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 -10 MayHigh Street
JTF Central eyes 50-shop UK portfolio
Discount retail chain JTF Central is set to open 50 high street sites across the UK, following its upcoming debut launch in Hull. The new venture, which will operate as an extension to JTF Mega Discount Warehouse, is set to create 2,000 jobs. The wider group currently trades with a…
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10 MayHigh Street
UK retail footfall drops 4.1% amid poor weather
Footfall across UK retail destinations declined by 4.1% last week from the week prior, which was attributed to the impact of poor weather, according to the latest data from Springboard. Activity in high streets also dropped to 6.6%, whilst in retail parks and shopping centres footfall declined by just 1.3%…
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10 MayHigh Street
Greggs sales recover to near pre-pandemic levels
Greggs saw its two-year like-for-like (LFL) sales close the gap to just a 3.9% decline for the eight weeks to 8 May. It follows a 13.5% fall in LFL sales for the 18 weeks to 8 May when compared to FY19, as the group also showed signs of recovery following…
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7 MayAnalysis
How Amazon delivered a smart retail customer experience with a human touch
Competition in modern retail is all about customer experience, and during the pandemic e-commerce and digital retail has accelerated rapidly, creating new customer expectations around digital experiences. According to the ONS, online retail sales grew by 46% in 2020 compared to the previous year – the largest increase since 2008.…
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7 MaySupermarkets
Asda pledges to be a net zero carbon business by 2040
Asda has pledged to become a net zero carbon business by 2040, as the company publishes its first Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report. According to the grocer, the push to become a net zero carbon business will see the group reduce its GreenHouse Gas emissions by 50% by 2025. …
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6 MayClothing & Shoes
Superdry revenue slumps 21% in full-year results
Superdry saw revenue fall 21% to £556.6m in the full-year ended 24 April 2021, despite witnessing a slight growth of 0.8% in its final quarter as restrictions began to ease across the UK. While store revenue was down by 50.9% to £140.9 amid ongoing store closures in the period, this…
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6 MayCoronavirus
Retail workers suffer worst mental health of any employee group
Retail staff in the UK are currently suffering among the worst mental wellbeing of any employee group, according to the industry charity retailTrust. The survey of nearly 1,300 retail employees revealed their average wellbeing levels are much lower than in people who work in other industries, with 84% of workers…
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5 MayAdvice
Why space is so important to D2C retailers
It seems like there’s a gold rush at the moment for warehouse and fulfilment space as online retailers and direct-to-consumer operators wrestle for every last inch of viable commercial space across the UK. Research by Knight Frank backs this up, with 40 million square foot of new commercial space slated…
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5 MayClothing & Shoes
Boohoo profits soar 35% in full-year results
Boohoo has reported that its pre-tax profit soared by 35% to £124.7m for the year ended 28 February 2021, up from £92.2m the prior year. In the same period, revenue climbed 41% to £1.7bn, up from £1.2bn the previous year, which Boohoo attributed to the growth of its longer established…
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5 MayDepartment Stores
And So To Bed returns to profit in FY20
And So To Bed, a luxury bedroom furniture retailer, returned to a £330,000 profit for FY20, recovering from a £108,000 loss in FY19. It comes despite the group revealing revenue for the 12 months to 31 December 2020 declined 12.8% year-on-year. However, a reduction in administrative expenses of over £1m…
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