Retail news

• Cauliflowers dwindle in UK as extreme weather takes its toll

  12-08-2019 19:56
  Wholesale prices rise by 400% as restaurants advised to take cauliflower-related meals off menusBritain is in the grip of a cauliflower crisis, with supermarket shelves emptying after heavy rain destroyed this year’s crop in Lincolnshire, while alternative European supplies are drying up after the continental heatwave.Tesco only has organic cauliflowers left for sale on its online site, telling buyers that standard single cauliflowers and large cauliflowers are not available. Related: The
  
  Read more

• Dr Martens' profits up 70% with success of new 'vegan' range

  12-08-2019 16:15
  Equity investor Permira weighs up sale or flotation to realise profits on £300m investmentProfits at Dr Martens surged by 70% in the year to the end of March, boosted by the success of designs such as its “vegan” range of boots.Online sales also rose by two-thirds to £72.7m, accounting for 16% of total revenues for the company, which is expanding to international markets. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• More than half of people aged 65 and over now shop online – ONS

  12-08-2019 15:17
  Four in five Britons make online purchases, with 44% spending £100-£499 over three monthsThe online shopping revolution has officially become mainstream among the once tech-resistant generation aged 65 and over, with more than half now saying they shop online.A report by the Office for National Statistics found four in five Britons said they shopped online, up from three-quarters last year. This year also marks a generational milestone, with more than half of people aged 65 and above
  
  Read more

• Michael Murray says it will take years to transform Sports Direct

  12-08-2019 14:21
  Move upmarket ‘not going fast enough’, says Mike Ashley’s ‘head of elevation’Mike Ashley’s future son-in-law, who has been tasked with sprucing up Sports Direct’s leisurewear emporia, says it will take four years to transform the brand into the Selfridges of sportswear.The retail tycoon anointed Michael Murray as head of elevation last year, handing him the reins of a specialist division dedicated to making a success out of the ailing businesses that acq
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• UK consumers switch to online streaming en masse

  12-08-2019 01:01
  Retailers suffer as DVD, CD and video games sales plunge by up to a fifthSales of DVDs, CDs and video games plunged by almost a fifth in the three months to the end of June, as consumers ditch physical products for online streaming.Specialist retailers including HMV and Game, as well as major supermarket chains Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s – big sellers of physical entertainment products – bore the brunt of the £50m year-on-year fall in quarterly sales as Amazon increased
  
  Read more

• Britons have spent £4bn stockpiling goods in case of no-deal Brexit

  12-08-2019 01:01
  Research suggests one in five people have a food, drinks and medicine hoard worth £380Britons have spent £4bn stockpiling goods in preparation for a possible no-deal Brexit, new research suggests.One in five people are already hoarding food, drinks and medicine, spending an extra £380 each, according to a survey by the finance provider Premium Credit. The survey found that about 800,000 people have spent more than £1,000 building up stockpiles before the 31 October Brexit
  
  Read more

Follow @retailuknws on Twitter!