Retail news

• Shoppers stockpile and order online as coronavirus spreads

  06-03-2020 19:35
  Supermarkets ready contingency plans as customers buy up products such as hand sanitiser and toilet paper
  
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• Supermarkets asked to boost deliveries for coronavirus self-isolation

  06-03-2020 19:22
  
  Chains already noted surge in home deliveries and unable to offer much more but prospect of food shortages remote, says industryThe government has asked supermarkets to increase availability of home delivery services to help people in self-isolation with coronavirus get access to food and other essentials.Top supermarket executives held a call with George Eustice, the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs on Friday afternoon. The teleconference came after the health secretar
  
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• International Women’s Day: How can retailers avoid tokenism?

  06-03-2020 17:42 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  When a new study by the UN Development Programme discovered that nine out of 10 people globally are still biased against women, marking International Women’s Day (IWD) this year on March 8 became even more important.
  With the likes of #MeToo and Time’s Up movements showing the effectiveness and viability of social activism, it’s no surprise that retailers are presenting IWD campaigns to demonstrate an awareness. But this raises one question: how tokenistic are these gestures?
  A
  
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• Why UK high street retailers want urgent reform of business rates

  06-03-2020 17:14
  
  Lobby groups say the way rates are calculated and paid is hurting most those it aims to help bestWhen the Palmers department store in Great Yarmouth closes at the end of next week it will be a sad end to the story of one of the country’s oldest retail businesses.Part of the collapsed Beales chain, Palmers has been a familiar sight in the seaside resort since 1837 when Garwood Burton Palmer opened a drapery shop.High street closures in 2019 Related: UK's business rates system 'broken' says
  
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• IWD 2020: A list of British retailers led by female CEOs

  06-03-2020 17:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  1. Dame Sharon White
  Last month Dame Sharon White assumed the role of chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, the colleague-owned retail giant that operates the John Lewis and Waitrose chains.
  She replaces Sir Charlie Mayfield, and despite not having any retail background, she joined the partnership at a tumultuous time, with declining profits and a slew of senior management departures – such as former John Lewis managing director Paula Nickolds.
  However, since joining the partnership, Whi
  
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• Retail Gazette Loves: St Enoch Centre’s No Phone Zone

  06-03-2020 16:12 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  This week the St Enoch Centre in Glasgow launched a No Phone Zone, allowing visitors to relax and unplug in the city centre without the distraction of their smartphones.
  The new designated area was created to enable and encourage people to put their tech down and enjoy time with people face to face.
  St Enoch Centre’s No Phone Zone was also created in response to studies suggesting a there is a negative impact on mental health and wellbeing through excessive mobile phone and social media us
  
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• Empty shelves in wake of coronavirus won’t last long: BRC

  06-03-2020 16:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Retailers are “confident” limited availability of long-life products & hand sanitiser will be short lived
  // Follows spike in sales of cleaning products & store cupboard essentials amid coronavirus fears
  // BRC is working with the government to ensure grocers remain stocked & supply chains continue to function as normalRetailers have said they are “confident” limited availability of long-life products and hand sanitiser in the wake of the coronavirus outbre
  
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• US delivery companies offer contact-free service to ease coronavirus fears

  06-03-2020 15:02
  Users of Instacart and Postmates given option to instruct drivers to leave deliveries on doorstep
  
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• The Body Shop posts quarterly sales & profits uptick

  06-03-2020 14:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // For The Body Shop on its own, net revenue was up 6.7% for Q4, with UK sales up 5.4% Adjusted EBITDA up 7.8%
  // On a full-year basis, sales rose 6.3%and adjusted EBITDA was up 15.5%
  // Parent company Natura & Co enjoyed 12.2% growth in adjusted EBITDA as well as 7.3% increase in net revenueNatura & Co has posted another strong performance in the fourth quarter of 2019, as it praised the performance of The Body Shop in its core UK market.
  The Brazilian beauty conglomerate saw a 12.
  
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• Gap appoints Sonia Syngal as new CEO

  06-03-2020 13:42 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Gap names Old Navy boss Sonia Syngal as its new CEO
  // Effective from March 23
  // Gap board member Bobby Martin will also be promoted to executive chairmanGap has made some significant boardroom changes, with the appointment of a new chief executive and a new executive chairman.
  Sonia Syngal, who has led the Gap-owned Old Navy fascia since 2016, was appointed chief executive and will replace Art Peck who stepped down late 2019.
  Meanwhile board member Bobby Martin was promoted to executive cha
  
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• Network Rail’s retailers reap rewards of increasing train commuter numbers

  06-03-2020 13:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Festive cheer drives retail results for Network Rail
  // Network Rail reports 4.48% total sales growth at Britain’s biggest and busiest stations in the last 3 months of 2019
  // This was bolstered by growing numbers of train passengers and commutersNetwork Rail reaped the rewards of a surge in train passengers and commuters in the golden quarter of 2019, with its retail estate recording an uptick in sales.
  Station sales grew by 4.48 per cent to £228 million in the last three months
  
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• Tesco urges suppliers to pause office visits amid coronavirus outbreak

  06-03-2020 12:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Tesco calls off face-to-face meetings with suppliers to prevent coronavirus spread
  // The grocer aims to minimise human contact
  // Tesco informed suppliers that it has a “dedicated team in place” to monitor the situationTesco has reportedly called off face-to-face meetings with suppliers in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
  The grocer wrote in an email to suppliers on Wednesday that it wanted to minimise human contact as much as possible due to the coronavirus outbr
  
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• John Lewis launches second-hand style initiative for kidswear

  06-03-2020 11:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // John Lewis launches new initiative to help hand down childrenswear
  // John Lewis said childrenwear accounts for a disproportionate amount of the tonnes of clothing in landfillJohn Lewis has introduced a new initiative to persuade customers to hand down children’s clothing.
  The department store chain’s “Wear it, Love it, Hand it down” message is attached to its own brand babywear and childrenswear items.
  The retailer said it will have permanent organic co
  
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• Amazon is struggling to tackle virus price gouging: Here’s why

  06-03-2020 11:03 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Amazon is struggling to contain the spread of price gouging on its site as “bad actors” drive up the prices of highly demanded goods.
  US Senator Edward Markey called on Amazon on Wednesday to do more to “prevent profiteering on sales of items such as hand-sanitizer and surgical masks.
  He added: “Internet-based retailers such as Amazon.com have a particular responsibility to guard against price gouging in current circumstances as consumers — who are finding the shelv
  
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• CMA to crack down on coronavirus price increases

  06-03-2020 10:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // The CMA may need government to crackdown on rising costs of items due to coronavirus
  // Watchdog is currently monitoring prices as “panic-buying” increasesThe CMA has said it may need government intervention to regulate the cost of items as “panic-buying” increases thanks to the coronavirus outbreak.
  The competition watchdog said it is monitoring reports of price rises and will take “direct enforcement action” against those charging above the market rate fo
  
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• High street sales battered by storms and coronavirus fears

  06-03-2020 10:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // February high street sales hurt by storms and the growing fears around the coronavirus
  // Like-for-like sales in physical shops fell 0.9%, according to the BDO High Street Sales Tracker
  // Online sales increased, although at a much slower rate than usual 6%High street sales have taken a battering from storms and coronavirus fears over the past month, according to new data.
  Like-for-like store sales slipped 0.9 per cent in February, BDO’s latest High Street Sales Tracker shows.
  The surve
  
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• Wilko to slash 21,000 workers’ sick pay amid coronavirus outbreak

  06-03-2020 09:20 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Wilko will make cuts to 21,000 colleagues’ sick pay
  // The move comes as the retailer aims to level up to rivals in the market
  // It has denied the cuts are in any relation to the coronavirus outbreakWilko is reportedly making cuts to the sick pay of its 21,000 workers in a bid to “be competitive in the marketplace”.
  From April 1, 2020, employees in stores and warehouses will no longer receive sick pay from their second absence, Mirror Money reported.
  The news comes after co
  
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• Coronavirus: Ebay selling hand sanitisers 5000% more than original price

  06-03-2020 08:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Hand sanitisers are being sold up to 5000% their original price online
  // The price increase is as a result of the coronavirus outbreakNew research has found that retailers’ own brand hand sanitisers are being sold online for up to 5000 per cent more than the original price as coronavirus fears continue to escalate.
  Online retailer Ebay has seen its users selling Lidl’s own brand hand sanitisers from 49p to £24.99, which is a 5000 per cent price increase, according to Libert
  
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• Wilko to cut sick pay for 21,000 workers amid coronavirus outbreak

  06-03-2020 08:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Wilko will make cuts to 21,000 colleagues’ sick pay
  // The move comes as the retailer aims to level up to rivals in the market
  // It has denied the cuts are in any relation to the coronavirus outbreakWilko is reportedly making cuts to the sick pay of its 21,000 workers in a bid to “be competitive in the marketplace”.
  From April 1, 2020, employees in stores and warehouses will no longer receive sick pay from their second absence, Mirror Money reported.
  The news comes after co
  
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• Marcia Kilgore: beauty disrupter offers luxury for less

  06-03-2020 05:30
  
  Beauty Pie founder lowers prices by cutting costs and mark-ups
  
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• John Lewis introduces new labelling to encourage hand down of kids’ clothing

  06-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  John Lewis & Partners has launched a new initiative to encourage customers to hand down children’s clothing. The department store chain is adding the message ‘Wear... View Article
  
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• Hammerson embarks on next stage of Grand Central transformation

  06-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Hammerson has embarked on the next stage of the transformation of Grand Central’s New Street Mall in Birmingham. The works form the second phase of a... View Article
  
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• Gap Inc promotes Sonia Syngal to chief executive role

  06-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Gap Inc has appointed Sonia Syngal as its new chief executive. Previously chief executive of Gap’s Old Navy brand, she will join Gap’s board of directors... View Article
  
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