Black Friday

Black Friday helps boost retail footfall

The week of Black Friday combined with the recovery from Storm Bert provided UK retail destinations with a welcome boost in footfall, according to the latest data from MRI Software. Footfall rose by +13.6% in all UK retail destinations last week compared to the week before. This was driven by…

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AO raises guidance as half-year profits hit £17m

Electrical retailer AO has raised its full-year forecast to between £39m and £44m, as profits before tax rose 30% year-on-year to £17m for the six months to 30 September.  Group revenues are now expected to hit between £1.09bn and £1.13bn, as AO saw half-year revenue growth of 13% in its…

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BRC urges public to give retail workers gift of a ‘safe Christmas’

Ahead of Black Friday and the busy festive period, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and its retail members are calling on the public to “stand together against violence and abuse towards retail workers this Christmas”. The BRC said Christmas is an “incredibly complex and challenging time of year” for the…

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Retail insights for the Golden Quarter ahead

The Golden Quarter – November to January – remains the most critical period for UK retailers, and in 2024, the stakes are higher than ever. Consumers are still risk-averse in the run-up to Christmas, but coupled with the rise of social commerce and growing sustainability concerns, you get both challenges…

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Black Friday and Returns Tuesday: How should retailers prepare?

As the retail sector gears up for the peak trading season, Black Friday remains a pivotal event, leading the way for a whirlwind of sales and consumer activity. Yet, the day also sets the stage for another less celebrated occasion: Returns Tuesday.  This phenomenon, occurring shortly after Black Friday, sees…

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UK consumer confidence rises post-budget

UK consumer confidence increased three points to -18 in November, according to GfK’s long-running index. The survey revealed that all measures were up in comparison to last month’s announcement. The index measuring changes in personal finances during the last year was up one point at -9. Meanwhile, the survey revealed…

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Digital shelf analysis: The secret weapon for brands this golden quarter

In Britain, 67% of consumers plan to spend the same or more than last year during the 2024 golden quarter1 so brands will need to pull out all the stops to get their slice of the pie, particularly when it comes to sales and marketing strategies. With huge retail events…

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Boohoo raises £39m through fundraiser as half-year losses triple

Boohoo has raised £39.3m through a “significantly oversubscribed” fundraising launch with shareholders after its losses tripled in its half-year results. In the half-year ended 31 August 2024, adjusted pre-tax losses widened to £27.4m, up from a loss of £9.1m the prior year. Revenues also fell by 15% from £729.1m to £619.8m.…

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Asda sales lag behind other major supermarkets, new data finds

Asda was found to trail behind all other major UK supermarkets with a 3.5% decline in sales and a 1% fall in market share over the year, new data from NIQ has revealed. It comes as supermarket sales have slowed in the four weeks to 2 November to 4% year-on-year,…

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Boots website crashes amid ‘biggest ever’ Black Friday sale

Boots’ app and website repeatedly crashed during its “biggest ever” Black Friday sale this week.According to The Telegraph, customers complained that they had been locked out of Boots’s website yesterday (12 November), while others said its app was failing to load. The website reportedly crashed for around 30 minutes before…

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