Year: 2019

Council investments in shopping centres to top £1bn

Local councils are set to spend £1bn on buying shopping centres by the end of 2020, in a bid to redevelop town centres “depressed” by a wave of store closures. Research from retail property organisation Revo and property and regeneration advisors Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) has found that local authorities…

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Aldi posts ‘record’ full-year results

Supermarket retailer Aldi has reported an 11% increase in sales to £11.3bn for the financial year ending December 2018. The sales increase amounts to more than £1.1bn of additional revenue and the grocer said the growth was fuelled by over 800,000 more customers shopping with Aldi. It currently operates over…

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Black Friday: How online retailers can maximise sales this season

The Christmas sales have begun, and retailers are counting down the days to some of the biggest e-commerce days of the year. If last year is any indication, Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019 are likely to drive another huge peak in online traffic given the discount event is seen…

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Clintons calls in KPMG as it mulls over potential sale

Greetings card retailer Clintons has called in advisers from KPMG as its owners explore a potential sale of the business. According to Sky News, its US-based parent company American Greetings is considering a sale just seven years after it acquired the company and forced it into administration. The ‘Big Four’…

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Schuh to seek rental reductions

Footwear retailer Schuh has become the latest retailer to ask landlords for rent reductions across its retail estate, after it reportedly hired a consultant to explore money saving options.  According to reports from The Times, the brand has brought in retail property consultants from Capa, to carry out a full…

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A&B Pawnbrokers and Herbert Brown shutters UK stores

Albemarle & Bond Pawnbrokers (A&B Pawnbrokers) and Herbert Brown have shuttered stores across the country, in a sudden move that has left customers in the dark over the whereabouts of items pawned with the businesses. In a statement on its website, the pawnbrokers apologised for “any inconvenience that may be…

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Sainsbury’s to halve plastic packaging by 2025

Sainsbury’s has announced a new commitment to reduce plastic packaging by 50% by 2025. This new target includes all branded food packaging, Sainsbury’s brand food packaging and packaging across all of its operations. The ‘Big Four’ gorcer currently uses almost 120,000 tonnes of plastic packaging per year and believes a…

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5 reasons why crowdsourcing is a valuable retail merchandising asset

Lacking resources, time and budgets are some of the biggest issues within the retail sector, as it means important tasks like store auditing and merchandising fall behind and ultimately, products do not perform as well and sales are lost. In an industry that changes daily, the retail sector risks falling…

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M&S partners with infarm to bring urban farming to London stores

M&S Food has announced a new partnership with Infarm – the urban farming platform – to deliver a range of fresh produce grown and harvested in a selection of M&S’ London stores. Thanks to the partnership customers can now find a range of fresh herbs – including Italian, Greek and…

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Beaverbrooks: Celebrating 100 years

What started out with three brothers moving to Belfast with just a suitcase full of silverware and a dream of selling fine jewellery and gifts has ended up as a thriving business celebrating a century of trading this year. Founded by Isaac, Harry and Maurice Adlestone, Beaverbrooks now operates some…

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