Productivity
This coverage explores productivity in the UK retail industry, focusing on workforce effectiveness, operational efficiency, process innovation, and cost control. Reporting provides insight into how retailers optimise resources and performance to remain competitive — supporting executives, managers, and professionals driving improvement initiatives.
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Aug- 2025 -11 AugustTechnology
Currys to expand its B2B division
Currys is rebranding and expanding its business-to-business (B2B) division in a move to capture a greater share of the UK’s small business technology market. The retailer has relaunched Currys Business and opened three new business hubs in Stevenage, Solihull and Exeter, taking the total to 57 nationwide. A further three…
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4 AugustDepartment Stores
Debenhams launches AI academy for employees
Debenhams Group has launched an AI skills academy, a new programme aiming to provide its employees with practical AI skills. The academy is being rolled out in partnership with workforce development platform Multiverse. It will be fully funded through the group’s £1.35m apprenticeship levy, and provide employees with “structured, on-the-job…
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1 AugustOnline & Digital
Amazon sales rise 13% in Q2 but profit outlook softens
Amazon has welcomed better than expected trading in its second quarter, as revenues rose by 13% to $167.7bn (£130.8bn), but has warned that Q3 profits may not meet expectations amid ongoing tariff uncertainty. Operating income hit $19.2bn (£15.0bn) in the quarter ended 30 June 2025, compared with $14.7bn (£11.5bn) in…
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Jul- 2025 -24 JulyDIY
Wickes hits record market share as H1 sales rise 5.6%
Wickes has “gone from strength to strength” in the first half of the year, with sales up by 5.6% year-on-year to £847.9m, as the group also hit a “record” market share. Over the period, volume-led growth momentum was reported across all areas of the business, and retail sales rose by…
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22 JulySupermarkets
Asda to offer additional training to underperforming staff
Asda is planning to offer underperforming staff in its home shopping team additional training as part of efforts to improve efficiency and win back customers, according to the Telegraph. The supermarket will use data to assess how quickly staff pick and pack online orders, the accuracy of item selection and…
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Jun- 2025 -25 JuneDIY
Halfords profits rise 6.4% to £38.4m in FY25
Halfords has reported that its underlying profit before tax rose 6.4% to £38.4m for the year ended 28 March 2025, above the previously guided £32m to £37m range. Alongside this, its group sales rose 2.5% on a like-for-like basis while its overall revenues inched up 0.1% to £1.72bn. However, the…
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10 JuneDepartment Stores
John Lewis Partnership to reduce staff committee to boost efficiency
The John Lewis Partnership is set to cut its partnership council by a quarter this autumn, reducing the number of members from 57 to 43, according to reports from The Telegraph. The committee is an important part of the partnership’s democratic structure as staff that are elected to the council…
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9 JuneHigh Street
One in 10 part-time retail jobs at risk by 2028, warns BRC
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that around 160,000, or more than one in 10, part-time retail roles are in danger of being lost over the next three years. The warning follows a new report published by the BRC which lays bare the threats to retail employment, which has…
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May- 2025 -30 MayEconomy
Lidl, Halfords and The Range repay staff over minimum wage breach
Lidl, Halfords and The Range are among a number of UK companies named and shamed by the Department for Business and Trade for paying some workers less than minimum wage between 2015 and 2022. Lidl failed to pay £286,437.18 to 3,423 workers, Halfords failed to pay £140,829.79 to 4,341 workers…
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7 MayFeatures
Retailers at risk: how cyber threats are shaping the future of commerce
In recent weeks two major UK retailers – Marks and Spencer and Co-op – have fallen victim to high-profile cyber attacks that sent ripples through the entire retail sector. These breaches were a stark reminder that no company, no matter how established or trusted, is immune from cyber threats. As…
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