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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Apr- 2021 -26 AprilAdvice
Tackling the new user, missed opportunity phenomenon
In a turbulent year, retailers have faced both famine (with retail stores closing) and feast (with the spike in online shopping) as they adapted to the restrictions and opportunities created by Covid-19. Our research shows that in the past 12 months the number of first-time online shoppers has doubled. However,…
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23 AprilAdvice
Getting ready for the post-covid retail boom
From being in the grip of the second wave in a bleak mid-Winter two months ago with so much uncertainty and anxiety there really has been a remarkable turnaround due to the determination of all to fix this situation. A majority of the population have been vaccinated and sunnier days…
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19 AprilFeatures
The Suez Canal blockage: An accident with lasting ramifications
Some six days the Ever Given spent blocking the Suez Canal before it was refloated on 29 March, with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) claiming that the global shipping route was once again “operating in full capacity” on 31 March. However, the fallout and impacts of the week-long incident on…
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19 AprilAnalysis
How retailers can optimise their digital strategies for a post-lockdown world
As we pass the anniversary of the first national lockdown, many retailers are pausing to reflect on how the past year has impacted their business. While some have struggled to adapt others have thrived, seeing restrictions as an opportunity to attract new customers through Google Shopping and e-commerce platforms. With…
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16 AprilComment
Real time data underpins retail success with unpredictable shoppers
We live in unprecedented times and for retailers this challenging environment throws a new curve ball each week. Shopper behaviour is not easy to predict in normal circumstances and Covid-19 has exacerbated this challenge. This can, for example, be seen in foot traffic to stores – a key indicator of shopper…
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16 AprilPeople Moves
Retail leaders join forces with retailTRUST to support workers’ wellbeing
Over 20 retail leaders and experts have joined forces with industry charity retailTRUST to champion the health and wellbeing of its workforce next month following the reopening of non-essential shops across the UK. Morrisons’s chief executive David Potts will be among those taking part in retailTRUST’s ‘Championing the health of…
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15 AprilClothing & Shoes
Hobbs sees FY20 turnover fall to £133m
Hobbs, the women’s clothing, footwear, and accessories retailer, saw its turnover for the year ended 28 March 2020 fall 1.8% to £133m. The group’s adjusted EBITDA for the period also declined, falling £1.7m from £21.9m in FY 2019 to £20.2m in FY 2020. Operating profit and profit after tax at…
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15 AprilOnline & Digital
The Hut Group revenues soar 42% in ‘milestone’ year
The Hut Group has announced that group revenues soared by 42% to £1.6bn in its full-year results, as the wider consumer shift to digital channels “continued apace”. In what was a “milestone” year for the group, EBITDA was up by 35% to £150.8m in the period and new customers rose…
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15 AprilShopping Centres
British Land eyes open-air retail parks
Property group British Land has unveiled plans to invest in more out-of-town retail parks as it capitalises on a click and collect strategy. The company is set to bet on a faster return of open-air locations where social distancing can be more easily managed than in covered shopping centres. In…
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14 AprilAdvice
A repackaged retail strategy – How FMCG brands are innovating to stay ahead
The FMCG category has been buffeted by unprecedented change over the past year with huge disruption to traditional routes to market and dramatically altered customer behaviour. With consumers stuck at home, brands have been forced to overhaul long-running product distribution strategies and completely rethink marketing plans for product launches. Encouragingly…
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