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- 2025 -20 January
Today’s news in brief-20/1/25
Quiz is reportedly considering closing up to a third of its 60 stores as part of a restructuring effort to stabilise its business amid mounting financial pressures. The company is set to delist from the AIM market and return to private ownership following a shareholder vote earlier this month. Restructuring…
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20 January
Portmeirion Group names new chairman
Portmeirion Group, the owner, designer, manufacturer and omni-channel retailer of homeware brands has announced Peter Tracey as its new non-executive chairman, effective from 1 February. The appointment comes after Dick Steele informed the board of his intention to step down from the board and his role as non-executive chairman. Steele…
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20 January
Asda risks fine over IT upgrade delays
Asda is reportedly facing a potential multimillion-pound fine for failing to complete an £800m IT upgrade by next month, according to the Telegraph. The new system, which has been championed by Mohsin Issa, attempts to detach the supermarket’s technology systems from those used by former owner Walmart, and is known…
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20 January
Pets at Home CEO warns Budget will effect part-time workers and women
Pets at Home CEO Lyssa McGowan has warned that the changes to National Insurance in the Budget will negatively impact part-time workers and women. McGowan stated in an interview with Mail on Sunday that Pets at Home faces an £18m increase in costs. The National Insurance contribution threshold will be…
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20 January
Quiz eyes store closures as costs mount
Quiz is reportedly considering closing up to a third of its 60-location portfolio as a way to cut costs and stabilise the business, according to The Telegraph. It comes as Quiz is also due to delist from the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market and return to private ownership, following a…
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20 January
Bira calls for gov action following ‘disappointing’ December sales
The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) is calling for urgent government intervention following “disappointing” December retail figures, which show sales volumes fell by 0.3% following a modest 0.1% rise in November 2024. The figures, released by the BRC on Friday (17 January), revealed that while non-food stores such as clothing…
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17 January
Today’s news in brief-17/1/25
Retail sales in the UK fell by 0.3% in December, disappointing analysts who anticipated a 0.4% rise during the Christmas season. The decline, attributed to the poorest supermarket sales since 2013, was partly offset by a 4.4% rise in clothing sales. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that food…
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17 January
Sainsbury’s opens first new store of 2025 in Burnt Oak
Sainsbury’s has celebrated the opening of its first new store of 2025 with the arrival of its Burnt Oak Broadway Local store in Edgware. The new 2,626 sq. ft store offers a curated range of meal deals, fresh bread and cakes baked daily in-store, fruit and veg, meat, fish, and…
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17 January
Customer satisfaction levels lowest since 2015, UKCSI finds
UK customer satisfaction levels remain near their lowest level since 2015, the twice-yearly report by The Institute of Customer Service on the state of service has revealed. The latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI), which benchmarks customer satisfaction of over 260 of the UK’s leading businesses and has run since…
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17 January
Aldi to open 9 London stores as part of £650m investment
Aldi is set to open nine stores in the capital this year as the grocer aims to invest £650m in Britain in 2025. Building on its promise to bring “unbeatable value” to even more Londoners, the supermarket has revealed four of the locations set to welcome new Aldi stores in…
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