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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May- 2025 -7 MayLuxury Goods
Hugo Boss holds guidance despite 2% fall in Q1 sales to €999m
Hugo Boss is maintaining its sales outlook for the year, despite having reported that sales fell by 2% to €999m (£850m) during the first quarter of 2025. Q1 sales dipped by 1% in both EMEA and the Americas. In the Asia Pacific region, sales dropped by 8% due to persistently…
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7 MayHigh Street
Card Factory sales and profits rise in FY25 amid growth strategy
Card Factory has welcomed a year of “resilient” trading, with both revenues and profits rising as the group implemented its growth strategy and expanded its store portfolio and product offerings over the period. In the full-year ended 31 January 2025, adjusted profit before tax rose by 6.3% to £66m, while…
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Apr- 2025 -24 AprilFeatures
Retail’s staffing crisis: why jobs are disappearing and what’s next
Across the UK, retail employment remains 5% below pre-pandemic levels, according to Deputy’s Big Shift 2025 report. The decline is steady, pushed along by automation, e-commerce, and shifting worker expectations. In contrast, London’s hospitality sector is booming – fuelled by the city’s night-time economy, now worth a quarter of all…
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10 AprilSport & Leisure
JD Sports FY PBT to meet expectations
JD Sports has revealed that it expects its FY26 profit-before-tax to be in line with analysts expectations at £920m, but has warned that the year will be “challenging” due to market volatility and tariffs. The retailer also expects its total revenue to grow around 10% due to the impact of…
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2 AprilAdvice
Why the hiring experience in retail is so key
In retail, the customer experience is paramount, and justifiably so. However, this can be dependent on the ability and enthusiasm of frontline staff. Strongly influencing their aptitude and desire to fulfil their roles in this way, is the experience that they themselves have when applying for their positions. How they…
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1 AprilSponsored Articles
Ergonomics isn’t just about fancy chairs
We tend to associate ergonomics with equipment: standing desks, lumbar cushions, adjustable chairs. And yes, they help. But if that’s where the conversation stops, most companies miss the point. Because true workplace comfort isn’t only about what you sit on. It’s about the ecosystem around you—how spaces are set up,…
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1 AprilClothing & Shoes
M&S to invest £50m in North West stores
M&S has announced a £50m investment in stores across the North West of England for the year ahead, creating 300 jobs and 100,000 total new square footage across its store estate in the area. The investment is another step forward in M&S’s store renewal and rotation programme, focused on having…
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Mar- 2025 -31 MarchFeatures
Spring Budget 2025: what it means for the retail industry
The UK retail sector has been navigating a volatile economic landscape, with rising operational costs, shifts in consumer spending, and policy changes placing unprecedented pressure on businesses. The Spring Budget 2025, delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, was highly anticipated by industry leaders, who had hoped for measures that would alleviate…
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27 MarchClothing & Shoes
Foot Locker appoints new president
Foot Locker has announced that Franklin R. Bracken, currently executive vice president and chief commercial officer, has been appointed to the role of president, effective immediately. Bracken will continue reporting to Mary Dillon, Foot Locker chief executive officer. In his new role, Bracken will work alongside Dillon to accelerate the…
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26 MarchProperty
John Lewis housing development nears approval
John Lewis has submitted proposals to redevelop its former customer collection facility in Reading into a housing project, according to reports from the BBC. The scheme includes a mixture of 111 one-bedroom, 92 two-bedroom, and 12 three-bedroom homes. The site, which was previously used for customers to collect orders, closed…
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