Wages
This coverage examines wage trends and policies in the UK retail sector, focusing on pay levels, employer contributions, labour cost management, and compliance. Reporting highlights how changes in wages impact staffing budgets, recruitment, retention, and operational planning — offering insight for executives, HR leaders, and finance professionals managing workforce investments.
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Nov- 2018 -9 NovemberClothing & Shoes
Fast fashion brands called before Parliament
A number of online only fashion retailers have been asked to give evidence as part of the Environmental Audit Committee’s inquiry into the sustainability of the fashion industry. The chair of the committee has written letters to ASOS, Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing, Amazon and Missguided, published today (9 November), to the online…
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1 NovemberEconomy
Bank of England puts hold on interest rates due to Brexit uncertainty
The Bank of England has placed interest rates on hold following growing uncertainty around Brexit. A vote to leave rates unchanged held by the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) was in favour of leaving rates at 0.75% by 9-0. Financial markets are currently indicating that rates will not rise until…
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Oct- 2018 -31 OctoberHigh Street
‘Brexit anxieties’ lead to decrease in consumer confidence in October
Growth from Knowledge’s (GfK) long-running consumer confidence index decreased by one point to -10 in October 2018, amid consumer anxieties over Brexit. The market research institute said the lack of confidence from shoppers will “concern retailers” in the run-up to Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the key Christmas trading period,…
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3 OctoberOnline & Digital
Amazon bows to pressure, boosts wages for US and UK staff
Amazon has increased the minimum wage for US staff to $15, after founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said he had “listened to our critics” and “thought hard” about his firm’s response to sustained criticism about its pay levels. Bezos’ announcement means more than 250,000 US and 17,000 UK staff, as…
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Sep- 2018 -20 SeptemberComment
Automation and AI in retail: friend or foe?
We hear a lot about the high street dying, but that’s not quite right. The high street is changing. Automation (and, in the future, AI) is changing the retail landscape. One of the reasons digital retailers like Amazon are so successful is ease-of-purchase, and this is down – in large…
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10 SeptemberHigh Street
August footfall down 1.6% despite some retail park growth
Retail footfall dropped by 1.6% in August despite seeing rare retail park growth in the East and South West of the UK. The figures are according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard’s footfall and vacancies monitor with August seeing a sharper decline than the 0.8% experienced in July,…
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Aug- 2018 -28 AugustOnline & Digital
Amazon recruits ‘ambassador’ Twitter accounts for ‘educating’ people on working conditions
Amazon has recruited approximately 15 ‘ambassador’ Twitter accounts for “educating” people on working conditions in the online retailer’s fulfillment centres. The accounts frequently reply to tweets criticising the company with all replies featuring similar messages regarding issues such as working hours, toilet breaks and wages. https://twitter.com/AmazonFCAdam/status/1033121029391085568 https://twitter.com/AmazonFCJeremy/status/1033586444688941057 Business marketing application…
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15 AugustHigh Street
Former Co-op director claims she was fired over equal pay claim
The former HR director of the Co-op, Sam Walker, has claimed she was fired from the company after raising an equal pay claim three times with then CEO Richard Pennycook. According to a report by The Guardian Walker has warned that the retailer could be paying its male and female…
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Jul- 2018 -19 JulyHigh Street
‘Phantom hours’ costing UK businesses £37m a week
A survey of shift workers in the retail, hospitality and leisure industries has found staff to be overstating their working hours by an average of almost half an hour a week. Staff rota scheduling firm Rotaready, which conducted the survey, said these ‘phantom hours’ are costing UK businesses as much…
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10 JulyGovernment
Home Bargains ‘underpaid staff £272k’
Discount retailer TJ Morris Limited, trading as Home Bargains, has failed to pay the national minimum wage to its staff according to the UK government. Home Bargains appeared second in a government list of nearly 240 employers who had not paid the National Living and Minimum Wage, with the retailer…
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