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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May- 2020 -5 MayPeople Moves
JD Sports blocks director appointment at Boohoo
Sportswear giant JD has reportedly blocked non-executive director Kath Smith from joining online fashion retailer Boohoo in the same role. The online fashion group announced the appointment of Smith last month, effective from 1 May. Boohoo’s group CEO Mahmud Kamani had said: “Her commercial insight will be a great asset…
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4 MayCoronavirus
Sports Direct managers say firm asked them to work while on furlough
Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct and House of Fraser firms reportedly asked store managers to work one day a week despite being furloughed. According to The Guardian, store managers allege that they had been asked to come into stores and prepare stock ready to be distributed to its Shirebrook warehouse to…
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4 MayCoronavirus
Bira releases ‘life after lockdown’ strategy
The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has released its 10-point “life after lockdown” strategy, calling on the government to consider lifting restrictions on smaller retailers first. In an open letter, CEO Andrew Goodacre’s survival plan encourages retailers to consider sustainable retail, customer focused experiences and multi-channel sales to survive post…
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4 MayCoronavirus
Homebase reopens UK sites amid Covid-19 pandemic
DIY retailer Homebase has reopened all of its UK stores amid the Covid-19 crisis. Despite being classed as an essential retailer, last month the retailer temporarily closed its stores and started operating online with Homebase saying the safety of its customers and team was its “first priority.” In a statement…
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1 MayBusiness Bites
Are we beginning to re-open anyway?
The PM says he will soon announce the reopening plan after weeks of compulsory lockdown for the UKs public and its businesses. Boris Johnson is under pressure to come up with the blueprint for restarting the economy as the list of suffering firms grows larger and more and more redundancies…
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1 MayCoronavirus
Iceland boss hits back at HMRC over minimum wage probe
The boss of Iceland has hit back at HMRC for “harassing” the business in regards to a previous minimum wage tax dispute amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. According to the Times, Sir Malcom Walker, who founded the businesses over 50 years ago, said in a letter that HMRC should be…
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1 MayEconomy
Quarter of retail SMEs will need up to two years to recover
Nearly a quarter (22%) of SMEs in the retail sector believe it will take up to two years to recoup the financial losses caused by Covid-19, according to research from law firm Buckworths. The firm surveyed over 500 UK SME owners and decision-makers to gauge attitudes towards the Government’s response…
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1 MayCoronavirus
Intu appoints to chief restructuring officer to ‘fix’ balance sheets
Shopping centre owner Intu has announced the appointment of David Hargrave as chief restructuring officer to “fix” its balance sheet amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Hargrave has 33 years of experience in the transaction business of ‘Big four’ accounting firms, where he held senior positions at PwC, from 1987 to 200…
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1 MayCoronavirus
Amazon: Sales surge while spending rises
Amazon has revealed that sales rocketed 26% to $75.5bn (£60.1bn) in the first quarter of the year, with a possibility of rising 28% in the next quarter. Despite the boom in sales, net income still fell 29% to $2.5bn (£1.9bn) in the period following increased spending, with shipping costs alone…
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Apr- 2020 -30 AprilCoronavirus
Oasis and Warehouse stores closed ‘indefinitely’, 1,800 jobs lost
Over 1,800 employees at fashion retailers Oasis and Warehouse are set to be made redundant after administrators failed to find a new buyer for the retailers. The fashion brands have now been sold to Hilco, a restructuring firm and former owner of HMV. Whilst Hilco agreed to buy the retailer’s…
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