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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Sep- 2021 -2 SeptemberHealth & Beauty
Boots to launch 30 high street beauty halls
Boots has announced the launch of 30 new beauty halls across its UK sites as the group aims to expand its high street beauty offering. The latest additions are set to be introduced as smaller versions of the current 60 Boots beauty halls across its flagship shops such as Covent…
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1 SeptemberAdvice
Accelerating retail transformation to drive growth
Retailers have faced a tough year. Stay-at-home orders and the resulting shift to online saw buyer behaviour altered. Consumers across the globe flocked online in numbers not forecast for a decade. McKinsey’s UK Consumer Sentiment research highlighted that 63 per cent of consumers tried new shopping behaviours in the past year,…
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1 SeptemberHigh Street
Bank holiday sees footfall surge 8.2%
Footfall during the bank holiday week was up 14.2% from 2020 according to the latest data from Springboard. Footfall in the UK rose by 4.9% over the last week, with a peak of 8.2% during the bank holiday weekend as shoppers made the most of the long weekend ahead of…
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1 SeptemberHigh Street
WH Smith anticipates lower profitability for 2022
WH Smith has anticipated that the levels of profitability for the year ending August 2022 will be at the lower end of market expectations as a result of the ongoing effects of Covid-19. Prior to its preliminary results for the year ending 31 August 2021, the retailer revealed that total…
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Aug- 2021 -27 AugustGovernment
Contactless limit to hit £100 in October
The Government is set to raise the contactless card spending limit from £45 to £100 from 15 October 2021. Initial plans for the change were first announced in March’s budget announcement, and follow the increase from £30 to its current level at the start of the pandemic. The decision has…
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27 AugustDepartment Stores
Number of UK department stores falls 83% in five years
The number of department stores in the UK has plummeted 83% since the collapse of BHS in 2016. According to the BBC, this underlines the “upheaval” of the high street following changes to shopping habits that have been accelerated by the pandemic. The latest figure comes from new research by…
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27 AugustSupermarkets
EG Group revenues soar 57.7% in Q2
Blackburn-based retail giant EG Group saw total revenues soar 57.7% year-on-year to $6.51bn (£4.75m) in Q2 FY21. The new Asda owner also reported a 23.7% growth in group EBITDA, up from $307m (£224m) in Q2 FY20 to $380m (£277m) this year. The Issa brothers’ global company continued to gain the…
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26 AugustLuxury Goods
Watches of Switzerland secures new CFO
Watches of Switzerland has announced the appointment of William Floydd as its newest CFO. He will succeed Anders Romberg who recently informed the board of his intention to retire after seven years in the role. Floydd will join the company from The Rank Group where he has held the role…
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26 AugustSupply Chain
Supermarket leaders warn of Christmas supply shortages
Supermarket leaders from across the UK have warned of supply chain issues over the Christmas period due to the ongoing shortage of HGV drivers. Richard Walker, executive chairman at Iceland, told the BBC that he estimated the UK’s shortage of lorry drivers to now be 100,000, with the group 100…
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25 AugustSupermarkets
Central England Co-op backs Usdaw anti-abuse campaign
Central England Co-op has backed a campaign by The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw), “Freedom From Fear” which encourages customers to treat its staff with respect. Customers will be able to find out more about the campaign via posters in stores, which include details of how to…
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