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.
-
Sep- 2021 -15 SeptemberSupermarkets
Sainsbury’s to close all stores on Boxing Day
Sainsbury’s has announced it will keep all of its supermarkets, convenience stores and petrol filling stations closed on Boxing Day. It is the first grocer to announce the decision. Sainsbury’s said the decision to keep all stores shut has been made in recognition of the “extraordinary efforts of colleagues throughout…
Read More » -
14 SeptemberAdvice
Embracing Google Shopping and omnichannel strategies post-lockdown
The relaxation of restrictions on June 21 – or as it has become known in the media, ‘Freedom Day’ – was meant to be a return to normality. For brick and mortar retailers especially, this represented a chance for them to increase sales and recoup losses endured during lockdown. However,…
Read More » -
14 SeptemberClothing & Shoes
JD Sports H1 profits soar to £440m
JD Sports has seen its profits before tax and exceptional items soar to £439.5m in H1 FY21, up from £61.9m in the same period of FY20 and £158.6m in FY19. The sports fashion retailer reported a 52.7% year-on-year climb in group revenues to £3.89bn in the 26-week period ended 31…
Read More » -
13 SeptemberClothing & Shoes
Primark Q4 operating profits to beat expectations despite sales fall
Associated British Foods (AB Foods) has announced that Primark will beat its Q4 FY21 adjusted operating profit expectations, as the group’s H2 retail sales are set to hit £3.4bn. In a trading update, the group claimed that while Primark’s sales for the year ended 18 September were “lower than expected”,…
Read More » -
10 SeptemberHigh Street
UK economic growth slows, ONS reveals
UK economic growth slowed down in July, growing by 0.1% compared with 1% in June 2021, according to the latest data by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). With the spread of the Delta variant and the “pingdemic” taking its hold in July, gross domestic product (GDP) still remains 2.1%…
Read More » -
10 SeptemberClothing & Shoes
Tod’s sees profits reach €65m in H1
Tod’s, the shoewear company, has reported an EBITDA of €65m (£55m), with a 16.3% margin on sales in the first half of 2021. This compares to a €18.7m (£16m) operating loss in the first half of 2020. Compared to the pre-pandemic situation in the first half of 2019, the company…
Read More » -
9 SeptemberHigh Street
Costa Coffee to increase staff pay by 5%
Costa Coffee has announced that all 14,500 of its store team members in UK company-owned stores will receive a 5% pay increase. From 1 October 2021, all store team members will receive pay increases of at least 45p per hour, bringing minimum pay to £9.36 per hour from £8.91. The…
Read More » -
9 SeptemberHigh Street
61% of shop workers subjected to offensive behaviour, study finds
Some 61% of shop workers have experienced some form of offensive behaviour while working for their current employer, for whom the impact manifested as stress (45%), anxiety (43%) and a loss of self-esteem (19%), according to a recent survey of 1048 shopworkers by Foot Anstey. Foot Anstey said half of…
Read More » -
9 SeptemberSupermarkets
Morrisons warns of ‘industry-wide’ inflation as profits drop 37.1%
Morrisons has forecasted “industry-wide” price increases across the retail sector during the second half of FY22, as HGV driver issues continue to cause supply chain disruptions. The supermarket chain attributed the expected hike in prices to recent commodity price increases and freight inflation, as well as the ongoing driver shortages.…
Read More » -
8 SeptemberHigh Street
August online retail sales growth slows down
Online retail sales growth in August fell by 9.3% year-on-year, which was only a small improvement compared with July’s fall of 9.6%, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Index. The index revealed that August’s results were still “well below” the six (2.25%) and 12-month (21.37%) averages, but above…
Read More »
