced that its net income had…
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