Retail news

• 10-week wait on glasses for 12,000 Boots customers

  04-06-2020 20:50
  
  Thousands faced extensive wait for eyewear after retailer shut 549 opticians outlets due to lockdownBoots has forced nearly 12,000 glasses wearers to wait more than 10 weeks for eyewear after the company closed the vast majority of its opticians outlets.The retailer has continued to operate its high street pharmacies and stores throughout the coronavirus outbreak but shut all but 51 of its 600 opticians stores in March. It put the vast majority of optical staff on furlough. Continue reading...
  
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• LVMH/Tiffany: repricing the family jewels

  04-06-2020 18:00
  If anyone can tweak irksome terms, dealmaking boss Bernard Arnault can
  
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• Bangladeshi suppliers criticise Edinburgh Woollen Mill over unpaid bills

  04-06-2020 17:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group (EWM) has been accused of not paying bills
  // EWM said the bills represent unsold stock which is now down to £2m to £3mPhilip Day’s Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group has reportedly been criticised by manufacturers in Bangladesh over allegations that it has not paid its bills.
  The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) wrote in a letter on May 26 to EWM to address that the group should stop asking for discounts otherwise it
  
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• Bangladeshi suppliers criticise Edinburgh Woollen Mill over £27m unpaid bills

  04-06-2020 17:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group (EWM) has been accused of not paying bills worth £27m
  // EWM said the bills represent unsold stock which is now down to £2m to £3mPhilip Day’s Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group has reportedly been criticised by manufacturers in Bangladesh over allegations that it has not paid bills worth £27 million.
  The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) wrote in a letter on May 26 to EWM to address that the group should st
  
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• UK car industry's 2,000 job cuts underline gloomy prospects

  04-06-2020 16:58
  
  Sales slump during Covid-19 crisis causes job losses at Lookers and Aston Martin Lagonda The gloomy prospects facing the UK car industry have been underlined by 2,000 new job losses and the worst May car sales since 1952.Only 20,000 new cars were registered in May compared with 184,000 during the same month in 2019, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said. Just over half a million new cars have been sold in the first five months of 2020, compared with more than one million at the sam
  
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• UK car industry faces 2,000 job losses

  04-06-2020 16:58
  
  Car dealer Lookers cuts 1,500 jobs and closes 12 showrooms as sales slump during Covid-19 crisisThe gloomy prospects facing the UK car industry have been underlined by 2,000 new job losses and the worst May car sales since 1952.Only 20,000 new cars were registered in May compared with 184,000 during the same month in 2019, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said. Just over half a million new cars have been sold in the first five months of 2020, compared with more than one million at
  
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• Aldo: What went wrong?

  04-06-2020 16:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  A BRIEF TIMELINE
  1972: Aldo Bensadoun, son of a shoe merchant, founded Aldo Shoes as a footwear concession within a chain of fashion boutiques in Montreal, Canada.
  1978: The first standalone Aldo store opened on St Catherine Street in Montreal, ending the practice of leased departments within the chain of clothing fashion boutiques.
  1985: Aldo became the first retailer to team up with an AIDS charity with its new ‘ight AIDS campaign to support the fight against the illness.
  1991: Aldo
  
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• Adidas and Allbirds team up to reduce footwear industry’s carbon footprint

  04-06-2020 16:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Adidas and Allbirds join forces to launch a sustainable project
  // The initiative includes reducing carbon dioxide emitted by the footwear industry each yearAdidas and shoes retailer Allbirds have teamed up to launch a project to accelerate solutions in reducing the 700M metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted by the footwear industry each year.
  The partnership aims to innovate on manufacturing and supply chain processes in addition to exploring renewable material resources, resulting in a low
  
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• LVMH rules out buying Tiffany shares on open market

  04-06-2020 15:03
  Deal for the US jeweller was signed in November before Covid-19 hit luxury demand
  
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• LVMH ‘not considering’ buying Tiffany shares on open market

  04-06-2020 15:03
  Deal for the US jeweller was signed in November before Covid-19 hit luxury demand
  
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• Philip Pittack obituary

  04-06-2020 14:48
  
  Cloth merchant who was a repository of knowledge for the British fashion and film industriesThe cloth merchant Philip Pittack began in the rag trade as a teenager crawling beneath the cutting tables of garment factories in the East End of London, stuffing a sack with waste wool and cotton as raw material that could be spun again and otherwise re-used. This was his education in fabrics, rubbing them between thumb and forefinger, exploring weave, testing drape and fray in the hand. In over six dec
  
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• Growth in Tupperware-style shopping intensifies over lockdown

  04-06-2020 13:20 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // New survey reveals 65% growth via direct-to-consumer at The Body Shop#
  // Usborne Books reports 104% increase in people joining its home-selling division
  // Traditional “Tupperware-style” party goes virtual in lockdownRetailers and well-known brands that have branched out to direct-to-consumer social shopping all reported significant sales growth in April.
  A survey from the Direct Selling Association (DSA) – whose members include the like of The Body Shop at Home, Avon and N
  
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• Tesco allows shoppers to queue in their cars while its raining

  04-06-2020 12:42 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Tesco is allowing shoppers to queue inside their cars when it is raining in order for shoppers to maintain social distancing measures.
  As the sunniest May since records began comes to an end, crowds of shoppers queuing to get inside supermarkets will now have to deal with both social distancing and the weather.
  In light of the increasingly wet weather, Tesco has said customers may be able to stay in their car while queueing.
  “If it’s raining or particularly cold, we may ask you to st
  
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• John Lewis & Waitrose launch workshops to alleviate Covid-19 stress

  04-06-2020 12:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // John Lewis and Waitrose team up with health and life insurer Vitality to offer customers wellbeing workshops
  // The initiative is exclusively available to myWaitrose and myJohn Lewis membersWaitrose and John Lewis have joined forces with health and life insurer Vitality to offer customers a series of free virtual workshops on health and wellbeing.
  The initiative is exclusively available to myWaitrose and myJohn Lewis members, and the sessions have been designed to address some of the effects
  
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• Debenhams to reopen 3 stores in Northern Ireland before England

  04-06-2020 11:53 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Debenhams to begin reopening UK stores from next week
  // 3 stores with street access will open in Northern Ireland on June 8, including the Belfast flagship
  // A further 50 stores will reopen in England on June 15, as per government guidanceDebenhams has announced it will open three Northern Ireland stores next week, ahead of the June 15 date for when lockdown restrictions will be eased for non-essential retailers.
  The department store chain said the three stores in question in Northern Irela
  
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• Wren Kitchens back on track with expansion plans

  04-06-2020 11:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Wren Kitchens says it is back on track with its expansion plans
  // It is planning on opening of 100th UK showroom later this yearWren Kitchens has announced it is back on track with its expansion plans, and confirmed plans to open its 100th UK showroom later this year.
  The kitchen retailer said it would open four showrooms throughout July and August in Worcester, Wakefield, Wolverhampton and Peterborough.
  During autumn and winter, it will open an additional eight stores in Mansfield, Altrinch
  
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• Amazon is being sued after warehouse worker’s cousin dies of COVID-19

  04-06-2020 10:55 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Amazon is being sued by six people who have accused it of allowing coronavirus to spread among its facilities leading to the death of one worker’s family member.
  A lawsuit was filed on Wednesday with the US District Court in Brooklyn by three Amazon workers at its fulfilment centre in Staten Island, which has been the epicentre of controversy surrounding worker safety in recent months.
  The three plaintiffs, alongside three immediate family members, dubbed the fulfilment centre a “pla
  
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• Boost your business with self-service solutions

  04-06-2020 10:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Customers want the convenience of buying what they want when they want — with or without staff interaction. With self-service touchscreen solutions businesses can provide a contactless service that delights customers and ensures they keep coming back. Here are six ways how self-service solutions will put your business on top.
  As consumer journeys evolve, so do the store concepts. Touchscreen solutions represent an important part of retail’s future by adapting easily your experience t
  
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• Coronavirus: M&S scraps executive bonuses for a second year

  04-06-2020 09:58 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Marks & Spencer will not pay bonuses for a second year
  // This is despite its “much stronger management team”
  // CEO Steve Rowe’s pay will be frozenMarks & Spencer has said it will not pay executive bonuses for a second year, despite its “much stronger management team” since the coronavirus pandemic.
  The retailer’s annual report revealed that executive bonuses will be scrapped for 2020/21, the pay of chief executive Steve Rowe will be frozen and the
  
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• Car dealer Lookers cuts 1,500 jobs and closes 12 showrooms

  04-06-2020 09:40
  
  UK firm to axe almost one-in-five jobs to help save £50m as car sales slump during Covid-19 crisisCar dealership Lookers plans to cut 1,500 jobs and close 12 dealerships as it returns to selling and servicing vehicles after the coronavirus shutdown.The group, which operates 164 car dealerships, says the redundancies are needed to protect the long-term future of the business and it hopes to save £50m a year from the job cuts. Continue reading...
  
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• New Look seeks turnover-based rent with landlord

  04-06-2020 09:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // New Look in talks with landlords to switch to turnover-based rent
  // New Look did not pay its rent at the end of the last quarter and the next rent bill is due at the end of JuneNew Look has started negotiations with landlords to switch to turnover-based rents across its store portfolio to help cut back on property bills in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
  According to Sky News, the fashion retailer recently appointed property agencies CBRE and CWM to lead the discussions to switch to sale
  
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• LVMH does u-turn on £13bn Tiffany & Co acquisition

  04-06-2020 09:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // LVMH confirms it is not considering buying Tiffany & Co shares on the market
  // The news follows a recent board meeting amid concerns of Tiffany & Co’s current financial state
  // LVMH first announced its £13bn takeover of Tiffany & Co in NovemberLVMH has done a u-turn on its proposed €14.7 billion (£13 billion) takeover of Tiffany & Co, confirming that it would no longer pursue the acquisition.
  In a statement, LVMH said its board of directors met on Tues
  
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• Adidas sales in China bounce back quicker than expected

  04-06-2020 07:44
  Sporting goods maker returned to sales growth last month in a key market
  
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• Waitrose and John Lewis launch virtual health and wellbeing workshops

  04-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Waitrose and John Lewis have teamed up with health and life insurer Vitality to launch a series of free virtual workshops on health and wellbeing. Available exclusively... View Article
  
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• Debenhams prepares to reopen majority of stores

  04-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Debenhams is preparing to reopen most of its UK department stores in phases from the beginning of next week. Three stores with street access will reopen... View Article
  
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• Central England Co-op offers free services for commuters

  04-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Central England Co-op has launched some new services to help commuters who want to walk or cycle to work as Covid-19 lockdown restrictions begin to ease. The... View Article
  
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