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 -4 NovemberHigh Street
Covid-19 could shutter 18,000 stores permanently, report shows
18,000 more retail stores face permanent closure in 2020 as Covid-19 restrictions continue to damage the UK highstreet. According to the Guardian, a report published by the Local Data Company (LDC) has revealed that it predicts nearly 15,000 more outlets will be left empty in 2020, compared with 9,169 net…
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4 NovemberDepartment Stores
M&S swings to first loss in 94 years
Marks and Spencer has swung to a pre-tax loss of £87.6m in the half-year ended 26 September, down from the £158.8m profit reported the year before, marking its first ever loss in 94 years of trading as a public company. The group saw its profit plummet by 77% to £61.8m,…
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3 NovemberClothing & Shoes
ABF profit slumps as Primark hit by £2bn loss
Associated British Foods, the parent company of Primark, has announced that statutory operating profit tumbled 40% to £810m in the full-year ended 12 September 2020. In the same period, group revenue fell by 12% to £13.9bn following the impact of the ongoing pandemic. The full year decline in group revenue…
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3 NovemberClothing & Shoes
Laura Ashley returns to high street with Next partnership
Laura Ashley is set to return to the UK high street next year with a new partnership with Next, which will sell its homeware products and will launch a series of new stores. According to The Guardian, the clothing and home furnishing retailer said it will reintroduce its homeware via…
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Oct- 2020 -29 OctoberClothing & Shoes
Shoe Zone to close fifth of stores over next two years
Shoe Zone has announced it expects to close a further 90 stores in the next 18 to 24 months, attributing the closures to the continued impact of Covid-19. The shoe retailer said it will close up to 45 stores by April 2021 in a move that will create “numerous” redundancies,…
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29 OctoberEntertainment
Hornby returns to profit as revenue surges 33%
Hornby has made a return to profitability in the first half of its financial year. The hobby products company, specialising in model trains, has increased its revenue by 33% to £21.1m following a business restructuring and new product launches. The business reported a statutory pre-tax profit of £17,000 compared to…
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28 OctoberComment
How temporary workers could make the difference to Covid-19 workforce planning
Today, on average just one in six firms (15%) rely on a flexible workforce; with 1.5 million temporary employees working in the UK today. In comparison, eight in 10 (80%) retail businesses have hired more agency workers during COVID-19, as unpredictable demand forces brands to re-think their staffing strategies and…
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27 OctoberClothing & Shoes
EWM begins shuttering small number of stores
The Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group (EWM) has reportedly already marked a small number of stores for closure as it continues to try and secure its future amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to Drapers, EWM branded stores in Penrith, Cumbria and Dingwall in Scotland closed permanently over the weekend (24-25 October)…
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27 OctoberClothing & Shoes
Quiz swings to loss as online sales fall
Quiz has swung to a loss of £3.7m in the full-year ended 31 March 2020, against a profit of £0.6m the previous year. In its latest preliminary results, the clothing retailer also confirmed that group revenue fell by 10%, while underlying EBITDA fell to £0.6m for the full-year, against the…
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26 OctoberHealth & Beauty
Unilever Q3 sales up 4.4%
Unilever has announced underlying sales growth of 4.4% for Q3 despite the impact of Covid-19. Turnover for Q3 fell 1.3% to €5.98bn (£5.43bn) from €6.06bn (£5.49bn) the previous year which the company attributed to the “changing consumer and channel dynamics” that have come about as a result of the Covid-19…
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