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- 2020 -11 DecemberNews
Sainsbury’s creates 12,000 seasonal jobs
Sainsbury’s has announced its created 12,000 seasonal roles and increased its digital offer to help cope with the peak Christmas season. The supermarket also announced the increase in holiday rates pay to £9.30 per hour, the reportedly highest rate of pay of the major supermarkets. Colleagues working in Greater London…
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11 DecemberClothing & Shoes
Administrators place £200m price tag on Topshop
Administrators for Arcadia are reportedly seeking a price tag of £200m for the firm’s Topshop brand and are looking to agree a deal before Christmas. According to The Guardian, administrators Deloitte are expecting to receive initial bids for the brand by the end of next week (18 December). Online retailer…
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11 DecemberAdvice
The show must go on
Amazon’s Christmas 2020 advertising campaign perfectly captures the spirit of the nation with it’s story of a ballerina’s disappointment after a canceled show, and later determination and triumph when she performs solo outside for her community. The message is clear (as the new arrangement of The Queen classic in the…
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9 DecemberNews
Co-op launches partnership with Deliveroo
Co-op has launched a new partnership with Deliveroo and fresh fruit and veg suppliers Sheringhams to help provide 20,000 meals and 3,000 pieces of fresh fruit to families by Christmas. The partnership between the two companies builds off the support for Marcus Rashford’s campaign and commitment to end child food…
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9 DecemberSupermarkets
UK sees grocery boom as shoppers hit stores early
Grocery sales rose by 11.3% in the 12 weeks ended 29 November 2020, the fastest rate of growth since August, according to the latest grocery market share figures from Kantar. It comes as consumers have reportedly started their Christmas shopping early this year in preparation for the festive season. In…
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8 DecemberEconomy
Consumer spending drops 2% in November
Consumer spending in the UK fell by 2.9% in November, despite spending on essential items growing 4.9% year-on-year, as ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown restrictions pushed the public to shop online. According to Barclaycard’s monthly consumer report, spending on essentials grew 4.9%, with a 17.9% rise in supermarket shopping, while online grocery…
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8 DecemberClothing & Shoes
Joules sales hit by lockdown
Joules has announced that group revenue was down by 15.3% to £94.5m in the 26-week period ended 29 November 2020. According to the group, this reflected the impact of enforced store closures as well as the cancellation of country shows across the UK, alongside the fact that total store trading…
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7 DecemberAdvice
Re-energising retail in 2021: Three challenges and one solution
The story of retail in 2020 is one of extreme contrasts. On the one hand, the Amazons, Asos and supermarket operators of the world have all enjoyed tremendous success; on the other, almost every other segment of the industry has been decimated. More than 11,000 chain outlets shut in the…
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2 DecemberDepartment Stores
John Lewis halts international business plans
John Lewis has announced that it is shutting its international business operations only weeks before Christmas, according to The Times. The department store chain is believed to have decided that its international business is too expensive and will stop taking new orders from 9 December. The decision is said to…
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Nov- 2020 -30 NovemberCoronavirus
Shops permitted to open for 24 hours a day
Shops in England will be allowed to trade for 24 hours a day in the coming weeks, housing secretary Robert Jenrick has confirmed. The relaxation of trading hours has been made in a bid to support struggling businesses in the run-up to Christmas. Writing in The Telegraph, Jenrick said: “None…
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