London
This coverage focuses on retail activity, trends, and developments in London, a central hub of the UK retail industry. Reporting highlights flagship store openings, property developments, regional economic factors, consumer behaviour, and strategic moves by both international and domestic brands. Tailored for retail executives and managers, it offers insights into operating and competing in one of the worldโs most dynamic retail markets.
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Sep- 2018 -14 SeptemberDepartment Stores
John Lewis Oxford Street flagship sees business rates rise 57% in a year
John Lewisโ flagship on Oxford Street, London is expected to see its business rates tax rise from ยฃ12.68m to ยฃ19.91m up 57% compared with last yearโs revaluation. According to real estate advisor, Altus Group, the Oxford Street store alone will pay ยฃ41.04m in business rates over the four years of…
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14 SeptemberDepartment Stores
London department stores smash own windows
London department stores including Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Fortnum & Mason have smashed their own windows to commemorate the centenary of womenโs voting rights. The move is the result of a partnership between the British Fashion Council (BFC) and the Mayor of Londonโs โBehind Every Great Cityโ campaign. The mayoral…
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14 SeptemberHigh Street
Sports Direct struggling to find auditor as EY, KPMG and PwC refuse role
EY, KPMG and PwC have all declined to take on an audit of Sports direct as the company attempts to find a replacement for Grant Thornton. According to Sky News three out of the โbig fourโ accounting firms have declined to take up the role due to potential conflicts of…
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13 SeptemberHigh Street
New retail park specialising in โbulky goodsโ to create 260 jobs
A new retail park in East Kilbride, Scotland specialising in โbulky goodsโ such as furniture, carpets, DIY, kitchens, bathrooms, furniture, beds and homeware, will create 260 jobs according to its developers. Peel Park is set to cost developers London & Scottish Investments (LSI) ยฃ35m stretching across 125,000 sq ft. The…
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13 SeptemberDepartment Stores
Sports Direct rules out Debenhams takeover
Sports Direct has quashed speculation that it could increase its 30% stake in embattled department store Debenhams with a buyout deal. Senior non-executive director Simon Bentley caused confusion when he told reporters that a House of Fraser and Debenhams merger had โbeen discussedโ by the board during its AGM on…
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11 SeptemberComment
The escalating issue of โserial returnersโ
Retailers are already under intense pressure, from reduced margins to competition from online giants, and now they face another woe: the rise of the so-called โserial returnersโ, who deliberately buy more items than they intend to keep and return them days later. Brightpearl we recently surveyed 2,000 consumers across the…
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10 SeptemberHigh Street
August footfall down 1.6% despite some retail park growth
Retail footfall dropped by 1.6% in August despite seeing rare retail park growth in the East and South West of the UK. The figures are according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboardโs footfall and vacancies monitor with August seeing a sharper decline than the 0.8% experienced in July,…
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4 SeptemberEconomy
Footfall โbetter than expectedโ in August
Footfall fell by 4.1% in August compared with the same month last year, according to the Ipsos retail footfall tracker. Despite the drop, analysts described footfall levels as โbetter than expectedโ as the pace of year-on-year footfall decline slowed in August. Ipsos said this might be down to the success…
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3 SeptemberOnline & Digital
Eve Sleep appoints former Moonpig boss as new CEO
Online mattress retailer Eve Sleep has announced the appointment of James Sturrock as chief executive officer with effect from 10 September 2018. The company has also appointed Nikki Crumpton to the board as senior independent non-executive director with immediate effect, replacing Peter Hepworth who has decided to step down from…
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Aug- 2018 -31 AugustComment
Can VAT help save the High Street?
There are growing calls for an ‘online sales tax’ (OST) to redress the balance between physical and digital retailing but a fiscal solution may have to be more intricate โ and how VAT is levied may be part of the answer. Weโre all familiar with being asked in sandwich bars…
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