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.
-
Nov- 2022 -23 NovemberAdvice
Black Friday: How can algorithmic retailing ensure a successful event?
Worldwide activity surrounding Black Friday has never been stronger. In the US, over 53% of consumers plan to make a purchase on Black Friday ; in the UK consumers are expected to spend £8.71 billion over the course of the 2022 Black Friday weekend. It’s an event which represents a…
Read More » -
Sep- 2022 -13 SeptemberSponsored Articles
The Golden Quarter: Planning for profit with intelligent merchandising
16 September marks the 100-day countdown to Christmas, also known as the Golden Quarter; the busiest period in the retail calendar. The Golden Quarter can be a difficult time for retail businesses, but this year, of all years, will be a real challenge. The cost-of-living crisis continued disruption to supply…
Read More » -
13 SeptemberSupermarkets
Ocado lowers outlook as customers cut back
Ocado Retail Ltd has lowered its outlook for FY22 as revenue growth in Q4 is not expected to generate full-year growth year-on-year as customers are buying smaller baskets and trading down in response to inflationary pressures. The group now expects to see a small sales decline in FY22 and close…
Read More » -
9 SeptemberEconomy
UK workers face £2,000 hit to real wages
UK workers are facing a £2,000 hit to their real wages by the end of 2022 as the UK economy confronts a “highly volatile and uncertain” inflationary outlook, according to the latest PwC Economic Outlook. PwC expects that the UK will likely report growth of between 3.6% in the “mild…
Read More » -
Aug- 2022 -23 AugustAnalysis
Do staff cuts really help in a recession?
The European fashion retailer, Zalando, has predicted a return to growth of up to 3% in H2 despite a 58% profit drop during Q2, which reportedly brought the company’s operating profit down to £64.7m from £153.3m in the same period last year. In light of these results, and in spite…
Read More » -
16 AugustAnalysis
Staff satisfaction should be top of Amazon’s agenda
Amazon has been making plenty of headlines recently, with news of its recent Q2 financial results depicting a net loss of £1.6bn in spite of a 7% increase in sales. However, out of all the Amazon-related news circulating, its current battle with unions and the company’s refusal to offer staff…
Read More » -
15 AugustHigh Street
Canada Goose profits soar amid retail expansion
Canada Goose has reported “better than expected” gross profits of $42.7m (£35.3m) for the first quarter fiscal 2023 ended July 3 2022, up 39.1% from $30.7m (£25.3m) over the same period last year. Revenues were also up 24.2% from $56.3m (£46.5m) to $69.9m ($57.8m). The company said its EMEA revenue…
Read More » -
9 AugustEconomy
Sharon White: Gov needs to get over 50s back into work to curb inflation
The boss of John Lewis has said the large number of over 50s who left the workforce during the pandemic is helping to fuel the current high levels of inflation across the UK. Speaking to the BBC, Dame Sharon White said that the government must “think really hard” about how…
Read More » -
1 AugustFeatures
Recession and retailers: a ‘cleansing effect’?
“Incomes are being squeezed, consumption is under pressure, interest rates are rising, and there’s a lot of uncertainty. These are classic ingredients for recession,” says Ian Stewart, Deloitte’s chief economist. According to Deloitte’s UK CFO Survey Q2 2022, finance leaders have assigned a 63% probability of experiencing a recession within…
Read More » -
1 AugustSupermarkets
Iceland boss calls for next PM to rethink business rates
Iceland has joined in the call for Tory leadership candidates to rethink “outdated” business rates as the company’s managing director, Richard Walker, reportedly urged the prime minister to promise a “root and branch” reform of the tax. His intervention, according to This is Money, follows similar calls from other UK…
Read More »
