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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Jan- 2018 -11 January
John Lewis issues profit warning despite ‘most successful trading day ever’
The John Lewis Partnership has reported an increase in sales for the six-week period ending December 30, but a competitive Christmas season characterised by heavy discounting across the retail industry will hit profits, it said today. Group sales were (which include John Lewis and Waitrose) were up 2.5% year-on-year, totalling…
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11 January
Carphone Warehouse fined £400,000 for security data breach
Carphone Warehouse has been fined £400,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), after a data breach allowed unauthorised access to the personal data of over three million customers and 1,000 employees. The compromised data included names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, marital status and, for more than 18,000 customers,…
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11 January
Train station Christmas shopping brings 9% sales growth
Figures released by Network Rail show total train station retail sales for the festive period grew by 9% this year. The figures, which span 18 November to 23 December, suggested a growing desire for convenience retail, Network Rail said. Station retailers saw a total of over £110m in sales during…
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11 January
Marks and Spencer sales take a hit over Christmas
The all-important festive season yield disappointing results for Marks and Spencer at the end of 2017 as sales fell 1.4% during the period. Like-for-like revenues fell 1.4% in the 13 weeks to 30 December, with clothing and homeware down 2.8% and food down by 0.4%. Steve Rowe, chief executive said:…
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10 January
Mayor greenlights £1.4bn Croydon regeneration scheme
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has approved a major development as part of long-term plans to regenerate Croydon town centre. The redevelopment of the Whitgift shopping centre by a joint venture of Westfield and Hammerson will create nearly 1,000 homes, and provide the local community with new leisure facilities…
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10 January
Plastic bag charge set to affect all retailers
The 5p plastic bag charge could be applied to all retailers as part of new government plans to protect the environment. Prime Minister Theresa May is set to announce the 25-year environment plan on Thursday 11 to tackle “throw-away culture”. Currently, large businesses which have 250 or more employees are…
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10 January
‘Serious concerns’ over CFD retail investment tool
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said it has ‘serious concerns’ over the way CFDs (contracts for difference) are sold to retail investors. The speculative tool has become popular with investors despite roughly 76% of users losing money through it in 2016. CFDs are being marketed as an alternative to…
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10 January
Moss Bros profit warning amid Christmas footfall drop
A disappointing performance during the Christmas period with drops in sales and footfall has forced Moss Bros to cut its profit forecast for the year. The menswear retailer said in a trading update for the 26 weeks to January 6 that, during the peak Christmas trading season throughout December, like-for-like…
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10 January
Ted Baker Christmas sales up 9%
Designer clothing retailer, Ted Baker, has reported strong sales growth of 9% over the Christmas period in 2017, boosted by an increase in online purchases. Online sales increased by 35%, accounting for 30.1% of the brand’s total retail sales for the eight-week period from 12 November 2017 to 6 January…
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10 January
Aldi and Lidl ahead in the ‘supermarket space race’
Insurgent discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl have revealed large-scale land grabs for 2018, having submitted a combined total of 128 planning applications for new stores across the UK. The proposals are mainly for smaller convenience stores, designed to satisfy local demand and tap into the consumer move away from the…
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