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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Dec- 2023 -22 DecemberNews
UK retail sales rise 1.3% in November
Retail sales volumes are estimated to have increased by 1.3% in November 2023, from no growth (revised from a fall of 0.3%) in October 2023, according to new figures by the ONS. Non-food store sales volumes rose by 2.3% in November 2023, following a 0.2% increase in October 2023. Retailers…
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21 DecemberNews
4,500 retailers in critical financial distress, new data reveals
Nearly 4,500 retailers are now in critical financial distress as poor consumer confidence, “sticky” inflation, and elevated interest rates force consumers to hold back from spending big, even in the run up to Christmas, according to new data from Begbies Traynor. Following its findings, which analysed the first 10 weeks…
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Nov- 2023 -28 NovemberNews
Topps Tiles PBT falls to £6.8m despite record revenues
Topps Tiles has revealed its profit before tax fell 37.6% to £6.8m in FY23 despite reporting a third consecutive record year of revenues as they increased 6.3% to £262.7m. The retailer said that sales per store were up 30% compared with pre-pandemic levels due to further improvements to its customer…
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27 NovemberNews
Footfall jumps 7.9% during Black Friday
Black Friday footfall jumped by 7.9% against the week previous across all UK retail destinations, providing retailers with a much needed boost during the Golden Quarter, according to the latest figures from MRI Software. Much of the uplift was driven by Black Friday itself, with destinations benefiting from increased footfall…
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27 NovemberHigh Street
Mountain Warehouse to open 50 stores in 2024 amid record revenues
Mountain Warehouse has revealed it will be opening a new branch every week in the run up to Christmas and 50 more stores next year, as it aims to ramp up its expansion plans. It comes as its revenues increased 22.6% to £371m in the year ending February 2023 amid…
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24 NovemberFeatures
Better than forecasted: how is Black Friday 2023 doing?
According to last week’s release from MRI Software, Black Friday 2023 is going to be underwhelming for retailers compared to pre-pandemic levels. Does this still hold true? Can you expand further? At MRI Software what we predicted last week was that Black Friday would weaken compared with previous years and…
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17 NovemberNews
Today’s news in brief-17/11/23
HMV is set to make a comeback at its historic Oxford Street location, reopening on November 24, four years after the flagship store closed. The store at 363 Oxford Street, the site of the first HMV store in 1921, will create over 70 new jobs. The refurbished flagship will serve…
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17 NovemberNews
Halfords joins bid to rescue Wiggle
Halfords is reportedly among a group of retailers expressing interest in buying online sports retailer Wiggle, Sky News has reported. The retailer is said to have put up a bid to snap up Wiggle, joining Frasers Group, the owner of Sports Direct and Evans Cycles. Next is also believed to…
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14 NovemberDepartment Stores
Next defends chair following shareholder rebellion
Next has defended its chair, Michael Roney, after more than 20% of shareholders voted against his re-election at the company’s AGM earlier this year. Back in May, 20.84% of voting shareholders chose to not support his re-election as a director of the company. Under the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code,…
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13 NovemberNews
Today’s news in brief-13/11/23
Retail theft is projected to cost UK retailers £7.9bn in 2023, with a notable increase in employee theft. Thruvision Group plc and Retail Economics conducted the research, revealing that shoppers contribute to 60% of the theft (£4.7bn), while employees, particularly in distribution centres, contribute 40% (£3.2bn). Employee theft in DCs…
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