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 -16 SeptemberDepartment Stores
John Lewis Partnership reduces H1 losses to £29m
The John Lewis Partnership has reduced its losses in the first six-months of the year ending 31 July to £29m from a previous year’s loss of £635m. Revenue rose 5% during the period to £5.2bn from £4.9bn in 2020 and was boosted by improved sales performance. The company revealed that…
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15 SeptemberHigh Street
BRC urges gov to act now to stop shop worker abuse
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is calling on the government to honour the commitment it made in the House of Commons to address the issues of rising violence and abuse against shop workers and “ensure that they have better protection under the law”. The BRC has made the plea ahead…
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15 SeptemberClothing & Shoes
Zara owner sees H1 net profits reach £1.08bn
Inditex, the owners of fashion chain Zara, has revealed it has returned to profit following the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, posting net profits of €1.27bn (£1.08bn) for the first half of the year ended 31 July 2021. The high profit intake compares with a previous year’s loss of…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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”,…
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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%…
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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…
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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…
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