Retail news

• Boohoo calls for licensing scheme to ensure textile factories fit to trade

  17-07-2020 21:28
  
  Chief executive says scheme would raise tax and stop rogue businesses entering market Boohoo has called on the UK government to introduce a licensing scheme to ensure that textile factories are fit to trade after allegations of malpractice by the online fashion group’s suppliers.In a letter to Priti Patel, the home secretary, John Lyttle, the chief executive of Boohoo, said a “joint effort between industry and government” was required to revamp the UK garment industry and &ldqu
  
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• Boohoo calls for licensing scheme to ensure garment factories fit to trade

  17-07-2020 21:28
  
  Chief executive says scheme would raise tax and stop rogue businesses entering market Boohoo has called on the UK government to introduce a licensing scheme to ensure garment factories are fit to trade after allegations of malpractice by the online fashion group’s suppliers.In a letter to Priti Patel, the home secretary, John Lyttle, the chief executive of Boohoo, said a “joint effort between industry and government” was required to revamp the UK garment industry and “pro
  
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• Asda HQ staff must return to office at least once a week from August

  17-07-2020 20:51
  
  Move by supermarket is first switch away from working from home by major companyCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAll Asda office staff are expected to return to the supermarket’s Leeds headquarters next month in one of the first switches away from working from home by a major company.The UK’s third largest grocer said it expected all its staff to spend at least some time in the office every week from the start of August after putting in place measures
  
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• All Asda HQ staff told to return to office at least once a week from August

  17-07-2020 20:51
  
  Move by supermarket is first switch away from working from home by major companyCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAll Asda office staff are expected to return to the supermarket’s Leeds headquarters next month in one of the first switches away from working from home by a major company.The UK’s third largest grocer said it expected all its staff to spend at least some time in the office every week from the start of August after putting in place measures
  
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• Boohoo could be forced to move 40% of its production out of UK

  17-07-2020 20:01
  
  Analysis by Credit Suisse says closer scrutiny of fashion firm’s suppliers likely to force moveBoohoo could shift at least 40% of its UK production abroad if increased scrutiny leads to the closure of factories and rising costs for the online fashion specialist, according to analysts.Szilvia Bor and Simon Irwin, retail analysts at investment bank Credit Suisse, estimate that as much as 7% of Boohoo’s production is undertaken by unmonitored subcontractors in the UK – factories t
  
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• Iceland blames £71m loss on Brexit uncertainty

  17-07-2020 17:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Iceland blames losses on Brexit uncertainty and December general election
  // Iceland had £5m of income owing to the rising price of packaging waste recovery notesIceland has blamed its widening losses on the ongoing uncertainty around Brexit and the December general election.
  The frozen food retailer recorded pre-tax losses of £71.8 million for the year to the end of March.
  Iceland also said it had £5 million of income owing to the rising price of packaging waste recove
  
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• M&S to reopen 83 cafes with VAT cut savings passed to customers

  17-07-2020 17:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // M&S to open next wave of cafes after recently reopening 118 cafes
  // The reopenings will bring the total number of M&S cafes serving customers across the UK to 201M&S has revealed plans for the next wave of café reopenings in line with the government guidance.
  The retailer will reopen a further 83 cafes across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from July 22.
  With 118 cafes already open, it will bring the total number of M&S cafes serving customers across the UK to 2
  
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• Retail Gazette Loves: Superdrug’s new initiative to combat cyberbullying

  17-07-2020 15:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Superdrug has unveiled its anti-bullying pledge to help combat online trolling on social media.
  Following a spike in “unacceptable negative messages” while highlighting emerging talent on its platforms, Superdrug has partnered with youth organisation Ditch the Label to remind social media users users to #BeKind online and create a bully-free zone.
  Ditch The Label is one of the largest youth organisations in the world, and works to support young people with bullying, mental health, re
  
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• Superdrug reopens nail bars but brow & lash studios remain in lockdown

  17-07-2020 14:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Superdrug reopens 99 Beauty Studio nail bars and welcomed 245 nail technicians back to work
  // However, its brow & lash services cannot reopen yet, as per government guidance
  // Brow & lash services account for 86% of the Superdrug services armSuperdrug has reopened its in-store nail bars, in line with government guidance about what beauty services can resume operation as part of the next phase of the lockdown exit.
  The guidance stipulates that nails, waxing and massage therapies in E
  
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• Avon sees surge in new rep sign ups amid Covid-19 pandemic

  17-07-2020 13:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Avon reports a two-fold increase in new social selling reps joining its UK business
  // The beauty firm reduced its threshold to earn so that reps can earn from their first £1 of salesAvon has said it is preparing for a “tidal wave” of rep sign ups as the UK teeters on the edge of a “pink-collar recession” and women explore new, flexible and digital earning opportunities.
  The social selling retailer and beauty brand said it has already seen double the number
  
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• Google launches experimental video shopping platform Shoploop

  17-07-2020 12:53 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Google is launching a new experimental interactive video shopping platform Shoploop which can introduce shoppers to new products in under 90 seconds.
  Shoploop is designed to combine entertainment and shopping together and was reportedly inspired by how users today use a combination of social media and ecommerce to discover and vet new purchases.Users can scroll through 90-second video clips detailing products, which for now are largely focused on beauty items.
  Creators can be followed and their
  
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• Morrisons to introduce 4 day working weeks at HQ – with a small catch

  17-07-2020 12:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Morrisons is to introduce a four-day working week for its 1500 staff at Bradford head office
  // Staff will reduce their weekly hours from 40 to 37.5, working 9 instead of 8 hours a day over four days
  // However, they will also have to do a six-hour shift one Saturday a monthMorrisons is reportedly set to shake-up its head office working practices by introducing four day weeks – although staff will still be required to work one Saturday a month.
  According to The Yorkshire Post, the move
  
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• Retailers become front line of US war over wearing masks

  17-07-2020 12:00
  Foot Locker boss says mandating coverings for customers would put his staff at risk
  
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• Wren Kitchens turnover smashes £800m

  17-07-2020 11:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Wren Kitchens owner records turnover of over £800 million
  // Pre-tax profit increased to £64.5 million from £38.3 millionWren Kitchens owner The West Retail Group has reported a turnover of over £800 million.
  The company, which also owns electronics retailer Ebuyer, saw its group turnover rise from £701.1 million to £800.1 million in the year ending December 31, 2019.
  Pre-tax profit also increased to £64.5 million from £38.3 million the year bef
  
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• Boohoo co-founders buy £15m shares to alleviate damage

  17-07-2020 11:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Boohoo co-founders have bought shares to stop the share price from falling any further
  // Boohoo’s shares fell by almost 50% after the modern slavery scandalBoohoo has bought another £15 million worth of shares in a bid to stop its share price from falling any further following the modern slavery scandal.
  The co-founders of fast-fashion retailer, Mahmud Kamani injected £10.7 million into five million shares, while Carol Kane spent £4.3 million on Boohoo stock on Thursd
  
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• Amazon UK sellers could lose “huge number of sales” to EU as inventory transfers will stop after Brexit

  17-07-2020 10:45 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Amazon will no longer transfer UK sellers’ goods to the EU after Brexit in a move set to have major implications for merchants both sides of the border.
  Amazon informed its UK sellers earlier this week that “pan-European FBA inventory transfers will stop between the UK and EU” on January 1 2021, when the UK formally separates from the rest of the EU.
  This means that UK sellers hoping to access the 440 million EU customers will no longer be able to use Amazon’s logistics n
  
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• Oliver Sweeney shutters stores as administrators called in

  17-07-2020 10:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Oliver Sweeney drafts in administrators
  // The retailer will not reopen its stores and will continue to trade onlineOliver Sweeney has reportedly drafted in administrators for its retail subsidiary Oliver Sweeney Trading Limited as it continues to struggle with trading.
  The retailer had closed all of its stores as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown in late March.
  Its five stores based in London’s Mayfair, Leadenhall Market and Covent Garden, as well as shops in Leeds and Manchester, will
  
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• John Lewis extends click-and-collect partnership with Co-op

  17-07-2020 09:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // John Lewis to extend its click-and-collect partnership with the Co-op to over 500 stores
  // 400 new Co-op stores will be added to the 105 existing locations in which the service is already available
  // The move will see the total number of John Lewis Partnership click-and-collect locations increase to nearly 900John Lewis has announced plans to extend its click-and-collect partnership with the Co-op to over 500 stores by the end of summer.
  The move will see the total number of John Lewis Part
  
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• Non-essential Leicester shops to reopen next week as local lockdown eases

  17-07-2020 09:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // The local lockdown imposed on Leicester will begin to be eased from July 24
  // While non-essential retail will be allowed to reopen, other high street businesses like pubs won’t
  // Restrictions on non-essential travel and only having social gatherings of up to six people will remain in forceThe government has confirmed that the local lockdown imposed on Leicester will begin to be eased from July 24, although not all businesses on the high street will be allowed to reopen straight away.
  
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• Kogan misled customers with 10% discount a day after hiking prices, federal court rules

  17-07-2020 06:23
  
  Customers ended up forking out as much as, if not more than, they would otherwise, the ACCC saysOnline retailer Kogan misled customers with a 10% discount just a day after hiking prices on hundreds of products, the federal court has found.Kogan launched its “TAXTIME” 10% promo code in June 2018, immediately after raising prices on more than 600 products. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Sofa rockstars’ help instrument sales hit the high notes in lockdown

  17-07-2020 06:00
  Many people trapped indoors took the opportunity to learn how to play the piano or guitar
  
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• Shoeaholics opens first physical stores

  17-07-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Kurt Geiger owned Shoeaholics is opening its first physical stores this month after experiencing a strong uplift in online sales during lockdown. The discount shoe retailer... View Article
  
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• John Lewis extends click and collect partnership with Co-op food stores

  17-07-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  John Lewis will be making its fast track click and collect delivery and returns service available in a further 400 Co-op food stores by the end of the summer.... View Article
  
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• Footfall down 73% in London’s West End since easing of lockdown

  17-07-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New figures have revealed that footfall in London’s West End was down 73% year-on-year in the first full month of post-lockdown retail reopenings. New West End Company, which... View Article
  
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