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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May- 2019 -23 May
B&M plans 50 more stores amid profits and sales boost
Discount goods retailer B&M has revealed it is planning on opening another 50 stores this year amid posting an uptick in both sales and profits. For the full-year period ending 30 March B&m said profit before tax increased by 9% to £249.9m and revenues surged 17% to £3.5bn.B&M’s UK stores…
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22 May
Pets at Home revenues soar as retailer increases market share
Pets at Home has announced it has seen revenues soar in its full-year results to March 2019. Total group revenue at the pet retailer rose by 6.9% to £961m, while profit before tax rose by 6.1% year-on-year up to £89.7m. Revenue at the firm’s vet group jumped up by 13.1%…
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22 May
M&S sales and profits fall as turnaround continues
Marks and Spencer has reported a fall in both sales and profits, with the latter down nearly 10%, as it continues its turnaround plan. The embattled retailer revealed in the year ending 31 March pre-tax profits before one off items were £523.2m, down from £580.9m the previous year. Marks and…
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22 May
Online retail sales see subdued growth in April
Online retail sales saw sales growth of just 5.2% year-on-year (YoY) in April, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini eRetail Sales Index. The group said this compares “poorly” to the strong performance seen in April of last year (+12.5%), but continued an ongoing trend of subdued growth seen since the…
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21 May
Elle to launch childrenswear brand
Clothing retailer, Elle has announced it is to launch a childrenswear brand across all of its European stores in partnership with international licence partner Brand Machine Group (BMG). The license agreement between BMG and Elle operator Lagardère Active Enterprises (LAE) enables BMG to design, manufacture and market the Elle childrenswear…
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21 May
Halfords sees FY profits drop 17.9%
Halfords has reported a 17.9% drop in annual profits and has warned that “fragile” consumer confidence means it expects a flat outcome in its new financial year. The car parts and bicycle retailer announced its preliminary results for the 52 weeks ended 29 March 2019 that profit before tax was…
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21 May
WH Smith CEO to step down
WH Smith’s group chief executive, Stephen Clarke has announced he is stepping down from his role on 31 October 2019, after 15 years with the company. The newsagent also announced that Carl Cowling will be appointed as group chief executive as successor to Clarke, as part of its long-term succession…
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20 May
M&S speeds up store closures
Marks and Spencer has announced it is to speed up its store closure plans by two years, as it looks to close 100 stores by 2020. The announcement comes as chairman Archie Norman and chief executive Steve Rowe prepare to unveil another slump in annual profits on Wednesday, according to…
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20 May
JD Sports’ takeover of Footasylum to be investigated by CMA
The CMA has announced it is investigating the completed acquisition by JD Sports of Footasylum. The CMA said it has “reasonable grounds” for suspecting that it may be the case that JD Sports and Footasylum have “ceased to be distinct”. It added that the merger may be expected to result…
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20 May
Co-op and Superdrug agree meal deal partnership
The Co-op has struck a “meal deal” with Superdrug which will see it supply the health and beauty chain with an extensive food-to-go range including sandwiches, salads and fruit. The trial will see Co-op become Superdrug’s food-to-go partner and initially supply its award winning own-brand products to seven branches located…
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