Christmas
This coverage explores the critical Christmas trading period in the UK retail sector, focusing on sales performance, promotional strategies, consumer trends, supply chain planning, and operational challenges. Reporting highlights how retailers prepare for and execute peak season campaigns to maximise revenue and manage demand. Designed for executives and managers, it provides insights into effective planning and competitive positioning during the festive season.
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Oct- 2018 -4 OctoberFeatures
Ten retailers defying high street blues in 2018
This year will likely go down in history as a turning point for high street retail in the UK, with a slew of firms going under, announcing job losses, store closures, or just going under completely. We have put together a list of those which, despite the blues, are making…
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2 OctoberHigh Street
M&S launches checkout free ‘Mobile, Pay, Go’ service
Marks and Spencer has launched a new “checkout free” service called ‘Mobile, Pay, Go’ at six London stores ahead of Christmas, allowing customers to pick up lunch in “under 40 seconds”. The retailer will roll out the service, previously trialled in its Edgware Road and Waterside stores to West Hampstead,…
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1 OctoberAdvice
Online retailers and the battle for e-commerce customer experience
The digital experience is becoming increasingly integral to the retail industry, and with the holiday period on the horizon, it’s particularly essential for retailers to ensure a smooth customer journey. Online retail success during the peak traffic season can depend on the ability to monitor cloud-based components, from (Domain Name…
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Sep- 2018 -27 SeptemberEconomy
New research shows majority of British people will buy local this Christmas
New research into Christmas online shopping has revealed that British people are increasingly buying from home-grown brands. The research, from CJ Affiliate’s Holiday Intelligence Report, showed that Christmas shopping in recent years has seen cross-border shopping volumes peak around the world, except in Britain. UK cross-border retail sales over the…
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25 SeptemberHigh Street
‘Weak consumer environment’ hits Card Factory profits
Card Factory has announced that a “weak consumer environment” has had a negative impact on pre-tax profits. The gift shop chain posted pre-tax profits of £22.7m during the six month period ending 31 July 2018, down 14% compared with the previous year. This is despite a total sales increase of…
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19 SeptemberAdvice
How retailers can harness Halloween to drive engagement
Each year Halloween generates a huge amount of hype among consumers, making it a pivotal holiday for retailers. Indeed, Halloween sales continue to grow, generating £310m in 2016, increasing to £320m in 2017, according to Mintel. But how can retailers continue to drive awareness and footfall during this competitive retail…
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5 SeptemberAdvice
Marketing your business for annual events
If you haven’t started already, now is the time to begin planning your marketing campaign for some of the biggest events of the year. As a business, it’s crucial that you get in on all of the action that could lead to a boost of sales — whether this is…
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Aug- 2018 -14 AugustHigh Street
Asda, Argos, Sainsbury’s and M&S sign up for ‘Purple Tuesday’
‘Purple Tuesday’, the UK’s first day dedicated to ‘accessible’ shopping, will take place on 13 November and will see retailers such as Asda, Argos and Sainsbury’s introduce new measures to make the shopping experience more inclusive for disabled customers. The initiative is being coordinated by the disability organisation Purple and…
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9 AugustHigh Street
Card Factory sales up 3.2% despite ‘extreme weather’
Card Factory has reported 3.2% growth in total group sales for the six months ending 31 July, despite the impact of the year’s “extreme weather conditions” on high street footfall. The retailer’s like-for-like sales decreased to -0.2%, a drop of 3.1% when compared with the same trading period last year…
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6 AugustAdvice
How independent retailers can use packaging to connect with customers
Putting a figure on the number of independent retailers is no small feat. According to the British Chambers of Commerce, there were 273,000 indie retailers in total in 2012, but this number is changing all the time due to the fast-paced nature of the industry and how we define independents…
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