Retail news

• The most vulnerable people are missing out in panic-buying spree | Letters

  18-03-2020 20:18
  
  Readers respond to stocks disappearing from UK supermarket shelves in the coronavirus crisisYou report that the environment secretary, George Eustice, has been holding daily phone calls with supermarket chief executives to ensure that supply chains suffer minimal disruption (Supermarkets: Retailers adopt crisis plans, 17 March), quoting a Defra spokesman as saying: “Retailers are continuing to monitor their supply chains and taking all the necessary steps to ensure consumers have the food
  
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• The most vulnerable people are missing out in panic-buying spree

  18-03-2020 20:18
  
  Readers respond to stocks disappearing from UK supermarket shelves in the coronavirus crisisYou report that the environment secretary, George Eustice, has been holding daily phone calls with supermarket chief executives to ensure that supply chains suffer minimal disruption (Supermarkets: Retailers adopt crisis plans, 17 March), quoting a Defra spokesman as saying: “Retailers are continuing to monitor their supply chains and taking all the necessary steps to ensure consumers have the food
  
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• UK supermarkets impose tight new rules to prevent hoarding

  18-03-2020 19:13
  
  Retailers face struggle to keep shelves stocked during coronavirus crisisCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK’s supermarket chains have announced tight new restrictions on purchases and called for regulations to be relaxed as they battle to keep food on the shelves while shoppers stockpile groceries.Asda and Tesco are closing service counters – such as delicatessens and fish counters – and joining Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Lidl and the Co-op i
  
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• Will Mother’s Day draw any attention amid the coronavirus chaos?

  18-03-2020 18:46 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  With Mother’s Day just around the corner and with the government urging Brits to undertake “social distancing” due to the coronavirus pendemic, it’s an even more challenging time for retailers to drive sales.
  Last year, Mother’s Day spend dropped by 3.5 per cent despite 83.9 per cent of Brits believing that it was “an important occasion,” according to GlobalData. The decline was thought to have been due to late promotions as “retailers left less ti
  
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• Retail leaders & experts welcome extension of business rates holiday

  18-03-2020 18:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Retail leaders & experts say Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s new business support measures would help retailers from going bust
  // However, some cautioned that further work needs to be done by the government & Bank of England
  // Business rates holiday now applies to all retailers as part of wider measures to mitigate impact of coronavirusRetail leaders and industry experts have welcomed the Chancellor’s decision to extend the business rates holiday so it applies to all retailers
  
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• Why there will be no coronavirus bonanza for investors

  18-03-2020 18:09
  
  If there’s anything left from the business rates freebie, it’s unlikely to find its way to shareholdersSee all our coronavirus coverageSainsbury’s shares rose 11%; Morrisons’ were 10% better. Even in the midst of crisis, investors think they know how to price up a business rates giveaway from the chancellor.Morrisons on Wednesday announced underlying pre-tax profits of £408m for the past financial year. Add the £290m of store-related business rates that the co
  
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• Treasury asks EU to suspend state aid rules to fund business rates holiday

  18-03-2020 17:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Government asks EU to suspend state aid rules to help fund 1 year business rates holiday
  // The rules ban MPs from handing over more than €200,000 (£185,000) to each business
  // Councils informed that they should assume the European Commission will grant the moveThe government has reportedly asked the EU to suspend state aid rules that ban MPs from handing over more than €200,000 (£185,000) to each business.
  According to the PA news agency, a government source has said t
  
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• Concerns arise over wine & flower supply as Mother’s Day approaches

  18-03-2020 17:16 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Flower retailers across the UK voice concerns about supplies from overseas ahead of Mother’s Day
  // Wine retailers are “confident” they can meet demand and keep enough bottles on shelves after a surge in demand
  // The concerns come as the coronavirus crisis continues to have an effect on the retail sectorMother’s Day celebrations this Sunday may be thrown into jeopardy as independent flower retailers across the UK voice concerns about supplies from overseas.
  Consumers
  
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• Coronavirus: Co-op to fund 6500 students’ lunches if schools close

  18-03-2020 16:54 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Co-op to provide free lunches for 6500 students who normally receive government-funded free school meals
  // Co-op will provide all students receiving free school meals at its 25 Co-op Academy schools
  // Co-op urged government effort to help feed the 1.4m students who receive free school mealsThe Co-op is to provide free lunches for 6500 students who normally receive government-funded free school meals at its 25 academies, should schools close due to coronavirus.
  The Co-op said it would provid
  
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• Zara owner to write off nearly €300m of inventory

  18-03-2020 16:09
  World’s biggest fashion retailer closes 3,785 stores as sales drop 24% amid pandemic
  
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• Coronavirus prompts last 11 Beales stores to shut down 2 weeks early

  18-03-2020 15:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Final 11 Beales department stores are set to shut two weeks earlier than planned
  // Administrators made the decision after the coronavirus crisis saw a nosedive in trading
  // Before administration, Beales employed 1050 shop floor staff across 23 storesThe final 11 Beales department stores are set to shut two weeks earlier than planned after the coronavirus pandemic prompted a nosedive in trading.
  The remaining stores will close on Thursday, bringing an end the 139-year-old retailer, with empl
  
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• Disabled people cut off from vital supplies due to panic buying

  18-03-2020 14:49
  
  People with disabilities say coronavirus means they are struggling to get deliveriesCoronavirus – latest updatesDisabled people are being left cut off from vital supplies due to the coronavirus pandemic, as charities warn of a rising number of calls from worried individuals who are struggling.It comes as Sainsbury’s said it would allocate specific hours for vulnerable and elderly patients to do their shopping and prioritise delivery slots for them.The World Health Organization is rec
  
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• Permanent solution needed for business rates burden

  18-03-2020 14:42
  Chancellor lowers levies to combat coronavirus crisis but fundamental reform is overdue
  
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• Coronavirus: Asda closes counters and rations products

  18-03-2020 13:58 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  //  Asda reduces opening times & rations products in response to coronavirus outbreak
  // The grocer is also closing its cafes and pizza counters due to the pandemicAsda has joined the growing number of grocers introducing new measures in stores and online to combat the ongoing coronvirus pademic.
  The grocer’s CEO Roger Burnley said in a letter online that Asda has “implemented a limit on the number of items that can be purchased to make sure everyone can get what they need.&
  
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• UK supermarkets: wartime rules may apply

  18-03-2020 13:49
  Ministers should not suspend competition regulations without quid pro quos
  
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• Nespresso shuts UK & Irish stores over coronavirus pandemic

  18-03-2020 13:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Nespresso announces temporary store closures in the UK and Ireland as part of Covid-19 response
  // It follows moves from Selfridges and Boden to close down its stores
  // Nespresso said online orders and deliveries will continue as per usualNespresso has announced it has closed all stores in the UK and Ireland in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
  In a statement on its website, the coffee brand and retailer said: “Given the evolving situation around Covid-19, we have taken the decisio
  
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• Coronavirus: Selfridges closes UK stores; Harrods reduces opening hours

  18-03-2020 13:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Selfridges to close its UK stores from today as part of a response to the coronavirus pandemic
  // Harrods reduced opening hours & closed all its restaurants to protect its customers & 5000 staff
  // Selfridges will shut down from 7pm tonight, but its online store will remain openSelfridges is to temporarily close its UK stores from today as part of a response to the coronavirus pandemic, while rival Harrods has reduced its opening hours.
  Aside from its world-famous flagship on Oxford S
  
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• Coronavirus: Inditex closes 3785 stores worldwide

  18-03-2020 13:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Zara owner Inditex closes 3785 globally following the outbreak of coronavirus
  // Group sales tumbled by 24.1% in the first two weeks of MarchSpanish fashion retail giant Inditex has temporarily closed 3785 stores worldwide following the outbreak of coronavirus.
  Inditex, the parent company of Zara, Pull & Bear, Bershka among others, warned that the pandemic has had a “very significant impact” on its operations.
  The group said it has been forced to temporarily close stores in 39
  
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• Ocado shuts down mobile app and turns away new orders as demand pushes it to breaking point

  18-03-2020 12:43 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Ocado has been forced to shut down its mobile app and begin turning away new orders as unprecedented demand for online food orders pushes it to breaking point.
  The online grocer officially took its app offline yesterday citing performance issues “driven by continued high demand”.
  A reported 1000 per cent jump in site traffic also forced Ocado to inform customers not to wait if they intended to place a new order as it had “no new delivery slots for the next few days”.Ocado
  
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• Asda puts restrictions on shoppers to limit stockpiling

  18-03-2020 11:41
  
  Supermarket is also closing its cafes and pizza counters on back of coronavirus crisisCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAsda is closing its cafes and pizza counters and restricting shoppers to three items on all food, toiletries and cleaning products as supermarkets continue to battle high demand because shoppers are stocking up during the coronavirus outbreak.In a blogpost to customers, the supermarket said it was making the changes because of “heightened d
  
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• Apple to shut all 464 stores outside of China “until further notice”

  18-03-2020 10:42 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Apple is closing its bricks-and-mortar retail stores across the globe indefinitely “to minimize risk of the virus’s transmission”.
  Over 450 stores across 25 countries will be shut “until further notice”, according to a blogpost published by the tech giant yesterday.
  While Apple’s 42 stores and offices in China were officially shut on February 1, these reopened on Friday March 13 and will be the only sites in the world to continue trading.
  On Friday Apple annou
  
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• Coronavirus: Superdry in talks with landlords over rent cuts

  18-03-2020 10:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Superdry footfall drops 25% week on week across UK & US stores due to the coronavirus outbreak
  // It does not expect its online sales to offset losses
  // Superdry is negotiating rent cuts with landlordsSuperdry is in negotiating with landlords to secure store rental relief as the coronavirus outbreak takes its toll on the retailer.
  The retailer said the majority of Superdry’s European store estate has been affected by mandated closures, which contributes around 40 per cent of weekly
  
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• Profit warnings from firms in Europe mount as Covid-19 bites

  18-03-2020 10:28
  
  From the UK to France and Spain, retailers and pub and restaurant groups count cost Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA string of retailers, pub and restaurant groups in the UK and across the rest of Europe have issued profit warnings as the coronavirus pandemic takes a mounting corporate toll.Inditex, the Spanish retailer that owns chains including Zara, has taken a €287m provision in relation to the virus. The company, the world’s largest fashion reta
  
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• Profit warnings from firms across Europe mount as Covid-19 bites

  18-03-2020 10:28
  
  From the UK to France and Spain, retailers and pub and restaurant groups count cost Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA string of retailers, pub and restaurant groups in the UK and across the rest of Europe have issued profit warnings as the coronavirus pandemic takes a mounting corporate toll.Inditex, the Spanish retail giant that owns chains including Zara, has taken a €287m provision in relation to the virus. The company, which is the world’s largest
  
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• Chancellor extends one-year business rates holiday for all retailers

  18-03-2020 10:15 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Chancellor Rishi Sunak extends business rates holiday to all retailers amid coronavirus crisis
  // In last week’s Budget, the 1-year holiday only applied to commercial premises with a rateable value under £51,000
  // Government also providing £330bn of loans and guarantees for UK businessesThe one year business rates holiday has been extended to all retailers as part of the government’s updated economic support for UK businesses and amid the coronavirus crisis.
  When Chan
  
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• Morrisons profits rise despite coronavirus-linked challenges

  18-03-2020 10:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Morrisons profits rise 3% to £408m
  // Total sales dropped 1.1% to £17.5bn
  // Morrisons will open 5 new stores during 2020/21Morrisons has seen its full-year profits rise despite “unprecedented challenges” brought on by the coronavirus outbreak.
  For the 52 weeks ended February 2, pre-tax profit rose three per cent to £408 million, when total sales edged down 1.1 per cent to £17.5 billion.
  Group like-for-likes were down 0.8 per cent during the period.READ MOR
  
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• Coronavirus: Sainsbury’s to ration all grocery products

  18-03-2020 09:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Sainsbury’s to ration all grocery products amid coronavirus outbreak
  // The grocer has shut all cafes and fresh food countersSainsbury’s has said it will restrict purchases on all grocery products as well as shut cafes and fresh food counters in a bid to combat panic buying linked to the coronavirus outbreak.
  Chief executive Mike Coupe wrote to customers on Wednesday that they will now only be able to buy a maximum of three of any product, while a cap of two goes for some of the m
  
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• Coronavirus: Sainsbury’s the latest to ration all grocery products

  18-03-2020 09:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Sainsbury’s to ration all grocery products amid coronavirus outbreak
  // The grocer has shut all cafes and fresh food countersSainsbury’s has said it will restrict purchases on all grocery products as well as shut cafes and fresh food counters in a bid to combat panic buying linked to the coronavirus outbreak.
  Earlier today, chief executive Mike Coupe told customers in a letter that they will now only be able to buy a maximum of three of any product, while a cap of two goes for som
  
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• Coronavirus: Tesco 24-hour stores reduce opening hours

  18-03-2020 09:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Tesco will reduce opening times to manage disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak
  // Tesco’s 24-hour stores will now open between 6am and 10pmTesco said that hundreds of its 24-hour stores have had their opening hours reduced in a bid to manage any disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
  The move took place on Tuesday, with bosses deciding to close all 24-hour stores at 10pm, reopening at 6am on Wednesday morning.
  They will continue to open between 6am and 10pm for the imm
  
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• UK supermarkets take measures to control panic buying

  18-03-2020 08:56
  Sainsbury’s will also close meat and fish counters in an effort to free up capacity
  
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• Supermarkets take measures to control panic buying

  18-03-2020 08:56
  Government urged to relax competition law to alleviate supply chain disruption
  
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• 2000 jobs at risk as Mountain Warehouse in “battle for survival”

  18-03-2020 08:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Mountain Warehouse CEO mulls job cuts after Covid-19 outbreak impacts sales
  // The retailer is now in a “battle for survival”Mountain Warehouse founder and chief executive Mark Neale has warned that redundancies are likely to take place after the business experienced a “catastrophic” drop in sales prompted by the coronavirus outbreak.
  The outdoor clothing and equipment retailer posted a 22nd consecutive year of record Christmas sales in January, after total sales
  
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• 'They don't care about safety': Amazon workers struggle with pandemic demand

  18-03-2020 08:00
  
  Workers say hectic pace amid coronavirus outbreak is devastating for physical and mental healthCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAs the coronavirus spreads across America many workers are being directed to work from home but staff at Amazonand Whole Foods are being squeezed to keep up with increasing demand caused by Americans stockpiling food and household products.Amazon is the US’s largest online retailer and it also owns Whole Foods, the largest natural
  
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• Superdry drops full year guidance

  18-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Fashion retailer Superdry has dropped its guidance for the full year after facing“unprecedented challenges” due to the coronavirus outbreak. The company said the impact of the... View Article
  
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• New Ebook: 3 Ways to Personalize Customer Conversations with AI

  18-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Direct conversations with your company should be one of the most personalized experiences a customer has. Whether it’s a support inquiry, an order confirmation email or... View Article
  
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• Mountain Warehouse may cut jobs due to coronavirus

  18-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Mountain Warehouse is considering cutting jobs due to the impact of coronavirus. In an interview, the company’s chief executive Mark Neale said the business was in... View Article
  
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• Morrisons posts full year profit uplift

  18-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Morrisons has reported that pre-tax profit before exceptional items increased by 3% to £408 million in the year to 2 February. However, total revenue fell by... View Article
  
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