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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Jan- 2020 -14 JanuaryComment
How to: Proper supply chain management
“We are forced to work against our will” said the message in the Christmas card opened by a young English school girl planning to write her own wishes in the card. After the discovery of this message from a worker in a Chinese prison, Tesco’s supply chain management has been…
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14 JanuaryClothing & Shoes
Boohoo reports ‘strong growth’ over Christmas
Boohoo has reported a period of “strong growth” across all its brands in the four months ended 31 December. Total group revenue grew by 44% to £473.7m across all geographical regions, while total UK revenue increased by 42% to £255.8m. The US division also saw revenue increase by 57% to…
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13 JanuarySupermarkets
Asda cost cuts to put 2,832 back-office jobs at risk
Nearly 3,000 Asda employees are reportedly at risk of losing their jobs, according to new reports. According to The Guardian, 2,832 back-office jobs may potentially be at risk in the latest cost-cutting move from the supermarket giant. The newspaper claims to have learned that consultations are afoot with employees in…
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13 JanuaryHigh Street
December footfall hit by Black Friday
Footfall dropped 2.5% in December, according to the latest figures from Springboard’s footfall monitor and insights. The data provider said this came as “no surprise”, as December footfall has only increased once since 2009. Despite this, the fall was at the “upper end of the scale of decline”. The “noticeable”…
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10 JanuaryAnalysis
Spooked markets seem soothed by Iran-US climb-down
When Iran decided to hit back on US military facilities after president Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, there was talk of the outbreak of war. NATO countries apparently implored Trump not to go for another attack, fearing that if he did things would escalate beyond control…
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10 JanuaryComment
Retailers have more to do to meet consumer demand for deliveries
With the Christmas rush in full flow, the pressure is on for retailers to provide their customers with a platinum service. As a result of the ecommerce explosion over the last decade, consumers’ shopping habits and expectations have changed dramatically. From weekend deliveries, more precise delivery options, to same day…
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10 JanuaryClothing & Shoes
Superdry warns on profits amid ‘lower than expected’ Christmas sales
Embattled clothing retailer Superdry has issued a profit warning after peak trading sales came in “lower than expected”. Superdry said it now expects pre-tax profits to come in between £0-£10m compared with previous estimations of around £20m. It said that the high street has seen “unprecedented levels of promotional activity”…
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10 JanuaryClothing & Shoes
Joules issues profit warning following stock issues
Joules has announced that sales over the Christmas period were “significantly behind expectations”, with retail sales down 4.5% against the prior year. The fashion retailer claims that sales were affected by “disappointing” online sales, which was caused by internally generated stock availability issues. Despite traffic to its website increasing 8%…
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10 JanuaryHigh Street
B&M reports ‘slower performance than anticipated’ in its third quarter
B&M has reported a “slower performance than anticipated”, despite a 9.3% increase in group revenues during its third quarter. Over the 13 weeks to 28 December, revenues across its UK stores increased by 8.8% including like-for-like growth of 0.3% for the quarter, against the “backdrop of a challenging broader retail…
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9 JanuaryAnalysis
Who would have thought skinny jeans could be anyone’s undoing?
It’s not often that the business pages give you a good belly laugh. But today we have the spectacle of Marks & Spencer blaming its poor Christmas trading results partly on an oversupply of skinny jeans for men. Apparently customer surveys revealed that the high street bellwether’s ranges were “too…
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