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.
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Nov- 2021 -25 NovemberClothing & Shoes
Mothercare swings to profit in half-year results
Mothercare has welcomed a return to profit in its latest half-year results, reporting a pre-tax profit of £3.6m in the period ended 25 September 2021, up from a loss of £13.2m the prior year. It comes as the group said it had put initiatives in place to help improve its…
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22 NovemberDepartment Stores
US equity firm Apollo examines potential M&S buyout
US private equity firm Apollo has reportedly been considering a buyout of Marks and Spencer, after initially considering it to be undervalued. According to the Sunday Times, it said city sources believe that Apollo considered M&S to be a “bargain” and that the impact of Covid-19 had unfairly “weighed down”…
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11 NovemberLuxury Goods
Burberry recovers as revenues return to pre-covid levels
Burberry has reported operating profits of £196m, an increase of nearly four times the figure of the same time last year for the 26 week period ending 25 September. The luxury retailer said it is “comfortable” with current year market expectations after seeing its revenues for the first half of…
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9 NovemberComment
Post-pandemic future is looking bright for UK high Streets
Prior to the pandemic, there were concerns regarding the future of the high street. Now that social distancing restrictions have forced many hospitality and retail businesses to close their doors at least partially, these voices of concern have understandably amplified. And after the Autumn Budget announcement this week, these concerns…
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5 NovemberFeatures
The journey so far: Disability provisions in the retail sector
Tesco, among other retailers, has recently implemented a ‘quiet hour’ scheme in a bid to improve its inclusivity. Measures such as the dimming of lights and reduction of noise are included in the retailer’s plan to make shopping a more ‘calming’ experience for minority groups. Although this is evidence of…
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4 NovemberDepartment Stores
Harrods reports £68m loss as restaurant staff to vote on strike action
Luxury department store Harrods has reported a loss of £68m for the 52-week period ending 30 January 2021. According to its latest set of accounts published on Companies House, it comes after its gross transaction value decreased by 51% to £1.09bn and its turnover also fell by 50% to £429m…
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4 NovemberClothing & Shoes
Superdry welcomes strong Autumn trading
Superdry has welcomed an “encouraging” start to its Autumn trading season, with revenue up by 8.8% against last year in the eight weeks to 23 October, and by 17.2% against the same period in FY20. While the group welcomed an improvement in its retail channel performance across the eight-week period,…
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2 NovemberProperty
Landsec to acquire U and I Group for £190m
Landsec has reached an agreement to acquire urban regeneration group U and I for a total of £190m, at a price of 149p per share. The retail landlord said the move would combine U and I’s front-end development capabilities, placemaking skills and portfolio of core regeneration projects with Landsec’s “development…
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Oct- 2021 -29 OctoberElectrical
Amazon to spend ‘several billion’ to manage supply shortages
Amazon has warned that it expects to incur “several billion dollars” of additional costs in the upcoming months as supply chain issues hit an all time high. The company said the expenses will be used to manage through labor supply shortages, increased wage costs, global supply chain issues, and increased…
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27 OctoberComment
Long Covid: a particularly bad headache for retail?
Cooped up indoors, face to face with a steady stream of strangers. No working from home. When it comes to Covid-related absence, it’s no surprise retail is the UK’s hardest-hit industry. Our data shows that over 222,000 retail employees missed work due to a positive test between January and mid-July.…
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