Retail news

• Gap scraps plans to spin off Old Navy

  16-01-2020 23:04
  Retailer blames ‘cost and complexity’ as it does a U-turn on split
  
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• Gap scraps plans to separate Old Navy

  16-01-2020 23:04
  Retailer blames ‘cost and complexity’ as it does a U-turn on split
  
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• Primark sales down after challenging Christmas for UK retail

  16-01-2020 20:08
  
  ‘Marginal’ decline at fashion chain’s UK stores as other high street retailers struggleSales at Primark’s UK stores went backwards at Christmas in a further sign of the toll taken on fashion retailers by grim market conditions over the traditionally lucrative trading period.The no-frills fashion chain suffered a “marginal” decline in underlying sales and said it would only open one store in the UK this year – the lowest number in decades - as it turns it
  
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• Philip Green's Arcadia closes more stores after tough Christmas

  16-01-2020 18:45
  
  Company’s Westfield Stratford site in London is one of at least 12 on closure listSir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group, the owner of Topshop, Topman and Dorothy Perkins, is closing a fresh wave of stores in the wake of a tough Christmas.The company, which also owns Evans, Burton, Miss Selfridge and Wallis, has quietly confirmed the closure of at least 12 sites in the last few weeks, including one of its high-profile stores at Westfield Stratford in east London. Related: Stockton-on-Tees
  
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• Do not adjust your set: Gwyneth Paltrow is spreading Goop all over TV

  16-01-2020 17:35
  
  Everyone’s favourite turbocharged wellness capitalist has laid out her stall in the trailer for her new Netflix show. But what does any of it mean?Huge excitement in TV’s burgeoning disinfomercial genre, as Gwyneth Paltrow’s Netflix show prepares to make landfall next week. Based on her lifestyle portal, currently valued at $250m, The Goop Lab will see the turbocapitalist fanny-egg entrepreneur take us to new frontiers in the wellness universe.Incidentally, I just want to say r
  
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• Morrisons makes changes to executive committee

  16-01-2020 14:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Morrisons makes changes to its executive committee
  // Group customer & marketing director Andy Atkinson has been promoted to group commercial director
  // Operations director David Lepley will become group retail directorMorrisons has made changes to its executive committee after Trevor Strain was promoted to chief operating officer and Michael Gleeson to chief financial officer last month.
  The Big 4 grocer promoted its group customer and marketing director Andy Atkinson to group comm
  
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• US retail sales held steady in December

  16-01-2020 14:48
  Data follows lacklustre trading updates from several major retailers
  
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• Anthropologie opens its Winchester store

  16-01-2020 13:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Anthropolgies’ latest store opening is part of its local store strategy rollout
  // It’s fourth store will open in Oxford this yearFashion retailer Anthropologie has opened a new 6000sq ft store in Hampshire, as part of its “local store” strategy rollout.
  Colliers International’s retail team  let the former Jack Wills unit at 56 High Street, Winchester, to Anthropologie on a 10-year term on behalf of the landlord, AXA, for £185,000 per annum.
  Anthr
  
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• Primark sales rise helped by US growth and German overhaul

  16-01-2020 13:20
  UK market suffers small decline but total revenues climb on new store openings
  
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• Moss Bros forecasts another full-year loss as second-half sales fall

  16-01-2020 12:25 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Moss Bros forecasts another full-year loss as discounts take toll
  // It expects full-year adjusted pre-tax loss of about £1m. Last year it posted a £4.2m loss
  // Meanwhile sales in the second half period ending January 11 were 3% lower than last yearMoss Bros has warned that it expects to post another year of loss after heavy discounting failed to deliver positive sales growth in its second half.
  The menswear retailer said sales for the 24 week-period ending January 11 fell three
  
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• Shoe Zone promotes COO Charles Smith to chairman

  16-01-2020 11:23 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Shoe Zone appoints Charles Smith as chairman
  // Smith is a major shareholder of Shoe Zone with a 22.2% shareholdingShoe Zone has promoted its chief operating officer Charles Smith as its new chairman.
  Smith is an existing board member and major shareholder of Shoe Zone with a 22.2 per cent shareholding.
  He was appointed interim chairman in August.READ MORE: Shoe Zone profits down due to “increased financial burden” CEO saysSmith first joined the shoe retailer in 1998 and progresse
  
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• Jack Wills announces 6 store closures

  16-01-2020 11:12 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Jack Wills announces the closure of another 6 stores within the next month
  // Bournemouth, Camberley, Cheltenham, Soho, Truro and Witney
  // Retailer said it was “committed” to finding new roles within company for staff affected
  // The current batch of closures follows the 13 that have shut since Frasers Group acquired Jack WillsJack Wills has revealed plans to shut down another six stores within the next month as rising business rates continued to bite and rent negotiations with l
  
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• Halfords rides bicycle sales boom

  16-01-2020 11:10
  
  Deals with Disney and Trunki boost retailer as sales of scooter and e-bikes nearly doubleHalfords enjoyed a surge in bicycle and scooter sales over the Christmas period boosted by the popularity of new electric models and its partnerships with Disney and Trunki, with a record number of kids’ bikes sold.The UK’s biggest bike retailer said sales of electric bikes and scooters jumped 96% year-on-year in the 14 weeks to 3 January. They now make up 13%-14% of total sales. Overall bike and
  
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• Gender pay gap of 17% in retail could take more than a decade to close

  16-01-2020 10:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Retail is falling behind with a pay gap of 17%
  // Only engineering & pharmaceuticals industries have seen a notable change in pay equalityThe retail industry has a gender pay gap that could take more than a decade to close despite many larger retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and John Lewis taking major steps to reduce theirs.
  A survey has found that the retail sector is severely falling behind with a pay gap of 17 per cent.
  The results from SJD Accountancy, revealed that althoug
  
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• Bose to shut 119 stores across Europe, US and Australia threatening hundreds of jobs

  16-01-2020 10:39 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Bose is set to shut all of its physical stores in Europe, the US, Japan and Australia threatening hundreds of jobs.
  The audio hardware retailer announced today that it will shut 119 of its physical retail stores in four territories “over the next few months”.
  According to The Verge, roughly 130 stores in China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, South Korea and Southeast Asia will continue to trade.
  Although Bose says it’s offering outplacement assistance and severance
  
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• Dobbies Christmas sales rise 44%

  16-01-2020 10:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Dobbies total sales rose 44%, and 6% on a like-for-like basis over the festive period
  // The retailer recorded a double-digit sales growth across key categoriesDobbies has seen sales rise over the key Christmas period thanks to an increase in transaction volume and growth in customer basket size.
  During the nine weeks to December 29, the garden centre chain recorded a 44 per cent rise in total sales, compared with the same period the previous year.
  On a like-for-like basis, Dobbies saw a six
  
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• Halfords revenue rises in golden quarter thanks to “strong demand”

  16-01-2020 10:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Halfords revenue rose 4.6% in the 14 weeks to January 3
  // The retailer now maintains its full-year profits will be between £50m and £55m
  // Online sales jumped 27% across the 14 weeksHalfords has seen its revenue cycle ahead during the third quarter after recording a stable sales performance.
  The cycling and automotive retailer’s revenue increased by 4.6 per cent in the 14 weeks to January 3, with a 0.6 per cent rise in retail and a 31.2 per cent rise in autocentres.
  Halfor
  
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• The Works posts half-year loss & slowing sales as CEO Kevin Keaney resigns

  16-01-2020 10:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // The Works posted a half-year loss and a slowdown in sales and a decline in like-for-likes
  // It also revealed that CEO Kevin Keaney is stepping down after nine years
  // For its Christmas period, The Works said like-for-likes went up 1.5%The Works has reported a half-year loss and a slowdown in sales amid a decline in like-for-likes, while also revealing that chief executive Kevin Keaney is resigning with immediate effect.
  Keaney, who had been with The Works for nine years and oversaw rapid gr
  
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• Halfords bolstered by boom in electric cycles and scooters

  16-01-2020 09:56
  E-bike sales almost double in third quarter to keep retailer on track after three warnings
  
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• N Brown Group issues profit warning after “challenging” period

  16-01-2020 09:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // N Brown has slashed its profit forecasts for the year
  // It expects its full-year adjusted profit before tax to be in the range of £70m to £72m
  // Product revenue dropped 4% in the 18 weeks to January 4N Brown Group has issued a profit warning after enduring tough trading in the market which has seen its revenue decline.
  The retail group which owns Simply Be, Jacamo, Ambrose Wilson and JD Williams, has slashed its profit forecasts for the year.
  N Brown now expects its full-year ad
  
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• Primark Christmas trading & expansion bolsters AB Foods’ sales

  16-01-2020 09:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Primark posts higher revenues for the past 16 weeks on the back of new stores as UK like-for-likes dips marginally lower
  // It saw UK sales grow by 4% as it benefited from new stores and expansions while total Primark sales were up 3%
  // Parent company AB Foods saw group revenues rise 4% over the 16-week period to January 4Primark’s Christmas trading has given parent company AB Foods a boost after it reported higher revenues due to new store openings, although UK like-for-likes dipped m
  
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• Asda picks Middleton Leeds store to launch sustainability concept

  16-01-2020 09:12 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Asda to launch its first “sustainability store” at its Middleton branch in Leeds
  // It forms part of efforts to crack down on the amount of plastic it uses in its supermarkets
  // Asda’s existing store in Middleton will have new concepts to “encourage customers to reuse and refill” their plasticsAsda has unveiled plans to launch its first “sustainability store” at its Middleton branch in Leeds as part of its latest commitment to be more environmentally
  
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• Primark same-store sales slip in the UK

  16-01-2020 08:53
  Budget retailer’s German operation picks up after marketing push
  
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• Stockton-on-Tees rues 'bloody online' as Debenhams closes

  16-01-2020 07:00
  
  The town has had a department store at the heart of its high street for more than a century – until nowThere’s been a department store in the market town of Stockton-on-Tees for over a century. But the last one closed its doors for the final time on Wednesday when Debenhams pulled down the shutters.The store is one of 19 being closed across the country by the beleaguered chain this month, and it’s a big blow to Stockton, where New Look is also due to shut down on Saturday and m
  
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• Asda trials refill points and bottle recycling in 'sustainability' store

  16-01-2020 01:01
  
  Shoppers in Middleton will be able to bring containers for cereal, tea and other groceriesThe supermarket chain Asda is joining forces with some of the UK’s best-known food and drink brands to create a “sustainability” store, in the latest drive to find and test new ways to eliminate unnecessary plastic and packaging.From May, its store in Middleton, Leeds, will become the first Asda in the UK where shoppers can fill up their own containers with a range of products, fro
  
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• Very.co.uk hails strong peak trading

  16-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Retail sales at Very.co.uk climbed by 6.1% in the seven weeks to 27 December after the retailer saw particularly strong growth in the fashion and sportswear... View Article
  
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• Liverpool ONE reports successful Christmas and 2019

  16-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Liverpool ONE shopping destination has increased its sales by 5% over the festive trading period. The uplift marks the end of a record year for Liverpool ONE... View Article
  
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• Halfords reconfirms profit guidance following Q3 sales uplift

  16-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Halfords has reconfirmed its full year profit guidance after group revenue increased by 4.6% in its third quarter. On a like-for-like basis sales were up 1.3%.... View Article
  
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