Retail news

• McDonald’s to close restaurants in UK and Ireland on Monday

  22-03-2020 23:25
  
  All UK and Ireland outlets will close by 7pm to protect employees and customersCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAll McDonald’s restaurants in the UK and the Republic of Ireland will close by 7pm on Monday to protect the safety of employees and customers, the company said.The announcement followed news from other retailers including Waterstones, Primark and Patisserie Valerie that they would also close. Continue reading...
  
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• Pets at Home under fire for coronavirus key worker claim for staff

  22-03-2020 21:25
  
  Retailer drafts letter allowing employees to apply for emergency school childcare Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage The pet supplies chain Pets at Home is facing a social media backlash after it sent a letter asserting that its staff qualified for the coronavirus key workers list.A letter, drafted by the retail company for its employees to allow them to apply to headteachers for emergency school childcare, argued that its workers were eligible under the criteria
  
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• Waterstones closes stores in U-turn over staff's Covid-19 fears

  22-03-2020 18:15
  
  Boss James Daunt previously argued book chain ‘no different to a supermarket or pharmacy’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe chief executive of Waterstones has agreed to close the book chain’s 280 UK stores from Monday, hours after insisting it was “no different to a supermarket or a pharmacy” and that its outlets should remain open during the coronavirus shutdown.James Daunt said the decision was taken after staff complained they f
  
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• Waterstones boss vows to keep stores open despite staff's fears

  22-03-2020 17:30
  
  James Daunt says book chain ‘no different to a supermarket or pharmacy’ amid coronavirus crisisCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe chief executive of Waterstones has said his stores are “no different to a supermarket or a pharmacy” as he vowed to keep the book chain open despite concerns that staff and customers were being exposed to coronavirus.James Daunt said the company was providing an “important social resource” and woul
  
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• EXCLUSIVE: Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group latest to temporarily close stores

  22-03-2020 17:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group announces closures of 1300+ stores amid coronavirus crisis, Retail Gazette can reveal
  // Follows news that Primark is closing all 189 stores & cancelled all new orders from suppliers
  // Timpsons will also temporarily closing all 2150 shops by Monday at 5pmEdinburgh Woollen Mill Group will temporarily close all of its stores in a effort to keep staff safe amid the coronavirus pandemic, Retail Gazette can reveal.
  The Philip Day-owned retail firm confirmed that t
  
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• Factory and shop closures 'will push UK into deep recession'

  22-03-2020 17:21
  
  KPMG study finds GDP has already stalled as firms shut doors amid coronavirus crisis
  Factory and high street store closures after the coronavirus outbreak will push the UK into a deep recession this year, a study of the economy has concluded.KPMG’s latest quarterly economic outlook found the UK’s national income (GDP) has already stalled as businesses shut their doors and consumers restrict their spending to food and other essential items. Related: A hundred years on, will there be a
  
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• Independent UK food stores enjoy unexpected sales bonanza

  22-03-2020 16:54
  Consumers seek local shops as they tire of understocked supermarkets and panic-buying
  
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• Coronavirus: Retailers asked to delay imminent preliminary trading updates

  22-03-2020 16:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // FCA asks firms to observe a moratorium on preliminary trading updates for at least 2 weeks
  // The FTSE 100 index has lost more than 28% of its value since February 21The Financial Conduct Authority has asked companies due to produce preliminary trading updates in the next few days to delay them due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus.
  The watchdog urged all listed companies, including many retailers, to observe a moratorium on the publication of preliminary financial statements for at le
  
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• Coronavirus: Waterstones faces backlash over decision to keep stores open

  22-03-2020 16:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Waterstones staff say their health is at risk as stores stay open
  // Shop floor staff say hand sanitiser not provided & they are discouraged from wearing gloves & masks
  // Waterstones MD James Daunt last week that there’s been a 17% surge in book sales since the pandemic struck the UKWaterstones has become the subject of controversy on social media over its decision to keep its high street stores open during the coronavirus pandemic.
  The retailer recently revealed it was keeping
  
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• Coronavirus: Waitrose & John Lewis unveil new measures to assist NHS staff

  22-03-2020 15:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Waitrose to protect hard-to-find & essential stock exclusively for NHS workers at all times of the day
  // NHS staff will receive priority checkout treatment in all Waitrose supermarkets
  // John Lewis is donating comfort items and Easter gift food to local hospitals, to support workersThe John Lewis Partnership has announced that from tomorrow, its network of Waitrose shops will set aside a proportion of hard-to-find items exclusively for NHS staff.
  The upmarket grocer said that from Monda
  
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• Cath Kidston at risk of being next coronavirus casualty as it urgently seeks buyer

  22-03-2020 15:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Cath Kidston urgently needs a new buyer to avoid becoming next UK retail casualty amid coronavirus pandemic
  // Advisers from Alvarez & Marsal hired to undertake an urgent review of strategic options
  // Offers are reportedly required imminentlyCath Kidston is reportedly in a race to find a new buyer in a bid to stave off becoming the next UK retail casualty in the coronavirus pandemic.
  According to Sky News, Cath Kidston has hired advisers from Alvarez & Marsal to undertake an urgent r
  
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• New Look, H&M, Harrods, Zara join growing list of temporary store closures

  22-03-2020 14:24 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // New Look, H&M, Zara, The Body Shop, River Island, Harrods, Harvey Nichols and others join growing list of retailers shutting UK stores
  // Temporary closures are due to coronavirus pandemic, to stop transmission in public places
  // Other retailers that have shut UK stores without a government-mandated lockdown include John Lewis, Clarks, Ikea & TopshopNew Look, H&M Group, River Island, Gap and Reiss have joined a rapidly-growing list of retailers temporarily shutting their chain of
  
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• Primark closes stores as UK high street shuts down

  22-03-2020 13:38
  Retailer cancels all new orders from suppliers as demand shrinks
  
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• Primark closes stores as UK high street shuts doors

  22-03-2020 13:38
  Retailer also cancels all new orders from suppliers as demand shrinks
  
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• Waterstones staff say their health is at risk as stores stay open

  22-03-2020 12:18
  
  Bookshop workers say sanitiser not provided and they are discouraged from wearing glovesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWaterstones is facing a backlash after members of staff said they had not been provided protective equipment to serve customers as hundreds of its stores remained open despite the coronavirus outbreak.Employees of the bookselling chain said they had not been provided hand sanitiser and had been discouraged from wearing face masks or gloves as i
  
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• Target and Walmart aren’t protecting staff amid pandemic, workers say

  22-03-2020 09:00
  
  Employees say they are anxious about working in crowded stores with inadequate sanitation and lack of paid time offCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageManagement at retail giants Walmart and Target are not doing enough to protect staff working through the coronavirus crisis, according to some workers.As school districts, restaurants and several businesses have closed around the US due to the coronavirus outbreak, large corporate retail stores like Target and Walmart
  
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• The oil price war harms chances of international cooperation in a crisis | Editorial

  22-03-2020 08:00
  
  Saudi Arabia and Russia are collaborating in a beggar-thy-neighbour battle for share of the marketOil has a nasty habit of featuring in global recessions. At the start of 1973 the global economy was celebrating a quarter of a century of strong growth. By the end of the year the golden age had come to a shuddering halt after a cartel of oil producing nations – Opec – drove up the cost of crude in response to western support for Israel in the Yom Kippur war.A spike in oil prices has be
  
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• The oil price war harms chances of international cooperation in a crisis

  22-03-2020 08:00
  
  Saudi Arabia and Russia are collaborating in a beggar-thy-neighbour battle for share of the marketOil has a nasty habit of featuring in global recessions. At the start of 1973 the global economy was celebrating a quarter of a century of strong growth. By the end of the year the golden age had come to a shuddering halt after a cartel of oil producing nations – Opec – drove up the cost of crude in response to western support for Israel in the Yom Kippur war.A spike in oil prices has be
  
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