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- 2020 -16 NovemberComment
The future of retail, where one size fits none
When writing this introduction, perhaps somewhat naively, I Googled ‘what was the most challenging time in all of history for retailers?’; thinking I could find some anecdotes about a time when retailers overcame hardships greater than those we face currently. As it turns out, the most challenging time in modern…
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16 NovemberDepartment Stores
JD Sports enters race for Debenhams
JD Sports has reportedly entered the race to acquire embattled department store Debenhams, and has been granted access to Debenhams’ finances in a secure data room. According to The Telegraph, JD Sports has emerged as a potential contender after being given access to Debenhams’ finances within the last fortnight. One…
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16 NovemberHigh Street
76% of retail staff experiencing higher levels of abuse, Usdaw finds
Usdaw has announced that three quarters of retail staff have experienced high levels of abuse and said it “has been worse during the pandemic”. The retail trade union acquired the statistics from over 2,000 retail staff in its annual survey. The interim results for this year showed that 76% of…
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16 NovemberSport & Leisure
Tribunal reverses CMA’s block of JD Sports’ Footasylum takeover
The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has overturned the Competition and Market Authority’s (CMA) decision to block JD Sports’ acquisition of Footasylum. In its ruling, the CAT said the CMA “acted irrationally” in its decision-making and failed to provide the essential evidence needed to block the takeover. Following this result, JD…
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13 NovemberClothing & Shoes
Burberry H1 revenues fall 31%
Burberry has revealed sales have managed to return to growth in October, after the luxury retailer said revenue for the first half of the year decreased by 31% to £878m. In the same period, operating profit plummeted 75% to £51m amid the effects of the ongoing pandemic. The fashion house…
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12 NovemberFeatures
TITLE: Q&A with Paul Boyle
Where do you see the future of the high street going? I think what we’ve seen over the course of the past few months is a fairly dramatic change to what we all expected would happen. Adapting to a Covid world was, for some retailers, probably not easy, and over…
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12 NovemberNews
B&M profit and earnings soar in H1
B&M has announced that adjusted pre-tax profit more than doubled in the half-year ended 26 September, with profit soaring 128.5% to £253.6m, up from £111m the prior year. In the same period, the business, which has remained open during national lockdowns, saw group adjusted EBITDA rocket 95.3% to £295.6m, up…
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12 NovemberClothing & Shoes
LK Bennett set to launch CVA
LK Bennett has launched a CVA proposal, which will result in five store closures and a small number of job losses. The womenswear retailer will also move its remaining shops to turnover-based rents in order to “mitigate the ongoing financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic”, Drapers reported. Currently, the business…
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11 NovemberDIY
Homebase hunts for new owners to fund next growth stage
DIY retailer Homebase has reportedly started a search for a new owner as it looks for funding for its next stage of growth. According to Retail Week, Homebase chief executive Damian McGloughlin said the company is hopeful of a deal being completed by April of next year. McGloughlin reportedly added…
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10 NovemberComment
The retail supply chain trends unlocked in lockdown
Following conversations and first-hand experiences working with high street and ecommerce retailers, we commissioned research of 200 senior retail professionals to further determine how COVID-19 disruption has impacted stock management and retail supply chains. The research revealed that coronavirus has resulted in four out of five (82%) retailers changing their…
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