Retail news

• Aldi to become UK's 'best-paying supermarket' with wage rise

  21-01-2020 19:19
  
  German discounter to raise hourly rate to £9.40 and to £10.90 for staff within M25Aldi is handing UK staff a wage rise of more than 3% from next month in a move that it says will make it the best-paying supermarket, pushing rival Lidl into second place.From 1 February, the German discount chain will raise the hourly wage of its store employees to £9.40 from £9.10, or to £10.90 from £10.55 for those inside the M25. Related: The Aldi effect: how one discount sup
  
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• Toy industry hit by slump 'due to Brexit and 2019 election'

  21-01-2020 19:00
  
  Figures released by manufacturers show overall sales dropped by 6%The UK toy industry suffered “difficult” trading conditions last year due to falling consumer confidence as a result of Brexit and the snap general election, manufacturers have said.The British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) – which represents more than 80% of the industry in the UK – released fresh figures showing that overall sales had slumped by 6% to £3.2bn in 2019 amid high street gloom. Howeve
  
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• Beales: What went wrong?

  21-01-2020 18:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  A BRIEF TIMELINE
  1881: John Elmes Beale founded his department store – initially known as Fancy Fair and Oriental House – in Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth, Dorset. The store started off by selling products and novelties that reflected the growing enthusiasm for Chinese and Japanese culture.
  1884: The shop produced the first of its special resort souvenirs, including an album of views of the town.
  1885: Beale came up with the idea of having a live Father Christmas parading in t
  
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• Sainsbury's to cut hundreds of management jobs

  21-01-2020 18:26
  
  Supermarket chain structural reorganisation is part of plan to save £500m in costs by 2024 Sainsbury’s is to cut hundreds of jobs in management as it presses on with the integration of Argos, which it bought for £1.4bn in 2016.In a letter to staff, the supermarket chain’s chief executive, Mike Coupe, said the company’s leadership team had already been reduced by 20% since the beginning of the financial year in March 2019. Continue reading...
  
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• The White Company hires former Topshop exec as new head of buying

  21-01-2020 17:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Topshop’s former buying director Emma Fox joins The White Company as head of buying
  // The White Company currently has Mary Homer as CEO, another former Topshop executiveThe White Company has reportedly hired Topshop’s former buying director Emma Fox to become its new head of buying.
  According to Drapers, Fox will leave Topshop in February to take on her new role at The White Company, specialising in its clothing and kidswear departments.READ MORE: The White Company posts 26% rise
  
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• Hotel with secret tunnel to Harrods approved

  21-01-2020 16:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Permission has been granted for a £300m luxury hotel in Kensington
  // The site of the propsed hotel houses an underground tunnel linking to HarrodsA £300m hotel is set to be built on a site in Kensington with a secret tunnel to Harrods, after planning permission was granted.
  The proposed 120-room, six-star hotel is set to take over 30 months to build, and is being designed by Tim Hamilton of UK-based Hamilton Architects.
  Following the granting of planning permission, the luxury ho
  
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• M&S raids Argos & Asda senior ranks for new retail & property directors

  21-01-2020 16:54 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // M&S adds two new roles to its retail, operations and property leadership team
  // Will Smith joins from Asda as M&S’s new property director while Argos’ Helen Milford has been poached for the retail director role
  // Both will report to retail, operations and property director Sacha BerendjiMarks & Spencer has raided the senior ranks of both Asda and Sainsbury’s Argos to fill in two new roles within its retail, operations and property leadership team.
  Helen Milford
  
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• Metro’s family shareholders lift stake as Kretinsky circles

  21-01-2020 14:31
  Move comes after Czech billionaire’s failed €5.8bn bid for German wholesaler
  
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• John Lewis Partnership weekly sales tumble 2.9%

  21-01-2020 13:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // John Lewis Partnership’s overall revenue declines 2.9% in week ending January 18
  // Waitrose weekly sales down 2.9%
  // John Lewis weekly sales drops 2.9%John Lewis Partnership has recorded a decline in weekly sales as the typical lull in the third week of the new year took its toll on both of its retail brands.
  For the week ending January 18, overall sales for the parent company of John Lewis and Waitrose dropped 2.9 per cent year-on-year, from £205.35 million to £199.4
  
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• The only way from Dixons Carphone’s peak is down

  21-01-2020 13:33
  Retailer needs distinctive appeal if it is to avoid being a commodity supplier of electronics
  
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• New BP boss gathers his most trusted turtles

  21-01-2020 13:33
  Oil major completes top-level shake-up; Dixons needs distinctive appeal
  
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• Eve Sleep breaks for the first time as turnaround bears fruit

  21-01-2020 13:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Eve Sleep breaks even for the first time during Q4 of its financial year
  // It said it remained on track to slash losses
  // After a period of decline, Eve Sleep shares jumped 20.5% at the newsEve Sleep’s turnaround is starting to bear fruit after the online mattress retailer revealed it broke even for the first time during its fourth quarter and remained on track to cut losses.
  Investors in Eve Sleep have also given the retailer a vote of confidence, sending shares soaring as it said it
  
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• Eve Sleep breaks even for the first time as turnaround bears fruit

  21-01-2020 13:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Eve Sleep breaks even for the first time during Q4 of its financial year
  // It said it remained on track to slash losses
  // After a period of decline, Eve Sleep shares jumped 20.5% at the newsEve Sleep’s turnaround is starting to bear fruit after the online mattress retailer revealed it broke even for the first time during its fourth quarter and remained on track to cut losses.
  Investors in Eve Sleep have also given the retailer a vote of confidence, sending shares soaring as it said it
  
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• Agent Provocateur appoints Michelle Ryan as CEO

  21-01-2020 13:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Agent Provocateur announces the appointment of Michelle Ryan as its new CEO
  // She was previously buying and supply chain director at Kurt Geiger
  // Prior experience includes executive positions at Jimmy Choo and BurberryAgent Provocateur has announced the appointment of luxury retail veteran Michelle Ryan as its new chief executive.
  This appointment comes as part of the lingerie retailer’s ongoing brand strategy to expand and grow internationally.
  Michelle Ryan joins Agent Provocateur
  
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• Dixons Carphone mobile slump offset by TV and hairdryer sales

  21-01-2020 12:42
  
  Company that owns Carphone Warehouse and Currys PC World has 2% rise for electricalsDixons Carphone, Britain’s biggest electrical and mobile phone retailer, has suffered a further slump in mobile sales but benefited from a surge in sales of supersize TVs and Dyson hairdryers.The company, which owns the Carphone Warehouse and Currys PC World chains, posted a 9% fall in like-for-like mobile phone sales in the UK and Ireland in the 10 weeks to 4 January but this was offset by a 2% rise in ele
  
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• StockX tops $1bn in sales for the first time as sneaker market continues to boom

  21-01-2020 10:26 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  StockX has surpassed $1 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) for the first time thanks to massive growth in 2019.
  The sneaker resale platform, which markets itself as a “fashion stock market”, achieved the coveted “unicorn” status last year when it was valued at over $1 billion.
  It has now also seen its GMV grow to over $1 billion in less than three years since launching in 2016, driven by dramatic expansion of its product range and into international markets last yea
  
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• Joules blames Black Friday timing on revenue decline

  21-01-2020 10:12 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Joules group revenue during Black Friday declines 1.4%
  // The revenue decline was attributed in part to the timing of Black FridayJoules has seen its group revenue drop during Black Friday as the retailer blamed the timing of the sales event.
  For the 26 weeks ending November 24, revenue dropped 1.4 per cent to £111.6 million.
  Underlying profit before tax also fell for the retailer, down £1 million to £9.7 million during the period.READ MORE: Joules CEO “disappoint
  
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• Aldi raises minimum wage amid UK expansion plans

  21-01-2020 09:47 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Aldi increases hourly pay rates for store colleagues
  // The new rates now exceed the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended pay rates
  // It will be recruiting over 3800 store-level positions this yearAldi has increased the hourly pay rates for its store colleagues from £9.10 and £10.55 per hour to £9.40 nationally and £10.90 inside the M25, effective February 1.
  The German discounter’s new rates now exceed the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended p
  
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• Dune CEO James Cox to be replaced by founder Daniel Rubin

  21-01-2020 09:25 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Dune CEO James Cox due to resign on March 9
  // Dune founder and executive chairman Daniel Rubin to take overDune Group has revealed its chief executive James Cox is due to step down from his role on March 9, after a decade at the footwear retailer.
  Cox will remain on the board as a non-executive director, while executive chairman and Dune founder Daniel Rubin will take over as chief executive, Drapers reported.
  Cox joined Dune in 2010 as group finance director, before he was promoted to chief
  
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• Sir Philip Green no longer facing assault charges in US

  21-01-2020 09:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Sir Philip Green is no longer facing charges of misdemeanour assault in the US
  // Green has continuously denied the allegations against himCharges of misdemeanour assault against Sir Philip Green have been dropped in the US after Justice Vince Roberts dismissed the case.
  The Arcadia tycoon had been formally charged with “knowingly touching another person with the intent to injure, insult or provoke” in May last year.
  Four counts alleging he repeatedly touched a pilates instructor
  
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• Mobile phone sales drag Dixons Carphone’s Christmas trading

  21-01-2020 08:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Dixons Carphone records mere rise in Christmas and Black Friday sales
  // Sales of electricals rose 2% on a like-for-like basis across the group
  // Mobile phone sales fell 9% in like-for-like terms in the UK & IrelandDixons Carphone has recorded a sales rise during the peak Christmas and Black Friday trading period.
  The Carphone Warehouse owner said its like-for-like sales were flat during the 10 weeks to January 4, but total sales increased by two per cent on a reported currency basis.
  Sa
  
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• Dixons Carphone’s UK electricals spark into life over Christmas

  21-01-2020 08:23
  Sales of large televisions and smart speakers grow but mobile business suffers
  
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• Dixons Carphone’s UK electricals spark into life

  21-01-2020 08:23
  Sales of large televisions drive better than forecast trading
  
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• US landlords grapple with thousands of store closures

  21-01-2020 05:00
  Keeping properties vacant can be less risky than refusing to lower rents
  
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• Sosandar hails record Christmas trading

  21-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Women’s fashion retailer Sosandar has reported record trading in the three months to 31 December when net revenues in each month exceeded £1.2 million. Total revenue... View Article
  
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• Report: Festive Peak Shopping Guide 2019/20

  21-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  When compiling the 2019 festive shopper traffic predictions, Shoppertrak took account of the differences between the calendar timing of Christmas 2019 and that of 2018. Now... View Article
  
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• Optimizing in-store activities through Virtual Reality

  21-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Discover how you can save time and costs on your in-store activities while driving your business towards Digital Transformation. Leading brands and retailers on a global... View Article
  
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• Dixons Carphone enjoys strong Christmas electrical sales

  21-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Dixons Carphone has said it increased its sales and customer satisfaction levels in its peak Christmas trading period. UK and Ireland like-for-like electrical sales rose by... View Article
  
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• Asda teams up with leading brands on refill store trial

  21-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Asda is teaming up with some of the UK’s best-known brands to launch a pilot sustainability store in Leeds. From May, the shop will give customers... View Article
  
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• 2019 Christmas traffic recap: The year of Super Monday

  21-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  When compiling the 2019 festive shopper traffic predictions, Shoppertrak took account of the differences between the calendar timing of Christmas 2019 and that of 2018. Now... View Article
  
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