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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Mar- 2021 -24 March
Amazon to reduce Deliveroo stake at IPO
Amazon’s stake in Deliveroo will fall to 11.5% following the group’s IPO, according to the IPO prospectus. The fall represents a 4.3% decline from Amazon’s current 15.8% stake, as roughly 23.3 million shares are to be sold, raising between £90.87m and £107.18m. This exit opportunity, alongside a dilution in its…
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24 March
Local shops and online groceries see lockdown retail boom
Online shopping and local retailers have benefited from shifting consumer behaviour during the pandemic, according to new research by Barclaycard Payments. In its data research, Barclaycard partnered with futurist Tom Cheesewright to discover what these shifts mean for the future of British retail. It found that online grocery shopping has…
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24 March
Gov urged to avoid fourth lockdown as Covid claims 67,000 retail jobs
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has called on the government to take “all necessary precautions” to prevent another lockdown after 67,000 retail jobs have been lost in the past year due to Covid-19. The plea comes in response to the latest ONS job figures, which also show that employment levels…
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23 March
Plastic bag fee to increase to 10p from April
All retailers, regardless of how many people they employ, will be legally required to charge customers 10p for a single use plastic carrier bag from 1 April 2021. The current levy of 5p for a plastic bag only applies to retailers who employ 250 or more people. The new legislation…
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23 March
End acquired by the Carlyle Group
Luxury, streetwear and sportswear retailer End has announced that the Carlyle Group, a global investment firm, has acquired a majority stake in the group. Closing on 1 April 2021, the deal sees founders Christiaan Ashworth and John Parker retain a significant majority stake and remain co-CEOs at the company. However,…
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23 March
Faire launches UK operations
Faire, an online wholesale marketplace, has announced its launch in the UK and Netherlands. Founded in 2017, the provider of tools and technology to small businesses has since grown 200% year-on-year. Faire is now valued at $2.5bn (£1.9bn) and serves over 170,000 independent retailers across the USA, with its brand…
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23 March
High street footfall rises 4% ahead of lockdown anniversary
Footfall across UK retail destinations rose by +0.5% last week ahead of the one-year anniversary of the first national lockdown , wholly driven by a +4% increase in high streets according to the latest data from retail experts Springboard. During the week, footfall in both retail parks and shopping centres…
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23 March
Gov to create hubs to boost international trade
The Department for International Trade (DIT) has announced the creation of four new trade and investment hubs which will channel the economic benefits of international trade directly into Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the North of England. The trade hubs in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and a new site in Darlington,…
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23 March
Waitrose bans magazines containing plastic toys
Waitrose has announced that it will no longer sell children’s magazines which contain plastic toys – in a bid to cut down on the use of single-use plastics in its stores. The group said it was inspired to introduce the ban after it learned about a 10-year old girl from…
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23 March
McColls profit dips in FY20 despite rising convenience demand
McColls has announced that its profit for the year ended 29 November 2020 slipped by 4.7% to £300.9m, despite noting that demand for its local convenience retail offering has “never been higher”. Whilst pre-tax profit fell from £7.4m to £1.1m, sales were up by 3.2% to £1.258bn in the period,…
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