Retail news

• Discounting heightens pain for UK retail’s squeezed middle

  10-01-2020 21:10
  Selfridges and Aldi lift sales but mid-tier chains suffer Black Friday hangover
  
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• UK economic optimism depends on Brexit clarity

  10-01-2020 19:43
  Growth in 2020 will depend on politics, trade and EU negotiations
  
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• Cost-cutting at Asda supermarket chain puts 2,832 jobs at risk

  10-01-2020 17:41
  
  Grocer begins consultation process with staff facing threat of redundancyMore than 2,800 Asda workers face the threat of redundancy as Britain’s third-largest supermarket chain looks to cut costs.Asda has begun a consultation with 2,832 employees who work in back office roles in its supermarkets, the Guardian has learned. Continue reading...
  
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• Yoox Net-A-Porter appoints new Middle East CEO

  10-01-2020 17:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Yoox Net-A-Porter names its new Middle East CEO Nisreen Shocair
  // Shocair previously held positions at HSE24 and Virgin MegastoreYoox Net-A-Porter has named Nisreen Shocair as Chief Executive Officer, Middle East to further establish it’s strong hold in the region.
  She joins with previous senior roles across the United Arab Emirates and New York.
  Shocair’s role will be to give shoppers a luxury experience, including in personal shopping and client relations services, as well as d
  
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• Superdry: comeback kid

  10-01-2020 17:03
  Julian Dunkerton has proved his chops before and has already shown he retains some of his magic touch
  
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• Retail Gazette Loves: Squire’s Garden Centres’ Chatty Cafe

  10-01-2020 16:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Squire’s Garden Centres know that January and February can be lonely months following the festive season, so to combat this the garden centre has introduced the Chatty Cafe scheme.
  All of the horticulture retailer’s locations’ now have “Chatter & Natter” tables within the on-site cafes which are available to everyone – if you’re on your own, a couple, with a friend, young, old and anyone in between.
  The main idea is for shoppers to engage in old-fash
  
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• Holland & Barrett posts jump in sales in Christmas quarter

  10-01-2020 16:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Holland & Barrett reports 4.7% sales growth over Christmas trading period
  // It enjoyed growth in both online and in-store sales, and all markets experienced like-for-like sales growth
  // Transformation plan to extend range, customer services and digital reach also showed early progressHolland & Barrett has posted a rise in sales during its Christmas quarter, as its transformation plan shows early signs of progress.
  For the three month period ending December 31, total sales increased
  
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• Ex-Bonmarche CEO Helen Connolly joins New Look as commercial chief

  10-01-2020 16:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Former Bonmarch CEO Helen Connolly to join New Look as chief commercial officer
  // She replaces chief product officer Roger Wightman, who is resigning after 30 years
  // Connolly quit Bonmarche last month, shortly after it fell into administrationThe former chief executive of Bonmarche, Helen Connolly, is now set to join New Look as its new chief commercial officer.
  Connolly will replace chief product officer Roger Wightman, who is resigning from New Look after 30 years.
  According to Drapers,
  
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• JD Sports to move into Topshop’s empty unit at Westfield Stratford

  10-01-2020 13:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // JD Sports to open second store at Westfield Stratford in unit left vacant by Topshop
  // Topshop’s two-storey, 31,000sq ft shop opened in September 2011 & will close when the lease expires
  // Once JD Sports moves in, it would bring its footprint to over 40,000sq ft at Westfield StratfordJD Sports is set to more than quadriple its footprint at Westfield Stratford by opening a second store in the unit that would be left vacant by Topshop when it moves out.
  Westfield announced that JD S
  
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• “Bricks-and-clicks” model boosts Fortnum & Mason’s Christmas trading

  10-01-2020 13:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // 15% sales growth across Fortnum & Mason during Christmas trading period
  // Bricks-and-mortar like-for-like sales grow 13%
  // Online sales surges 22% and now represents 39% of the total mix
  // Meanwhile, in-store experiences boosts hospitality sales by 15% & private dining by 20%Fortnum & Mason has praised its “bricks-and-clicks” business model for allowing it to post a strong sales performance during its recent Christmas trading period.
  For the five weeks to December 2
  
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• Vegan demand bolsters Selfridges’ strong Christmas sales

  10-01-2020 12:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Selfridges’ sales grew 5% over Christmas, boosted by CX initiatives & a surge in vegan demand
  // Toys saw particularly strong sales growth of 31% in the 24-day festive trading period
  // Vegan foods saw a 96% surge in sales of vegan confectionery and a sold-out vegan hamperSelfridges enjoyed strong growth during the peak Christmas trading period, boosted by various customer experience initiatives and surging demand for toys and vegan products.
  The luxury department store said plant-b
  
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• Dixons Carphone slapped with maximum possible fine after 14m customers’ data stolen

  10-01-2020 11:29 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Dixons Carphone has been slapped with a £500,000 fine by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) after 14 million customers were affected in a cyber-attack.
  The ICO has issued the maximum possible fine on the technology retailer after an investigation uncovered “serious contraventions” that jeopardised millions of customers personal and financial details.
  Hackers installed rogue software on 5390 tills of branches in Currys PC World and Dixons Travel chains which went undetec
  
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• Superdry and Joules issue profit warnings after tough Christmas

  10-01-2020 10:26
  
  Shares in both firms plummet, with Superdry saying it may not make a profit this yearThe Christmas retail winners and losersThe fashion brands Superdry and Joules have warned that profits will fall significantly below expectations after a tough Christmas.Shares in both companies crashed after the warnings, the latest in a series of grim trading statements from the retail sector – Superdry by 22%, to 368p, and Joules by 33%, to a new low of 152p. Related: Marks & Spencer feels the squee
  
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• Joules CEO “disappointed” with Christmas sales

  10-01-2020 10:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Joules sales drop during Christmas thanks to stock availability issues
  // The fashion retailer has now issued a profit warning
  // Sales were “significantly behind expectations”Joules sales over Christmas dropped as the retailer blamed stock availability issues on the decline.
  The fashion retailer has now issued a profit warning after sales over the seven weeks to January 5, 2020, fell 4.5 per cent.
  Sales were “significantly behind expectations” and as a result, Joules
  
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• Discounter B&M knocked by sluggish UK sales growth

  10-01-2020 10:06
  Group blames ‘challenging’ retail market and lack of discounting as results disappoint
  
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• JD Sports posts Christmas sales growth despite “retail challenges”

  10-01-2020 09:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // JD Sports reports positive Christmas sales despite “retail challenges”
  // Annual profits are now expected to be at the higher end of forecastsJD Sports has reported a like-for-like Christmas sales growth against the “backdrop of widely reported retail challenges in the UK market”.
  The sportswear retailer said it expects annual profits to be at the higher end of forecasts after posting “encouraging” sales growth over the festive period.
  Although JD Spor
  
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• JD Sports predicts full-year profit within top band of forecasts

  10-01-2020 09:35
  Growth in fashion retailer powered by trend for athleisure wear
  
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• B&M Christmas sales “slower performance than anticipated”

  10-01-2020 09:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // B&M UK revenue up 8.8% in the 13 weeks to December 28, 2019
  // UK like-for-like sales grew 2.3% during the financial year to dateB&M has recorded “a slower performance than anticipated” despite an uplift in Christmas sales.
  Over the 13 week period to December 28, 2019, group revenue at the discount retailer grew by 9.3 per cent.
  Revenue across UK stores grew by 8.8 per cent including like-for-like growth of 0.3 per cent for the quarter, against the backdrop of a &ldqu
  
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• Joules plunges 30% as fashion retailer warns on Christmas trading

  10-01-2020 09:17
  Brand hit by supply chain issues and fall in sales following Black Friday
  
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• Lidl Christmas sales rise as “more customers shopped than ever before”

  10-01-2020 09:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Lidl posts strong Christmas sales
  // Over the four weeks to December 29 2019, sales grew 11%
  // It saw its busiest trading day ever on December 23Lidl has reported the highest sales growth in the grocery sector over the Christmas period thanks to its wine and cheese sales.
  Over the four weeks to December 29 2019, overall sales at the German discounter increased 11 per cent compared to the same period in 2018.
  It saw its busiest trading day ever on December 23, with customers stocking up ahead
  
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• Joules supply chain problems hit sales over Christmas period

  10-01-2020 08:43
  Fashion retailer’s full-year profit will be ‘significantly’ behind forecasts
  
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• Alcohol sales fuel strong Christmas growth at Lidl

  10-01-2020 08:43
  Discounter posts 11 per cent rise in revenues over festive period
  
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• Superdry issues profit warning after Christmas sales disappoint

  10-01-2020 08:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Superdry sales drop 16% in the 10 weeks to January 4
  // The fashion retailer blamed its old products
  // Superdry now expects pre-tax profit to hit between £0 and £10m for the full financial yearSuperdry has issued a profit warning after its sales dropped during the key Christmas trading period.
  Despite the fall in sales, chief executive and founder Julian Dunkerton said his return to the company will bring “sustainable long-term growth”.
  The fashion retailer blamed its
  
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• Superdry warns on profits after disappointing sales

  10-01-2020 08:35
  Fashion retailer’s full-year forecasts of £30m reduced to at most £10m
  
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• Superdry shares dive as profit warning dents turnround hopes

  10-01-2020 08:35
  Fashion retailer hit by disappointing performance over Christmas trading period
  
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• Superdry profit warning hits shares after disappointing sales

  10-01-2020 08:35
  Fashion retailer’s stock dives after full-year forecasts of £30m cut to at most £10m
  
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• Reliance takes on Amazon and Walmart in India with JioMart

  10-01-2020 05:00
  Asia’s richest man set to shake up online shopping sector
  
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• ‘People are so happy we exist’: indie bookshops grow despite retail slump

  10-01-2020 01:01
  
  After decades of decline, the sector has recorded three years of expansion. Some of the newest booksellers explain how they’re bucking the book marketJames Ashmore admits that he and his wife Louise “had a good five minutes of just smelling all the books” when the stock arrived for their new independent bookshop, Read., in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire.“It’s like when you get a book for Christmas, but we got 35 boxes which we cracked open. It was brilliant,” he sa
  
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• Superdry warns on profit

  10-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Superdry has warned that its full year profits could be wiped out after group revenue fell by 15.8% in the Christmas trading period. In a statement,... View Article
  
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• Pets at Home to donate £100,000 to WWF to support Australian bushfires work

  10-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Pets at Home has pledged to donate £100,000 to the Worldwide Fund for Nature to support the organisation’s efforts with the Australian bushfires. The funds will... View Article
  
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• Lidl Christmas sales up 11%

  10-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Lidl saw its sales rise by 11% in the four weeks to 29 December after it experienced its busiest ever trading day 23 December. The supermarket... View Article
  
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• JD Sports confident of profit performance

  10-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  JD Sports Fashion has said its full year group pre-tax profit is likely to come in within the upper range market expectations despite retail challenges in... View Article
  
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• IKEA to launch new small store format in London

  10-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  IKEA is to launch a new small store format in London’s Hammersmith as part of plans to open more shops in city centres. The move follows... View Article
  
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• Game planning to close 40 UK stores

  10-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Game has announced that it is planning to close 40 stores across the UK. The company has already served notice on 13 sites including stores in... View Article
  
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• B&M’s sales increase despite ‘difficult’ UK retail environment

  10-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  B&M saw its group revenue climb by 9.3% at constant currency in its third quarter despite a decision not to carry out any early discounting activity. In... View Article
  
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