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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Dec- 2020 -4 December
Support of UK producers ‘vital’ for food businesses, study finds
Waitrose has released its Food & Drink Report 2021 which found that nearly three quarters of people wanted to see more food businesses in the UK express their “ongoing support” for local British producers. The report was based on OnePoll research of 2,000 people across Britain, not just Waitrose shoppers.…
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4 December
Aldi plans to repay business rates relief
Aldi has announced its plans to repay the government any money it has received during the pandemic from the business rates relief. Back in March, all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England were given a business rates holiday for 12 months to help them get through the crisis. Supermarkets,…
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3 December
Post-lockdown footfall increases by 64.5%
Springboard has revealed that footfall across all UK retail destinations was 64.5% higher yesterday ( Wednesday 2 December) than the Wednesday prior, as the nationwide lockdown came to an end. The increase in activity was seen to have occurred most in high streets and shopping centres increasing 80.4% and 133.2%…
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3 December
Sainsbury’s forgoes £410m rates relief
Sainsbury’s has joined rivals Tesco and Morrisons in a pledge to repay the government’s business rates relief, bringing the total number of returned costs to over £1bn. The supermarket has revealed plans to forgo approximately £410m of its business rates relief. In a statement, Sainsbury’s said it has been considering the…
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3 December
Retail hiring falls 20%
Hiring in the UK’s retail sector was down 19.7% in October compared to the same month last year, according to Linkedin’s ‘Workforce Report’ for December 2020. Nationally, across every industry, hiring in the UK was 10.2% lower than in October 2019, but hiring across the country was 5.8% higher in…
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3 December
Arcadia brings forward pension fund payment
The owner of Arcadia, Lady Christina Green, is set to bring forward a payment of £50m that will go into the collapsed group’s pension scheme. The £50m installment was originally scheduled to be paid in September of next year, but has been brought forward in light of the retailer’s collapse…
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2 December
Bonmarche calls in administrators, 1,500 jobs at risk
Bonmarche has collapsed into administration for the second time this year, placing 1,500 jobs at risk. Damian Webb and Gordon Thomson of RSM have been appointed as joint administrators of the store, with the “intention to continue to trade” while options for the company were explored. In a statement the…
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2 December
Beauty Bay considers a stock market listing
Online cosmetics store, Beauty Bay is reportedly considering a stock market listing, following the surge in valuation fellow digital retailer The Hut Group (THG) experienced earlier this year. According to Sky News, the company which was created by Arron and David Gabbie, is in talks with investment bank GCA Altium…
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2 December
Foot Locker CFO retires
Foot Locker has announced that Lauren B. Peters, executive VP and CFO of the group, will step down and retire in April 2021. The retailer said it has initiated a “comprehensive search” process with the assistance of Crist|Kolder, an executive search firm, to find a successor. It expects to consider…
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2 December
John Lewis halts international business plans
John Lewis has announced that it is shutting its international business operations only weeks before Christmas, according to The Times. The department store chain is believed to have decided that its international business is too expensive and will stop taking new orders from 9 December. The decision is said to…
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