Essex
This coverage examines retail developments across Essex, focusing on store openings and closures, shopping centre activity, redevelopment projects, and shifts in consumer behaviour. Reporting includes updates from key locations such as Lakeside, Basildon, Southend-on-Sea, and Brentwood, analysing how economic pressures, online competition, and local regeneration efforts are shaping the region’s retail landscape. The content is tailored for retail managers, property professionals, and executives overseeing operations in regional markets.
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Jul- 2025 -24 JulyDIY
IKEA opens first new small-format store in Harlow as part of UK expansion
IKEA has opened a new small-format store in Harlow, Essex, the first of three such sites due this year, just over 100 days after acquiring the lease. The new store, which opened on 24 July, is located in a retail park and designed to offer a quicker and more accessible…
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Jun- 2025 -23 JuneSupermarkets
Aldi to recruit for 1,000 new store roles before 2026
Aldi is set to recruit for 1,000 store roles across the UK as it accelerates its store openings programme for the rest of 2025. The group said it is hiring for a range of in-store positions including store assistants, cleaners, apprentices and management roles. The recruitment drive follows a public…
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9 JuneClothing & Shoes
Matalan to open 10 stores annually amid £25m investment
Matalan has announced that it is set to invest over £25m in its UK store estate following the £25m of additional funding secured from its anchor investors last month. This marks the first phase of a long-term programme to modernise Matalan’s full estate over the next three to five years…
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Apr- 2025 -25 AprilNews-In-Brief
Today’s news in brief-25/4/25
The John Lewis Partnership has appointed Andy Mounsey as its new chief financial officer, effective immediately. Mounsey, who had been serving as interim CFO since last autumn, brings 13 years of experience within the business, including roles as Group Finance and Strategy director. A chartered accountant with prior experience at…
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25 AprilHigh Street
Hobbycraft set to close nine stores
Hobbycraft is set to close nine stores, a move affecting up to 126 jobs, as part of a restructure led by new owners Modella Capital, it confirmed to the BBC. The restructuring will also result in redundancies across its Bournemouth head office and distribution centre in Burton-on-Trent but it has…
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25 AprilHigh Street
TOFS places hundreds of jobs at risk under new revival plans
Nearly 1000 jobs at The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) reportedly could be at risk as the company embarks on a survival plan which hinges on widespread rent cuts, according to Sky News. Modella Capital, the new owner of TOFS, has reportedly drawn up plans to renegotiate rents at 88 of…
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Mar- 2025 -10 MarchSupermarkets
Asda eyes sale of car parking space to finance debt
Asda has reportedly launched a process to sell off almost 10 acres of car parking space as a way to reduce its debt, according to The Telegraph. Newsteer, which is advising Asda on the sales, has informed potential developers that Asda has identified surplus space at its stores in Slough,…
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Feb- 2025 -21 FebruarySupermarkets
Aldi to invest £67m in existing stores in 2025
Aldi has announced it is set to invest £67m in upgrading its existing stores in 2025. The UK’s fourth largest supermarket has spent almost £600m on store upgrades since 2017, and with the first phase of these updates nearly complete, Aldi is moving on to the next stage of its…
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Jan- 2025 -2 JanuaryComment
Reinventing the high Street with The Pop-Up Club
Tillie Peel, founder of The Pop-Up Club, is on a mission to breathe life into the high street. What began as a small experiment to bring vintage clothes to her Essex community has grown into a pioneering business that supports independent makers, artists, and small businesses. By transforming vacant spaces…
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Dec- 2024 -24 DecemberSupermarkets
Aldi to invest over £40m in Scotland over next two years
Aldi is set to invest over £40m into its Scottish store estate over the next two years, with three new sites set to open in 2025.Arbroath, Baillieston and Kirkintilloch stores are set to open next year, while its Carluke, Glenrothes and Stirling stores will undergo a refurbishment. The company said…
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