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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Feb- 2020 -5 February
Aldi opens new £64m distribution centre
Budget supermarket Aldi has opened a new £64m distribution centre in Sawley, Derbyshire. The site, which spans over 600,000 sq ft, is Aldi’s 11th UK distribution centre and will serve the supermarket’s growing customer base across the east midlands. The facility is part of Aldi’s planned £1bn investment in 2019…
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5 February
Wilko appoints Jerome Saint-Marc as its first CEO
Home and garden needs retailer Wilko appointed Jerome Saint-Marc as its first ever CEO to help “lead the business forward”. Wilko said Saint-Marc will deliver the “day to day leadership, energy and alignment” around Wilko’s strategic repositioning to reinvent the company’s customer proposition to take on a stronger product-focussed orientation…
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5 February
Poundland sales jump in first-quarter results
Discount retailer Poundland has reported a 1.3% increase in like-for-like sales for the three-month period ended 23 December 2019. Poundland also reported a “record trading day” on 23 December, serving almost 1.6 million customers. The discount retailer said it benefited from the “continued strong performance” of the Pep and Co…
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5 February
John Lewis appoints new executive director
John Lewis has announced the appointment of Nina Bhatia as executive director, strategy and commercial development. Bhatia will commence her role on 17 February, and report to the company’s chairman, Dame Sharon White, as a member of the new executive team. She will move from her role as managing director…
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4 February
Ikea reveals plans to shutter first UK store, 352 jobs at risk
Ikea UK has announced the proposed closure of its Coventry store in summer 2020, putting 352 jobs at risk. The Coventry store, one of 22 Ikea stores in the UK, was built in 2007 in the city centre one of the earliest examples of the company testing a “new format…
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4 February
UK supermarkets see ‘disappointing’ sales growth in January
Supermarket sales grew by only 0.7% in January 2020, down from 3.3% in 2019, according to new data released from Nielsen. According to the data firm, value sales since Christmas fell at the grocery multiples by 0.3%, with volumes also down 1%. This was exacerbated by inflation, which was only…
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4 February
Former Poundland owner plans £3.8bn takeover of Pepco
Advent international, the former owner of Poundland, has reportedly teamed up with two rival equity firms to launch a takeover bid for the Pepco Group. According to Sky News, Advent International, which offloaded Poundland in 2010 in a £200m deal, Hellman and Feidman and Mid Europa Partners are preparing a…
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4 February
Retail chief executive turnover reaches seven-year high in 2019
Retail chief executive turnover has reached a seven-year- high, a new study has found. The Korn Ferry’s eighth annual UK Retail CEO tracker reported a 25% increase since 2018, the report also stated that the industry replaced 55 of its CEOs in 2019, up from 44% a year earlier. The…
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4 February
Frasers Group acquires stake in Mulberry
Frasers Group has bought a 12.5% stake in luxury fashion brand Mulberry. The Mike Ashley-owned group said the move was a “key strategic priority”, and follows on from previous acquisitions of premium brands. Last November, the former Sports Direct International group rebranded as Frasers Group as part of a “multi-channel…
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3 February
Beales slashes 32 head office roles following administration
Embattled department store chain Beales has announced 32 job cuts at its head office in Bournemouth, nearly two weeks after the group entered administration. KPMG said the joint administrators will be “providing support to those affected over the coming days”. However, KPMG confirmed that all of the chain’s stores remain…
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