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- 2020 -24 March
McColls announces stores remain open amid Covid-19 virus outbreak
McColls Retail Group has today announced that it is to keep its stores open amid the coronavirus pandemic. The convenience retailer said it has put into place a range of policies “designed to protect our colleagues and customers, keep our stores open and trading safely, and to enable our head…
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24 March
Covid-19: UK retail spending to fall by £12.6bn
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic will wipe £12.6bn from retail sales this year, according to the latest forecast by GlobalData. The data and analytics company said that the figure was the equivalent of Aldi’s total UK sales last year. The total retail market for 2020 is now expected to…
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24 March
Covid-19 brings UK economy to temporary standstill, says KPMG
The impact of the Covid-19 virus is expected to see the UK economy contract by 2.6% in 2020, according to KPMG UK’s latest quarterly Economic Outlook. A protracted outbreak could also result in a more severe impact than the downturn experienced in 2008-09. However, it said the economy is expected…
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24 March
Covid-19: Debenhams, Ted Baker and The Works latest to close stores
Debenhams, Ted Baker and The Works are some of the latest retailers to close stores amid the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the UK. Debenhams said it took the “tough decision” to close stores yesterday evening as a result of the current circumstances, but hopes to reopen as soon as it is…
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24 March
Drop in footfall three times higher than worst recorded, says Springboard
Springboard has revealed that the annual change in footfall last week represented an “unprecedented decline” that was three times greater than the worst previously recorded. The retail intelligence company said that we are starting to see the “true impact” of coronavirus on consumer activity. It added the result for the…
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24 March
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – Advice for employers
Nigel Morris, tax director at MHA MacIntyre Hudson explains how employers can access the Job Retention Scheme (JRS) to continue paying 80% of the salary for employees that would otherwise have been laid off or made redundant, the practical next steps and potential complications of the scheme. Key points include:…
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24 March
Westfield Stratford announces temporary closure amid coronavirus outbreak
Shopping centre Westfield Stratford City has announced it is “substantially closed” amid the outbreak of the Covid-19 outbreak. The shopping centre announced its closure on social media with a statement that it was closed with exceptions from grocery stores and pharmacies to “service our communities’ needs.” The statement read: “We…
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24 March
Contactless spending limit to rise to £45
Barclaycard has announced it will be rolling out the deployment of a new £45 contactless limit across UK retailers from 1 April 2020. The payments provider, which enables almost half of the UK’s credit and debit card transactions, said that the increased threshold would “help to prevent” the spread of…
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23 March
H.Samuel announces temporary store closures amid Covid-19 virus outbreak
High street jewellery store H. Samuel has announced the temporary closure of all its stores amid the recent outbreak of the Covid-19 virus. The retailer announced all store closures will take effect from today (Monday 23 March) but its website will be “open as usual.” In a statement, the retailer…
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23 March
Laura Ashley slashes 721 roles as 70 stores shutter
Embattled retailer Laura Ashley has shuttered 70 of its stores leaving almost 721 people out of work, administrator PWC has said. The ‘Big Four’ accountancy firm said it will be working with those employees to help them understand “what this means for their roles” and provide all “necessary support” including…
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