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 -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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18 AugustSupermarkets
Grocery growth slows as market eases out of lockdown
The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar show take-home grocery sales growth slowed to 14.4% year on year during the 12 weeks to 9 August 2020. Kantar said the figures show the market is beginning to move away from the “heady heights” of the lockdown period, with a grocery…
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4 AugustHigh Street
Mandatory face coverings sparks ‘modest’ uplift in footfall
Footfall across all UK retail destinations saw a “modest” uplift last week, with footfall up by 2.8% against the week prior. According to Springboard, this may have been boosted by the mandatory use of face coverings in shops, after footfall was up by 4.4% the weekend the rule was introduced. …
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Jul- 2020 -6 JulyPeople Moves
Morrisons appoints Jeremy Townseand as non-exec director
Morrisons has announced the appointment of Jeremy Townsend as a non-executive director with immediate effect. Townsend will also be appointed to the audit, corporate compliance and responsibility, nomination and remuneration committees. He will be appointed as chair of the audit committee with effect from 10 September 2020. Townsend currently holds…
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