Retail news

• Dressing up again? Fashion tries to recover from ‘brutal’ crisis

  19-06-2020 20:16
  The long queues at reopened shops suggest pent-up demand but the industry is dependent on high spending and tourism
  
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• UK retailers face probe into Covid price profiteering

  19-06-2020 18:07
  Regulator to investigate claims of overcharging on items including hand sanitiser
  
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• Debenhams to reopen Welsh & Scottish stores after “successful” English reopenings

  19-06-2020 17:48 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Debenhams said it will reopen its Welsh and Scottish stores following successful trading in England
  // The department store chain reopened its English stores on June 15Debenhams has confirmed it will reopen its eight stores in Wales on Tuesday 23 June as trading restrictions are eased.
  The revised guidance from the Scottish Government means that Debenhams will be able to open six of its Scottish stores on June 29.
  The openings follow a successful first few days’ trading in England, when
  
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• Boohoo’s agile model catches investors’ eye

  19-06-2020 17:30
  Online retailer hits market high as it bucks the grim mood and continues to lift sales
  
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• Ministers extend ban on evicting UK high street firms until autumn

  19-06-2020 17:16
  
  Code of practice also set up to aid landlord negotiations amid lockdown falloutCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA temporary ban on the eviction of high street businesses for non-payment of rent has been extended by the government until the autumn.The moratorium on evictions was extended on Friday from 30 June to the end of September. The government also published a code of practice to marshal increasingly tense negotiations between landlords and tenants as both s
  
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• Retail Gazette Loves: Debenhams “my dad my hero” campaign

  19-06-2020 16:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  As Debenhams’ UK stores start to reopen, it is celebrating Fathers’ Day this weekend with a campaign to highlight key workers and their everyday heroes.
  The “My Dad, My Hero” campaign features Debenhams dads and their kids relating how they plan to show their appreciation for the work they do.
  One of them is Daisy, a marketing coordinator for Debenhams, who said her dad Danny, a construction worker, “is genuinely the most hardworking person I know”.
  Daisy and
  
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• Watchdog investigates possible overcharging for hand sanitiser in UK

  19-06-2020 14:49
  
  Four unnamed stores suspected of profiteering during Covid-19 crisis
  Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe competition watchdog has launched an investigation into suspected price gouging by four pharmacies and convenience stores for over-charging shoppers for hand sanitiser during the coronavirus pandemic.Stocks of hand sanitiser were among the first items the British public cleared off the shelves as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the UK. The Competition a
  
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• Aldi and Lidl to continue push into online delivery

  19-06-2020 14:11 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Aldi and Lidl are preparing to push further into online grocery delivery after losing out to more digitally focused supermarkets during lockdown.
  The pair of German discounters have until now shunned online grocery delivery to protect their margins and avoid the high cost of delivering fresh food, which is largely incompatible with their business models, according to a Reuters report.
  However, the spike in demand for home deliveries during lockdown is largely predicted to continue long
  
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• DIY and garden centres help UK retail sales rebound in May

  19-06-2020 14:08
  
  Supermarkets also drive 12% rise, although sales are still below pre-lockdown levelsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageRetail sales rebounded in May after an unprecedented fall in April as DIY stores and garden centres reopened and supermarkets continued to perform strongly, according to official figures.UK sales rose by 12% last month, as the easing of the lockdown spurred demand for paint, garden equipment, electrical goods and homewares, increasing the amount bo
  
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• JD Sports appeals CMA’s Footasylum ruling

  19-06-2020 13:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // JD Sports is set to appeal the CMA’s decision to block its acquisition of Footasylum
  // The Competition Appeals Tribunal has yet to publish the summary of noticeJD Sports has said it will appeal against the CMA’s decision to block its acquisition of Footasylum, following an in-depth Phase II investigation.
  The Competition Appeals Tribunal has yet to publish the summary of notice, which illustrates what grounds JD Sports is contesting the decision on.
  However, lawyers anticipate th
  
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• PM urged to make face coverings compulsory in shops

  19-06-2020 13:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // London Mayor Sadiq Khan writes to PM Boris Johnson urging him to make face coverings compulsory in busy settings, such as shops
  // Many countries across Europe and Asia have already adapted this practicePrime Minister Boris Johnson has been urged to make it mandatory for shoppers to wear face coverings.
  London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote to the PM calling for the change, arguing that the measure was supported by scientific studies and had already been adopted in countries across Europe and Asia.
  N
  
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• Non-essential retail to reopen in Wales next week, Scotland week after

  19-06-2020 13:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Wales to allow the reopening of non-essential shops from Monday
  // Scotland will follow suit from June 29
  // England and Northern Ireland have already allowed the reopening of non-essential retailersThe Welsh and Scottish governments have confirmed the dates for when non-essential retailers in their countries can finally start to exit lockdown and reopen their stores.
  Wales is expected to allow all non-essential retail shops to reopen from Monday, while Scotland will allow outdoor markets and
  
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• Ulta: beauty entitlement

  19-06-2020 13:00
  Retailer’s quiet investments in AI and augmented reality technology look prescient
  
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• John Lewis to reopen a further nine stores on 25 June

  19-06-2020 12:40
  
  Full list of more shops the retailer plans to reopen after coronavirus shutdownCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageJohn Lewis is to reopen nine further shops next week in addition to 13 it opened this week.The department store chain will reopen at Cribbs Causeway, Leeds, Liverpool, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Southampton, Tunbridge Wells and York on Thursday 25 June. The group’s Peter Jones shop in Chelsea, London, will also open on the same day. It will take th
  
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• John Lewis to reopen another 9 stores next week

  19-06-2020 12:14 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // John Lewis announces 9 further store reopenings on June 25
  // Follows the successful reopening of 13 stores this week when lockdown ended for non-essential shops
  // More stores will reopen in the coming weeksJohn Lewis has announced plans to open nine more shops on Thursday June 25, following the successful reopening of an initial 13 shops this week with lockdown ending for non-essential retailers.
  The stores which will reopen their doors to customers next week are located at Cribbs Causeway,
  
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• Amazon hit with largest DDoS cyber attack in history

  19-06-2020 11:21 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Amazon was hit by the largest DDoS attack ever recorded for over three days in what experts are calling a “warning we should not ignore”.
  Amazon Web Services (AWS), on which thousands of retailers rely on to operate online, managed to defend itself from the largest ‘distributed denial of service (DDoS)’ attack in history in February.
  DDoS attacks use multiple compromised computers or internet connected devices to flood a specific server with web traffic, overwhelming the
  
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• The 12% rise in UK retail spending should come with note of caution

  19-06-2020 11:01
  
  Jump seems consistent with idea of V-shaped economic recovery but is too soon to tellCoronavirus – latest updates
  See all our coronavirus coverageOn the face of it, the 12% jump in retail spending last month fits with the notion that the economy will bounce back quickly from Covid-19 once the lockdown restrictions are fully lifted.May’s rise occurred even before non-essential stores were allowed to start trading in some parts of the UK on 15 June, so the increase appears consistent w
  
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• Studio remains cautious of 2020 despite sales rising 55%

  19-06-2020 10:47 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Studio sales increase during lockdown period
  // Sales of toys, games, electricals, fitness, and garden goods were popularStudio has seen its sales jump by 55 per cent over the past 11 weeks as shops remained closed due to the coronavirus lockdown.
  The sales were driven by demand for toys, games, electricals, fitness, and garden goods, rather than fashion.
  The online discounter also reported that the number of active customers had increased to two million.READ MORE:Studio hires Rupert Nichols
  
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• UK retail sales rebound more than expected

  19-06-2020 10:25
  Reopening of household goods stores and increased fuel spending boost figures in May
  
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• British retail sales rebound more than expected

  19-06-2020 10:25
  Reopening of household goods stores and increased fuel spending boost figures in May
  
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• Physical stores to heavily influence retail purchases, new research finds

  19-06-2020 10:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Physical stores will account in some way for £8 of every £10 to be spent in retail by 2025
  // Intu and the Javelin Group found that physical stores will still influence retail transactionsNew research has suggested that physical stores will still heavily influence retail transactions despite the prominence of online sales during the coronavirus lockdown.
  Intu and the Javelin Group found that while traditional shop sales have steadily decreased over the last few years, physical sto
  
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• Amazon UK boss Doug Gurr stepping down for Natural History Museum

  19-06-2020 10:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Doug Gurr to step down as Amazon’s UK country manager
  // He is taking up a new role as a director at the Natural History Museum
  // He is expected to stay with Amazon until later this year and his replacement will be announced in due courseAmazon’s UK boss, Doug Gurr, is stepping down from his role to take up a new position as the new director of the Natural History Museum.
  Gurr first joined the online retail giant in 2011, having previously worked at Asda.
  He was promoted to Amazo
  
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• Amazon UK boss Doug Gurr leaves for Natural History Museum

  19-06-2020 10:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Doug Gurr to step down as Amazon’s UK country manager
  // He is taking up a new role as a director at the Natural History Museum
  // He is expected to stay with Amazon until later this year and his replacement will be announced in due courseAmazon’s UK boss, Doug Gurr, is stepping down from his role to take up a new position as the new director of the Natural History Museum.
  Gurr first joined the online retail giant in 2011, having previously worked at Asda.
  He was promoted to Amazo
  
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• UK debt is bigger than economy for first time since 1963

  19-06-2020 09:58
  
  Government borrowed a record £55bn in May on back of coronavirus crisisCoronavirus – latest updates
  See all our coronavirus coverageBritain’s public debt is larger than the size of the country’s economy for the first time since 1963, after the government borrowed a record £55bn in May.The total level of debt has risen by £173bn over the last year to reach £1.95tn, or 100.9% of GDP, as ministers introduced unprecedented support for businesses and househol
  
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• M&S to take “urgent action” on racism and diversity

  19-06-2020 09:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Marks & Spencer will take action to ensure the company addresses issues of diversity
  // The initiative came after Black Lives Matter protests took place internationallyMarks & Spencer chief executive Steve Rowe has reportedly pledged to take “urgent action” to address racism and diversity in the wake of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.
  He wrote in a message to staff that the actions taken by the retailer so far were not good enough and it will consider a “much
  
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• May retail sales rebound after record lows but shops still suffering

  19-06-2020 09:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Retail sales in May rose 12% on April, according to the latest figures from the ONS
  // However, they were still down 13.1% when compared to February, before the pandemic really struck
  // Non-food sales surged 42% while food sales slipped 0.3% due to tough comparisons after a period of stockpilingRetailers saw a much-needed boost in sales last month compared with the record lows in April as lockdown turned high streets into ghost towns, according to the ONS.
  Sales volumes in May jumped 12 per
  
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• UK borrowing hits record £55bn in May; retail sales rebound -business live

  19-06-2020 09:13
  
  Rolling coverage of the latest business news, as new public data reveals the growing costs of the Covid-19 pandemicCoronavirus – latest updates
  See all our coronavirus coverage 8.13am BST The Financial Conduct Authority has extended emergency measures to allow consumers impacted by the coronavirus outbreak to freeze loan and credit card payments until 31 October.The measures, which were announced in April for an initial period of three months, also includes overdrafts, store cards and cata
  
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• June consumer confidence rebounds after record lows

  19-06-2020 09:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // June consumer confidence improves to -30, compared to -36 at the last reading in May
  // While the 6-point rebound is promising experts warn it could be short-lived
  // All sub-category measures taken into account for the overall index rose in JuneBritish consumers are feeling a little brighter about the future as lockdown for non-essential shops ends and shops start to reopen, according to a closely watched index.
  While consumer confidence has rebounded slightly from near-record lows, experts
  
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• Doing my US tax return has made me re-evaluate my pre-lockdown life | Emma Brockes

  19-06-2020 08:00
  
  The amount of drive-by spending enabled just by leaving the house is shocking. Why so many cabs and coffees? In March in the US, at the start of the pandemic, federal tax deadlines were pushed back to July. This three-month extension, intended to give us a break, means that many of us are compiling our spreadsheets this week. It’s never a happy experience, being reminded of just how much money flew out of your account on things that a year later you’d quite like to put back. This yea
  
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• Nordic co-operation crumbles at the Norway-Sweden border

  19-06-2020 06:00
  Shopping centre built to attract cross-trade suffers plummeting sales during crisis
  
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• JD Sports appeals against Footasylum verdict

  19-06-2020 05:00
  High street chain says watchdog has not fully accounted for the impact of Covid-19
  
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• Non-essential shops in Wales can reopen from Monday

  19-06-2020 01:01
  
  Devolved government says stores will be able to trade with physical distancing in placeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAll non-essential shops in Wales will be able to reopen from Monday so long as physical distancing can take place, as part of the devolved government’s cautious easing of lockdown restrictions.But the Labour-led administration is not expected to change its guidance that people should not travel more than five miles. The government will rev
  
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• UK Retail Sales Alert – June 2020 Release

  19-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Guest re-post: Michelle Cha, Head of Sales – Market Intelligence at Experian. Retail sales data, published by the ONS today, show a partial rebound in spending... View Article
  
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• [Report] Navigating the New Normal: the Rising Importance of a High-Class Digital Customer Experience

  19-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  More than half of UK shoppers would switch to a competitor if the digital customer experience doesn’t measure up With the retail sector facing some of... View Article
  
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• Q&A: Richard Willis, RVP Solution Consulting, EMEA and APAC, Aptos

  19-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Richard Willis has worked with retailers throughout Europe and globally. In his current role at Aptos, he supports retailers in their efforts to differentiate and innovate... View Article
  
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• John Lewis Partnership to build dedicated biomethane gas filling station

  19-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The John Lewis Partnership is to reduce its carbon emissions by building a dedicated biomethane gas filling station to enable its biggest heavy goods vehicles to... View Article
  
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• Industry bodies issue call to extend protection from rent enforcement activity

  19-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Organisations representing over 80,000 members from across the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors are urging the Government to take  steps this week to extend protection from... View Article
  
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• From Door to Floor: Improving Productivity in Stocking

  19-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Guest post: Luis Rojas-Romero, Industrial Engineer / Luz Hernandez, Industrial Engineering Analyst. When thinking about stocking a shelf, the immediate thought that comes to mind is... View Article
  
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• Estée Lauder hires Michelle Freyre as global general manager for Clinique

  19-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Estée Lauder has appointed Michelle Freyre as global general manager for its Clinique cosmetics business. Due to take up her new role on 1 July, she... View Article
  
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• Consumer confidence sees uptick in June

  19-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New figures have shown that consumer confidence bounced back in June following a significant decline in April due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. GfK’s... View Article
  
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