Retail news

• Lagardère board extends tenure of embattled chief as threats gather

  17-08-2020 23:36
  Announcement comes soon after Vivendi and activist Amber Capital team up to seek board seats
  
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• Household finances in UK weaken as jobs gloom takes hold

  17-08-2020 18:42
  
  Consumers reduce spending as incomes are hit by Covid-related cuts Household finances in the UK fell more sharply in August than the previous month after rising levels of unemployment hit average incomes and persuaded millions of families to cut back on spending.The IHS Markit UK household finance index was down following steady increases through May, June and July as households, which had become less pessimistic during those three months, became gloomier about their personal finances. Continue
  
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• Household finances in UK fall sharply amid unemployment fears

  17-08-2020 18:42
  
  Average incomes hit by Covid related job cuts as consumers reduce spendingHousehold finances in the UK fell more sharply in August than the previous month after rising levels of unemployment hit average incomes and persuaded millions of families to cut back on spending.The IHS Markit UK household finance index was down following steady increases through May, June and July as households, which had become less pessimistic during those three months, became gloomier about their personal finances. Co
  
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• Household finances fell sharper in August than July amid unemployment fears

  17-08-2020 18:42
  
  Average incomes hit by Covid-19 job cuts and saw consumers cut back on spendingHouseholds finances in the UK fell more sharply in August than the previous month after rising levels of unemployment hit average incomes and persuaded millions of families to cut back on spending.The IHS Markit UK household finance index fell this month following steady increases through May, June and July as households, which had become less pessimistic during these three months became gloomier about their personal
  
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• China’s JD.com reports rising profitability and sales growth

  17-08-2020 18:29
  Online retailer announces $830m investment in its JD Health unit from Hillhouse Capital
  
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• COMMENT: Creative thinking necessary to revitalise our high streets

  17-08-2020 18:14 via retailgazette.co.uk
  It has been over a month since non-essential retail shops across the country were finally allowed to open their doors. Yet, as consumers tentatively emerge from lockdown, it is evident that the new world they are stepping into looks vastly different from the one they left behind.
  A walk around our town centres now shows mandatory face masks, sanitising stations and long queues outside outlets – and despite cheery signs in shop windows welcoming customers back, there is no forgetting that
  
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• Sustainable fashion: closing the circle

  17-08-2020 18:00
  Renting, repairing and reselling goods is in vogue but second-hand trade cannibalises primary sales
  
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• Victoria's Secret accused of stealthy copying of designs

  17-08-2020 17:52
  
  Self-appointed watchdog says items have elements from London brand Edge O’ BeyondImitation might be said to be the highest form of flattery but that will be small comfort to creatives who believe that their designs have been ripped off.In part thanks to the Instagram account Diet Prada, self-appointed watchdog of the fashion industry whose 2 million followers include Naomi Campbell, Paris Hilton and the model Alek Wek, allegations of copying in fashion seem to be increasingly coming to the
  
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• Sainsbury’s opens its most central London store

  17-08-2020 17:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Sainsbury’s raises the curtain on new Leicester Square store
  // The new 4500sq ft convenience store opened its doors last week
  // Store has created 24 new jobs and offers customers food-to-go, pizza and click-and-collectSainsbury’s has just opened its most central store in London, with a new Local convenience fascia in Leicester Square.
  The new 4500sq ft store has created 24 new jobs, and offers a range of fresh food and grocery products to tourists and locals, as well as click-an
  
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• London Mayor Sadiq Khan urges shoppers to return to West End

  17-08-2020 17:11 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Sadiq Khan urges Londoners to make a trip to West End to give the area much needed boost
  // Less than half consumers feel comfortable shopping in the area, and less than a quarter feel ready to use public transportLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan is urging shoppers to help give the West End’s retail precincts a much-needed footfall and sales boost by taking a trip into town.
  It comes shortly after new figures from the New West End Company showed that footfall in West End was still 63 per cent do
  
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• Weekly footfall figures still far from healthy

  17-08-2020 15:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Overall footfall edged up by 0.8% last week, boosted by sunny weather, says Springboard
  // High street footfall was down 0.5%, shopping centres up 2.4% and retail parks up 1.9%
  // Year-on-year though, overall footfall was still down by 32.5%Footfall across all UK retail destinations last week may have inched up slightly on the prior week, but it’s still almost one-third below the figures recorded in the same period last year.
  According to retail insights firm Springboard, overall weekly
  
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• You can now rent your sofa from John Lewis

  17-08-2020 14:31 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  John Lewis is launching a furniture rental service for the first-time as the department store sets its sites on “the next generation of customers”.
  A selection of 50 John Lewis furniture items, ranging from chairs to sofas and desks, will now be available for shoppers to rent.
  Customers can choose to rent items for periods of three months, six months or a year at a time, seeing the monthly costs drop the longer they choose.
  John Lewis will also offer renters the chance to purchase th
  
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• Small retailers face costs of £22,000 to reopen after lockdown

  17-08-2020 14:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Study suggests small retailers spending almost £22,000 to reopen after lockdown
  // They have already reported an average loss of more than £250,000 due to the impact of Covid-19Owners of small retailers are spending almost £22,000 on average to reopen after the economic lockdown, a new study suggests.
  One in five small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – many of which are retailers – are using their own savings to cover the cost of recovering from the impact of
  
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• Selfridges eyes entry into product repairs and resale in sustainability push

  17-08-2020 13:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Selfridges launches a transformational new sustainability initiative, Project Earth
  // It aims to change the way we shop by addressing the materials used and exploring new retail models such as repair and resell
  // Project Earth will kickstart with eight weeks of experiments, innovations and conversationsSelfridges has said it is looking at launching into product repair and resale as part of plans to radically improve its sustainability.
  The luxury department store said it was also exploring
  
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• Select’s third CVA slammed by landlord group as “outrageous”

  17-08-2020 11:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Select criticised by landlord group for proposing 3rd CVA
  // British Property Federation described the retailer’s most recent CVA as “deplorable”Select has reportedly been criticised by a trade association for UK real estate after proposing a third CVA.
  The British Property Federation (BPF) has spoken out against the womenswear retailer’s most recent CVA, describing it as “deplorable”, Drapers reported.
  Select proposed a third CVA last week after its second
  
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• Rent the Runway to permanently close all its physical stores

  17-08-2020 11:18 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Rent the Runway is set to permanently shut all of its physical stores as it is forced to shift its operations back online in the wake of the coronavirus.
  The fashion rental start-up will shutter four stores in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC and convert its flagship store in New York into a permanent returns site, CNBC reported.
  According to Rent the Runway it will now focus on its digital investments and plans to expand its network of drop off boxes, which it has
  
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• Westfield denies plans to raise new equity

  17-08-2020 09:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Westfield parent company denies reports of mulling raising new equity
  // Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield was reported to be aiming to raise £2.67 billion in new equityWestfield has reportedly responded after reports emerged that the property giant is mulling raising new equity as the retail sector rides out Covid-19.
  Reports last week suggested that shopping centre owner Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) was aiming to raise $3.5 billion (£2.67 billion) in new equity, according to Bloomber
  
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• M&S to take on Big 4 grocers by promoting ‘everyday prices’

  17-08-2020 09:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // M&S to take on supermarkets by promoting ‘everyday prices’
  // M&S will launch its “remarksable” campaign this weekMarks & Spencer has said it will heat up the competition against major UK grocers by promoting ‘everyday prices’ as part of its transformation strategy.
  The retailer spent months developing a range of food products to transform its image and convince households to do their regular food shop at its stores.
  From this week, M&S will
  
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• Victoria’s Secret owed over 200 creditors £466m prior to administration

  17-08-2020 08:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Victoria’s Secret owed 208 creditors almost half billion pounds before collapsing
  // The administration placed over 800 jobs at risk in June
  // Deloitte advisers were drafted in to assess the impact of Covid-19 on businessVictoria’s Secret had owed 208 creditors a total of £466 million prior to its administration in June, which placed over 800 jobs at risk.
  The lingerie retailer’s UK division recorded an operating loss of £109 million for the 16 months to May, ac
  
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• M&S sandwich makers threatened with pay dock if they self-isolated

  17-08-2020 08:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Marks & Spencer workers at a sandwich supplier were told they would be paid less if they self-isolated due to Covid-19
  // The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union said statutory sick pay does not support peopleWorkers at one of Marks & Spencer’s sandwich suppliers were reportedly told they would be paid less than £100 per week if they self-isolated, following a major coronavirus outbreak at the site.
  Greencore factory workers in Northampton, who are responsible for prepar
  
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• Morrisons to remove plastic 'bags for life' and trial paper alternative

  17-08-2020 01:27
  
  Supermarket says move follows evidence that reusable plastic bags are being thrown away after one useMorrisons is planning to ditch all its plastic “bags for life” following evidence that they are being used once and thrown away. The food retailer is running a trial in eight stores from Monday, which will see sturdy paper bags offered at checkouts instead.If the trial is popular, introducing paper bags only across all its 494 stores would save 90m plastic bags being used annually, th
  
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• Selfridges launches Project Earth to connect with its ethical consumers

  17-08-2020 01:01
  
  ‘I think the pandemic has changed everybody’s thinking forever,’ says department store’s bossSelfridges must embrace changes in shopping habits that have pushed ethical and environmental concerns to the front of the queue, according to the department store’s boss.The upmarket store group, which recently cut 450 jobs after a tough year, is introducing clothing rental, a second-hand fashion shop, beauty pack recycling and a “concierge” to help organise pro
  
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• Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19): A government backed retail guide – Essential reading for retail businesses

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The UK retail sector has been affected dramatically by the COVID-19 emergency, with perspex screens, facemasks and socially distanced queueing now commonplace in shops up and... View Article
  
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• Waitrose reintroduces plastic bag recyling for online deliveries

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Waitrose has reintroduced its plastic bag recycling scheme for customers receiving online deliveries. The supermarket paused the initiative during coronavirus pandemic, but has now brought it back to enable... View Article
  
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• Selfridges ramps up sustainability credentials

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Selfridges has launched a new sustainability initiative to help people change the way they shop. Called Project Earth, the scheme builds on steps the department store has taken over... View Article
  
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• Retail footfall rose marginally last week

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New data has shown that UK retail footfall edged up 0.8% last week from the previous seven day period. The figures from footfall specialist Springboard reveal that the number... View Article
  
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• Q&A – Mark Crystal, Regional Sales Director for Northern Europe, Ergonomic Solutions

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Mark Crysell is the Regional Sales Director for Northern Europe, MEA & APAC, working for Ergonomic Solutions in various roles since 2000. What does your company... View Article
  
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• Q&A – Mark Crysell, Regional Sales Director for Northern Europe, Ergonomic Solutions

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Mark Crysell is the Regional Sales Director for Northern Europe, MEA & APAC, working for Ergonomic Solutions in various roles since 2000. What does your company... View Article
  
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• M&S Food launches new campaign to promote lower pricing

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  M&S is launching a new campaign this week that highlights its competitive pricing on a range of 240 grocery staples. The move follows 18 months of the... View Article
  
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• M&S Food launches new campaign to promote its lower pricing

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  M&S is launching a new campaign this week that highlights its competitive pricing on a range of 240 grocery staples. The move follows 18 months of the... View Article
  
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• John Lewis launches furniture rental service with Fat Llama

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  John Lewis is partnering with product rental marketplace Fat Llama to offer a furniture rental service to customers. The new offering will allow customers to rent items such as... View Article
  
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• HBC names Michael Culhane as new chief financial officer

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  HBC, the owner of the Saks Fifth Avenue and Hudson’s Bay department stores, has appointed Michael Culhane as its chief financial officer. With more than 30 years’ experience of finance and accounting, Culhane previously... View Article
  
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• Fortnum & Mason launches new food podcast series

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Luxury department store Fortnum & Mason is launching a podcast series on key issues and innovations in the food sector. Called Hungry Minds, the series will be hosted... View Article
  
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• F. Hinds to return to Luton after 25 years

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  F. Hinds is to make a return to Luton after an absence of 25 years. The family owned jewellery retailer will open a new store at the... View Article
  
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• Co-op opens new London store

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Co-op has a opened a new London food store in Islington following a £650,000 investment. Situated on Holloway Road and open daily from 7am to 11pm, the shop... View Article
  
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• 2021 Retail Week Awards to celebrate retail’s frontline heroes 

  17-08-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Retail Week Awards, which have been celebrating excellence in the retail sector for over 25 years, are introducing eight ‘Frontline Hero’ categories for 2021 to... View Article
  
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