Retail news

• What about the other key workers?

  23-03-2020 19:57
  
  As frontline workers, cleaners deserve better pay and conditions, writes Mike Cash, RMT general secretary, and Audrey Butler believes we are all key to society. Meanwhile, Lucy Matthews is emphatic that the Pets at Home stores do provide an essential serviceCoronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverageOwen Jones rightly highlights the vital work of cleaners and other frontline workers in the fight against coronavirus (The undervalued heroes of the coronavirus crisis need ou
  
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• UK food wholesalers move into direct selling to consumers

  23-03-2020 19:43
  Companies change tack as restaurant and catering revenues dry up
  
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• Coronavirus: Morrisons to install checkout screens to protect staff

  23-03-2020 18:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Morrisons to set up protective screens in front of checkouts in bid to ensure staff safety
  // Shop workers’ union Usdaw raised concerns over colleagues’ exposure to coronavirus
  // The grocer has employed 83 fitting teams to install screens at every checkoutMorrisons has confirmed it will install checkout screens in stores to protect staff against the coronavirus outbreak.
  The initiative comes after shop workers’ union Usdaw raised concerns over colleagues’ exposur
  
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• UK government considers forcing non-essential shops to close

  23-03-2020 18:02
  
  WH Smith refuses to bow to pressure from staff to close stores because of coronavirus Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK government is considering forcing the closure of all non-essential shops in an escalation of measures to try to slow the spread of coronavirus. A string of high street retailers have recently announced that they are closing all their stores.“The Govt considering next steps like closing non-essential retail or whether to start treatin
  
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• DIY/gardening: digging deep

  23-03-2020 17:40
  Crisis offers chance for homeowners to work on those long-postponed chores
  
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• Footfall plummets up to 63% in wake of Covid-19 crisis

  23-03-2020 17:19 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Footfall drops across retail destinations as coronavirus outbreak raises fears
  // Footfall dropped 28% year-on-year, Springboard found
  // High streets were most affectedFootfall has dropped to an all-time low across retail destinations in the UK as the covid-19 pandemic prompted consumers to stay indoors.
  Shopper numbers slumped last week by 21.7 per cent from the previous week and by 28 per cent year on year, according to data from Springboard.
  High streets were most affected, with footfall
  
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• Jack Wills announces another 9 stores to permanently close

  23-03-2020 16:53 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Frasers Group to close 9 Jack Wills stores immediately
  // Affected stores are in Abersock, Aldeburgh, St Andrews, Dartmouth, Harrogate, St Ives, Lincoln, Rushden Lakes and Southwold
  // Follows last week’s announcement that it would shut 5 storesFrasers Group is set to permanently shut down another nine Jack Wills stores, less than a week after it revealed it would close down five sites due to “unprecedented uncertainty”.
  The latest tranche of Jack Wills stores set for closur
  
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• Ted Baker, Moss Bros, The Works, The Entertainer the latest to close UK stores

  23-03-2020 16:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Ted Baker, Moss Bros, The Works, The Entertainer the latest to temporarily close UK stores due to coronavirus pandemic
  // Others that have confirmed temporary closures include Ann Summers, Beaverbrooks, Watches of Switzerland, Crew Clothing
  // Fortnum & Mason & Carpetright announce partial closures. F&M’s food halls in Piccadilly flagship remain openTed Baker, Moss Bros, The Works, The Entertainer and several others have become the latest batch of retailers announcing tempor
  
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• Roundtable: Retail customer loyalty in a new technological age

  23-03-2020 15:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Disloyalty levels are on the rise among consumers the world over, according to research from data intelligence group Nielsen, which suggests just 8% of people consider themselves to be “committed loyalists” when it comes to their favourite brands.
  Growing choice of products and brands, and ultra price awareness, or the “Amazon effect”, as Nielsen Consumer Insights senior vice president, Joe Ellis, puts it, is having a major impact on consumer spending behaviour. The study
  
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• As Australia closes all cinemas, China reopens 500 venues

  23-03-2020 14:19
  
  Ticket sales slow as film theatres start to reopen in China, just as Australia orders shutdown of cinemas due to coronavirusChina’s cinemas are gradually opening once more for business across the country, although ticket sales remain slow.As the coronavirus outbreak begins signs of receding, more than 500 screens – of the country’s 70,000 – are once again showing films. Continue reading...
  
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• Morrisons and Aldi to put up checkout screens to protect staff

  23-03-2020 13:45
  
  Move comes as shop workers’ union raises growing concern about exposure to coronavirusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMorrisons and Aldi will install hundreds of screens at checkouts this week to protect staff as concerns grow about the safety of their dealing with hundreds of customers a day during the coronavirus outbreak.Several retailers have asked shoppers to keep at least a metre (3ft) away from staff at tills but some shop workers have said on socia
  
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• 721 job cuts as Laura Ashley permanently shuts 70 stores

  23-03-2020 13:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // 721 employees to lose their jobs as Laura Ashley announces permanent closure of 70 stores
  // The retailer intends to officially fall into administration later today, after appointing advisers last week to oversee process
  // It is the first UK retail casualty as a result of the coronavirus pandemicLaura Ashley has announced the permanent closure of 70 stores, with 721 employees set to lose their jobs.
  It comes after the fashion and furnishings retailer announced its intention to hire administr
  
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• Debenhams the latest to temporarily shut stores amid coronavirus crisis

  23-03-2020 13:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Debenhams joins fast-growing list of retailers that are temporarily shutting stores amid coronavirus pandemic
  // It had previously requested a rent holiday from landlords as its troubled financial state is exacerbated by the crisis
  // The decision to close its stores means House of Fraser is the last remaining department store chain to keep its stores openDebenhams has become the latest major retailer to announce a temporary closure of its stores in a bid to keep staff safe amid the coronavir
  
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• Coronavirus: New Look halts production & asks employees to take unpaid leave

  23-03-2020 12:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // New Look has stopped current and future production due to the Coronavirus pandemic
  // Employees have been asked to voluntarily take unpaid leaveNew Look has halted its production plans and reportedly asked employees to voluntarily take unpaid leave due to the coronavirus outbreak.
  Drapers reported that the fashion retailer paused all current and future production plans until it was able to review the ongoing situation amid the pandemic.
  It has also reportedly given its 13,000-strong workforce
  
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• UK government considers forcing non-essential shops to close – reports

  23-03-2020 12:48
  
  Debenhams, Nando’s, Primark and more join shutdown list in attempt to stem coronavirusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK government is reportedly considering forcing the closure of all non-essential shops in an escalation of measures to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus.It comes as McDonald’s, Nando’s, Costa Coffee, Primark, Debenhams and Waterstones joined the growing list of restaurant chains and retailers closing all their UK out
  
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• Morrisons shuts app and imposes 3-item limit for all online orders

  23-03-2020 12:44 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Morrisons has imposed a three-item restriction on all items ordered online as it also turns off its app to help its website “work more efficiently”.
  All product ranges available on morrisons.com will now see a three-item restriction imposed as the grocer seeks to “ensure more customers have access to everyday essentials”.
  This comes as supermarkets across the UK struggle to deal with panic buying both online and instore, with all supermarkets struggling to offer any deliv
  
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• Coronavirus: B&Q and Screwfix stores to remain open, Kingfisher says

  23-03-2020 11:15 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Kingfisher’s UK stores – B&Q and Screwfix – to remain open despite coronavirus pandemic
  // Stores in France and Spain have been closed due to government-mandated lockdowns
  // Kingfisher will delay the publication of preliminary financial statements for at least 2 weeksKingfisher has announced its UK stores will remain open amid the coronavirus outbreak after recording a sales rise, primarily driven by its Screwfix fascia.
  The DIY retail group said it would comply with th
  
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• ‘Could you buy a little less, please?’: panic-buying disrupts food distribution

  23-03-2020 10:00
  
  As the coronavirus spreads across the US, many are stockpiling staples, like toilet paper, temporarily leaving markets emptyAs coronavirus spreads in the US, many people are stockpiling essentials for what they believe will be periods of home confinement and panicked shoppers have stripped many US grocery stores of staples ranging from bread and milk to meat and toilet paper.But, in fact, the virus currently poses little threat to the integrity of the US food supply. It is panic-buying itself th
  
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• Watches of Switzerland reports increase in revenue

  23-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Watches of Switzerland Group has announced that its revenue was better than expected in the seven weeks to 15 March with like-for-like sales and revenue... View Article
  
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• Waitrose announces measures to help NHS workers

  23-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Waitrose supermarkets are to set aside a proportion of difficult to find products from each of its store deliveries for NHS staff. The workers will also... View Article
  
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• The Entertainer to close UK stores

  23-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Entertainer is to close its 172 stores across the UK due to the Covid-19 pandemic. All stores will stop trading at 5pm this evening until... View Article
  
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• Join us at our free Online Conversion Webinar

  23-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  With the impact of the coronavirus outbreak growing, Retail Bulletin has taken the decision to turn our Online Conversion Summit planned for 30 April into an... View Article
  
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• John Lewis department stores to close due to coronavirus

  23-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The John Lewis Partnership is to temporarily close its 50 John Lewis department stores on 23 March to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The... View Article
  
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• Holiday 2020 | The Complete App Commerce Guide

  23-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The role of retail apps are more important than ever before, especially during the Holiday Season. Engage customers and maximise return with this new holiday guide.... View Article
  
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• H&M Group to supply protective equipment for hospitals

  23-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  H&M Group is arranging for its supply chain to switch to producing personal protective equipment for hospitals and health care workers. The fashion retail group said... View Article
  
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• AS Watson launches Covid-19 staff support package

  23-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  AS Watson Group has launched a £40 million employee support package to help staff from its Superdrug, Savers and The Perfume Shop chains through the Covid-19... View Article
  
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