Retail news

• UK furniture stores to reopen in time for bank holiday weekend

  20-05-2020 20:50
  
  Furniture Village to open all outlets on Saturday while DFS will open some sites on FridayCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDFS and Furniture Village are to reopen outlets in time for the bank holiday weekend after the government cleared furniture stores to restart trade.Furniture Village will reopen all 46 branches on Saturday after testing physical distancing measures in six stores including Bristol, Gillingham, Tamworth and York over the past week. DFS is set t
  
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• The latest slowdown of Covid-19 job losses has been touted as good news. Is it though? | Greg Jericho

  20-05-2020 19:30
  
  We are not losing jobs at the same speed we did when the shutdowns occurred but it is a bit early to start relaxing
  The latest weekly job figures highlight just how damaging the coronavirus has been to tourism regions and also how even in the face of supposedly better news the situation remains dire.In these bizarre times, it is weird what can be seen as “good”, as the news came with a media release stating “slowdown in COVID-19 job losses”. And while this might seem good
  
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• The latest slowdown of Covid-19 job losses has been touted as good news. Is it though?

  20-05-2020 19:30
  
  We are not losing jobs at the same speed we did when the shutdowns occurred but it is a bit early to start relaxing
  The latest weekly job figures highlight just how damaging the coronavirus has been to tourism regions and also how even in the face of supposedly better news the situation remains dire.In these bizarre times, it is weird what can be seen as “good”, as the news came with a media release stating “slowdown in COVID-19 job losses”. And while this might seem good
  
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• Shopify accelerates online shopping services to take advantage of crisis

  20-05-2020 19:09
  Canada-based ecommerce platform pushes into groceries and offers new tools to retailers
  
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• Coronavirus changing shopping habits 'for ever', says M&S chief

  20-05-2020 19:00
  
  Crisis is triggering changes in how people dress and eat, some of which will endure, says Steve RoweCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe high street shutdown has changed some shopping habits “for ever”, according to the chief executive of Marks & Spencer.Steve Rowe said the health crisis would speed up the switch from the high street to the internet and trigger big shifts in how people shopped, dressed and ate. Related: Coronavirus has exposed a d
  
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• Changing the way food is grown and paid for | Letters

  20-05-2020 18:29
  
  Conditions for seasonal workers have gotten worse and worse, writes Jenny Tillyard, and the market needs to be rebalanced. Plus letters from Jo Steranka and Tim O’MalleyPrince Charles’s bumbling remarks should kickstart a re-examination of how fruit and vegetables are grown in rich countries, including ours (Coronavirus latest: a senior royal wants us to *checks notes* work harder, 19 May). Supermarkets want to keep the price of fresh produce at an affordable level. So they pay farme
  
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• Marks and Spencer: Hey Jude

  20-05-2020 17:25
  It may enjoy a post-virus bounce but clothing division is almost certainly a lost cause
  
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• Matalan founder suing PwC for 'ineffective tax avoidance advice'

  20-05-2020 17:19
  
  Big four firm denies it was negligent when it advised John Hargreaves on move to Monaco in 2000The multimillionaire founder of Matalan is suing his accountants for allegedly giving him ineffective tax avoidance advice – weeks after his retail empire received tens of millions of pounds of taxpayer support during the Covid-19 pandemic.John Hargreaves claims the big four accounting firm PwC was negligent when it advised him on how his move to Monaco in 2000 would avoid capital gains and incom
  
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• With Love Island postponed, can fashion retailers replicate the awareness boost?

  20-05-2020 16:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  It’s no secret that fast fashion retailers often rely on social media influencers – especially those who happen to be reality TV stars – to promote their collections. From Love Island to The Only Way Is Essex, the strategy of drafting in Z-list celebrities to give marketing campaigns a slight edge is a common one.
  But what happens when those reality TV shows are either cancelled – or at least postponed? Especially when a show like Love Island pulls in millions of vie
  
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• Ocado to stock M&S clothes alongside groceries

  20-05-2020 16:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Customers can now find Marks & Spencer underwear and school clothes on Ocado
  // M&S bought half of Ocado’s retail business last year for £750 millionMarks & Spencer has announced that shoppers can purchase underwear and children’s school clothes along with their groceries through online retailer Ocado.
  The embattled retailer bought half of Ocado’s retail business last year for £750 million.
  It is now preparing to replace Waitrose on the website on Aug
  
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• Facebook/ecommerce: adding up

  20-05-2020 16:25
  The size of the prize makes Shops worth the risk
  
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• Boohoo to launch Covid-19-testing in new partnership

  20-05-2020 16:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Boohoo to launch direct-to-consumer sales of a saliva-based rapid test for the Covid-19 antigen
  // Boohoo co-founder Mahmud Kamani teams up with investment bank Zeus Capital founder, Richard Hughes for the launchBoohoo co-founder Mahmud Kamani has announced that the retailer will launch direct-to-consumer sales of a saliva-based rapid test for the Covid-19 antigen.
  The retail tycoon has teamed up with founder of investment bank Zeus Capital, Richard Hughes for the launch.
  Hughes is a founding
  
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• Boohoo co-founder teams up with biotech firm to launch Covid-19-tests

  20-05-2020 16:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Boohoo to launch direct-to-consumer sales of a saliva-based rapid test for the Covid-19 antigen
  // Boohoo co-founder Mahmud Kamani teams up with investment bank Zeus Capital founder, Richard Hughes for the launchBoohoo co-founder Mahmud Kamani has teamed up with a biotech firm to help launch direct-to-consumer sales of a saliva-based rapid test for the Covid-19 antigen.
  Cambridge-based Avacta signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Medusa19, a venture set up by Kamani and investment b
  
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• Supermarkets win Supreme Court ruling over cash machine taxes

  20-05-2020 16:00
  Estimated refunds of wrongly paid business rates due to UK retailers could reach £500m
  
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• BoohooMan launches first video game to mark release of new Quavo collaboration

  20-05-2020 14:55 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  BoohooMan has launched its first ever video game to mark the launch of its second collection with rapper Quavo.
  ‘Quavo – Go All the Way’ is a smartphone game, now available for free on iOS and Android, based on classic platformers where the player must navigate the rooftops of Los Angeles collecting coins and pieces from BoohooMan x Quavo Season 2 collection.
  By scoring points, customers can unlock promotions and prizes, and any players scoring over 2000 points will be entered
  
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• London Mayor Sadiq Khan urges grocers to stock face masks

  20-05-2020 14:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // London Mayor Sadiq Khan writes to supermarkets & shops urging them to stock face masks for commuters
  // He stressed that they should not be medical-grade PPE, so resources are not diverted from the NHS
  // Bira is also urging its members & wider retail sector to stock up on re-usable face coveringsLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan has written to supermarkets and shops urging them to stock face masks for commuters using the capital’s public transport.
  Khan is asking stores to help Londoners
  
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• London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged grocers to stock face masks

  20-05-2020 14:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // London Mayor Sadiq Khan writes to supermarkets & shops urging them to stock face masks for commuters
  // He stressed that they should not be medical-grade PPE, so resources are not diverted from the NHS
  // Bira is also urging its members & wider retail sector to stock up on re-usable face coveringsLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan has written to supermarkets and shops urging them to stock face masks for commuters using the capital’s public transport.
  Khan is asking stores to help Londoners
  
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• Americans splash out on bikes and televisions

  20-05-2020 13:29
  Stimulus cheques from Washington help lift sales of discretionary items
  
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• Retailers to receive £430m in tax rebates amid ATM Supreme Court ruling

  20-05-2020 13:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Valuation Office Agency tried to make ATMs in supermarkets liable for business rates and in addition to stores’ business rates
  // Court of Appeal ruled in 2018 that ATMs should not attract a separate valuation, but VOA decided to appeal
  // The VOA have now lost that appeal, and retailers will receive £430m in rebatesThe Supreme Court has handed the embattled retail sector a £430 million tax lifeline by upholding an earlier decision that cash machines are exempt from business
  
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• Duchess of Cambridge drives sales for discount site LovetheSales

  20-05-2020 11:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // LovetheSales said the Duchess of Cambridge is continuing to influence its shoppers
  // The clothing Kate Middleton wore on Zoom in April and May include the Beulah London Calla Rose dress that saw searches for rose print dresses rise 42%Discount fashion retailer LovetheSales has said that the Duchess of Cambridge is continuing to influence its shoppers who are still buying fashion during the Covid-19 pandemic.
  The retailer said it compared the demand from Kate Middleton’s eight outfits w
  
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• Facebook launches “Shops” across all its platforms in major challenge to Amazon

  20-05-2020 11:06 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Facebook is launching a new ecommerce platform in a major challenge to Amazon and its latest concentrated push into online retail.
  ‘Facebook Shops’ was launched in the UK and Ireland yesterday across Facebook and Instagram, with plans to launch the service across Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp in the near future.
  Its new tool allows any retail business “no matter what size or budget” to launch an online storefront for free across its range of social media platforms.
  Face
  
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• Fortnum & Mason to begin phased reopening tomorrow

  20-05-2020 10:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Fortnum & Mason will reopen main food floors first including the basement foodhall
  // If the reopening proves a success, the retailer will open the first floor of its Piccadilly flagshipFortnum & Mason has said it will begin a phased reopening on Thursday as it emerges out of the coronavirus lockdown.
  The luxury department store will open its main food floors first including the basement foodhall.
  If the reopening proves a success, the retailer will then open the first floor of i
  
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• M&S takes £145m hit on unsold stock as clothing sales fall 75%

  20-05-2020 10:20
  
  Retailer is sitting on £500m of spring and summer fashions during coronavirus lockdownCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMarks & Spencer has reported a 75% slump in clothing sales during the UK lockdown, with the retailer taking a £145m hit on the unsold stock piled up in its warehouses.Last week the retailer launched a half-price “rainbow sale” in an attempt to clear its mountain of unsold spring and summer fashion. The forced closure o
  
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• Ted Baker poaches Arcadia design exec as creative director

  20-05-2020 09:58 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Ted Baker appoints Anthony Cuthbertson as global creative director
  // Cuthbertson is currently Arcadia’s global design director for TopshopTed Baker has poached Arcadia’s global design director for Topshop, Anthony Cuthbertson as its new global creative director.
  Cuthbertson will replace Michael Bastian, who will continue as creative director on an interim basis until later in the year.
  Cuthbertson will be responsible for brand, product, store and creative direction strategy.READ
  
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• Takeover Panel rejects Crew Clothing’s Moss Bros takeover retraction

  20-05-2020 09:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // City Takeover Panel blocks Brigadier Acquisition Company’s attempt to retract £22.6m takeover of Moss Bros
  // Panel ruled that Brigadier should not be permitted to invoke any of the Relevant Conditions in relation to its acquisition
  // Brigadier agreed to buy Moss Bros for 22p per share on March 12, just when the coronavirus pandemic struckCrew Clothing parent company Brigadier Acquisition Company’s attempt to retract its £22.6 million takeover bid for Moss Bros has be
  
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• M&S to accelerate overhaul as profits hit three decade low

  20-05-2020 09:29
  Retailer has seen clothing sales plummet since the pandemic upended the high street
  
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• M&S reveals £1bn Covid-19 action plan as profits slump 21%

  20-05-2020 09:24 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // M&S’s full year profit before tax slumps 21.2% o £403.1m, on back of sales decline of 1.9% to £10.1bn
  // Profitability improved in M&S’s food business but profits dropped by more than 1/3 in its clothing & home arm
  // M&S also told investors that it took a £52 million hit to profits due to coronavirusMarks & Spencer has revealed a £1 billion plan of action to help it survive the coronavirus crisis after it saw overall full-year profits s
  
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• Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield outlines shopping centre re-opening plans

  20-05-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield has said it has robust plans in place for the full re-opening of its Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City shopping centres when lockdown restrictions... View Article
  
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• Retail’s new foot fall: The Customer Service Team

  20-05-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Guest Post by William Carson, Ascensos: COVID is with us now and into the foreseeable. Retailers with an active or soon to be active ecommerce solution... View Article
  
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• Marks & Spencer profits down 21%

  20-05-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Marks & Spencer has seen its full year pre-tax profit before one-off items decline by 21.2% to £403.1 million after costs and stock write downs relating... View Article
  
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• Majestic Wine and Deliveroo expand range of delivery locations

  20-05-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Majestic Wine and Deliveroo have announced a major expansion of their delivery partnership to enable them to cover 80 sites across the UK. They have also... View Article
  
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• Caffè Nero teams up with Uber Eats on delivery service

  20-05-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Caffè Nero coffee shop chain has teamed up with Uber Eats to offer a coffee and food delivery service. The exclusive partnership will enable Caffè... View Article
  
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• Asda first quarter like-for-like sales up 3.5%

  20-05-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Asda has increased its first quarter like-for-like sales by 3.5% after trade was boosted by people stocking up in advance of the covid-19 lockdown. In the... View Article
  
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