England
This coverage focuses on retail developments, trends, and performance across England. Reporting includes store openings and closures, regional economic factors, consumer behaviour, property developments, and strategic initiatives by national and local retailers. Designed for executives and managers, it offers insights into operating successfully within England’s diverse retail landscape.
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Jan- 2020 -30 JanuaryElectrical
Deloitte fined £1m over handling of Comet administration
‘Big Four’ accountancy firm Deloitte has been fined £925,000 for its handling of electrical goods retailer Comet’s administration in 2012. Deloitte and two of its partners, Neville Kahn and Christopher Farrington, have been sanctioned by the accountancy watchdog and have also agreed to pay the costs of the Institute of…
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15 JanuaryAnalysis
Boohoo more valuable than M&S – a sea-change encapsulated
From a purely journalistic standpoint it is now a de facto cliché to refer to Marks and Spencer as the “high street bellwether”, yet that is the status it has held for so many decades. The once mighty monolith was the first British retailer to reach a market capitalisation of…
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14 JanuaryAnalysis
Javid mulls three-year passenger duty holiday for Flybe
Things are not looking rosy for low-cost airline, Flybe, but the chancellor Sajid Javid may have some proposals that save it from complete collapse. It is reported this morning that he is considering cutting air passenger duty on all domestic flights – a big boon for all the other airlines…
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9 JanuaryAnalysis
Who would have thought skinny jeans could be anyone’s undoing?
It’s not often that the business pages give you a good belly laugh. But today we have the spectacle of Marks & Spencer blaming its poor Christmas trading results partly on an oversupply of skinny jeans for men. Apparently customer surveys revealed that the high street bellwether’s ranges were “too…
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Dec- 2019 -19 DecemberHigh Street
Debenhams landlord challenges High Court CVA decision
A Debenhams landlord has decided to appeal against a recent High Court ruling which paved the way for the embattled retailer’s CVA to go ahead. According to a report by the Telegraph, the Salford-based landlord is hoping to “overthrow” the legal win from two months ago. In September, the High…
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3 DecemberEconomy
Outstanding business rates challenges increase by 35%
The number of businesses waiting for challenges over soaring business rates to be resolved has jumped by more than a third in just three months, according to new figures issued by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). The figures revealed the number of outstanding challenges has increased by 35% fuelling concerns…
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Nov- 2019 -22 NovemberHigh Street
Hays Travel creates 1,500 new jobs following Thomas Cook acquisition
Independent travel agent, Hays Travel, has announced a further 1,500 new jobs and apprenticeships following its acquisition of Thomas Cook in October. The roles, which are available now, include 200 new posts at the company’s head office in Sunderland, northeast England, and 500 jobs handling foreign currency in each of…
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8 NovemberDIY
Halfords acquires garage chain amid profit plunge
Halfords has announced the acquisition of garage chain McConechy’s Tyre Service after closing a deal worth around £9.3m. The deal, which will see Halfords acquire all 60 sites and 100 vans belonging to the independent chain, will now allow the retailer to operate in more than 900 service locations across…
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Oct- 2019 -16 OctoberEconomy
Retail sector could face £137m rates hike next year
September’s headline rate of inflation is set to cause more business rates increases in 2020, according to calculations from real estate advisers Altus Group. The firm said the 1.7% uprating for inflation will add an additional £536m to the overall gross business rates burden. As a result, the “embattled” retail…
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1 OctoberHigh Street
FRC to investigate Thomas Cook auditor following collapse
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has announced it will be investigating Thomas Cook’s auditor EY, following its collapse last week which left 21,000 staff out of work and as many as 15,000 British tourists stranded abroad. The investigation will look into the audit by EY of the financial statements of…
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