Scotland
This coverage explores retail developments and economic conditions across Scotland, featuring reporting on store openings and closures, regional sales trends, employment challenges, and policy decisions affecting the sector. Insights are tailored for retail managers and executives seeking to understand the specific dynamics shaping retail operations in Scottish markets.
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Oct- 2020 -20 OctoberCoronavirus
Footfall continues decline following tiered restrictions
Footfall fell by 3.1% across all retail destinations last week from the week before, following tiered restrictions being introduced across the UK. According to the latest figures from Springboard, footfall saw largely similar rates of decline in all three destination types, with footfall down by 2.8% in high streets, 3%…
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12 OctoberCoronavirus
PM unveils three-tiered lockdown system
Prime minister Boris Johnson this afternoon announced a new three-tier lockdown system that will see some hospitality businesses in the North-West forced to close from Wednesday. Under the new system, different rules for regions will be classified as being on ‘medium’, ‘high’ or ‘very high’ alert depending on the rate…
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9 OctoberCoronavirus
Gov to cover 67% of wages for firms forced to shut
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that businesses forced to shut due to local restrictions will be eligible for a grant that pays two-thirds of staff salaries. The government will pay two-thirds, or 67%, of each employee’s salary, up to a maximum of £2,100 a month, if the business is forced…
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Sep- 2020 -16 SeptemberComment
What to know: High street tenancies
As the Scottish Government considers extending the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act anti-irritancy provisions, which effectively prevent landlords from terminating commercial leases, speculation is increasing that temporary restrictions in England on landlords taking action against tenants in rent arrears may also be extended. What are those provisions and what do they mean…
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Aug- 2020 -26 AugustOnline & Digital
Online returns hotspots revealed by Royal Mail
Royal Mail has revealed the areas in the UK where customers have returned the most amount of items from online orders from purchases made during lockdown. The group saw a 25% increase in returns traffic against last year, as consumers “reflected on some of their hastier purchases”. St Albans was…
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Jul- 2020 -14 JulyCoronavirus
Face coverings to be compulsory in shops from 24 July
Wearing a face covering in retail shops and supermarkets will be made compulsory from the 24 July, it is set to be officially announced later today (14 July). It is thought that those who are found to be flouting the new rules may be faced with a fine of up…
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13 JulyCoronavirus
Debenhams to reopen all remaining stores in Scotland
Department store Debenhams is to reopen nine stores in Scotland from today (13 July), following the “successful reopening” of its first six stores last week. Stores in Ayr, Dumfries, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth reopened on Monday 29 June. Whereas those in Aberdeen, Dundee, East Kilbride, Falkirk, Inverness, Leith, Livingston,…
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Jun- 2020 -30 JuneCoronavirus
Reopening is ‘no magic bullet’ for retail, says BRC
Reopening is “no magic bullet” for retail, the British Retail Consortium has warned despite UK footfall improving since lockdown restrictions were lifted earlier this month. The BRC’s footfall tracker found that UK footfall decreased 53.4% year-on-year during the second week of reopening in England and NI. This is compared to…
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24 JuneHigh Street
UK footfall jumps 45% during first week of retail trading
Footfall across all UK retail destinations rose by 45% during the first week of non-essential retail reopening (15 June) compared with the previous week, according to new data from Springboard. The retail insights firm said the clearest indication of the impact of non-essential retail reopening is evident from the uplifts…
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23 JuneCoronavirus
Shoe Zone to make redundancies as 20 shops close
Footwear retailer Shoe Zone has revealed that 20 of its stores will not open post-lockdown, resulting in a number of its staff being made redundant. The news comes after the company reported a loss of £2.5m for the 26 weeks to 4 April 2020, compared with a profit of £1m…
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