Supply Chain
This coverage examines supply chain strategy and performance within the UK retail industry. Reporting highlights logistics innovation, inventory management, sourcing practices, supplier relations, technology adoption, and responses to disruption. Focused on efficiency, resilience, and commercial impact, it provides insights for retail executives and managers optimising operations and ensuring continuity.
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Apr- 2019 -25 AprilEconomy
74,400 retail jobs lost in first three months of 2019
The retail sector saw a 2.4% year-on-year drop in the number of employees in the first quarter of this year, equating to a loss of 74,400 jobs. According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), this is a higher reduction than the 2.2% drop seen in 2018. The trade organisation said…
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18 AprilAdvice
Why brands should focus on the long game and not an Easter miracle
As we all look forward to the long Easter weekend, retailers will be particularly excited. Many of us will use one of our extra days of freedom to indulge in a little retail therapy – whether on or offline. But my advice to retailers and their marketers this Easter is…
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15 AprilAdvice
An opportunity for fashion retailers to shine
Almost everywhere we turn there are proclamations of retail doom, high street downfall and talk that things have never been so tough. Just last month, the fashion retailer Select announced that it was preparing to call in the administrators, putting 2,000 jobs at risk. However, there has also been some…
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3 AprilEconomy
Shop price inflation hits highest level in six years
Shop price inflation accelerated in March to 0.9%, up from 0.7% in February, the highest inflation rate since March 2013. The figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen’s Shop Price Index also revealed that food inflation had increased by 2.5% in March, up from 1.6% in February. This…
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Mar- 2019 -22 MarchAnalysis
Why retailers should put the customer at the heart of digital transformation
There are so many technology solutions available to the retail sector that arguably the most critical step in investing in this area is to separate the technology that will drive business growth from that which will end up being just another toy in the toy box. In previous eras, technology…
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14 MarchDIY
B&Q to stop selling wildlife-harming pesticide
B&Q owner, Kingfisher has announced it will become the first retailer to stop selling wildlife-harming pesticides ahead of a government ban next year. The DIY retailer will remove the products from its 1,200 stores and from its online retail arm. The move comes following a government decision last December which…
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5 MarchComment
What will a no-deal Brexit mean for retail?
We’re now just one month away until Britain leaves the European Union and we appear no closer to knowing whether we’ll be departing with a deal or without one. One sector which is set to bear the brunt if we leave without a deal is retail. In a report by…
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Feb- 2019 -27 FebruaryEconomy
Shop price inflation hits six-year high
Shop price inflation increased by 0.7% in February, up from 0.4% in January, and is the highest inflation rate since March 2013. According to the BRC, non-food prices rose by 0.2% year-on-year during the month, compared with the January decrease of 0.2%. Additionally, food inflation rose slightly to 1.6%, up…
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22 FebruaryComment
The ever-demanding omnichannel world – leading the charge with leadership
The battle to gain and retain consumers continues across sectors and markets. As the National Retail Federation’s largest global retail conference and expo highlighted earlier this year, the winners will be those that have the ability to create a seamless end-to-end experience digitally as well as in-store, as well as…
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18 FebruaryHigh Street
McColls profits halve due to ‘supply chain disruption’
Convenience retailer McColls profits before tax dropped from £18.4m to £7.9m in the 52 weeks to 25 November 2018, impacted by the administration of wholesaler Palmer and Harvey. The wholesaler worked with 90,000 retailers in the UK before it collapsed in November 2017 with debts of £65m. McColls’ total revenue…
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