Recruitment
This coverage examines recruitment trends and challenges in the UK retail sector, focusing on hiring strategies, talent shortages, workforce planning, and employer branding. Reporting highlights how retailers attract and retain staff while adapting to market pressures and evolving employee expectations — offering insight for executives, HR managers, and professionals managing retail staffing.
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Feb- 2025 -26 FebruaryEconomy
Bira ‘cautiously’ backs govt Crime and Policing Bill
The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has “cautiously” welcomed the new Crime and Policing Bill but demands more immediate action and concrete funding to address the retail crime crisis affecting British high streets. The bill, which was presented to Parliament on 25 February, contains over 50 measures including stricter penalties…
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24 FebruaryPeople Moves
B&M CEO to retire as group lowers FY guidance
B&M has revealed that chief executive Alex Russo will retire on 30 April, as the group announced it has lowered its profit guidance for FY25 once again to a range of £605m to £625m. The group said the lowered guidance reflects the “current trading performance of the business, an uncertain…
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11 FebruaryDepartment Stores
Dunelm CEO to retire amid strong H1 trading
Dunelm CEO Nick Wilkinson is set to retire from his position following seven years in the role as Dunelm announced strong trading for the first half of the year. The company saw its total sales rise 2.4% to £893.7m, up from £872.5m in the same period last year, during the…
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11 FebruaryOnline & Digital
Amazon to offer 1,000 new UK apprenticeships
Amazon has announced that it is to offer more than 1,000 new apprenticeships in the UK in 2025. The Amazon apprenticeship programme will offer a wide range of opportunities across the country in Amazon businesses including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Prime Video, and Amazon Devices and Services. Recruitment is now…
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10 FebruaryHigh Street
Ikea receives 3,730 job applications in five days for Oxford Street store
Ikea has received 3,730 applications in just five days for its new Oxford Street store which is set to open in Spring 2025. According to Ikea, the high level of interest in the 150 available positions marks the “largest-ever” response the home furnishing retailer has seen in the UK, “breaking…
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Jan- 2025 -29 JanuaryAdvice
Makeke: The app helping independent retailers take on ecommerce giants
Jenniffer Gearheart-Tang, co-founder and CEO of Makeke, has always had an entrepreneurial streak. With a career spanning marketing, executive recruitment, and corporate innovation, she has consistently sought to bring disruptive ideas to market. Together with her husband, Drake Gearheart, Makeke’s Head of Product & Scalability, the duo have built a…
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20 JanuaryDIY
British Garden Centres acquires former Dobbies in Newcastle
British Garden Centres has acquired the former Dobbies Gosforth site at Gosforth Park in Newcastle upon Tyne. This strategic move marks a milestone for the business, further solidifying its position as the largest family-run garden centre group in the UK, taking the portfolio to 68 stores. The existing team will…
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Dec- 2024 -24 DecemberSupermarkets
Aldi to invest over £40m in Scotland over next two years
Aldi is set to invest over £40m into its Scottish store estate over the next two years, with three new sites set to open in 2025.Arbroath, Baillieston and Kirkintilloch stores are set to open next year, while its Carluke, Glenrothes and Stirling stores will undergo a refurbishment. The company said…
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23 DecemberHigh Street
BRC warns of ‘spending squeeze’ in January
The British Retail Consortium has warned of a January spending squeeze, as BRC-Opinium data between 10 and 13 December showed that people’s spending intentions dropped 6pts. It comes as public confidence in the state of the economy “took a nosedive”, falling 8pts to -27, creating a widening gap between expectations…
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17 DecemberPeople Moves
Retail loses 225,000 jobs in five years
The retail industry has lost 225,000 jobs in the last five years, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). On a four-quarter average there were 40,000 less jobs in the industry compared with last year. Overall there were 2.81m jobs in retail in September 2024, although this…
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