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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Feb- 2021 -12 FebruaryClothing & Shoes
Boohoo seeks larger London office following acquisition spree
Online fashion retailer Boohoo is reportedly seeking a larger London office following its recent acquisition spree that saw its purchases of a number of Arcadia brands and the Debenhams brand. According to the Evening Standard, Boohoo is looking to upgrade from its current London office in Euston Tower to a…
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12 FebruaryNews
Vacant units in City of London almost double amid pandemic
The number of vacant units in the City of London increased by 47% from 174 at the end of 2019 to 255 at the end of 2020, according to new research by retail data consultancy the Local Data Company This equated to an increase in vacancy rate in the City…
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11 FebruaryShopping Centres
Westfield owner to ‘significantly reduce’ exposure in US
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) has revealed it will “significantly reduce” its financial exposure to the US and instead focus on its UK real estate. The news follows the company’s F2 2020 results which showed net rental income for shopping centres fell by 25.9% to €1.69bn (£1.4bn) from €2.29bn (£2bn) the previous year.…
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11 FebruaryHigh Street
Two-fifths of retailers expect Valentine’s sales boost
Two-fifths of retailers (41%) expect to see a boost in sales in the run up to Valentine’s Day. According to Barclaycard Payments, £787m is expected to be spent on the celebratory day, despite ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. As a result of the expected 26% spike to predicted sales, 63% of retailers…
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10 FebruaryComment
David Berkley QC: Interruption and insurance in the age of Covid
As we emerge from one of the most tumultuous periods in living memory, it perhaps comes as little surprise that insurance has been thrust into the spotlight. The unprecedented impact of the pandemic has brought a renewed focus to the issue of business security and, more specifically, business interruption coverage. …
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9 FebruaryCoronavirus Featured Content
How the fashion industry can survive and thrive post-lockdown
Back when the effects of the coronavirus pandemic first hit in March 2020, everyone seemed to expect the worst for both physical and online retail. Fast forward to 2021 and initial predictions for online retail could not have been more wrong. Propelled primarily by a surge in demand for makeup…
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9 FebruarySupermarkets
Ocado sees annual earnings soar by 69%
Ocado has seen its annual earnings rise by 69% as the pandemic strengthened the demand for online grocery shopping. The virtual supermarket revealed that group earnings were £73.1m for the year ending on 29 November 2020, up from £43.3m the previous year. Earnings in Ocado Retail, the company’s joint venture…
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9 FebruaryNews
Consumer spending sees ‘sharpest’ fall at 16.3% in January
Consumer spending fell 16.3% in January, the “sharpest” decline since May 2020 which was attributed to the current lockdown restrictions and Covid-19 pandemic. The data was gathered from the Barclaycard report which combines hundreds of millions of customer transactions with consumer research to provide an in-depth view of UK spending.…
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8 FebruaryHigh Street
Retail sales fall 10% in January
Total like-for-like retail sales declined by 10% in January as both the national lockdown and impact of Covid-19 affected shops across England, according to BDO’s High Street Sales Tracker. It found that lifestyle total like-for-like sales fell to 16.7% in January. This month’s result reportedly marked “the worst” since June…
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8 FebruaryOnline & Digital
Amazon’s tax to turnover ratio dropped to 0.37% in 2020
Amazon saw its tax to turnover ratio fall to 0.37% last year, despite sales rising by more than 51% in the UK. In comparison, the Centre for Retail Research reported bricks-and-mortar retailers paid around 2.3% of annual retail sales overall in business rates. The online retailer’s sales for 2020, ending…
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