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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Jan- 2021 -14 JanuaryCoronavirus
£95m Northern Ireland retail voucher scheme put on hold
A £95m high street voucher scheme, first announced by the Northern Ireland economy minister in November, has been referred to the next financial year, according to the BBC. The scheme is intended to support retailers that have been hardest hit by the pandemic, possibly through a pre-paid card system. Similar…
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14 JanuarySupermarkets
Tesco reports record breaking Christmas
Tesco has reported the results of its “record Christmas”, however warned that it still expects to take a £810m hit due to Covid-19 related expenses. For the 19 weeks to January the chain witnessed a like for like growth of 6.7%, accelerating to 8.1% at Christmas, with the store crediting…
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14 JanuaryClothing & Shoes
Boohoo raises guidance as revenue soars
Boohoo has welcomed a period of “strong” trading towards the end of last year, with revenue soaring by 40% to £661m in the four months ended 31 December 2020. In light of this trading performance, it now expects group revenue growth for the financial year to 28 February 2021 to…
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14 JanuaryClothing & Shoes
Primark predicts £1.1bn sales loss amid store closures
AB Foods, the owner of clothing retailer Primark, has issued a warning of a hit from lost retail sales of more than £1.1bn, if Covid-19 lockdowns continue through to the end of February. Currently, 305 of its 389 shops around the world are closed which is expected to cost £1.1bn…
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13 JanuaryDepartment Stores
John Lewis Partnership to enforce face coverings in stores
John Lewis Partnership has announced it will tighten its Covid-19 rules by insisting that all customers wear a face covering (unless medically exempt or under the required age). To help ensure customers wear the face coverings, marshals will be positioned at the entrances of all supermarkets and will have disposable…
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13 JanuaryAdvice
How retailers can manage returns to Europe post-Brexit
After a tense end to the transition period, the UK finally secured a post-Brexit deal on trade with the EU. Yet, retailers which import goods from Europe are already struggling with the bottleneck at our ports caused by the impact of COVID-19 limiting resource availability. The addition of Brexit is…
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12 JanuaryHigh Street
British retailers suffer worst year on record, BRC reveals
British retailers suffered one of the worst years on record for sales growth, a new study by KPMG and BRC reveals. According to the pair’s ‘retail monitor’, total sales declined 0.3% compared with 2019. Sales on non-food items such as clothing also witnessed a 5.0% dip, due to national lockdowns…
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12 JanuaryOnline & Digital
Very records best ever Christmas sales
Very.co.uk has announced a 25.2% year-on-year increase in retail sales in the seven weeks up to and including 25 December 2020, marking the best recorded sales over a Christmas period to date. The increase in sales was predominantly due to Covid-19 pushing retail online, as government lockdown restrictions continued to…
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12 JanuaryDIY
Kingfisher reports online sales boom
Kingfisher has reported that a rise in online sales during its fourth quarter, in the 10 weeks to 9 January, has boosted like-for-like sales by 16.95%. It comes as the home improvement retail group, which owns brands such as B&Q, revealed e-commerce sales increased by over 150% in its latest…
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11 JanuaryFeatures
What’s next for Primark?
Primark’s opening statement for 2021 had a slightly more sombre tone than you would expect from one of the UK’s reigning fast fashion champions. In a brief statement issued by its parent company Associated British Foods, the store revealed how it now expects to lose and additional £220m in sales…
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