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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Nov- 2021 -2 NovemberProperty
Landsec to acquire U and I Group for £190m
Landsec has reached an agreement to acquire urban regeneration group U and I for a total of £190m, at a price of 149p per share. The retail landlord said the move would combine U and I’s front-end development capabilities, placemaking skills and portfolio of core regeneration projects with Landsec’s “development…
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1 NovemberDIY
Ikea workers to benefit from £93m Covid bonus
More than 170,000 Ikea employees are set to benefit from a share of €110m (£93m) in recognition of their efforts during the Covid pandemic. The award will be divided among the countries and apply to all Ingka Group co-workers (Ikea Retail, Ingka Centres, and Ingka Investments) employed on 31 August,…
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Oct- 2021 -29 OctoberElectrical
Amazon to spend ‘several billion’ to manage supply shortages
Amazon has warned that it expects to incur “several billion dollars” of additional costs in the upcoming months as supply chain issues hit an all time high. The company said the expenses will be used to manage through labor supply shortages, increased wage costs, global supply chain issues, and increased…
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28 OctoberDIY
Travis Perkins hikes profit guidance amid ‘robust’ trading
Travis Perkins has upgraded its expected profit for its full-year results following a period of “robust” trading in recent months. The group now expects to report a profit of “at least” £340m, including around £40m in property profits. It comes as the group welcomed positive trading momentum with a like-for-like…
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27 OctoberComment
Long Covid: a particularly bad headache for retail?
Cooped up indoors, face to face with a steady stream of strangers. No working from home. When it comes to Covid-related absence, it’s no surprise retail is the UK’s hardest-hit industry. Our data shows that over 222,000 retail employees missed work due to a positive test between January and mid-July.…
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22 OctoberEconomy
September retail sales fall 0.2%, ONS reveals
September retail sales volumes fell by 0.2% and by 2.6% when compared with the same period in 2020, according to the latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) results. Non-food stores reported a fall of 1.4% in sales volumes in September 2021, which was mainly due to a 9.3% decrease in…
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21 OctoberAdvice
Last chance saloon
Is the writing on the wall for eCommerce? Customers have relied on online retail for 18 months, with repeated lockdowns contributing to an extraordinary spike in growth – online now contributes 36% of retail revenue compared to just 16% pre-pandemic. Yet, while some of this new buying behaviour is likely…
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21 OctoberProperty
Hammerson rent collection hits 70% in Q4
Hammerson has revealed that rent collection has improved in its latest quarter, with 70% of rent now collected in Q4 to date. This is “significantly” ahead of any quarter since Q1 2020, when the effects of the pandemic were first felt. The UK continued to be the “strongest performer”, as…
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20 OctoberNews
Matalan revenues up 2.6% despite supply chain issues
Matalan has revealed its revenues increased by 2.6% to £264.7m during the 13-week period ending 28 August 2021. The retailer reported revenue in the second quarter of £264.7m, up from £258m year on year, with pre-tax profits of £11m up from a loss of £24m for the same period of…
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20 OctoberSupermarkets
Asda announces Christmas recruitment drive
Asda has announced it is recruiting 15,000 temporary colleagues for the festive season, and has confirmed the dates its festive home delivery slots go live. The supermarket is recruiting seasonal colleagues to fulfil a variety of different roles including serving customers, replenishing shelves, picking, packing and delivering online orders. Around…
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