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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Oct- 2020 -9 OctoberHigh Street
Retailers record best monthly in-store sales since February
High street sales in September recorded the best monthly in-store results since before Covid-19 began in February, according to new figures. BDO, an accountancy and business advisory firm, said sales at the beginning of September were the second-best weekly total since early March. Sales rose by 65.1% in September compared…
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8 OctoberCoronavirus
New Covid-19 restrictions hit city-centre hospitality hardest
The impact of schools starting and government Covid-19 restrictions hit city centre hospitality and retail the hardest, a study has found. According to Springboard, a retail and hospitality research company, footfall rebounded in September having dropped by 28.2% in August. The recent slump in footfall is a consequence of the…
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8 OctoberOnline & Digital
Ebay UK to launch ‘Pay As You Go” scheme
Ebay UK is set to launch the ‘Pay As You Go’ scheme for start-ups, in response to the economic downturn resulting from Covid-19. From 9 October, the e-ecommerce site will remove all fees for first time sellers for their first 100 sales each month and fees will be “significantly” reduced…
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7 OctoberNews
AO opens third warehouse in four months
Online electricals retailer AO is opening its third warehouse in four months. The Stoke-on-Trent site will add 275,000 square feet of warehouse space to their distribution portfolio. AO’s fifth warehouse in total will also create 120 new jobs in the Staffordshire area, part of the company’s nationwide recruitment drive of…
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6 OctoberEconomy
High Streets Task Force appoints 150 experts
The High Streets Task Force has appointed 150 professionals to work with local authorities in England over the next four years, supporting their evolution and response to Covid-19. Towns in England will receive advice on progressing local plans, bidding for investment and helping the high street post-pandemic. The ‘experts register’…
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5 OctoberClothing & Shoes
Mulberry swings to full-year loss
Mulberry has announced that group revenue fell by 10% to £149.3m in the full-year ended 28 March 2020, in light of a “challenging” UK market and the impact of the pandemic towards the end of the financial period. The group also swung to a pre-tax loss of £14.2m, down from…
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1 OctoberGovernment
Retail coalition calls for government inquiry on retail violence
Several retail trade bodies have formed a coalition to call on parliament to launch an inquiry on retail violence, in a letter published yesterday (30 September). The British Retail Consortium, the Association of Convenience Stores, Usdaw and the National Federation of Retail Newsagents wrote to Yvette Cooper MP, chair of…
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1 OctoberDIY
Kingfisher offloads Russian chain in £73m deal
B&Q and Screwfix owner Kingfisher has announced it has offloaded Castorama Russia to Russian home improvement firm Maxidom in a £73m deal. Kingfisher, which has approximately 1,350 stores across eight European countries, said that the deal was closed on 30 September with 80% paid at the closing of the transaction.…
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1 OctoberSport & Leisure
Halfords raises expectations amid ‘positive momentum’
Halfords has announced that its pre-tax profit in the first half of the year is now expected to be in excess of £55m, following continued “positive” momentum in its cycling and motoring business. Its previous 20-week trading update on 8 September highlighted an “improving growth trend” throughout the period, reflecting…
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Sep- 2020 -30 SeptemberEconomy
N Brown reveals H1 recovery on back of homeware demand
The N Brown group has posted a “recovery” in H1 sales following an increased demand for homeware. N Brown said it has experienced a product revenue trajectory which has “continued to improve” throughout the second quarter, stabilising at -20.5% for H1. Losses in product revenue were down by 58.3% by…
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