Retail news

• Panic-buyers urged to 'be responsible and think of others' amid Covid-19 pandemic – video

  21-03-2020 18:06
  
  The environment secretary, George Eustice, has urged panic-buyers to only purchase what they need in order to not make shopping difficult for frontline workers, such as NHS staff. Standing in for Boris Johnson on Saturday at the government’s daily briefing, he said: 'Be responsible when you shop and think of others. Buying more than you need means others may be left without'Coronavirus: UK panic-buyers urged to think of frontline workersCoronavirus news – live updates Conti
  
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• Coronavirus: John Lewis to close all 50 stores temporarily

  21-03-2020 17:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // John Lewis Partnership will temporarily close all 50 of its department stores amid coronavirus pandemic
  // 1st time in John Lewis’ 155-year history that it won’t open for trade – it stayed open during WW1 & WW2
  // Stablemate Waitrose will remain openThe John Lewis Partnership has announced it will temporarily close all 50 of its department stores, making it the latest retailer to voluntarily shutter stores amid the coronavirus crisis.
  The partnership said the closure of
  
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• Panic buyers “should be ashamed”, says NHS director

  21-03-2020 16:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis says country should be ashamed that key medical staff could not buy food
  // The government also ruled out rationing
  // BRC CEO Helen Dickinson says there is “plenty of food” in the supply chainPanic buyers were told they “should be ashamed” for causing needless shortages for NHS staff as the retail industry insisted there was enough food for everyone amid the coronavirus crisis.
  The government also ruled out rationing
  
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• UK government urges shoppers to behave more responsibly

  21-03-2020 16:30 via ft.com
  Panic-buying has left supermarkets with bare shelves
  
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• British shoppers urged to behave more responsibly

  21-03-2020 16:30 via ft.com
  Panic-buying has left supermarkets with bare shelves
  
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• Coronavirus: Asda donates £5m to charities; staff receive pay bonus

  21-03-2020 16:25 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Asda donates £5 million to food banks and charities FareShare and the Trussell Trust
  // It also extended accessible hours for NHS workers
  // Asda’s store & distribution staff who do not need to self-isolate will receive an additional weeks pay in June as a thank youAsda has become the latest grocer to introduce a dedicated shopping hour for NHS workers, while also donating £5 million to charities and giving shop and distribution workers bonus pay.
  Asda said its donation
  
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• Coronavirus: Morrisons the latest grocer to introduce NHS shopping hour

  21-03-2020 16:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Morrisons introduces dedicated shopping hour for NHS workers on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic
  // The new hour will be 7am-8am, Monday-Saturday
  // A staff member will be at the door of each store to let staff with an NHS badge inMorrisons has announced that will introduce an NHS hour at the beginning of every day, apart from Sunday, so that NHS workers can stock up on the products they need during the coronavirus pandemic.
  The new hour will be 7am-8am and a Morrisons sta
  
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• Ted Baker agrees £78.75m sale of HQ, provides coronavirus update

  21-03-2020 15:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Ted Baker completes £78.75m sale of Ugly Brown Building HQ in London to British Airways’ pensions scheme
  // It has suspended all non-essential capital expenditure, stopped discretionary operating expense amid coronavirus
  // However, it highlighted minimal disruption to supply chain, with  majority of Chinese factories now operationalTed Baker has announced that is has agreed terms for the sale of its London head office building while also providing an update on circumstances
  
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• Coronavirus: UK panic-buyers urged to think of frontline workers

  21-03-2020 15:37
  
  Government, business and NHS leaders ask people to leave enough supplies for othersCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK government is urging people to “be responsible when [they] shop and think of others” as panic-buying continues in response to the coronavirus crisis.The environment secretary, George Eustice, who stood in for Boris Johnson on Saturday for the government’s daily briefing, said that when people took more than they needed it ma
  
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• John Lewis, M&S Co-op donate to charities to assist during coronavirus crisis

  21-03-2020 15:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // The Co-op to donate £1.5 million of food to FareShare charity that tackles hunger
  // John Lewis Partnership donates £75,000 each for Age UK, FareShare & the Trussell Trust
  // M&S donates £100,000 to Neighbourly, and £100,000 to the National Emergencies Trust Coronavirus AppealSome of the biggest retailers in the UK have unveiled new donations and partnerships with leading charities that will assist the vulnerable during the coronavirus crisis.
  The Co-op announc
  
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• Coronavirus: Boris Johnson to discuss panic buying with supermarket CEOs

  21-03-2020 14:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Boris Johnson to speak to grocery bosses on efforts to keep supplies flowing & panic buying
  // It is understood the PM wants to see what the government can do
  // Follows recent government announcement to relax working hours for supply chain drivers for a monthPrime Minister Boris Johnson will be speaking to supermarket bosses about efforts to keep supplies flowing and how to overcome the panic buying that is gripping the UK during the coronavirus pandemic.
  Shelves have been stripped of es
  
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• Coronavirus: Sainsbury’s announces full pay for self-isolating staff

  21-03-2020 13:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Sainsbury’s staff who are unwell or self-isolating will receive full pay for 14 days, or 12 weeks if they’re elderly or vulnerable
  // Big 4 grocer also launches regular shopping hour for NHS staff, elderly & vulnerable
  // Customers asked to follow social distancing guidelines and pay by card where possibleSainsbury’s has confirmed that all staff who are feeling unwell or self-isolating during the coronavirus pandemic will be paid in full.
  The Big 4 grocer also unveiled n
  
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• Coronavirus: 100 redundancies at Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group; staff face 50% pay cut

  21-03-2020 13:24 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group makes 100 redundancies due to coronavirus crisis
  // A spokesperson says this is a “small number” for the company, which employs 25,000
  // Philip Day-owned company has also placed a temporary ban on recruitment and warned remaining staff on 50% pay cutEdinburgh Woollen Mill Group has reportedly made around 100 redundancies across the business as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
  While the firm would not confirm an exact number of redundancies, a spoke
  
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• MPs in plea to government over UK's Covid-19 stockpiling

  21-03-2020 13:12
  
  Cross-party politicians ask No 10 to safeguard food supplies for NHS and emergency staff Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMPs, academics, charities and those who work with vulnerable people are piling pressure on the government to ensure food and other essentials are reaching those most in need as concerns over the consequences of rampant stockpiling grow.One hundred and fifty cross-party MPs and peers have written to the government asking for it to “show t
  
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• Coronavirus: Arcadia the latest to temporarily close all 500+ stores

  21-03-2020 12:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Arcadia Group the latest major retail company to announce temporary store closures
  // Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, Evans & Burton are closing until further notice due to the coronavirus crisis
  // Arcadia confirmed that store staff were not being being redundant and they would paidArcadia Group has become the latest major retail chain to announce a temporary closure of all of its 500-plus sores across the UK and Ireland amid the coronavirus crisis.
  A spokesman for Sir
  
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• 20,000 temp workers needed as Tesco launches major recruitment drive

  21-03-2020 12:20 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Tesco to hire 20,000 temporary workers to cope with soaring demand due to the coronavirus crisis
  // They would be hired to work for at least the next 12 weeks
  // This marks the biggest recruitment drive so far from a single British supermarket chainTesco has become the latest supermarket to announce plans to recruit new staff to cope with the coronavirus outbreak overwhelming stores.
  The UK’s biggest grocer said it would recruit 20,000 temporary workers for at least the next 12 weeks.
  T
  
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• Government to cover 80% of wages for jobs to coronavirus crisis

  21-03-2020 11:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Government to cover 80% of wages up to a total of £2500-a-month to save jobs during coronavirus crisis
  // The new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is available for any employer in the country
  // The next quarter of VAT payments from businesses have also been deferred, saving them £30bnThe government is to cover 80 per cent of the wages of workers up to a total of £2500-a-month under unprecedented intervention in a bid to save jobs during the coronavirus crisis.
  Chancellor Ri
  
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• The undervalued heroes of the coronavirus crisis need our thanks – and our support | Owen Jones

  21-03-2020 07:00
  
  Cleaners and supermarket workers are on the frontline. When this is over, let’s fight for the wages and conditions they deserve
  • See all our coronavirus coverageThank yous are too often implied. They get casually dumped in a box labelled “take it as read”, presumed too self-evident to be publicly stated. Sometimes they’re expressed through a knowing nod or a smile, or – before our current plight, of course – a gently squeezed hand clasp. In normal times
  
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• Ocado’s rise faces test in food security rethink

  21-03-2020 05:00 via ft.com
  Competitive landscape is unclear as food delivery becomes a utility
  
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