Minimum Wage
This coverage examines the impact of minimum wage policies on UK retail businesses, with reporting on legislative changes, compliance obligations, cost management, and workforce strategies. Insight focuses on how retailers adapt operations, staffing, and pay structures to meet legal requirements while maintaining commercial performance — supporting executives, HR managers, and owners navigating wage regulation challenges.
-
Jan- 2019 -21 JanuaryHigh Street
Chapelle enters administration
Jewellery and watch retailer Chapelle has entered into administration, four years after it was sold to HMV owners Hilco UK. Philip Duffy and Sarah Bell of accountancy firm Duff & Phelps have been appointed as administrators of both Mortimer Management Group and The Jewellery Outlet, which makes up Chapelle. The…
Read More » -
2 JanuaryHR
Iceland facing £21m bill over Christmas savings scheme
Iceland could be hit with a £21m fine as the HMRC has said the supermarket’s Christmas savings scheme meant its workers were being paid less than the minimum wage. The scheme allows workers to set aside a proportion of their weekly wage to be claimed back later, but CEO and…
Read More » -
Dec- 2018 -5 DecemberAnalysis
Why are retail spaces shrinking across England and Wales?
Across the UK, retailers are struggling to survive. This is down to several factors: years of austerity and low wage growth has meant that households have less spending power, the cost of imported goods has risen – as has the national minimum wage – and the trend of “bricks to…
Read More » -
Nov- 2018 -28 NovemberClothing & Shoes
Primark, Topshop and ASOS defend practices in Parliament
Primark, Arcadia, ASOS were among some of the retailers who had executives and representatives appear before the Environmental Audit Committee to answer questions on sustainability in their businesses. This was part of the Environmental Audit Committee’s ongoing inquiry into the sustainability of the fashion industry. Representatives from Marks and Spencer,…
Read More » -
Oct- 2018 -3 OctoberOnline & Digital
Amazon bows to pressure, boosts wages for US and UK staff
Amazon has increased the minimum wage for US staff to $15, after founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said he had “listened to our critics” and “thought hard” about his firm’s response to sustained criticism about its pay levels. Bezos’ announcement means more than 250,000 US and 17,000 UK staff, as…
Read More » -
Sep- 2018 -24 SeptemberGovernment
Retail found to have second highest number of underpaid staff
The retail sector was estimated to have the second highest number of staff who were paid less than minimum wage, accounting for 51,300 jobs. This is according to a report by HMRC as part of the government’s investigation and initiative to clampdown on employers underpaying their staff. The hospitality sector had…
Read More » -
Jul- 2018 -10 JulyGovernment
Home Bargains ‘underpaid staff £272k’
Discount retailer TJ Morris Limited, trading as Home Bargains, has failed to pay the national minimum wage to its staff according to the UK government. Home Bargains appeared second in a government list of nearly 240 employers who had not paid the National Living and Minimum Wage, with the retailer…
Read More » -
Jun- 2018 -4 JuneOnline & Digital
Amazon faces legal action over alleged ‘bogus’ self-employment
GMB, the trade union for ‘gig economy’ workers, has announced plans to bring legal action against three of Amazon’s delivery companies over what it calls “bogus” self-employment. The action, announced today (4 June) at GMB’s 101st annual congress in Brighton, is on behalf of people working as couriers and delivering…
Read More » -
May- 2018 -10 MayGovernment
Named and shamed: Underpaid retail staff among 200,000 to receive £15.6m back pay
HMRC has identified £15.6m in pay owed to more than 200,000 of the UK’s lowest paid workers, following an investigation from 2017 to 2018. This was an increase from the £10.9m that was owed to 98,000 workers in the previous year. Earlier this year, Karen Millen, Shoe Zone and bedroom…
Read More » -
Apr- 2018 -24 AprilHigh Street
650 retail stores have closed in 2018 so far
Nearly 650 retail stores and restaurants have shut or are at risk of closure since the start of 2018. According to analysis by BBC 5 live’s Wake Up to Money Maplin and Toys R Us sites accounted for half of the total closures, as both chains fell into administration on…
Read More »
