Retail news

• All key workers should get bereaved family payments, say unions

  28-04-2020 22:29
  
  Call to extend £60,000 payouts for NHS staff relatives to others on frontline such as bus driversCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe families of bus drivers , shop workers, prison officers and other frontline staff who have died from coronavirus should be entitled to the £60,000 life assurance alongside those of healthcare workers, according to employees and unions.The trade union Unite has reported that 27 of its bus driver members have died after c
  
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• John Lewis to name former J Sainsbury executive as Waitrose boss

  28-04-2020 21:41
  James Bailey will take the helm as part of a broader reorganisation of management roles
  
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• BP fights for balance against twin threats of virus and oil plunge

  28-04-2020 20:30
  Energy group struggles to keep equilibrium but maintains dividend; M&S’s Groundhog Day continues
  
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• Big retailers move to enhanced 'click and collect' shopping as coronavirus shutdown endures

  28-04-2020 19:30
  
  Myer launches ‘pop-up’ collection booths as online sales surge while luxury brand stores reopen their doorsSign up for Guardian Australia’s daily coronavirus emailDownload the free Guardian app to get the most important news notificationsRetail giants are set to rely more heavily on click and collect sales even as lockdown restrictions are eased, with the sector’s peak body cautioning against a rush to fully reopen bricks and mortar stores.Paul Zahra, Australian Retailers
  
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• Big retailers in Australia move to enhanced 'click and collect' shopping as coronavirus shutdown endures

  28-04-2020 19:30
  
  Myer launches ‘pop-up’ collection booths as online sales surge while luxury brand stores reopen their doorsSign up for Guardian Australia’s daily coronavirus emailDownload the free Guardian app to get the most important news notificationsRetail giants are set to rely more heavily on click and collect sales even as lockdown restrictions are eased, with the sector’s peak body cautioning against a rush to fully reopen bricks and mortar stores.Paul Zahra, Australian Retailers
  
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• Calls to include bus drivers in 60k payouts for coronavirus deaths

  28-04-2020 19:26
  
  Government urged to extend scheme to families of drivers and other frontline workersCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe families of dozens of bus drivers who have died from coronavirus – as well as shop workers, prison officers and other frontline staff – should be entitled to £60,000 life assurance alongside healthcare workers, according to employees and unions.The trade union Unite has reported that 27 of its bus driver members have died afte
  
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• BP fights for balance against double-headed hydra of virus and oil plunge

  28-04-2020 18:33
  Energy group struggles to keep equilibrium but maintains dividend; M&S’s Groundhog Day continues
  
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• The challenge of surplus stock in the time of coronavirus

  28-04-2020 17:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  As major retailers grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, the health and well-being of their employees and customers has been demonstrated as their top priority.
  Already, the public are seeing fashion retailers put their assets to use amid the crisis, from turning over their factories to make face masks, hospital gowns, PPE or hand sanitisers to donating products and services to healthcare workers on the frontline.
  However, one challenge that fast fashion retailers in particular are facing in th
  
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• Boots donates more than 500,000 items to the NHS

  28-04-2020 17:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Boots donates over half a million products to support NHS
  // This includes 100,000 toiletries, 5000 recuperation packs and other hygiene essentialsBoots has announced plans to donate more than 500,000 products to local NHS Trusts, hospitals, care homes and community groups.
  The donations include 100,000 toiletries, 5000 recuperation packs and other hygiene essentials.
  The patient recuperation packs are for people who have recently come off ventilators at NHS Nightingale hospitals across the U
  
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• Oasis & Warehouse CEO Hash Ladha steps down amid administration

  28-04-2020 16:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Oasis & Warehouse Group CEO Hash Ladha steps down as part of administration process
  // Group chief product officer Paula Stewart has also reportedly left
  // Oasis and Warehouse filed for administration two weeks agoTwo key senior leaders within the Oasis and Warehouse Group have reportedly stepped down as part of the retailer’s administration process.
  According to Drapers, Hash Ladha left his post as chief executive of the company – which owns the Oasis and Warehouse fash
  
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• Klarna guarantees a donation of £1 for every item bought on Asos tomorrow

  28-04-2020 14:39 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Klarna has pledged to donate £1 to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for every order using its service to buy goods on Asos tomorrow.
  Asos customers shopping on “Giveback Day” (April 29) using Klarna’s ‘buy now, pay later’ service, will see £1, $1 or €1 donated by the Swedish payments giant to help support health infrastructure in some of the world’s most deprived countries during the pandemic.
  Klarna has guaranteed to honour
  
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• UK retail suffering from collapse in consumer spending, says CBI

  28-04-2020 14:32
  
  Two-thirds of firms say Covid-19 lockdown hit sales in worst month since financial crisisCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAlmost two-fifths of Britain’s retailers have closed for business completely as a result of a Covid-19 lockdown that has prompted a collapse in consumer spending unmatched since the financial crisis in late 2008.April’s monthly health check of high street and online sales from the CBI reported that two-thirds of businesses had been
  
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• Aldi takes on increased volume of beef & plants to support farmers

  28-04-2020 14:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Aldo buys increased volume of British beef to support farmers affected by hospitality lockdown
  // It would also help horticultural suppliers by increasing orders of spring plants
  // Aldi is guaranteeing immediate payments for all suppliers with a turnover of less than £1mAldi has agreed to buy increased volumes of British beef and plants to support suppliers faced with surplus product due to closures of restaurants, catering and horticultural businesses.
  The German discount grocer reaff
  
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• CBI report shows UK retail suffering from collapse in consumer spending

  28-04-2020 13:50
  
  Two-thirds of firms report adverse effects from Covid 19 lockdown in worst month for sales since financial crisisAlmost two-fifths of Britain’s retailers have closed for business completely as a result of a Covid-19 lockdown that has prompted a collapse in consumer spending unmatched since the depths of the financial crisis in late 2008.April’s monthly health check of high street and online sales from the CBI reported that two-thirds of businesses had been adversely affected by the p
  
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• Wickes owner Travis Perkins hit by 2/3 fall in sales in April

  28-04-2020 13:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Travis Perkins says sales in the first three weeks of April fell by 2/3
  // Meanwhile, like-for-like sales in the first three months of 2020 slipped by 3.8%
  // It kept the majority of Toolstation and Wickes stores open during the lockdownTravis Perkins has revealed that its its revenues tumbled by two-thirds in the first three weeks of April despite keeping most of its stores open during the coronavirus pandemic.
  While the “vast majority” of its Wickes and ToolStation sites have re
  
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• Pensioners double their online grocery spend; but overall grocery sales slows

  28-04-2020 13:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Over-65s spent 94% more on online grocery deliveries than they did this time last year
  // Online grocery sales now account for 10.2% of total sales vs 7.4% last month
  // Overall grocery sales growth slowed considerably, dropping from 20.6% in March to 5.5% in AprilBritish pensioners have flocked to online supermarkets, doubling the amount they spend food shopping on the internet as the coronavirus forces them to stay indoors.
  The over-65s spent 94 per cent more on deliveries than they did thi
  
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• UK consumers choosing big weekly shops during lockdown

  28-04-2020 12:25
  
  Convenience stores also get big boost as Britons spend £524m more on groceries this monthCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe big weekly shop has made a comeback with supermarkets reporting record trolley loads as Britons develop new lockdown routines.Latest figures from grocery analysts Kantar show shoppers spent £524m more on groceries so far in April, despite the fact that the number of supermarket visits dropped sharply. There was also a near 40%
  
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• Marks and Spencer warns dividend is at risk for coming year

  28-04-2020 12:23
  UK retailer seeks to preserve cash because of ‘highly uncertain’ conditions after lockdown
  
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• £2.5bn clothing orders cancelled as Bangladesh minister calls for UK govt support

  28-04-2020 12:12 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // UK retailers cancel £2.5bn in clothing orders as Covid-19 impacts fashion sector
  // Arcadia, Frasers Group, Asda, Debenhams, New Look & Peacocks have cancelled contracts in recent weeks
  // Bangladesh’s commerce minister Tipu Munshi called on UK Government to support the manufacturing industryUK retailers have reportedly cancelled an estimated £2.5 billion in clothing orders from Bangladeshi suppliers, plunging the country’s manufacturing industry into a “majo
  
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• Aldi launches online shopping vouchers for vulnerable and elderly

  28-04-2020 11:13 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Aldi has become the latest retailer to offer online shopping vouchers for vulnerable customers self-isolating to give to volunteers.
  The grocer has launched a new website, vouchers.aldi.co.uk, where customers unable to make it to shops themselves can purchase shopping vouchers.
  These vouchers, which can be purchased in denominations of £5, can then be posted to volunteers anywhere in the UK free of charged.
  Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda and Marks & Spencer have also launched s
  
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• Games Workshop to resume sales during Covid-19 lockdown

  28-04-2020 10:12 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Games Workshop to begin making trade sales in Europe & North America this week
  // It will accept online orders on its website from May 1Games Workshop has confirmed that it will begin making trade sales in Europe and North America this week and will take online orders from May.
  The decision comes after the retailer implemented changes across its warehouse operations to enable social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  While most Games Workshop stores remain closed, a small nu
  
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• COMMENT: Chatbots could be the answer to the customer services crunch

  28-04-2020 10:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  We are now a nation of sofa-shoppers as lockdown has forced the stores across the country to temporarily shut their doors and self-isolation keeps people indoors. As such, businesses are having to supercharge their ecommerce plans to respond to this sudden lurch away from bricks-and-mortar retail, which presents a series of significant challenges – particularly when it comes to customer service.
  Last year, a study by Ipsos identified that 42 per cent of UK online shoppers expect their bran
  
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• Coronavirus: Wilko accused of failing to protect “terrified” staff

  28-04-2020 09:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Wilko criticised for putting health & safety of staff and shoppers at risk during the coronavirus pandemic
  // The GMB alleges that staff are “terrified” to work at the Wilko branch in LeekWilko has reportedly been accused of failing to keep staff and shoppers safe during the coronavirus crisis but has since hit back at union bosses to defend its position.
  The GMB alleged that staff were “terrified” to work at the Wilko branch in Leek, North Staffordshire, StokeonTr
  
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• Marks & Spencer scraps shareholder payout amid Covid-19 crisis

  28-04-2020 09:26
  
  Retailer warns that disruption from coronavirus pandemic may last for the rest of this yearCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMarks and Spencer has scrapped next year’s dividend as it looks to cut costs and preserve cash, warning that disruption from the coronavirus crisis may last for the rest of 2020.M&S will save £210m by suspending the shareholder payout and said the banks that provide its £1.1bn overdraft facility had agreed to relax or r
  
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• Tesco lays off first wave of 45,000 temporary workers

  28-04-2020 09:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Tesco lays off temporary workers as demand levels return to normal
  // 80% new staff at one of Tesco’s stores were given 7 days notice on SaturdayTesco has reportedly begun laying off the first wave of the 45,000 temporary workers it had drafted in at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
  In one store, 80 per cent of the new staff were given seven days’ notice over the week while thousands of other newly created roles also face redundancies.
  The Big 4 leader went on a hiring spre
  
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• M&S secures funding to preserve liquidity during Covid-19 chaos

  28-04-2020 08:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Marks & Spencer secures government funding amid the Covid-19 chaos
  // It said the funding will “secure liquidity” for the duration of the coronavirus pandemicMarks & Spencer has secured fresh funding in a bid to strengthen its balance sheet during the coronavirus pandemic.
  The retailer is seeking to borrow cash through the government’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility, and has reached an agreement with its banks to “substantially relax or remove covenant
  
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• Locked down and longing for ‘Little House on the Prairie’

  28-04-2020 06:00
  How my daughter’s reading list got caught up in India’s fight over essential commerce
  
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• How coronavirus led the world to start shopping on Alibaba

  28-04-2020 05:00
  The Chinese tech giant has emerged as a key supplier of PPE — and a global ecommerce player
  
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• How a pandemic led the world to start shopping on Alibaba

  28-04-2020 05:00
  The Chinese tech giant has emerged as a key supplier of PPE — and a global ecommerce player
  
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• Waitrose ramps up food innovation in run-up to summer

  28-04-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Waitrose has ramped up its level of food innovation as it prepares to launch over 145 products into its Scrumptious Summer food and drink selection this... View Article
  
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• Travis Perkins gives coronavirus trading update

  28-04-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Travis Perkins has given a coronavirus trading update as it released its first quarter results. The group’s like-for-like sales at its retail business climbed by 4.5%... View Article
  
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• Q&A: Courtney Wylie VP Product and Marketing, Mention Me

  28-04-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Courtney has worked in ecommerce and start-ups for the past 20+ years spanning the retail, technology and travel sectors especially in product development and marketing roles. ... View Article
  
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• Ocado launches first customer fulfilment centre in North America

  28-04-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Ocado has launched its first customer fulfilment centre in North America as it works with food retailer Sobeys to develop an online grocery business in Canada... View Article
  
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• Marks & Spencer strengthens liquidity to help it through covid crisis

  28-04-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Marks & Spencer has taken steps to boost its liquidity to help it through the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement, the retailer said lenders providing its... View Article
  
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• Games Workshop to resume trade and online sales

  28-04-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Games Workshop has announced that it is to begin making trade sales in Europe and North America this week and will take online orders from shoppers... View Article
  
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• Aldi introduces voucher scheme for volunteers

  28-04-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Aldi has introduced a voucher scheme to enable volunteers to buy food on behalf of vulnerable people and those who are self-isolating during the covid-19 crisis.... View Article
  
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