Retail news

• Europe’s luxury goods capitals reopen to new reality

  22-05-2020 22:00
  Pandemic forces upmarket brands to rethink pricing, store locations and supply chains
  
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• Donations to be quarantined as UK charity shops plan to reopen

  22-05-2020 18:16
  
  Charities have been badly hit by lockdown, with some reporting millions of pounds a month lost as result of shops being shutCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDonations will be quarantined for 72 hours and customers required to use hand sanitiser before browsing the clothes rails and handling the bric-a-brac on the shelves, under plans drawn up by the UK’s charity shops as they prepare to reopen their doors in JuneCharities have been badly hit by the lockdown
  
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• UK government borrowing hits record high in April and retail sales slump - as it happened

  22-05-2020 17:49
  
  UK public borrowing soars to £62bn in a single month and retail sales slump by 18%Latest: Marston’s and Carlsberg merge brewing opsOBR says borrowing is ‘initial taste’UK borrowed £62bn last month to fight Covid-19 crisisCoronavirus – latest updates
  See all our coronavirus coverage 4.49pm BST And finally, after an edgy day’s trading, Europe’s markets have closed pretty much where they started.Anxiety over US-China tensions weighed on stocks, and ke
  
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• Alibaba and Pinduoduo surpass sales growth expectations

  22-05-2020 17:31
  Online marketplaces experience shortages of merchants and couriers during virus lockdowns
  
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• Burberry: check it out

  22-05-2020 17:02
  The British fashion house looks well-placed to ride out the pandemic in style
  
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• Ikea to reopen 19 stores during UK lockdown

  22-05-2020 17:00
  
  Britain’s biggest furniture chain installs Covid-19 safety measures for 1 June reopeningCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIkea is to reopen 19 stores in the UK on 1 June as it joins other furniture retailers planning to unlock their doors this weekend.Only one adult and one child per household will be permitted in branches on each visit, while play areas and restaurants will remain closed. Continue reading...
  
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• John Lewis delivers care packages for Mental Health Awareness Week

  22-05-2020 16:23 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // John Lewis Partnership spent this week delivering care packages to Mental Health Trusts
  // The care packages ensure healthcare staff have the supplies they need during a long shiftJohn Lewis Partnership has spent Mental Health Awareness Week delivering care packages that aim to assist the wellbeing of key NHS workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
  Mental Health Trusts in the UK are currently facing extreme pressures in caring for patients, many of whom are Covid-positive or have been struggli
  
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• Clarks in talks with investors over share sale after 900 job cuts

  22-05-2020 16:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Clarks in talks with investors about the sale of a minority stake
  // The shoe retailer has approached several private equity firms about the deal
  // News follows yesterday’s announcement that Clarks plans to make a total of 900 office-level job cuts globallyClarks is reportedly in talks with investors about the sale of a minority stake that would dilute its family shareholders’ controlling stake in the company.
  The shoe retailer has approached several private equity
  
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• Ikea to reopen 19 stores in England & Northern Ireland on June 1

  22-05-2020 16:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Ikea announces plans to reopen 19 stores in England & Northern Ireland from June 1
  // Stores will include enhanced safety measures such as limited customer numbers and staggered entry & queuing system
  // Stores in Scotland and Wales will remain closed, in-line with government guidanceIkea has announced it will reopen 19 stores across England and Northern Ireland from June 1, after a few other furniture retailers said they would open in time for the bank holiday.
  The Swedish homewares
  
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• Retail Gazette Loves: Weird Fish staff strike a pose modelling its latest collection

  22-05-2020 15:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Weird Fish has asked its staff members to model pieces from its latest Active Life collection to help market the products online as the coronavirus lockdown drags on.
  The fashion retailer used the pandemic as an opportunity to find new and creative ways to promote the collection by sending staff a selection of garments to wear and photograph.
  The initiative also aims to boost staff engagement in the new collection while they work from home and keep active.
  Pictured: Naomi Hedicker“Taking p
  
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• Frasers Group to keep workers’ salary levels at 100% in May

  22-05-2020 14:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Frasers Group pledges to not reducing the majority of its workers’ salaries for May
  // Founder Mike Ashley said the group dealt with demand thanks to warehouse workers
  // Frasers Group has around 29,400 staff across six business segmentsMike Ashley’s Frasers Group has reportedly said it will keep salary levels at 100 per cent in May for the majority of its employees.
  The group, which comprises of Sports Direct, House of Fraser, Flannels, Jack Wills and Lillywhites, has furlou
  
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• Kurt Geiger to quarantine shoes for 24hrs as it gradually reopens stores in June

  22-05-2020 14:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Kurt Geiger reveals plans to allow customers to shop in-stores again from June 1
  // All stores will be reconfigured to be Covid secure with new health & safety measures, costing retailer £75k per store
  // Kurt Geiger says all shoes that are tried on but not purchased will be quarantined for 24 hours before being available againKurt Geiger has become the latest British fashion retailer to reveal its lockdown exit strategy, with customers expected to be permitted to shop in stores fro
  
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• Waitrose offers virtual wine and gin tasting sessions via Zoom

  22-05-2020 13:04 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Waitrose has brought its popular “Wine Tasting at Home” service online allowing customers to chat with drinks experts via Zoom.
  The grocer’s Wine Tasting at Home service usually sees a drinks expert visit the customer’s home for a two-hour tasting session, providing a range of wines, gins or whiskies as well as optional “cheese, biscuit and nibbles” pairings depending on the package.
  Waitrose has now taken the service online after cancelling it temporarily in
  
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• The Kooples hires artistic director to boost brand positioning

  22-05-2020 12:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // The Kooples hires new artistic director to boost its positioning
  // Tom Van Dorpe will be responsible for setting a new global creative vision for The Kooples’ womenswear, menswear, and accessory collectionsThe Kooples has appointed Tom Van Dorpe as its new artistic director, as the retailer seeks to boost its positioning as the “most distinctive contemporary Maison”.
  Van Dorpe will be responsible for setting a new global creative vision for The Kooples’ womenswear, me
  
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• Victoria’s Secret UK stores at risk as it shutters 250 US stores

  22-05-2020 11:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Victoria’s Secret to shutter 250 stores in US and Canada
  // L Brands CFO Stuart Burgdoerfer said the closures were a “very significant decision”Victoria’s Secret has announced it will permanently close a quarter of its stores in its home market of US and Canada over the next few months, after its half-billion dollar plan to go private collapsed.
  The lingerie retailer’s owner L Brands said it will close 250 branches and more may follow.
  L Brands chief financial of
  
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• Burberry cancels dividend after sales plunge 27%

  22-05-2020 11:51
  
  Luxury brand axes payment to shareholders worth about £120m amid Covid-19 crisisCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBurberry has scrapped its full-year dividend payment to shareholders as sales plunged 27% in its fourth quarter due to the Covid-19 lockdown.The luxury British brand, best known for its trenchcoats and signature check, said it was cancelling its end of year payment to shareholders, worth about £120m last year, and had borrowed £300m v
  
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• More than 1,000 Carluccio jobs lost as 'chicken king' billionaire buys chain

  22-05-2020 11:38
  
  Adminstrators to shut 40 outlets with Ranjit Singh Boparan buying up the remaining 31 sitesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMore than 1,000 Carluccio’s staff have lost their jobs after 40 sites were shut by administrators, with the remaining restaurants acquired by billionaire Ranjit Singh Boparan.Boparan, 53, owner of the Giraffe and Ed’s Easy Diner, Fox’s Biscuits and a vast supermarket chicken empire chains, bought the Carluccio’s brand
  
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• Billionaire Boparan buys Carluccio’s brand and saves 800 jobs

  22-05-2020 11:38
  
  About 40 outlets - now shut because of Covid-19 - will close for good, with loss of 1,000 jobsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe billionaire Ranjit Singh Boparan has bought the Carluccio’s brand and 31 restaurants in a deal that rescues more than 800 jobs.About 40 further outlets of the ailing chain, which called in administrators in March, will be permanently shut, with the loss of 1,000 jobs. All the Carluccio’s outlets are currently closed and it
  
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• Dixons Carphone provides tablets to elderly stuck in isolation

  22-05-2020 11:12 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Dixons Carphone partners with Age UK to help vulnerable older people tackle loneliness amid Covid-19
  // The retailer is supplying 500 free tablets to vulnerable older people stuck in isolationDixons Carphone has joined forces with Age UK to help vulnerable older people tackle loneliness during the coronavirus pandemic
  The technology retailer has provided 500 free tablets with internet connectivity and a dedicated technology support phone line to help hundreds of vulnerable older people from f
  
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• UK retail sales suffer record fall in April

  22-05-2020 10:56
  Collapse in activity threatens survival of many high street stores
  
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• Ocado customers donate over £1m to food banks in 2 months

  22-05-2020 10:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Ocado customers have donated over £1m to the grocer’s ‘You Give We Give’ scheme between March and May 2020
  // The total value of customer donations increased by 830% between the first week of March amid Covid-19Since the beginning of March, Ocado customers have donated over £1m to food banks and social enterprises.
  Ocado customers donated to the online supermarket’s You Give We Give scheme which launched in 2014 to help tackle UK food poverty and maintain i
  
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• Burberry cancels dividend as sales plunge 27% in wake of coronavirus

  22-05-2020 10:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Burberry cancels dividend payouts in the wake of 27% sales plunge in Q4
  // Full-year revenue declined 3% to £2.63bn while operating profit slumped 8% to £404m
  // Burberry said 60% of its stores were shut due to lockdowns by the end of Q4Burberry has cancelled its final dividend and warned that luxury retail could take a while to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, after reporting plunging sales in the final quarter.
  The luxury fashion retailer reported a 27 per cent drop in compar
  
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• Crew Clothing owner calls for Moss Bros takeover review

  22-05-2020 09:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Crew Clothing owner requests takeover ruling review after it was stopped from retracting its bid for Moss Bros
  // Moss Bros said it would seek to ensure the takeover decision standsCrew Clothing owner Brigadier Acquisition Company has called for a takeover review after it was blocked from attempting to withdraw its £22.6 million bid for Moss Bros.
  Both firms are now seeking to defend their positions.
  Earlier this week, the City Takeover Panel blocked Brigadier’s attempt to retract
  
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• Burberry’s China and South Korea sales bounce back

  22-05-2020 09:38
  Improving trend for UK luxury goods group offers welcome boost for sector hit hard by coronavirus
  
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• Retail sales in April fell a record 18.1%

  22-05-2020 09:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Retail sales fall by record 18.1% in April as coronavirus lockdown shutdown took hold
  // The month-on-month decline followed a 5.2% slide in March
  // Fashion retailers were especially hard hit as volume plummeted 50.2% month-on-monthThe total volume of retail sales dropped by a record 18.1 per cent in April compared to March as the coronavirus lockdown took hold across the UK, according to the ONS.
  The April drop followed the previous month-on-month fall of 5.2 per cent that was recorded in M
  
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• Ex-Sainsbury’s CEO Justin King “optimistic” about the future of high streets

  22-05-2020 09:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Ex-Sainsbury’s CEO Justin King “optimistic” about the future of high streets but warns on a tough period shopping centres
  // He believes customers and retailers will quickly adapt to social distancing and extra health and hygiene measuresFormer Sainsbury’s boss Justin King has said he is “optimistic” about the future of high streets but warned of a tough period ahead for shopping centres.
  King, who is currently a non-executive director at Marks & Spence
  
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• UK consumer confidence remains “battered & bruised”

  22-05-2020 09:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // UK consumer confidence decreases by one point to -34, according to GfK
  // People were less downbeat about their personal financial situation over the next 12 months, improving from -11 to -9
  // Expectations for the economy in the next 12 months deteriorated, moving from -53 to -54.Consumer confidence in the UK remains “battered and bruised” despite the easing of some lockdown restrictions and is set to remain fragile for some time, according to an index.
  The overall score for data
  
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• UK government borrowing hits record high in April and retail sales slump - business live

  22-05-2020 08:59
  
  Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as UK public borrowing soars to £62bn in a single month and retail sales slump by 18%UK borrowed £62bn last month to fight Covid-19 crisisCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage 7.59am BST Paul Dales of Capital Economics predicts Britain’s deficit could hit 17% of GDP this year. That’s an immense figure -- exceeding the last financial crisis, when the deficit hit 10% of annual output. D
  
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• Beijing’s legal force, retail woes, future of education

  22-05-2020 06:01
  
  The Chinese government is set to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong
  
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• US retailers lay bare cost of being deemed ‘non-essential’

  22-05-2020 06:00
  Decisions on which businesses can stay open widens gap between sector’s winners and losers
  
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• Target to close up to 75 stores across Australia, costing more than one thousand jobs

  22-05-2020 02:22
  
  Wesfarmers, who owns the discount chain, announces up to 90 more stores will be converted to Kmart outletsFollow the latest Australia coronavirus live newsSign up for Guardian Australia’s daily coronavirus email
  Download the free Guardian app to get the most important news notificationsMore than a thousand workers in the struggling retail industry are at risk of losing their jobs after the owners of discount department store chain Target decided to close as many as 75 stores.Up to 90 more
  
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• Dixons Carphone teams up with Age UK to offer elderly people free tablet computers

  22-05-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Dixons Carphone is providing free tablet computers, connectivity and technology support to hundreds of vulnerable elderly people as it looks to help Age UK prevent them... View Article
  
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• Consumer confidence ‘battered and bruised’ by coronavirus crisis

  22-05-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Latest research has found that consumer confidence has been “battered and bruised” by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK. According to GfK’s longstanding... View Article
  
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• Burberry sales suffer due to covid-19 disruption

  22-05-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Burberry saw its revenues fall by 3% to £2.6 billion in the year to 28 March after the coronavirus pandemic hit sales. Like-for-like sales were down... View Article
  
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