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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Apr- 2018 -18 April
Retailers miss out on £18k a year through ‘surf and turf’ shopping trend
New research by Barclaycard has revealed that UK shoppers each abandon an online basket worth an average of £29.37 every month. Furthermore, many vendors are missing out on the data or insights they need to tackle the online conversion challenge. The study found shoppers are more fickle when buying online…
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18 April
Hammerson abandons £3.4bn takeover of Intu
Shopping centre owner Hammerson has revealed it has reversed its decision to buy its rival Intu for £3.4bn. The owner of Birmingham’s Bullring proposed an all share merger with Intu in December last year which would have resulted in the UK’s biggest property company, worth £21bn. However the board…
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17 April
450 jobs at risk as Marks and Spencer close Hardwick facility
Marks and Spencer’s Hardwick distribution centre is set to close in September as part of a plan to transform the company’s logistic networks. The department store chain believes that a smaller network of large distribution will be faster and more cost effective. The contractors, DHL and XPO Logistics provide the…
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17 April
Amazon forced to remove children’s ‘enjoy cocaine’ clothing range
Amazon have been forced to withdraw controversial baby and children’s clothes adorned with the slogan ‘enjoy cocaine’. The clothes were modelled by babies and children in the listing and the slogan was placed on t-shirts, bibs and babygrows. The listing received a strong reaction on Facebook with Amazon’s UK Facebook…
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17 April
Primark posts ‘remarkable’ 4% rise in profits
Associated British Foods (ABF), the parent company of fashion retailer Primark, has posted a 1% increase in profit for the first half of the year to £648m. This increase was driven by a 4% rise in operating profit at Primark despite facing unseasonable weather in its key European markets. …
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17 April
JD Sports reports record profit levels
JD Sports has seen a record increase in its profit before tax, which was at 26% in the 53 weeks to 3 February 2018. This amounted to £244.8m, falling short of the company’s projected target of £300m. Profit before tax was up 24% to £294.5m, whereas operating profit before exceptional…
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17 April
Intu reveals ‘record retailer demand’
Shopping centre giant Intu has reported a record level of retailer demand in the first quarter of 2018. Some 60 long term leases have been signed (43 in the UK and 17 in Spain) for £10m of annual rent, 5% above previous passing rent. David Fischel, Intu CEO, said: “Our…
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16 April
High street collapse down to higher business rates, says Colliers
Fifteen major retailers or restaurant groups have gone into CVA or administration in the twelve months since the April 2017 Business Rates Revaluation, according to Colliers International, the global commercial real estate agency and consultancy. Ten of those have happened since the beginning of this year – in the last…
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16 April
March retail footfall sees steepest decline in eight years
Footfall in March decreased by 6%, compared with the positive rate of 1.3% seen in March 2017. There was no growth in footfall for any UK regions, and the most notable declines (year-on-year) were seen in Greater London, -7.5%, the South East, -6.5%, and in the East Midlands, -5.6%. Growth…
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16 April
Dr Gerry Murphy joins Burberry board as chairman designate
Dr Gerry Murphy is set to take over as chairman designate at Burberry after Sir John Peace stepped down after 16 years in the role. Murphy said: “I am honoured to take up this role and to succeed Sir John as chairman. Burberry is a unique British brand that I…
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