Pandemic
This coverage examines the impact of pandemics on the UK retail industry, focusing on operational disruption, financial challenges, consumer behaviour shifts, and recovery strategies. Reporting highlights store closures, safety measures, supply chain pressures, leadership decisions, and lessons learned to enhance resilience. Tailored for executives and managers, it provides insights to navigate crisis situations and strengthen preparedness.
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Apr- 2021 -30 AprilEconomy
One in seven retail units remain vacant, says BRC
Retail vacancies in the UK have increased across all shopping destinations, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Local Data Company’s (LDC) Vacancy Monitor. The trade association’s data revealed that one in seven of the country’s retail shops remain empty due to the pandemic. In the first quarter of…
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29 AprilShopping Centres
Westfield owner sees Q1 shopping centre turnover drop 42.8%
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), the owner of Westfield, saw a 30.1% year-on-year decline to £313.6m for its shopping centre revenues in Q1 2021. The group’s total turnover for the period fell 42.8% to £393.2m, as the company’s operations remained strongly impacted by ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. According to the group, the quarter saw…
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29 AprilHigh Street
WH Smith launches fundraise to open 100 new travel stores
WH Smith has unveiled plans to open around 100 new travel stores after launching a £325 bond offering in convertible bonds, despite reporting losses in its half-year results. The group, which also secured a £250m revolving credit facility with an extended maturity to 2025, said the funds will aid the…
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29 AprilClothing & Shoes
French Connection FY21 revenue drops 40.4%
French Connection saw its revenues plummet 40.4% year-on-year to £71.5m in the 12 months to 31 January 2021. The fashion retailer and wholesaler’s underlying losses for the period also expanded to £11.7m, from £2.9m the year before, as Covid-19 caused store closures and a reduction to wholesale demand. The group…
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28 AprilDIY
Travis Perkins completes Wickes demerger
Travis Perkins has announced that it has completed the demerger of Wickes Group following an approved shareholders general meeting. Following on from the demerger, the shares of Wickes were admitted at 8.00 a.m. today (28 April 2021) to trade on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. The group…
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28 AprilSupermarkets
Sainsbury’s swings to £261m loss as Covid costs rise to £485m
Sainsbury’s has slumped to a pre-tax loss of £261m, down from a profit of £255m the year before, after it was hit by £485m in Covid-19 related costs during the full-year period ending 6 March 2021. Alongside the Covid-related costs, the group also attributed the loss to costs arising from…
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28 AprilElectrical
Dixons Carphone to scrap airport shopping business
Dixons Carphone is set to close its airport shopping business, just months after the UK government announced plans to remove airside tax-free shopping. In a trading update, the electrical retailer said that it did not expect passenger numbers to “recover sufficiently” to compensate for the removal of the tax. This…
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28 AprilAdvice
Unlocking the future of in-store shopping – with our phones
Amazon Fresh still seems surreal (at least for some shoppers, for whom it feels a bit too closely like theft!). It’s a relatively new concept in the UK, with just three Amazon stores live at time of writing. But everything else surrounding the Fresh concept is already second nature, and…
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27 AprilSupermarkets
Grocery sales rise 5.7%
Take-home grocery sales rose 5.7% for the 12 weeks to 18 April 2021, according to data analytics and brand consulting company Kantar. The group’s figures also show a 6.5% growth for the four-weeks prior to 18 April, reflecting increasing consumer confidence in physical retail. Kantar found that the over-65 community…
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26 AprilAdvice
Tackling the new user, missed opportunity phenomenon
In a turbulent year, retailers have faced both famine (with retail stores closing) and feast (with the spike in online shopping) as they adapted to the restrictions and opportunities created by Covid-19. Our research shows that in the past 12 months the number of first-time online shoppers has doubled. However,…
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