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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Apr- 2021 -20 April
Primark to repay furlough relief despite seeing HY profits halve
The owner of Primark, Associated British Foods (ABF), has revealed that it intends to repay £121m in relief repayment, despite profits falling 50% to £319m for the 24 weeks ended 27 February 2021. The government support schemes enabled the company to preserve its entire 65,000 workforce for Primark. While overall…
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20 April
Reopening week sees footfall jump by 87.8%
Footfall in UK retail destinations rose by 87.8% last week following the reopening of non-essential stores on Monday 12 April, according to the latest figures from Springboard. Springboard found that UK high streets experienced a 93.2% rise and shopping centres saw an even higher increase in footfall at 126.6%. In…
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20 April
M&S boosts online capacity through new warehouse
M&S has announced that work has begun on its Bradford Distribution Centre, which is set to become a second online warehouse for M&S.com in efforts to increase its online capacity. The reengineering of the group’s supply chain, including the extension of the Bradford warehouse, is an “important enabler” to M&S’s…
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20 April
Hammerson to slash rents by 30%
Hammerson has announced it is planning to slash rents for retail tenants by around 30% as non-essential shops prepare to reopen. Mark Bourgeois, the group’s managing director, said: “We reckon across the board and our business we’ll probably reduce rents from their peak by about 30% so we are really…
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20 April
John Lewis to renovate Peter Jones façade
John Lewis has announced that it will start work on a renovation of the curved glass façade of its Peter Jones shop in Chelsea. The renovation hopes to introduce an installation of light, shadow and movement that is “responsive to the environment” for example wind, rain, sunrise and sunset –…
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20 April
OnBuy appoints Aron Cody-Boutcher as CMO
Online marketplace OnBuy has announced the appointment of Aron Cody-Boutcher as chief marketing officer (CMO) at the group. In the new position, Cody-Boutcher will be tasked with accelerating the company’s growth alongside Cas Paton, founder and CEO at OnBuy. Cody-Boutcher provides the role with over two decades of experience in…
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19 April
The ASC launches ‘ShopKind’ campaign to target shopworker abuse
The Association of Convenience Stores (ASC) has launched a new campaign urging the public to “ShopKind” as the reopening of more stores and shops across the country gets underway. The news follows reports of abuse and violence towards shopworkers growing to at least 400 incidents daily. The campaign is backed…
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19 April
Dobbies acquires Johnsons Garden Centre
Dobbies, the garden centre retailer, has announced the acquisition of Johnsons Garden Centre for an undisclosed sum. The deal expands Dobbies’ UK-wide portfolio of stores to 71, as the group has more than doubled its outlets since 2016. The Boston venue has closed as of 19 April as the site…
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19 April
Nike warns retail partners to cut down on reselling
Sportswear giant Nike has reportedly warned its retail partners it will cut off the supply of limited edition trainers to their stores if they don’t crack down on staff enabling resellers. According to the Sunday Times, Nike has told its retail partners they face “supply curtailment” if they don’t stop…
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19 April
EG Group acquires Leon in £100m deal
The EG Group, owned by billionaire brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa, has announced the acquisition of all 70 Leon restaurants in a £100m deal. The group, which recently acquired a majority stake in Asda, said the acquisition will complement EG’s existing 700 foodservice outlets in the UK and Ireland of…
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