Year: 2019

Retail sales bounce back in January

UK retail sales saw a year-on-year increase of 4.8% in January, the highest jump since December 2016. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that sales volumes rose by 1% following a 0.7% decline in December. The average store prices slowed to 0.4% year-on-year, the lowest price increase…

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Amazon ‘to launch checkout-free shops’ in London

Online retail giant Amazon has reportedly secured property to open checkout-free stores in London, making it the first openings of the concept outside of America. According to trade publication The Grocer, the sites will compete with food outlets such as Eat and M&S and will be located in areas with…

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Prada creates diversity council after blackface scandal

Prada has created a diversity council headed by American artist Theaster Gates and film director Ava DuVernay, after it was at the centre of a blackface scandal in December. The luxury fashion house said it was forming the council to “elevate voices of colour within the company and fashion industry…

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Zavvi blasted by ASA over Disneyland prize draw after winners complain

Online retailer entertainment retailer, Zavvi has been told not to run a competition again in “its current form” by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), after the winners were denied their prize as the retailer told them they had “responded too late”. The prize draw offered customers who paid with Mastercard…

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How can retailers do their bit to save the environment when it comes to returned and excess stock?

Globally there is a huge demand to change the way we interact with and treat the natural world, particularly since news broke in late 2018 that we have only 12 years to limit catastrophic climate change. Whilst previously the focus would be on individual behaviour, such as not using plastic…

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Puma sees shares dip over sales slowdown warning for 2019

Footwear retailer Puma has seen its shares drop 2.66% in early trading after forecasting a slowdown in sales and profit growth for 2019, despite a 20.1% sales increase, adjusted to €1,226m (£1,079m), during Q4 2018. For the full year in 2019, the retailer expects currency-adjusted sales growth of around 10%,…

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Killing plastic before it kills us

Research has revealed that a staggering 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging ends up in landfill each year whilst 226,800 miles of wrapping paper are thrown away each year. 2019 must be the year that we reform. The amount of waste produced per household is increasing by 30% each year whilst…

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Mike Ashley’s business profits tumble

Profits at the holding company that contains Mike Ashley’s business empire plummeted in 2017, attributed to the fall in value of the pound and the poor performance at Newcastle United. Accounts filed at Companies House for the financial year ending April 2017 revealed profits at Mash Holdings fell from £227.7m…

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Fragrance Shop to open 15 new ‘Sniffbars’

The Fragrance Shop has announced it is to open 15 new ‘Sniffbars’, which will allow customers to smell a wide variety of fragrances and speak with perfume consultants. Opening as concessions in shopping centres, the standalone outlets are aimed at creating a retail experience for customers, merging both physical and…

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UK inflation hits two-year low in January

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) 12-month rate fell to 1.8% in January 2019, down from 2.1% in December 2018, according to the latest figures from the ONS. This fell below the Bank of England’s inflation target of 2% for the month, with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) also decreasing to…

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