Manchester
This coverage highlights retail activity, trends, and developments in Manchester, a key UK retail hub. Reporting includes store openings and closures, property developments, local economic impacts, retail performance data, and insights into regional strategies by national and independent brands. Tailored for executives and managers, it supports strategic planning for those engaged in retail operations and expansion in the North West.
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Feb- 2025 -4 FebruarySupermarkets
Aldi to create 1,600 new store roles
Aldi is set to create 1,600 new store roles this year as it aims to continue its significant investment across the UK. Britain’s fourth-largest supermarket, which currently has more than 1,050 stores, has plans to open even more across the UK as part of its £650m investment in Britain. Roles…
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4 FebruaryClothing & Shoes
Mango to open 20 new UK stores in 2025
Mango has announced that it is aiming to open 20 new UK stores in 2025 as part of its 2024-2026 Strategic Plan. The plan will concentrate in London, with six openings, as well as central England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the arrival in Cardiff. One of the company’s six openings…
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Jan- 2025 -29 JanuaryAdvice
From classroom to commerce: How Alok Ruia reinvented SockShop
Alok Ruia, Director of SockShop, did not initially set out to join the family business. The Ruia Group, founded by his father and uncles in the 1950s, started as a textile importing business in Manchester, supplying raw cloth to UK manufacturers. “It’s a family business to this day,” Ruia explains,…
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27 JanuaryNews-In-Brief
Today’s news in brief-27/1/25
WH Smith is exploring the sale of its high street arm to focus on its global Travel business, which now contributes 75% of revenue and 85% of profits. The potential sale, managed by bankers at Greenhill, comes amid a 9% decline in high street profits to £39m, although group revenue…
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27 JanuaryHigh Street
Hotel Chocolat to open 25 stores this year amid record Xmas sales
Hotel Chocolat posted record UK Christmas sales for the 4 weeks to 29 December and has revealed it is set to open 25 new stores in the UK this year. The premium chocolatier saw sales rise 10.4% year-on-year, with 21 and 23 December being the busiest shopping days online and…
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13 JanuaryHealth & Beauty
Boots sales rise 8.1% in Q1
Boots has delivered a “strong” first quarter with total comparable retail sales up 8.1% YoY for the three months ended 30 November 2024. The UK’s leading health and beauty retailer saw growth across all categories and channels, on top of a “significant increase” in the prior year. Boots’ digital sales…
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8 JanuaryComment
Shaping the future of retail analytics
Diane Wehrle, co-founder of Springboard, is a name synonymous with retail data innovation. Her journey from a business graduate to a pioneer in retail analytics is a testament to vision, resilience, and seizing untapped opportunities. In an industry often starved for real-time, actionable insights, Wehrle’s work has transformed how retailers…
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6 JanuaryClothing & Shoes
New Look to speed up planned closures ahead of tax changes
New Look is reportedly set to permanently shutter roughly a quarter of its 364 stores when leases expire, putting some of its 8,000 staff at risk, according to The Times. While the retailer has restructured its store portfolio twice in the past six years and downsized from 600 UK stores…
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Dec- 2024 -20 DecemberFeatures
Lex Deak on how Basket is revolutionising e-commerce and reshaping consumer habits
In the fast-paced world of e-commerce, few ideas seem destined to stand the test of time. Yet Lex Deak, the founder of Basket, may have cracked the code. A self-proclaimed “serial entrepreneur,” Deak’s innovative app is designed to make online shopping more intuitive, efficient, and personal. In a candid conversation,…
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13 DecemberFeatures
Taylor & Hart’s CEO on how retailers can disrupt fragmented markets
Nikolay Piriankov, CEO of bespoke jeweller Taylor & Hart, has always known how to seize an opportunity. From launching entrepreneurial ventures in his high school days to leading an innovative jewellery company, his story is one of hustle, risk, and reinvention. Here, Piriankov reflects on his early entrepreneurial spirit, the…
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