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- 2020 -22 AprilCoronavirus
John Lewis furloughs 14,000 members of staff
John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has revealed it has furloughed over 14,000 members of staff and will slash over £200m from its year spend. The effort to cut costs, which was announced in a letter to partners and staff, comes as John Lewis revealed a “mixed” trading period. With all 50…
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22 AprilOnline & Digital
Boohoo reports 54% rise in pre-tax profits in FY results
Online fashion retailer Boohoo has reported a 54% rise in pre-tax profit to £92.2m compared with £59.9m last year. In its full year results ended 29 February 2020, Boohoo reported a 44% increase in revenues to £1.2bn compared with £857m in the same period in 2019. Gross profit increased by…
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22 AprilClothing & Shoes
Moss Bros buyer fights to pull £22.6m offer
The Brigadier Acquisition Company is reportedly seeking to retract its £22.6m offer to takeover Moss Bros. The Moss Bros board announced that it had been informed that the potential buyer was now seeking a ruling from the City Takeover Panel in an update posted this morning (22 April). The clothing…
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21 AprilComment
How brands can use feedback to excel CX in the post-coronavirus world
The coronavirus lockdown is likely to change consumers’ relationships with brands in all kinds of ways. With a third of the world’s population under some form of restriction because of the pandemic, millions of consumers have hours to spend online, reassessing the familiar and exploring the new. At a time…
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21 AprilBusiness Bites
Oil prices plunge, Virgin Australia could crash land, Nasa robots controlled from the kitchen table
Oil producers in the United States will pay you to take their barrels as global demand has plummeted amid government lockdowns. It’s hard to overstate the significance of the story, but probably the best way is to say that this has never happened before. Essentially the largest producers have ended…
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21 AprilCoronavirus
Companies House suspends strike-offs amid Covid-19 crisis
Companies House has announced it has temporarily paused its strike off process to prevent companies being dissolved amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The government announced changes to Companies House enforcement last week (16 April), which gives businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak the time they need to update their records and…
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21 AprilCoronavirus Featured Content
Customer contracts in a crisis
We lawyers have been asked a lot of questions about contracts in the past couple of weeks. At this point, I probably don’t need to tell you why. Most of the questions have been along similar lines – “can I get out of this contract?” and “how much will I…
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21 AprilCoronavirus
Covid-19: Primark to suffer £284m stock hit
Associated British Foods (ABF) has revealed that Primark will take a £284m hit in stock following store closures amid the ongoing pandemic. ABF said the prediction was made following a “careful review” of its inventory, and added that the retailer had fully paid for and taken delivery of “very large…
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20 AprilCoronavirus
UK retail footfall plummets in March
UK retail footfall decreased by 44.7% in March due to the mandatory lockdown, according to the latest BRC-ShopperTrak footfall monitor. The report said the figure is a record decline for the industry that saw “unprecedented challenges” during the month as the UK continues to battle the Covid-19 pandemic. In the…
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20 AprilComment
What’s behind the demise of Cath Kidston?
Sadly, the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutting of high street stores has compounded the effects on the already struggling retail sector. Along with other 90s/early 2000s favourites Oasis and Warehouse, homeware and clothing retailer Cath Kidston announced it was going into administration this month. According to Savanta BrandVue Retail data,…
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