Retail news

• Landmark French law will stop unsold goods being thrown away

  30-01-2020 17:41
  
  Companies to be banned from destroying clothes, cosmetics and other itemsFrance is to ban designer clothes and luxury goods companies from destroying unsold or returned items under a wide-ranging anti-waste law passed by parliament on Thursday.The groundbreaking law, which the French government claims is a world first, also covers electrical items, hygiene products and cosmetics, which must now be reused, redistributed or recycled. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• France passes landmark law to stop unsold goods being thrown away

  30-01-2020 17:41
  
  Companies to be banned from destroying unsold clothes, cosmetics and other itemsFrance is to ban designer clothes and luxury goods companies from destroying unsold or returned items under a wide-ranging anti-waste law passed by parliament on Thursday.The groundbreaking law, which the French government claims is a world first, also covers electrical items, hygiene products and cosmetics, which must now be reused, redistributed or recycled. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Hawkin’s Bazaar: What went wrong?

  30-01-2020 16:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  A BRIEF TIMELINE
  1973: In Northumberland, Sid Templer set up a small mail order toy company known as Tobar – derived from his two sons’ names – Toby and Barnaby.
  1976: Tobar moved premises to an old disused pub in Suffolk, formerly named the Hawk Inn.
  Templer, realising that the company could save a line in their address, persuaded the Post Office that they could cope with a transition from Hawk Inn to Hawkin & Co.
  Subsequently, Tobar Group became the name of the parent com
  
  Read more

• Sainsbury’s debuts on Stonewall’s annual top 100 inclusive employers list

  30-01-2020 14:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Sainsbury’s makes its debut on Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers list
  // Ranked 71, it is the only retailer in the annual LGBT-inclusive employers list.
  // The top 100 is compiled from the Workplace Equality Index, a benchmark tool for LGBT inclusion in the workplaceSainsbury’s has made its debut on Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers list, which ranks UK-wide employers based on their levels of inclusivity for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans staff.
  The Top 100 is compiled from
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Retailers see growth in face mask demand amid coronavirus scare

  30-01-2020 13:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Face mask demand appears to grow in the UK amid coronavirus outbreak
  // Boots and Amazon have indicated “sold out” items under face masks on their website
  // The best preventative measure is to regularly wash hands with soap & avoid touching eyes, nose or mouthThe demand for face masks in the UK appears to be on the rise amid fears about the coronavirus, with retailers working to boost stocks.
  The World Health Organisation – which said the “whole world needs to be
  
  Read more

• Deloitte handed record insolvency fine over Comet failures

  30-01-2020 13:16
  Collapse in 2012 of lossmaking electricals retailer left taxpayers with £44m bill
  
  Read more

• Mothercare is losing £50 every second

  30-01-2020 12:03 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Mothercare is losing nearly £50 in revenue every second of every day according to a new report laying bare the dismal profit margins of high street retailers.
  Thirty of the world’s biggest fashion retailers’ revenues and profits per second have been documented in a new ‘interactive’ report from Ask Traders.
  While online fashion retailers including Asos, Boohoo and Missguided saw profit per second equal roughly half of their revenues, high street retailers like Deben
  
  Read more

• Central England Co-op achieves top environmental standards recognition for the 3rd time

  30-01-2020 11:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Central England Co-op bags 3 Carbon Trust Standards for reducing its carbon emissions, waste & water use
  //  The retailer reduced its carbon footprint by 61% since 2010Central England Co-op scored a treble treble after being awarded industry leading awards for the third time in three years for its work reducing carbon emissions, waste and water use.
  The Society demonstrated its ongoing commitment to the environment by achieving the standards, which are internationally recognised envi
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Sports Direct battles to stop “private” files being handed to regulators

  30-01-2020 11:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Sports Direct in court to prevent “private” documents it provided to accountants being handed to regulators
  // It is attempting to overturn a High Court ruling from 2018 that ordered it to hand over 40 company documents to the FRCSports Direct is currently in a battle to block “private” documents it provided to its accountants being handed over to regulators.
  The dispute is part of a court case that is being closely watched by the audit profession.
  The Mike Ashley-owne
  
  Read more

• Ex-BHS director Lennart Henningson handed 5-year boardroom ban

  30-01-2020 11:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Ex-BHS director Lennart Henningson handed a 5-year ban from UK company dictatorships
  // He worked alongside Retail Acquisitions boss Dominic Chappell, who bought BHS for £1 from Sir Philip Green in 2015
  // The ban has been imposed by the Insolvency ServiceA former director of collapsed department store chain BHS, Lennart Henningson, has agreed to a five-year ban from company directorships across the UK.
  The ban has been imposed by the Insolvency Service.
  Henningson was a director at BHS
  
  Read more

• Ex-BHS director handed five-year boardroom ban

  30-01-2020 11:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Ex-BHS director Lennart Henningson has been handed a 5-year ban from UK company dictatorships
  // He worked alongside Retail Acquisitions boss Dominic Chappell, who bought BHS for £1 from Sir Philip Green in 2015
  // The ban has been imposed by the Insolvency ServiceThe former director of collapsed department store chain BHS, Lennart Henningson, has agreed to a five-year ban from company directorships across the UK.
  The ban has been imposed by the Insolvency Service.
  Henningson was a dire
  
  Read more

• Top 5 upcoming retail drone delivery services

  30-01-2020 10:50 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  As if same-day delivery on pretty much anything wasn’t convenient enough, retailers across the world are piling money into programmes which will allow parcels to be flown to you in minutes.
  Drone deliveries, set to be worth £42 billion in the UK alone by 2030, are already a reality for shoppers in much of Asia. Chinese companies like Alibaba and JD.com have been using drones to deliver items to shoppers in hard to reach rural areas since before 2017.
  While the roll out of drone deliv
  
  Read more

• Beales’ ex-owner & biggest landlord blames collapse on tax system

  30-01-2020 10:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Beales’ former owner Andrew Perloff blames administration on “excessive & outdated” tax system
  // Beales’ administration 1300 jobs at riskBeales’ former owner and the landlord of over half of its properties, Panther Securities has blamed its collapse on an “outdated” tax system.
  Panther Securities chairman Andrew Perloff said an “excessive and outdated” tax system was weighing the stores down, Property Week reported.
  The departmen
  
  Read more

• COMMENT: Retailers need to invest in “hearing” their customers

  30-01-2020 10:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Meeting the needs of customers with disabilities has been brought to the fore with the advent of Purple Tuesday, the annual accessible shopping day in November.
  However, rather than “accessible” pointing solely to those with mobility needs – the largest disabled group in the UK have hearing loss. In fact, their number has just topped 12 million and with an ageing population, that figure will continue to rise.
  Much of the high street has invested in assistive technology for cust
  
  Read more

• Fresh leadership for H&M as longtime chair Stefan Persson steps down

  30-01-2020 10:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // H&M chairman Stefan Persson to step down after more than 20 years at the retail giant
  // He will be succeeded by H&M Group CEO Karl-Johan Persson & CFO Helena Helmersson is promoted to CEO
  // H&M also revealed an increase in full-year gross profit and net salesH&M Group has revealed a major shake-up of its leadership team as chairman Stefan Persson steps down after more than 20 years in the role.
  The news comes amidst H&M’s full-year trading update, in which Pers
  
  Read more

• Victoria’s Secret billionaire owner in talks to sell retailer & resign

  30-01-2020 10:23 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Victoria’s Secret owner is looking to sell the retailer
  // L Brands CEO Leslie Wexner in talks to step down
  // Victoria’s Secret has struggled with falling sales and competitionVictoria’s Secret owner L Brands is looking to sell the lingerie retailer as chief executive Leslie Wexner announces he is in talks to step down from the group.
  Wexner has been in his role for 57 years and has led Abercrombie & Fitch, The Limited and Victoria’s Secret.
  He is in talks to resi
  
  Read more

• Comet administrator Deloitte faces £1m fine

  30-01-2020 09:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Comet administrator Deloitte has been hit with a fine of £1m
  // The firm and two of its partners have agreed to pay the fine
  // Comet fell into administration in the run-up to the Christmas trading period in 2012The administrators to Comet, Deloitte has reportedly been hit with a fine of £1 million by the accountancy watchdog.
  The Big 4 accountancy firm and two of its partners who oversaw Comet’s administration in 2012, have agreed to pay the fine, Sky News reported.
  Th
  
  Read more

• Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group in the clear over £571m Belgian tax bill

  30-01-2020 09:48 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has correctly paid tax in Belgium that was questioned by authorities there
  // Frasers Group says Belgian Tax Authority is satisfied with its explanation regarding the tax bill
  // The company formerly known as Sports Direct had been investigated over the sum equivalent to £570mFrasers Group has said it was now in the clear with Belgian authorities over an alleged failure to pay a tax bill that equated to around £571 million.
  The Mike Ashley-owned c
  
  Read more

• H&M’s top shareholder to step down as chairman

  30-01-2020 09:15
  Stefan Persson will be succeeded by his son Karl-Johan who is currently chief executive
  
  Read more

• Fashion chain H&M’s top shareholder to step down as chairman

  30-01-2020 09:15
  Stefan Persson will be succeeded by his son Karl-Johan who is currently chief executive
  
  Read more

• Hamleys appoints former Debenhams & The Body Shop exec as new CEO

  30-01-2020 09:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Hamleys hires former Debenhams & The Body Shop exec David Smith as its new CEO
  // India-based parent company Reliance Retail expected to announce the news of the hire this week
  // Smith was formerly head of Debenhams’ international operations & The Body Shop’s Asia Pacific MDHamleys is poised to announce its new chief executive after reportedly hiring former Debenhams and The Body Shop executive David Smith to take on the role.
  According to Sky News, the heritage toy
  
  Read more

• How has Brexit vote affected UK economy? January verdict

  30-01-2020 07:30
  
  Each month we look at key indicators to see what effect the Brexit process has had on growth, prosperity and trade Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Newcastle city council named UK's top LGBT employer

  30-01-2020 01:01
  
  Stonewall publishes top 100 list, featuring Sainsbury’s and Channel 4 for first timeNewcastle city council has been named the UK’s top LGBT employer, with Sainsbury’s and Channel 4 making the equality charity Stonewall’s top 100 list for the first time.Stonewall has said it is the first time a local authority has been named the best LGBT employer in the 16 years it has published the annual list. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Woking Shopping welcomes French Connection

  30-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Woking Shopping has added fashion retailer French Connection to its line-up. Situated within the Town Mall, the 1,260 square foot store sits alongside Fat Face and... View Article
  
  Read more

• Tails.com hires first chief commercial officer

  30-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Tails.com has hired Paolo Woods-Wyatt as its first chief commercial officer. In his new role, he will be responsible for exploring further product categories and driving... View Article
  
  Read more

• Shop price deflation eases this month

  30-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New figures have revealed that shop price deflation eased in January with a drop of 0.3% compared to 0.4% fall in December. The figures from the... View Article
  
  Read more

• Q&A – Paolo Mossa, Global Sales Director – inVRsion

  30-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Paolo Mossa is the Global Sales Director of inVRsion, a Virtual Reality company developing simulations of never-before-seen realism for CPG Industry and Retail. Paolo and his... View Article
  
  Read more

• N Brown hires Sarah Welsh as retail chief executive

  30-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  N Brown has strengthened its management team with the appointment of  Sarah Welsh to the newly created role of retail chief executive. She will join the... View Article
  
  Read more

• H&M’s Stefan Persson to step down as chairman

  30-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  H&M has announced that Stefan Persson is to step down as its chairman and be succeeded by Karl-Johan Persson, who is currently the fashion retailer’s chief... View Article
  
  Read more

• Debenhams’ parent company appoints Stephen Sunnucks as non-executive director

  30-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Debenhams department store has appointed former New Look chief executive Stephen Sunnucks as a non-executive director of its parent company, Celine Jersey Topco, In addition... View Article
  
  Read more

Follow @retailuknws on Twitter!