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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Jan- 2021 -19 JanuaryHigh Street
Hotel Chocolat’s multi-channel model sees sales boost
Hotel Chocolat has reported a 19% rise in total group revenue in the 13 weeks to 27 December thanks to its multi-channel model, according to the company’s latest trading update. The chocolatier said strong online growth in the UK assisted the business as the pandemic led to temporary store closures…
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19 JanuaryElectrical
AO welcomes ‘record’ Christmas quarter
AO World has welcomed its “strongest ever” peak trading period over the Black Friday and Christmas period, with year-on-year UK revenue soaring 67.2% to £457.3m in the quarter ended 31 December 2020. It comes as the group said it has continued investment in its infrastructure in order to deliver higher…
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18 JanuaryAdvice
How packaging can build retail resilience
The ‘stay at home’ impact of the pandemic is turbocharging the importance of packaging. It is a critical component helping retailers to sell more products online and effectively move goods through busier and changing supply chains that are constantly flexing in response to the impact of Covid-19. At the same…
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18 JanuaryOnline & Digital
Barclay family mulls £3bn Very Group float
The Barclay family is reportedly eyeing up a £3bn float of online retailer Very Group, according to reports from Sky News. The billionaire family, who owns the business, is said to be in the early stages of exploring plans for the flotation in a bid to “capitalise on exploding investor…
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15 JanuaryOnline & Digital
N Brown sales continue to recover in Q3
N Brown has seen group revenue continue to improve in FY21. Though revenue was down by 8.8% in its third quarter, this marked an improvement from the 13.4% fall in Q2 and 21.9% decline in Q1, when the pandemic first hit. According to the retailer, customer trends in its latest…
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15 JanuaryEconomy
UK GDP shrinks by 2.6%
GDP declined by 2.6% in November 2020 as government restrictions reduced economic activity, the latest ONS figures reveal. Figures released by the statistics office show that November GDP was 8.5% below its pre-pandemic levels. The decline follows a period of economic growth for the UK, with last October’s report revealing…
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14 JanuaryCoronavirus
£95m Northern Ireland retail voucher scheme put on hold
A £95m high street voucher scheme, first announced by the Northern Ireland economy minister in November, has been referred to the next financial year, according to the BBC. The scheme is intended to support retailers that have been hardest hit by the pandemic, possibly through a pre-paid card system. Similar…
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14 JanuaryNews
Online sales growth hits 13-year high
UK online sales growth remained solid throughout December, coming in at +37% year-on-year (YoY) for the month and driving the annual figure to a 13-year high, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Index, which tracks the online sales performance of over 200 retailers. The index said that after…
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14 JanuarySupermarkets
Tesco reports record breaking Christmas
Tesco has reported the results of its “record Christmas”, however warned that it still expects to take a £810m hit due to Covid-19 related expenses. For the 19 weeks to January the chain witnessed a like for like growth of 6.7%, accelerating to 8.1% at Christmas, with the store crediting…
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14 JanuaryClothing & Shoes
Boohoo raises guidance as revenue soars
Boohoo has welcomed a period of “strong” trading towards the end of last year, with revenue soaring by 40% to £661m in the four months ended 31 December 2020. In light of this trading performance, it now expects group revenue growth for the financial year to 28 February 2021 to…
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