Automation
This coverage examines the role of automation in the UK retail sector, focusing on technology adoption, workforce impact, operational efficiency, and supply chain innovation. Reporting highlights how retailers implement automation to improve productivity, reduce costs, and respond to consumer expectations — offering insight for executives, managers, and professionals driving transformation in retail operations.
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Apr- 2025 -29 AprilHealth & Beauty
THG revenues rise 1.1% to £1.8bn in FY24
THG has seen its revenues rise by 1.1% year-on-year to £1.8bn in the year to 31 December 2024, while its pre-demerger adjusted EBITDA hit £123.1m in line with guidance and consensus. It comes as, during 2024, THG completed its Ingenuity demerger, joined the FTSE 250 index, and refinanced its long-term…
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24 AprilFeatures
Retail’s staffing crisis: why jobs are disappearing and what’s next
Across the UK, retail employment remains 5% below pre-pandemic levels, according to Deputy’s Big Shift 2025 report. The decline is steady, pushed along by automation, e-commerce, and shifting worker expectations. In contrast, London’s hospitality sector is booming – fuelled by the city’s night-time economy, now worth a quarter of all…
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23 AprilFeatures
The potential ripple effect of Asda’s Rollback return
Asda has brought back its “iconic” Rollback scheme, reducing prices on more than 4,000 products in stores and online. As a result, more than £4bn has been wiped off the value of Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer stock amid fears that rival Asda will step up the grocery price…
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Mar- 2025 -31 MarchFeatures
Spring Budget 2025: what it means for the retail industry
The UK retail sector has been navigating a volatile economic landscape, with rising operational costs, shifts in consumer spending, and policy changes placing unprecedented pressure on businesses. The Spring Budget 2025, delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, was highly anticipated by industry leaders, who had hoped for measures that would alleviate…
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10 MarchComment
Tim Waterton: Reinventing customer feedback with HappyOrNot
Tim Waterton, Chief Revenue Officer at HappyOrNot, is on a mission to transform the way businesses gather and act on customer feedback. With a career spanning nearly two decades in customer experience, technology, and data analytics, Waterton has helped shape how major retailers, hospitality businesses, and service providers use real-time…
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Feb- 2025 -27 FebruaryOnline & Digital
Ocado to cut R&D roles as losses narrow
Ocado has revealed it is set to reduce its research and development (R&D) workforce both in the UK and globally as part of its effort to return to profitability. This comes despite the fact Ocado posted a pre-tax loss of £374.5m for the year ended 1 December 2024, a slight…
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14 FebruaryNews-In-Brief
Today’s news in brief-14/2/25
The fast fashion retailer In The Style is reportedly preparing to appoint administrators as its financial struggles deepen. Acquired by Baaj Capital for just over £1m in 2022, the company saw revenues plummet from £46m to £30.4m in the year ending March 2024, with UK sales dropping to £29m. Despite…
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14 FebruaryClothing & Shoes
In The Style owners line up administrators
In The Style is reportedly on the brink of insolvency less than two years after it was sold to Baaj Capital for just over £1m, according to reports from Sky News. According to Sky, FTS Recovery is being lined up to act as administrator to the company, which was founded…
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11 FebruaryEconomy
Retail sales increase 2.6% despite ‘stormy’ January
UK total retail sales increased by 2.6% year-on-year in January, against a growth of 1.2% in January 2024, as consumer sentiment remained resilient despite stormy weather, according to the latest figures from the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. This growth was above the three-month average growth of 1.1% and above the…
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Jan- 2025 -15 JanuaryEconomy
NI increase will force retailers to raise prices, BRC warns
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that the National Insurance Increase, set to come into place this April, will force retailers to put up prices after it found that two thirds of CFOs said they will do so in response to the change. The BRC said its survey of…
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