Wales
This coverage highlights retail developments and economic trends specific to Wales, examining store openings and closures, regional sales performance, employment issues, and policy changes affecting the retail sector. Reporting provides retail managers and executives with insights into the unique challenges and opportunities shaping retail operations across Welsh towns and cities.
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Nov- 2020 -5 NovemberCoronavirus
Chancellor extends furlough scheme to March
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that the furlough scheme will be extended until the end of March, amid increased measures for business support as the UK enters a four-week lockdown. Payments are set to remain at 80% of employee’s wages. It comes as the chancellor said that it was “right…
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3 NovemberClothing & Shoes
ABF profit slumps as Primark hit by £2bn loss
Associated British Foods, the parent company of Primark, has announced that statutory operating profit tumbled 40% to £810m in the full-year ended 12 September 2020. In the same period, group revenue fell by 12% to £13.9bn following the impact of the ongoing pandemic. The full year decline in group revenue…
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3 NovemberEconomy
Half-term sees footfall rise 6.2%
Footfall rose by 6.2% during half-term in the UK, according to the latest data from retail experts Springboard. This is despite a 53.7% footfall decrease in Wales, following the country’s two-week ‘firebreak’ lockdown. Retail park, high street and shopping centre rose by 3.5%, 5.2% and 11% over the period, respectively.…
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2 NovemberClothing & Shoes
Primark warns of £375m lockdown hit
The parent company of Primark has warned that the retailer will face a £375m hit to sales, in an update issued ahead of the nationwide lockdown that begins this week. As of today (2 November), all Primark stores in the Republic of Ireland, France, Belgium, Wales, Catalonia in Spain and…
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Oct- 2020 -28 OctoberClothing & Shoes
Next Q3 sales fall 17%
Fashion retailer Next has reported a 17.9% decline in Q3 amid the continued impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The firm said its markdown sales were 12.3% lower than last year attributing to “lower footfall” in retail stores and “capacity constraints” in the online warehouses. Cash flow forecast increased by £25m,…
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27 OctoberEconomy
UK weekly retail footfall drops by 1.2%
Retail footfall in the UK has dropped by 1.2% in the last week from the previous seven days, according to recent figures released by Springboard. This continues a growing trend of decreasing footfall figures, with the prior week clocking in a decline of 3.1% Springboard’s data revealed the majority of…
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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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19 OctoberCoronavirus
Wales announces ‘firebreak’ lockdown
The Welsh government has announced a two-week “firebreak” national lockdown, which will force business closures across the country from 23 October at 6pm until Monday 9 November. According to BBC News, first minister Mark Drakeford said the “time-limited firebreak” will be “a short, sharp, shock to turn back the clock,…
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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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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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