Year: 2019

New equal pay claim lodged against Morrisons

Morrisons could be facing a £100m bill as a law firm has said “thousands of its employees” have brought legal proceedings against the supermarket in an equal pay claim. The news comes just two weeks after Asda lost its appeal over an equal pay ruling where 30,000 of its shop…

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Sustaining success: Luxury fashion and the environment in 2019

Environmental concern is high on the agenda for retailers of all sectors, shapes and sizes at present, and as we look ahead to a new year the signs are that luxury fashion players are going to need to prove their eco-credentials if they are to maintain their brand equity in…

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Dunelm profits and sales jump as it reveals Brexit stockpiling

Furniture and homewares retailer Dunelm has seen its profits and sales jump it its latest half-year results, as it also revealed it is stockpiling ahead of Brexit. Dunelm’s profit before tax grew 16.7% to £70m while like-for-like revenue rose 6.9% to £506m for the six months to the end of…

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Co-op to launch first franchise store scheme

The Co-op has announced plans to develop franchise stores, which will be the first time the 175-year-old supermarket has licensed its brand to independent retailers. This expansion programme aims to create a “significant number” of new Co-op branded stores under its franchise offering, on top of its recent announcement to…

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Ikea trials furniture leasing

Swedish furniture retailer, Ikea, has announced it has begun trialling an environmentally-friendly leasing scheme in one of its Swiss stores. Alongside the trial, Ikea has introduced programmes which will see waste reduced, with customers returning old beds and sofas which are then donated to charity by the Swedish retailer. Ikea…

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Liberty London ‘could be sold for £300m’

The owner of Liberty London has reportedly brought the luxury department store to market for a potential £300m price tag. According to Sky News, private equity firm BlueGem Capital Partners – the store’s largest shareholder – is said to be looking to offload its share in the department store and…

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Gender fluid fashion: Are your stores and colleagues ready to assist?

Fashion retailers are masters at riding the Zeitgeist. So with interest in gender fluidity mushrooming across the globe, it’s no surprise that innovative retailers are reaching out to a growing band of consumers who like their jeans, jackets, tops and trainers to be gender neutral. Statistics reveal that 56% of…

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Gucci helps Kering ‘outperform’ sector

Kering has continued to “significantly outperform the sector” as its Gucci brand delivered revenues of £7.27bn. The luxury goods group reported consolidated revenues of £11.9bn up 26.3% from the previous year. The company’s like-for-like sales also rose by 24.5% to £3.32 billion. Kering said its two primary brands Gucci and…

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More retailers allowing international payments as Brexit looms

Analysis of the UK’s top 250 retailers has found a 19% year-on-year increase in the number of brands offering the option to pay in international currency. The figure forms part of an annual performance index carried out by e-commerce and digital agency, Visualsoft. The report examined the sector’s biggest names…

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West End retailers face £45m rates hike in April

Retailers located in London’s West End are set to face a £45m rates tax increase in April, according to a report by real estate advisor Altus Group. Business rates help announced at the Autumn Budget last year, which promised to slash bills by a third for high street business in…

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