Retail news

• Next bows to staff pressure and halts online sales

  26-03-2020 21:23 via ft.com
  Concerns over coronavirus prompt high street to chain suspend operations at ecommerce unit
  
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• Morrisons non-execs quit over governance concerns

  26-03-2020 19:38 via ft.com
  Worries about closeness of chairman, chief executive and chief operating officer prompt resignations
  
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• Coronavirus: Sports Direct “struggling” to enforce Covid-19 rules

  26-03-2020 17:46 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Sports Direct is “struggling” to enforce Covid-19 rules
  // The company was criticised for putting warehouse staff at risk during pandemic
  // It has since defended itself to recruitment agencies that provide staff to its Derbyshire depotSports Direct has reportedly said it is finding it a challenge to enforce Covid-19 rules amid the coronavirus pandemic.
  The sports goods retailer has lashed out at temporary recruitment agencies that provide thousands of staff to its Derbyshire depo
  
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• Jack Wills to permanently close another 17 stores

  26-03-2020 16:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Jack Wills shutters 17 stores
  // Since Frasers Group acquired Jack Wills in 2019, 33 stores have permanently closedJack Wills will have a further 17 of its stores close permanently, bringing the total number of store closures in the last week to 22.
  Frasers Group announced the decision to shutter the stores on Thursday.
  The group, owned by Mike Ashley, had rescued the British retailer out of administration last year.READ MORE: Jack Wills announces another 9 stores to permanently close“T
  
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• Jack Wills permanently closes another 17 stores

  26-03-2020 16:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Jack Wills shutters 17 stores
  // Since Frasers Group acquired Jack Wills in 2019, 33 stores have permanently closedJack Wills will have a further 17 of its stores close permanently, bringing the total number of store closures in the last week to 31.
  Frasers Group announced the decision to shutter the stores on Thursday.
  The group, owned by Mike Ashley, had rescued the British retailer out of administration last year.READ MORE: Jack Wills announces another 9 stores to permanently close“T
  
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• Big Interview: Helen Normoyle, Marketing Director, Boots

  26-03-2020 16:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Helen Normoyle may be a self-confessed “people watcher”, but when your job is marketing director for health and beauty giant Boots, it can be a huge advantage.
  Responsible for using consumer data to personalise a “spectacular shopping experience” for the customer, Normoyle regularly heads to Boots stores to meet customers and spend time in stores. She does this for a simple reason.
  “Understanding customers starts from the shop floor,” she told Retail Gazette,
  
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• Sports Direct says it is struggling to enforce Covid-19 rules

  26-03-2020 16:06
  
  Retailer attempts to fend off criticism over treatment of its warehouse workersSports Direct has turned on the temporary recruitment agencies that provide thousands of staff to its controversial Derbyshire depot, as the retailer attempts to fend off criticisms about how it has safeguarded warehouse workers’ health during the coronavirus pandemic.The company appeared to admit to failures in following Covid-19 safety standards inside the facility as it said it was reviewing the contracts of
  
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• 'Nobody will starve', says Ocado chair, urging Britons to stop stockpiling

  26-03-2020 14:20
  
  Stuart Rose prompts shoppers to ‘show restraint’ and not to waste food amid coronavirus outbreakCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageStuart Rose, the former Marks & Spencer boss who now chairs Ocado, has urged Britons to stop stockpiling groceries, saying “nobody will starve” during the coronavirus outbreak.Speaking on Radio 4’s Today Programme, Rose said: “There is no shortage of food. Nobody will starve. There is a £1bn
  
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• Online grocery delivery: an awakening

  26-03-2020 14:11 via ft.com
  For stores inundated by demand, already thin profit margins will be further eroded
  
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• Intu suffers as commercial tenants withhold rent

  26-03-2020 13:10 via ft.com
  UK shopping centre owner warns it will breach debt covenants in July
  
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• Asos accused of “playing Russian roulette with people’s lives” and failing to impose social distancing

  26-03-2020 12:52 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Asos has been slammed by the GMB workers union for “playing Russian roulette with people’s lives” and failing to shut operations during the coronavirus crisis.
  Asos, which yesterday launched a 20 per cent sale on every item on its app to encourage people to keep buying during the lockdown period, has been accused by the union of failing to implement social distancing measures creating a “hotbed of infection” at its warehouses.
  The online retailer said it “tota
  
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• Michelin starred meals delivered to homes in lockdown

  26-03-2020 12:51 via ft.com
  Top restaurants find new ways to keep going during virus outbreak
  
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• Coronavirus: Frasers Group offers to deliver NHS supplies

  26-03-2020 12:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  //  Mike Ahsley’s Frasers Group writes an open letter pledging to support the NHS
  // Frasers Group offers its fleet to help deliver supplies across the countryMike Ashley’s Frasers Group has pledged to support the NHS and its employees “in whatever way” it can in an open letter to Cabinet minister Michael Gove.
  This includes an offer to deliver NHS supplies across the country in its fleet of lorries.
  This comes after Sports Direct and Evans Cycles back flipped on the
  
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• Co-op & Halfords join growing list of retailers implementing social distancing rules

  26-03-2020 12:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Co-op & Halfords have announced new measures to enforce social distancing in its stores
  // Co-op joins the Big 4, M&S, Waitrose & Aldi in introducing 2 metre queue markers, checkout protection screens, in-store customer limits
  // Halfords will not longer allow customers inside stores, with services taking place outsideThe Co-op and Halfords have announced new measures to enforce social distancing in its stores in a bid to protect customers and staff from the spread of coronavirus.
  
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• Shopping centre owners issue outlook warnings as coronavirus bites

  26-03-2020 11:46 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Intu & British Land issue outlook warnings as coronavirus pandemic hits rent payments
  // Intu said it only received rental payments from just under a 1/3 of its retail tenants and discussions were ongoing with others
  // British Land said deferrals from this quarter’s rent payments to total around £40mShopping centre owners have warned of an uncertain outlook after the coronavirus pandemic hit rent payments.
  Intu said it received only 29 per cent of rent payments due on Wednesd
  
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• Coronavirus: Asos halts all deliveries to manage stock levels

  26-03-2020 11:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Asos pauses incoming deliveries from suppliers to manage stock amid the Covid-19 pandemic
  // The retailer is continuing to serve its customer deliveries as usualAsos has reportedly halted all incoming deliveries from suppliers and third-party brands to make time for adjustments and manage stock amid the coronavirus pandemic.
  According to Drapers, the online retailer is consequently refusing shipments for spring 20 orders from several third-party brands and suppliers.
  However, Asos said it was
  
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• Coronavirus: Quiz’s March results “materially” below expectations

  26-03-2020 11:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Quiz’s revenues & margins for March expected to be “materially” below forecasts.
  // Quiz’s performance prior to Covid-19 pandemic had been in line with expectations.Quiz has warned that March revenues and margins were set to be “materially” below the board’s expectations as it takes a hit from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
  The fast fashion retailer said that prior to the outbreak, its year-to-date performance had been in line with expectations
  
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• Dixons Carphone sees 70% jump in online sales as Britons move to home working

  26-03-2020 11:19
  
  Retailer reports surge in home working goods but warns profits will not hit predictionsOnline sales at Dixons Carphone have surged by more than 70% as Britons rushed to buy laptops, games consoles and freezers to cope with the coronavirus outbreak.Britain’s biggest electrical and mobile phone retailer said online sales in the UK and Ireland had surged 72% in the three weeks to 21 March. Continue reading...
  
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• Sainsbury’s gives concessions partners one month rent holiday

  26-03-2020 11:15 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Sainsbury’s gives all concession partners tenants one month rent free holiday
  // Hundreds of tenants also offered payment term changes to assist with cash flow
  // Sainsbury’s writes to all of its tenants to give immediate supportSainsbury’s has offered its concession partners and tenants a one month rent holiday to help them mitigate the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
  The Big 4 grocer said all 250 of its tenants and concession traders were offered immediate su
  
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• Government exploring “wartime” measures to prevent profiteering on online platforms

  26-03-2020 10:58 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  New “wartime” measures could be brought in by the government to prevent sellers profiteering from essential items in high demand during the UK’s lockdown.
  Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke out against profiteering “at a critical time and a national emergency” during his daily coronavirus speech at Number 10 yesterday.
  This comes after consumer watchdog Which? slammed Ebay and Amazon for failing to do enough to tackle price gouging on their platforms, stating it had
  
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• Schuh shutters online operations amid Covid-19 outbreak

  26-03-2020 10:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Schuh shuts down online operations amid coronavirus pandemic
  // The website and stores will remain shut until further noticeSchuh has confirmed that its online operations will be shuttered temporarily alongside its physical stores “to ensure the safety of teams and customers” amid the coronavirus crisis.
  The footwear retailer will close its website on Thursday until further notice so that its staff in head office and fulfilment centres are protected from the pandemic.
  Schuh, which
  
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• Intu warns of breach in debt commitments as retail rents collapse

  26-03-2020 10:21
  
  Shopping centre owner seeks waivers from lenders; says it has received 29% of rent dueIntu Properties, one of Britain’s biggest shopping centre owners, has warned it will breach the terms on its debt commitments following a collapse in the rents received from its retail tenants, unless it can secure debt waivers from its lenders.The owner of the Trafford Centre in Manchester and Lakeside in Essex said it had received just 29% of rents due this month from its tenants, compared with 77% a ye
  
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• Coronavirus: Arcadia ends fixed-term employment contracts

  26-03-2020 10:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Arcadia Group to end fixed-term employment contracts early due to coronavirus pandemic
  // UK businesses have been affected in recent weeks
  // The contract termination covers teams across Sir Philip Green’s fashion retail companyArcadia Group has reportedly written to employees informing them it will be ending fixed-term employment contracts early as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
  Sir Philip Green’s retail company, which owns the likes of Topshop, Topman, Burton, Wallis, Eva
  
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• Before the coronavirus pandemic, retail sales flatlined amid February storms

  26-03-2020 10:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // UK retail sales flatlined in February amid poor weather before the coronavirus pandemic
  // ONS said sales volumes were flat for the month, slowing down from growth in January
  // The amount spent by shoppers increased by 0.7 per cent, though this also represented a slowdownUK retail sales flatlined in February amid poor weather before the coronavirus pandemic was fully felt by high street shops, new figures show.
  The ONS said sales volumes were flat for the month, slowing down from growth in J
  
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• Dixons Carphone online sales soar but warns on missing profit forecasts

  26-03-2020 09:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Dixons Carphone boasts strong online trading but warns of coronavirus-induced sales falls
  // Online trade jumped 72% as Brits raced to buy laptops & TVs to prepare for the coronavirus lockdown
  // However, even with the online boost, Dixons Carphone warned that it could miss annual profits forecastsDixons Carphone has revealed that electrical sales soared by more than a third in recent weeks as Brits raced to buy laptops and TVs to prepare for the coronavirus lockdown.
  The group said UK an
  
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• Coronavirus: Primark withholds quarterly rent to force negotiations with landlords

  26-03-2020 09:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Primark withholding quarterly rent payments on 110 leasehold properties in the UK
  // It did this to prompt ”urgent” conversations with landlords over ongoing rental terms
  // Primark is asking landlords to support their lease agreements to mitigate the impact of coronavirusPrimark has withheld its quarterly rent in a bid to force landlords to consider revising terms urgently as the coronavirus pandemic decimates the fashion retailer’s trading.
  The move pertains to 110 of the
  
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• Asda sale thrown in doubt amid coronavirus crisis

  26-03-2020 09:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Coronavirus pandemic has reportedly affected Walmart’s plans to sell a majority stake in Asda
  // Potential buyers reportedly finding it difficult to find the money to fund the £7bn price tag
  // Walmart has been attempting to sell Asda for nearly two years – including a failed £12bn merger with Sainsbury’sThe coronavirus pandemic has reportedly affected Walmart’s plans to sell a majority stake of its British subsidiary Asda.
  London Stock Exchange sources spe
  
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• UK retail sales weakened even before coronavirus lockdown

  26-03-2020 08:27 via ft.com
  Bad weather kept shoppers at home in February
  
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• UK retail sales weak before coronavirus lockdown

  26-03-2020 08:27 via ft.com
  Bad weather kept shoppers at home in February
  
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• Superdrug gives further Covid-19 update

  26-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Superdrug has said it will be working to keep stores open theroughout the Covid-19 crisis where its business is necessary to support the local community. However,... View Article
  
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• Schuh closes website following ‘conflicting’ advice

  26-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Following the shuttering of its stores due to the coronavirus pandemic, footwear retailer Schuh has said it will close its website temporarily from 26 March due... View Article
  
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• Quiz warns of sales fall

  26-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Fashion retailer Quiz has said the performance of its business had been in-line with expectations prior to the coronavirus crisis. However, the company has seen a... View Article
  
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• Halfords to re-open stores after being designated as provider of essential services

  26-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Following its designation by the government as a provider of essential services, Halfords has said it is working to have many of its stores open for... View Article
  
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• Halfords to re-open stores after being designated a provider of essential services

  26-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Following its designation by the government as a provider of essential services, Halfords has said it is working to have many of its stores open for... View Article
  
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• Detego announces new solution for eCommerce returns

  26-03-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Detego announces a new solution for managing the increasing number of eCommerce returns up to 90% faster, as retailers focus efforts to online channels. Retail RFID... View Article
  
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