Maplin
This coverage examines Maplin’s activities, strategy, and role in the UK retail sector, with a focus on its transformation from high-street electronics chain to an online-led business. Reporting covers its operational changes, ownership developments, brand positioning, and efforts to adapt to shifting consumer and market demands. Retail executives and managers can gain insight into the challenges and opportunities faced in reviving and repositioning a specialist retail brand.
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Nov- 2018 -14 NovemberClothing & Shoes
Blue Inc ‘close to administration’
Blue Inc is reportedly looking for a buyer to help the men’s fashion chain avoid falling into administration. The chain has appointed insolvency practitioners Begbies Traynor to sell the business and according to Sky News, sources said the retailer needed an immediate injection of capital in order for it to…
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Oct- 2018 -5 OctoberAnalysis
Innovation in retail: who’s your money on?
No business is immune from the potentially fatal consequences of relying on ‘business as usual’. The recent fates of household brands like Maplin and Toys R Us tell us that. It is true in any industry, but none more so than in retail. Is your business looking in the right…
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4 OctoberAdvice
What is an administration pre-pack, and how might it affect retail suppliers?
2018 has been a difficult year for retailers: East, Maplin, New Look, Carpetright, Carphone Warehouse, Poundworld, Mothercare, Toys ‘R’ Us, House of Fraser, and Homebase have all stumbled to varying degrees. For House of Fraser, Mike Ashley (via his SportsDirect group) arrived as a ‘white knight’, using an administration pre-pack…
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Aug- 2018 -20 AugustAdvice
Is your omnichannel strategy costing or saving you money?
For retailers that operate both online and physical stores, an ongoing challenge is to find a way to compete directly with online-only competitors. The latter has increasingly been flexing their muscles as traditional High Street chains come under more and more financial pressure, leading to some high-profile collapses and reshuffles…
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Jul- 2018 -31 JulyAdvice
Redefining the retail experience
For years we have heard stories of the apparent decline of the high street, with the likes of Comet, Maplin and Dixons dropping out of the town centre mix. Meanwhile, online giants like Amazon have proved disrupters in the way we search, experience and purchase goods – questioning whether a…
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19 JulyHigh Street
‘Phantom hours’ costing UK businesses £37m a week
A survey of shift workers in the retail, hospitality and leisure industries has found staff to be overstating their working hours by an average of almost half an hour a week. Staff rota scheduling firm Rotaready, which conducted the survey, said these ‘phantom hours’ are costing UK businesses as much…
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10 JulyProperty
Retail property value sees biggest drop in six years
The value of UK retail properties fell by 0.8% in June, the biggest monthly fall since May 2012. According to figures released by real estate company CBRE, in June UK high street shops’ capital values dropped by 1.3% while shopping centres saw a decrease of 1.1%. CBRE’s Monthly UK Index…
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Jun- 2018 -27 JuneHigh Street
Costa Coffee sales dip 2% in Q1
Coffee chain Costa has reported a fall in like-for-like sales at the start of the year, blaming a lack of shoppers on the high street. Although total UK sales grew by 5.2% due to new store openings, according to Costa owner Whitbread, the UK’s biggest coffee chain revealed a 2%…
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May- 2018 -15 MayEconomy
Decline in retail vacancies slows job growth market
Job growth has slowed since the beginning of the year with the retail industry suffering the biggest decline, according to new figures published by UK job site Reed. The Reed Job Index shows the slowest growth rate for new job postings since it began in January 2010. The index was…
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14 MayEconomy
Northern Ireland suffers most from UK retail struggles
Northern Ireland is suffering the worst of retail’s bad weather, showing a 7.3% drop in footfall and a retail space vacancy rate of 14.2%, 5% higher than the UK average. The figures from statistics and research firm, Springboard, show the country reporting its worst retail performance since 2015. The decline…
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