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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May- 2021 -18 MayCoronavirus
Landsec swings to £1.39bn loss amid pandemic
Land Securities has fallen to a pre-tax loss of £1.39bn in the full-year ended 31 March, 2021, in results that “clearly reflect the challenges” of the pandemic over the period. As the vast majority of its portfolio was either closed or “substantially unoccupied” amid ongoing lockdowns, revenue plummeted 39.4% to…
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18 MayAdvice
Why retailers must invest beyond the buy button
Over the past 12 months, retailers have turbocharged their shift to digital. A recent survey by KPMG showed that 67% of decision-makers have accelerated their digital strategies because of Covid-19. These changes come in response to the ever-changing needs of consumers, which have proved harder to predict than ever before.…
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18 MayShopping Centres
Westfield owner confirms €1.25bn bond placement
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, the owner of Westfield shopping centres, has announced a successful €1.25bn (£1.07bn) bond placement. The two-tranche senior bond offering is intended to both strengthen the group’s liquidity position and extend its debt maturity. The placement features a €650m (£559m) bond with a seven-year and five-month maturity and a 0.75%…
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17 MayDepartment Stores
Debenhams’ remaining stores close for final time
Debenhams shuttered its last remaining stores over the weekend, ending its 243-year stint on the UK high street. According to Sky News, the retailer closed its remaining 28 stores on Saturday 15 May as it completed its transition as an online only retailer as part of the Boohoo Group. It…
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17 MayCoronavirus
UK to spend £2.5bn this week as restrictions ease
The UK is set to collectively spend £2.5bn this week as indoor hospitality reopens and restrictions further ease, giving a “much-needed” boost to the high street. According to a new VoucherCodes.co.uk report, conducted by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR), 104 million people are predicted to visit hospitality venues this…
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14 MayAnalysis
The return to the high street: friend or foe?
With our clocks adjusted to British Summer Time and Government guidelines easing off shopping restrictions for non-essential shopping, the return to the high street is back in swing. However, with non-essential shops implementing social distancing measures to ensure they remain as safe as they can be, the handling of stock…
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13 MayHigh Street
Retail sales up by 7.3% in April after reopening
Retail sales increased substantially between 4 April and 1 May 2021, around the time non-essential retail was allowed to reopen, compared to April 2019, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG’s survey of retailers in the UK. Due to 2020 being a “turbulent time” for the sector, BRC…
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13 MayOnline & Digital
Online sales in April ‘impressive’ despite high street reopening
Online retail sales have continued to grow in April, rising 10.2% year-on-year, despite the reopening of the high street and against strong figures for April 2020. According to the latest IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Index, which tracks the online sales performance of over 200 retailers, there was still some evidence…
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12 MayAdvice
How to benefit from the forthcoming massive wave of ad spend
The recent IPA Bellwether on marketing budgets in the UK has revealed that 2020 saw a fast paced decrease in spend as the effects of the pandemic naturally hit home. Now, as we continue to emerge from the worst of the effects, their forecasts are that there will be a…
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12 MayPeople Moves
Retail businesses started in 2020 to create 5,500 jobs
Retail businesses started in 2020 are set to create thousands of jobs in the coming years, as one-in-four retail business owners plan to hire one or more employees, according to new research by The Accountancy Partnership. It found that a quarter of commerce entrepreneurs who started a business during the…
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