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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Oct- 2020 -22 October
Gear4music full-year results to be ‘ahead of expectations’
Gear4music has revealed its full year results will likely be ahead of expectations after it experienced strong sales growth in its first and second quarters. The online musical instrument retailer saw its total sales rise 42% to £70.2m in the six months to 30 September, after UK sales increased by…
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21 October
UK inflation rises to 0.5% after EOTHO ends
UK inflation for the month of September increased to 0.5% after the end of the Government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme pushed up prices, according to the latest figures from the ONS. The figure is up from 0.2% in August where prices were driven down by the discount scheme.…
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21 October
Retailers pay £1.1bn to accept customer payments
The cost to retailers of accepting payments reached £1.1bn in 2019, of which £950m was from card payments. It comes as the BRC launched its latest Payment Survey, that reveals card use has continued to rise steadily, from 54% of transactions in 2016 to 61% in 2019. This trend has…
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21 October
Geek Retreat plans on opening 100 more stores
Games and fantasy company Geek Retreat has confirmed its plans to open another 100 stores over the next two years according to the BBC. The new 100 store plan is predicted to create around 600 new jobs. The retailer said it plans on opening sites in Bournemouth, Northampton and Liverpool…
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21 October
BRC launches toolkit to combat retail cyber attacks
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has developed a new toolkit which supports business leaders in taking steps to reduce the threat of a cyber attack in the retail sector. Experts from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have assisted in the production of the BRC’s toolkit. The ‘Cyber Resilience Toolkit…
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20 October
Manchester moved into Tier three
Prime minister Boris Johnson has announced that Manchester will be placed into Tier 3 Covid-19 restrictions, after talks between mayor Andy Burnham and the UK government collapsed. As a result of being placed under Tier 3, pubs and restaurants must close unless they are supplying substantial meals and outside household…
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20 October
Asda opens new sustainability store
Asda has opened a new sustainability trial store and unveiled a new plastics reduction strategy that pledges that customers will not have to pay more for greener options. The supermarket has partnered with some of the UK’s most popular household brands including PG Tips, Vimto, Kellogg’s, Radox and Persil to…
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20 October
Hamleys to axe a quarter of staff
Iconic toy retailer Hamleys is reportedly set to cut more than a quarter of its London workforce. According to The Guardian, Hamleys is set to make 60 of its 208 staff working at its London store and nearby head office building redundant. Founded in 1760, Hamleys is the world’s oldest…
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20 October
Footfall continues decline following tiered restrictions
Footfall fell by 3.1% across all retail destinations last week from the week before, following tiered restrictions being introduced across the UK. According to the latest figures from Springboard, footfall saw largely similar rates of decline in all three destination types, with footfall down by 2.8% in high streets, 3%…
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20 October
Watches of Switzerland appoints new chairman
Watches of Switzerland has appointed Ian Carter as non-executive chairman of its board, with effect from 1 November. Carter brings 30 years of international and retail experience to the group and, most recently, has been CEO of Hilton International since 2005. He has also served on a number of boards…
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