Wales

Amazon to invest £40bn as part of major UK expansion

Amazon has unveiled plans to invest £40bn in the UK over the next three years, which will see it build four new fulfilment centres and new delivery stations whilst creating thousands of jobs. As part of the investment it will also upgrade and expand its existing network of over 100…

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Warm weather fails to boost footfall in May

Retail footfall across the UK declined by 1.7% compared with May 2024, spelling a sharp drop from the 7.2% rise recorded in April, according to the latest data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic Solutions. The downturn affected most retail locations, with High Streets down 2.5% year-on-year, and…

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Retailers welcome £2bn police boost but urge for more action

Retail trade bodies have welcomed the £2bn funding boost for police forces in England and Wales, but cautioned that the investment alone will not be enough to tackle rising levels of high street crime. It comes as Rachel Reeves announced in yesterday’s Spending Review (11 June) that the police’s spending…

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M&S restarts online orders after cyber attack

Marks and Spencer (M&S) has announced that it has resumed online orders after halting them due to a cyber attack on its networks. The retailer stated that shoppers are now able to buy a selection of fashion items for home delivery across England, Scotland and Wales. The company stated that…

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Aldi to open 10 new stores this summer

Aldi is set to open 10 new stores over the next 14 weeks, while a further 30 stores will undergo a refresh. The UK’s fourth-largest supermarket, which now has more than 1,050 stores, will open new locations in Oldbury in the West Midlands, Fulham Broadway in London and Brighouse in…

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UK footfall jumps 7.2% in April

UK footfall increased by 7.2% in April (YoY), up from -5.4% in March, the BRC has revealed.  During the four weeks from 6 April to 3 May, footfall increased across all segments – high street by 5.3%, retail parks by 7.5% and shopping centres by 5.6%.  Across nations, footfall also…

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Lidl to invest £500m in store expansion

Lidl has announced that it is set to open more than 40 new stores across the country, investing £500m in the process. The supermarket has published its 2025 site requirements brochure, outlining hundreds of potential locations for new stores, including high streets, retail parks, and mixed-use town centre sites. The…

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Footfall sees sharp 5.4% drop in March due to late Easter

Total year-on-year footfall in the UK dropped sharply by 5.4% in March, up from a 0.2% fall in February, according to BRC-Sensormatic data, which has been attributed to the timing of Easter later this April. Due to last year’s Easter falling in March, the calendar change has distorted the year-on-year…

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London’s store closures return to pre-pandemic levels for first time

Five stores closed each day in Greater London in 2024, with four new stores opening, according to the latest data from PwC – resulting in net closures of one store per day. The bi-annual report using data from Green Street, tracks over 200,000 chain outlets in over 3,500 locations to…

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Today’s news in brief-7/3/25

Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) has agreed to be acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners in a deal worth £23.7bn. The transaction is expected to close in late 2025 and will see WBA become a private company, delisting from Nasdaq.WBA shareholders will receive $11.45 per share in cash, with potential…

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