Retail news

• Watchdogs warn pharmacies not to hike price of face masks

  29-06-2020 20:24
  
  Regulators also criticise sale of paracetamol and hand sanitiser at excessive costsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTwo UK watchdogs have warned pharmacies they should not be overcharging customers for in-demand items including face masks, hand sanitiser and paracetamol.With face masks compulsory on public transport and increasing numbers of people returning to work, these products remain in high demand but in a joint letter to businesses, the Competition and Mar
  
  Read more

• Albertsons/US groceries: stale goods

  29-06-2020 17:22
  Investment case for supermarket chains is as wobbly as a shopping cart with a bad wheel
  
  Read more

• How can retailers prevent crime against shopworkers?

  29-06-2020 17:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Violence, verbal abuse and threats against shop floor staff is a growing problem.
  At least 424 violent or abusive incidents were reported every day in the year to April 2019, up by almost a tenth on the previous 12 months, according to recent figures from trade association BRC. This compares to the year ending April 2018, when the BRC found that 115 staff were injured every day by unprovoked attacks.
  The trade association reported three main triggers for violent behaviour: violence when stealin
  
  Read more

• UK jobs market slowly recovers but lockdown lag grips retail

  29-06-2020 16:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // The retail jobs market is showing signs of recovery, but retail is still lagging, according to LinkedIn
  // The national hiring rate jumped from -49% to -31%. Retail remains at -34%.New data has revealed that the UK jobs market is showing signs of starting to recover, but the rate is uneven across industries – especially in retail.
  According to new data from LinkedIn, while the UK is recovering as lockdown restrictions start to ease, hiring in retail showed no signs of improvement and re
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• New Look threatens landlords with pre-pack administration

  29-06-2020 16:15 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // New Look hires consultancy CBRE in an effort to move its store estate across to turnover-based rents
  // The move increases the possibility of its falling into a pre-pack administrationNew Look has reportedly handed its landlords an ultimatum over its store estate as it seeks turnover-based rents.
  The fashion retailer has hired consultancy CBRE in an effort to move its 500-strong store estate across to turnover-based rents, which increases the possibility of its falling into a pre-pack adminis
  
  Read more

• A post Covid-19 POS environment that creates a sense of customer wellbeing

  29-06-2020 15:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  As non-essential stores begin to reopen across the UK and the lockdown begins to ease, a new normal is emerging and it’s one that we must all become comfortable with. The question is, how can we get back to some kind of normality and shop safely?
  Retail has only really paid lip service to customer and staff welfare, but post-Covid-19, the sector will need to recognise that ensuring everyone in-store feels safe is top of their agenda.
  Making shopping faster – keep it frictionless
  Maki
  
  Read more

• Musical instrument firms Roland and Korg fined £5.5m over UK price fixing

  29-06-2020 15:16
  
  Competition and Markets Authority says pricing practice restricted online discounting by retailersThe keyboard and electric drum kit makers Roland and Korg have been fined a combined total of £5.5m, as part of the UK competition watchdog’s crackdown on price fixing across the musical instrument industry.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the companies had breached competition rules by restricting online discounting of their musical instruments. The practice, known as &l
  
  Read more

• Government urged to help charity shops adapt digital-first innovations

  29-06-2020 14:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Ebay, Barnado’s, Charity Retail Association among coalition urging govt to create fund to help charities develop digital-first approach
  // Ebay has plans to upskill at least 500 UK charities to boost their online sales through its new Charity Connect training programme
  // The online marketplace is also providing £1.7m in grants to the 250 charities most affected by coronavirusA coalition is urging the government to create a fund that will help charity shops develop a digital-first
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• 20% of under 45s have bought more clothing since lockdown

  29-06-2020 13:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // 19.3% of under 45s have bought more fashion items since the pandemic started, despite no social events
  // This compared to just 7.4% of over 45s, says GlobalDataAlmost 20 per cent of people under 45 have bought more clothing since coronavirus lockdown measures were put in place, according to new research.
  GlobalData said 19.3 per cent of consumers aged 16 to 45 have bought more clothing since the Covid-19 pandemic began, despite consumers in general de-prioritising non-essential items due to
  
  Read more

• Gift cards overtake physical gifts during lockdown

  29-06-2020 13:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Gift cards were preferred during lockdown over physical gifts
  // Gift cards bought for someone else made up 14% of gifting spend in recent months, overtaking physical gifts at 12%New research has shown that gift cards have been a key purchase during the Covid-19 lockdown and surpassed the levels of physical gifts that were sold in the UK.
  The Gift Card & Voucher Association (GCVA) said gift cards bought for someone else made up 14 per cent of gifting spend in recent months, overtaking phy
  
  Read more

• Under Armour to launch Sportsmask “specifically designed for athletes” to wear during training

  29-06-2020 13:18 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Under Armour is set to launch a new “Sportsmask” designed to keep wearers safe while they exercise.
  The sportswear giant is expecting to launch the new £26 mask in the UK next month, following a lengthy design process which spanned 13 different prototypes.
  Under Armour’s final product consists of three layers which allow air to pass through but prevent the passage of moisture and sweat.
  The inside of each mask will utilise its ‘ISO-CHILL’ technology to ensure
  
  Read more

• Waitrose lowers nitrite levels in bacon and gammon selections

  29-06-2020 12:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Waitrose lowers nitrite levels across bacon and gammon ranges
  // The move has not compromised the products’ taste or qualityWaitrose has lowered nitrite levels by up to 60 per cent across its own-label fresh bacon and gammon ranges.
  The upmarket grocer said the initiative will not compromise the products’ taste or quality.
  Across the Essential Waitrose bacon and gammon selections, nitrite levels have been reduced by 60 per cent, while retailer’s dry cure bacon and gammon ran
  
  Read more

• [Webinar] Rising to Today’s Retail Sanitation Challenge

  29-06-2020 12:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Welcome Back Your Customers Through Best Practices & Robotics
  The recent health crisis has prioritized cleaning efficacy in retail environments around the globe. But what is the new standard for clean in today’s changing world, and how can store managers and operational executives win back the trust and support of customers as things begin to open up?
  Watch this on-demand webinar to learn the latest retail cleaning best practices that decrease the risk of disease transfer and safety, w
  
  Read more

• $56bn wiped off Facebook’s market value as Levi’s, Unilever and Starbucks join boycott

  29-06-2020 11:38 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Facebook has seen a growing number of retailers pull their advertising spend leading its shares to divebomb and Mark Zuckerberg to lose $7.2 billion in personal wealth.
  Levi’s, Unilever, The North Face, Patagonia, Starbucks and REI are among the growing list of retailers who have pulled their advertising spend as part of a now global #StopHateforProfit campaign.
  The campaign is targeting Facebook over its failure to tackle the spread of racist, hateful and misleading information on its pla
  
  Read more

• Swatch Group reshuffles top management team

  29-06-2020 10:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Luxury watchmaker Swatch Group has announced changes at its management team
  // Omega CEO Raynald Aeschlimann has been appointed to the executive group management board
  // Head of Rado Matthias Breschan will take over as Longines CEOSwatch Group has announced a reshuffle of its management team is under way, with new appointments at Longines, Rado, Union, Tissot, Certina, and its Hamilton watch brands.
  The Swiss group also announced changes to its executive group Management board and its extend
  
  Read more

• Harrods confirms opening date for Westfield London outlet concept

  29-06-2020 09:47 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Harrods confirms opening date for new outlet store at Westfield London
  // It will sell excess stock from the existing season as a result of the lockdown
  // The two-storey, 80,000sq ft store will remain open until at least the end of the yearHarrods has confirmed July 3 as the opening date of its new concept store at Westfield London, which will be known as Harrods Outlet.
  As first revealed in May, the new 80,000sq ft, two-storey store will sell excess seasonal stock unsold due to the coronavi
  
  Read more

• Shoppers feel retailers are doing enough to protect the public during pandemic

  29-06-2020 09:11 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // 53% of respondents felt retailers were doing enough to protect the public from coronavirus, says BRC & Opinium survey
  // Only 9% disagreed
  // Those who said they would avoid visiting shops if possible fell from 38% to 28%More than half of shoppers believe retailers have rolled out enough measures to ensure the transmission of coronavirus is prevented within their stores, a new survey has shown.
  The survey from BRC and Opinium found that 53 per cent of respondents felt retailers were doing
  
  Read more

• UK needs 'biggest-ever peacetime job creation plan' to stop mass unemployment

  29-06-2020 01:01
  
  Resolution Foundation calls for job protection to last until end of 2021 amid coronavirus crisisThe biggest job creation package in peacetime is needed to prevent the worst unemployment crisis in Britain for a generation, a leading thinktank has warned.Sounding the alarm as job losses mount, the Resolution Foundation called on the government to continue subsidising the wages of workers in the sectors of the economy hardest hit by the Covid-19 crisis until at least the end of next year. Related:
  
  Read more

• Waitrose to open third online centre to boost shopping slots in London

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Waitrose is to open a third online fulfilment centre for London as it looks to increase the number of shopping slots available across the capital. Once the new site... View Article
  
  Read more

• Waitrose lowers nitrite levels across own-label fresh bacon and gammon ranges

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Waitrose has lowered the levels of nitrites across its entire own-label fresh bacon and gammon ranges in what it describes as a supermarket first. The retailer said the... View Article
  
  Read more

• Virtual event: bouncing back after lockdown

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Getting the right customer marketing in place is becoming ever more crucial in this Covid-19 world and retailers who implement the most successful campaigns will be... View Article
  
  Read more

• Oliver Bonas secures £3.5m through Covid-19 business interruption scheme

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Oliver Bonas has obtained £3.5 million of additional funding from HSBC UK as part of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme. Having also accessed the government’s furlough scheme... View Article
  
  Read more

• Microsoft to close physical retail stores

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Microsoft has announced that it will be closing all of its physical retail stores as it looks to serve customers online and from its corporate locations instead. The... View Article
  
  Read more

• Join us virtually at our free Retail Customer Marketing Conference

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Getting the right customer marketing in place is becoming ever more crucial in this Covid-19 world and retailers who implement the most successful campaigns will be... View Article
  
  Read more

• Intu enters administration

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Intu chain of shopping centres has entered administration after failing to secure an agreement with its creditors. The business had been struggling for some time... View Article
  
  Read more

• Gap teams up with Kanye West’s Yeezy brand

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Gap is to launch a new collection in partnership with Kanye West’s Yeezy brand. Under West’s creative direction, the Yeezy design studio will develop the new line which will... View Article
  
  Read more

• Gap teams up with Kanye West

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Gap is to launch a new collection in partnership with Kanye West’s YEEZY brand. Under West’s creative direction, the YEEZY design studio will develop the new line... View Article
  
  Read more

• Estée Lauder Companies promotes Stéphane de La Faverie to group president role

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Estée Lauder Companies has promoted Stéphane de La Faverie to the position of group president, although  he will continue in his role of global brand president for Estée Lauder... View Article
  
  Read more

• Cotswold Outdoor, Snow+Rock and Runners Need launch appointment service

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Cotswold Outdoor, Snow+Rock and Runners Need have launched an in-store appointment service to coincide with the reopening of their stores. The service will enable the retailers’... View Article
  
  Read more

• Card Factory chief executive to step down

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Card Factory has announced that Karen Hubbard will step down as chief executive at the end of this month. The greeting cards retailer has already begun a search... View Article
  
  Read more

• Bouncing back after lockdown

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Getting the right customer marketing in place is becoming ever more crucial in this Covid-19 world and retailers who implement the most successful campaigns will be... View Article
  
  Read more

• Agent Provacateur appoints marketing and communications director

  29-06-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Lingerie brand Agent Provocateur has hired Kate Brindley as its new marketing and communications director. Brindley is a former global communications director of Nicholas Kirkwood and... View Article
  
  Read more

Follow @retailuknws on Twitter!