Covid-19
This coverage examines the effects of Covid-19 on the UK retail industry, focusing on operational disruption, financial pressures, consumer behaviour shifts, and recovery strategies. Reporting includes lockdown impacts, safety measures, supply chain challenges, online growth, and leadership decisions that shaped responses to the crisis. Designed for executives and managers, it offers lessons and insights for navigating future disruptions.
-
Mar- 2022 -25 MarchEconomy
Retail sales volumes fall 0.3% in February, ONS says
Retail sales volumes fell by 0.3% in February 2022 following a rise of 1.9% in January 2022, according to the latest figures from ONS, with sales volumes at 3.7% above their pre-coronavirus (Covid-19) February 2020 levels. Non-store retailing sales volumes fell by 4.8% over the month following strong growth in…
Read More » -
21 MarchHigh Street
Bira predicts strongest Mother’s Day in 2 years
The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has predicted the strongest Mother’s Day trading in over two years. Following the lifting of restrictions early this year, the head of Bira believes this will be the strongest trading period of the year so far as shoppers will be able to hit the…
Read More » -
18 MarchClothing & Shoes
T.M. Lewin calls in administrators for second time in two years
T.M. Lewin has collapsed into administration for the second time in two years as trading continued to be impacted by the effects of the pandemic. The menswear retailer confirmed that Will Wright and Chris Pole from Interpath Advisory have now been appointed as the latest joint administrators to the group. …
Read More » -
18 MarchNews
UK vacancy rates decrease for the first time since 2018
In H2 2021, the national vacancy rate declined by 0.1% from H1 2021, landing at 14.4% – the first decline in the UK vacancy rate since 2018, according to analysis by the Local Data Company (LDC). It revealed Britain’s retail and leisure sector is “stabilising” following the Covid-19 pandemic. The…
Read More » -
17 MarchNews
Deliveroo losses widen to £298m despite surging revenues
Deliveroo has announced a loss before income tax of £298m in comparison to £213m in 2020 during its FY21. According to the company this was due to increased marketing and staff costs as well as a reduction in relief grants introduced in 2020 as a consequence of the impact of…
Read More » -
9 MarchClothing & Shoes
Adidas expects €250m sales hit amid Russia conflict
Adidas has reported its expects the war in Ukraine to risk up to €250m (£208.37m) sales in the company’s Russia/CIS business in FY22, representing approximately 50% of adidas’ total revenues in the region. The announcement comes as Adidas revealed its currency-neutral revenues increased year-on-year by 16% in FY21 from €18.43bn…
Read More » -
8 MarchEconomy
Retail sales show continued growth in February
Retail sales increased by 6.7% in February, against an increase of 1.0% in February 2021, a new report from BRC and KPMG has revealed. This is ahead of the three-month average growth of 6.5% but worse than the 12-month average growth of 11.3%. On a two-year basis, total retail sales…
Read More » -
3 MarchComment
Why buying into digital transformation makes good business sense for retailers
It’s an understatement to say that COVID-19 – and the restrictions imposed on businesses as a result of it – have triggered change within the retail sector. Over 15,000 shops and 188,000 retail jobs were lost in the first twelve months of the pandemic, and 2020 has since been confirmed…
Read More » -
2 MarchComment
Live shopping: a fad or the future of retail?
Just a few short years ago the concept of live-stream shopping felt somewhat like an anachronism, conjuring up visions of the ‘teleshopping’ trend of yesteryear, in the days before online shopping had become the consumer norm. But, in recent years, the concept has been entirely reinvented. The live shopping phenomenon…
Read More » -
Feb- 2022 -24 FebruaryComment
Why retail sector leaders need to adopt a transformational mindset
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused untold disruption to the business world, turning it completely on its head. It has changed long-established working practices, the fortunes of entire industries and even deeply embedded mindsets. With all the uncertainty that began in early 2020, some retail leaders have, quite understandably, lost a…
Read More »
