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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Dec- 2021 -10 DecemberDIY
B&M to pay £250m to shareholders
B&M has announced that its board will pay out a total of £250m to shareholders after declaring a special dividend of 25.0p per share. It comes as the group welcomed a “strong” performance against pre-pandemic levels in its FY22 interim results on 11 November, with an ongoing evaluation of its…
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9 DecemberHigh Street
Frasers Group profits soar 75% in H1
Frasers Group has seen its pre-tax profit rocket 75% to £186m in its latest half-year results, largely driven by a strong reopening performance of stores post-lockdown and a continued growth in its online business. The group also cited ongoing operating efficiencies and the FY21 comparative period being hit by lockdowns…
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8 DecemberNews
Tesco reopens talks with Usdaw amid planned worker strikes
Tesco has reopened further talks with Usdaw after members in nine distribution sites voted in favour of industrial action over pay disputes. It comes as Usdaw revealed that planned industrial action, starting on Monday 20 December and concluding on Christmas Eve, is at this stage still set to go ahead.…
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7 DecemberDepartment Stores
Harrods strike averted after pay rise victory
Planned strike action at Harrods has been averted after the luxury department chain offered its restaurant staff a pay rise amid an ongoing pay dispute. Its offer to take the pay above the London Living Wage came days into a ballot for strike action, organised by United Voices of the…
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7 DecemberHigh Street
Consumer spending rises 16% in November
Consumer spending grew by 16% in November as early festive pursuits boosted retail, hospitality and leisure, according to the latest Barclaycard report. Spending on non-essential items saw its highest increase since before the pandemic at 17.7%. Meanwhile, spending on essential items rose by 12.5%, which was slightly less than in…
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7 DecemberEconomy
Footfall shows signs of Omicron hesitancy
Footfall rose by only 0.7% in UK retail destinations last week against the week before, according to new data from retail expert Springboard. It said that the uplift was derived from rises in shopping centres that saw an increase of 2.3%, and retail parks where footfall increased by 1.3%. Meanwhile,…
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6 DecemberNews
Tesco set for Christmas shortages amid strike action
Tesco shoppers in many parts of the UK “face empty shelves” in the run-up to Christmas as members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, announced strike action in a dispute over pay. It revealed the strike is a result of Tesco offering the workers “just a four percent pay increase”,…
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6 DecemberEconomy
Sustainability ‘falls down agenda’ for retailers, report finds
Sustainability is less important now than it was a year ago for a quarter (24%) of retailers, while 8% say it has fallen down the agenda “quickly”, according to new research from UK law firm TLT. A fifth (21%) of retailers said sustainability was not currently important to their business,…
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2 DecemberComment
Snatching peak from the jaws of Amazon
Consumer shopping habits this peak season are already unlike anything the industry has seen before. A slow burn, ultra-cautious approach that could well lead to a last-minute rush – a rush that Amazon thinks it’s going to win. The conventional wisdom – as far as convention can be wise in…
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2 DecemberNews
Sainsbury’s pledges to help feed 12 million families this Xmas
Sainsbury’s has pledged to help feed over 12 million families this Christmas, with the return of its annual ‘Help Brighten a Million Christmases’ scheme, effective until 24 December. ‘Help Brighten a Million Christmases’, is a fundraising initiative which sees the retailer work with its customers to donate what they can…
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