Retail news

• Byron burger chain to cut more than half its staff after rescue deal

  31-07-2020 19:17
  
  More than 650 jobs to go in another blow to high streets reeling from coronavirus crisis The burger chain Byron is to make more than half its workforce redundant following a rescue deal that involves the closure of 31 of its 51 restaurants.In what is another blow to the UK’s struggling high streets only 20 of Bryon’s restaurants are being transferred to the new owner Calveton, a private equity firm, meaning 651 of the chain’s 1,202 employees will lose their jobs. Related: Pizza
  
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• Under Armour warns sales may fall by 25% for rest of 2020

  31-07-2020 18:18 via ft.com
  Shares lose more than 6% after sportswear maker reports $183m loss
  
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• Frustrated companies fume at Boris Johnson's England lockdown U-turn

  31-07-2020 18:04
  
  Coronavirus: beauty salons and casinos among high street businesses hit by last-minute changeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBeauty salons will go bust if Boris Johnson does not allow them to reopen soon, the industry has warned, as leisure businesses were hit by the sudden postponement of plans to lift restrictions on Saturday.The planned reopening for some beauty services in England had been viewed as a lifeline for salons and beauty therapists, said Lesley Bl
  
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• Eat Out to Help Out: M&S to reopen 102 cafes with 50% off

  31-07-2020 16:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // M&S will reopen 100 more cafes as part of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme
  // VAT savings will be passed on to customersM&S has announced it is reopening over 100 more cafes across the UK as part of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme to encourage footfall.
  The scheme will be on offer for customers to purchase half-price food and drink from Monday to Wednesday.
  The cafes will also pass on VAT savings to customers.READ MORE:M&S opens new-format clothing & food store in Notti
  
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• Frasers Group minimum wage scandal: What now?

  31-07-2020 16:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The reputation of retail giant Frasers Group has once again attracted the wrong kind of media attention. After months of withholding rents from landlords, keeping stores open during the peak of Covid-19, and falling into a Belgian tax dispute, it was recently accused of underpaying warehouse workers.
  A Guardian reporter went undercover to one of Frasers Group’s warehouses in late June and early July, and the resulting news article had allegations that staff were allegedly underpaid at &po
  
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• Retail Gazette Loves: Covent Garden’s new art installation to drive footfall

  31-07-2020 15:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The Yards in London’s Covent Garden has revealed a new range of art installations to mark the launch The Yards & The Bees campaign to help encourage visitors back as lockdown restrictions continue to ease.
  The larger than life bee-themed installations have been placed throughout The Yards to create a trail of artwork. Most of the retailers in the precinct have re-opened since June 15.
  Created by a selection of leading artists, the artworks are inspired by London’s urban landscape
  
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• Government confirms end date for special Covid-19 retail grants

  31-07-2020 15:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Government grant schemes to close: retailers have until August 28 to get their claims dealt with
  // Experts at Colliers call redistribution of £1.5bn “unspent fund” to support retailers that have “fallen between the cracks”The UK Government has confirmed that that three special grants created to help retailers and other businesses suffering the impact of Covid-19 will close on August 28.
  The grants in question are the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (
  
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• Has Amazon Fresh chosen the prime moment to take on UK supermarkets?

  31-07-2020 14:35
  
  Despite the surge in online grocery shopping Amazon still faces an uphill struggle for market share. It may be easier to just buy a supermarketSupermarkets have been waiting several years for Amazon to make its next move in the UK’s near-£200bn food retail market and it came this week when the American company revealed plans to expand its online grocery service Amazon Fresh.Amazon has already won over millions of Britons with the rapid-fire delivery of books, toys and household essen
  
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• Primark pledges to pay suppliers for “all outstanding orders”

  31-07-2020 13:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Primark will pay suppliers in full for any outstanding orders
  // The retailer will utilise or pay for any “finished fabric liabilities”
  // Since reopening stores, Primark placed £1.2bn of orders for coming seasonsPrimark has reportedly committed to paying suppliers in full for all of its outstanding garment orders.
  The fast fashion retailer said it will utilise or pay for any “finished fabric liabilities”, Drapers reported.
  Primark will also be working through th
  
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• Tesco extends payment terms for small suppliers to “navigate” Covid-19

  31-07-2020 12:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Tesco extends improved payment terms for smaller suppliers to 2021
  // The grocer will send payments to nearly 2000 suppliers immediatelyTesco has reportedly extended improved payment terms for its smaller suppliers until 2021 to help support businesses ride out the Covid-19 pandemic.
  The Big 4 grocer will now immediately send payments to almost 2000 smaller suppliers instead of the usual 14-day term, until January 31, 2021, Retail Week reported.
  Tesco said it hopes that smaller food businesse
  
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• M&S opens new-format clothing & food store in Nottingham

  31-07-2020 11:58 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // M&S opens new-format store in Giltbrook Shopping Park, Nottingham
  // Unlike many other M&S sites that have put food as the core focus, the new store is a complete clothing & food store
  // The store employs 125 staff and is part of M&S’s transformation strategy to spruce up its estateMarks & Spencer has opened a new-format clothing and food store in Nottingham as it pushes on with its transformation strategy.
  M&S said the new store, located within Giltbrook Shoppi
  
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• Aldi could launch online offering imminently as its logistics operator prepares to “seize the opportunity which e-commerce offers”

  31-07-2020 11:34 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Aldi could be on the verge of launching an ecommerce arm in the UK as its logistics operators says it has the systems in place to “seize the opportunity which e-commerce offers”.
  Armstrong Logistics, Aldi’s long-term logistics partner, has built and launched a dedicated home delivery division which it says will become a “major part of our business in the future”, according to The Grocer.
  The company, which has delivered more than 30,000 of Aldi’s food pa
  
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• Pets at Home remains “resilient” despite revenue decline

  31-07-2020 10:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Pets at Home total revenue drops during lockdown
  // Stores remained open during lockdown after being classed as an essential retailer
  // Like-for-like sales dropped 13.5%Pets at Home has been praised for its “inherent resilience” despite first-quarter sales dropping during the lockdown period.
  The pet goods retailers saw a one per cent decline in total revenue in the quarter to July 16, driven by a 0.7 per cent drop in like-for-like sales.
  Pets at Home remained open during lockdow
  
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• Lidl to begin operations at new £70m warehouse

  31-07-2020 09:46 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Lidl’s new £70m regional distribution centre in Peterborough will open August 1, employing 400 people
  // The new warehouse forms part of Lidl’s £1.45bn investment in Great Britain across 2019 and 2020
  // The opening follows news that Lidl plans to open 100 new stores across 2021 and 2022Lidl has announced that it will start operations at its new £70 million warehouse in Peterborough from tomorrow.
  The new 484,376sq ft regional distribution centre, which empl
  
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• Chancellor warned he has 24hrs to avoid “historic mistake” on furlough scheme

  31-07-2020 09:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Chancellor Rishi Sunak warned that jobs could be lost if he did not abandon his “one-size-fits-all” furlough withdrawal
  // Labour says it could lead to a “python-like” squeeze on jobs and SNP says it’s “dangerously premature”
  // From August 1, the furlough scheme starts to get tapered offChancellor Rishi Sunak has been told he has 24 hours to change course on the government’s furlough scheme or risk making a “historic mistake”.
  Labou
  
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• Lockdown sees “modest” increase in retail vacancy rates

  31-07-2020 09:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Overall shop vacancy rates in the UK rises to 12.4%, up from 12.2%
  // Shopping centre vacancy went from 14.1% to 14.3%, high streets 12.3% to 12.4%, and retail parks 8.2% to 8.3%
  // The coronavirus lockdown was a driving factor behind the “modest” increasesThe number of empty shops saw a “modest” increase across the UK over the past three months due to the impact of the coronavirus lockdown, according to new figures.
  The quarterly BRC-LDC retail vacancy monitor reveale
  
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• Rich People’s Problems: I can’t complain

  31-07-2020 06:00 via ft.com
  Lockdown has blunted my ability to demand better
  
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• Retail vacancy rates edge up in second quarter

  31-07-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New figures have revealed that shop vacancies increased to 12.4% in the second quarter of 2020 from 12.2% in the previous quarter. Data from the British... View Article
  
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• Retail vacancy rates climb in second quarter

  31-07-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New figures have revealed that shop vacancies increased to 12.4% in the second quarter of 2020 from 12.2% in the previous quarter. Data from the British... View Article
  
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• Pets at Home sales hit by lockdown

  31-07-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Pets at Home has reported a decline in revenue in the first quarter of its financial year as sales in the initial weeks of the period... View Article
  
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• Pets at Home sales down less than expected

  31-07-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Pets at Home has reported a decline in revenue in the first quarter of its financial year as sales in the initial weeks of the period... View Article
  
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• M&S opens major new shop at Nottingham Giltbrook

  31-07-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Marks & Spencer has opened a new clothing and food store at Nottingham’s Giltbrook Retail Park. With its easy access for people living in both Nottingham and Derby, the store will have... View Article
  
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• Lidl to start operations at new Peterborough distribution centre

  31-07-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Lidl supermarket chain has said it will start operations at its new £70 million regional distribution centre  in Peterborough on 1 August. The new facility... View Article
  
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• Dobbies and Sainsbury’s celebrate grocery partnership launch

  31-07-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Dobbies garden centre chain has opened its new look foodhall in Edinburgh following the launch of its wholesale partnership with Sainsbury’s. Shoppers visiting the foodhall will be able... View Article
  
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