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- 2019 -3 JanuaryClothing & Shoes
Next Christmas sales boosted by online surge
Next has revealed better than expected results over the Christmas period despite a 9.2% decline in sales across its bricks-and-mortar stores. However the decline was better than the 13% drop that was forecast by analysts and overall Next reported a 1% rise in full product sales between 28 October to…
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2 JanuaryDepartment Stores
John Lewis ends final week of 2018 with 4.5% sales uplift
Department store chain John Lewis has reported a 4.5% year-on-year uplift in total sales for the week ending 29 December. The group said this was due to “very strong sales” on Christmas Eve and a “confident start” to clearance sales both online and in shops, with electrical and home technology…
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2 JanuaryHR
Iceland facing £21m bill over Christmas savings scheme
Iceland could be hit with a £21m fine as the HMRC has said the supermarket’s Christmas savings scheme meant its workers were being paid less than the minimum wage. The scheme allows workers to set aside a proportion of their weekly wage to be claimed back later, but CEO and…
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Dec- 2018 -21 DecemberAdvice
Will retailers rise to the occasion this Christmas?
Retailers are entering their busiest and potentially most profitable period – but it is also their riskiest. Fail to hit the nail on the head, and retailers could struggle to make it through to next Christmas. House of Fraser, Debenhams and Marks & Spencers are just some of the stores…
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21 DecemberAdvice
How retailers can avoid the £2.4bn peak returns crisis
The Christmas peak period is often heralded as the saving grace of retail’s calendar. But any dramatic spike in sales also leads to a marked rise in the number of returned items – and this surge brings a multi-billion pound hangover which haunts UK retail through to January sales and…
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21 DecemberHigh Street
December consumer confidence ends 2018 on five-year low
GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index decreased by one point in December 2018 to -14. The measure for the general economic situation of the country during the last 12 months also dropped by two points to -31 this month, the same level as December 2017, and expectations for the next 12…
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21 DecemberEconomy
London’s West End to receive £186m pre-Christmas boost
Shoppers visiting London’s West End are expected to spend £186m in the final three days before Christmas, according to New West End Company, who represent over 600 retailers, hoteliers and property owners in the region. During these final three days more discounts and promotions will be on offer, including up…
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20 DecemberAnalysis
The shift towards conscious consumerism
The UK’s ethical retail sector has grown by more than £40bn since 2008, with households spending an average of £1,263 on sustainable goods last year according to not-for-profit consultancy Ethical Consumer. With trends like Fairtrade and organic growing in prominence, people are wanting to know more about the provenance of…
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20 DecemberEconomy
Online breaks 20% of retail for first time
The quantity bought in retail sales increased by 0.4% in the three months to November 2018, driven by growths in non-food stores, online retailing and Black Friday promotions. According to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), during the month online sales as a proportion of all…
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19 DecemberAdvice
How retail marketers can cut the cost of Christmas
Christmas is an expensive time of year for everybody – particularly retail businesses as competition intensifies around the seasonal period. In fact, brands spent a record £6bn on Christmas advertising alone last year. That’s not to mention the cost of Christmas-themed point-of-sale materials, seasonal collateral, digital elements, visual merchandising and…
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