Retail news

• Covid job losses could widen England's north-south divide – study

  23-08-2020 23:30
  
  Certain regions are heavily dependent on sectors most at risk, Labour analysis revealsEngland’s north-south divide could be made worse by coronavirus’s impact on the economy, with the most vulnerable sectors such as retail and manufacturing dominating the jobs market in certain regions.More than 10% of the entire workforce in north-west England – about 351,000 people – are employed in retail, an analysis undertaken by Labour shows. In recent weeks the sector has been badl
  
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• Home secretary calls on Boohoo to protect workers

  23-08-2020 20:44
  Priti Patel urges online retailer to take responsibility for its supply chain
  
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• John Lewis prepares to drop 'never knowingly undersold' pledge

  23-08-2020 18:24
  
  95-year-old price match vow makes way as new chief plots path out of coronavirus crisisCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageJohn Lewis is set to scrap its “never knowingly undersold” price promise, which the department store has offered its customers for almost a century, as new boss Sharon White tries to plot the retailer’s path out of the coronavirus crisis.Under the slogan, introduced in 1925, the chain commits to refund customers the difference
  
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• John Lewis to review “Never Knowingly Undersold” promise

  23-08-2020 16:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // John Lewis seeks to “improve” its famous “Never Knowingly Undersold” promise
  // John Lewis Partnership chair Sharon White said the phrase is under review, raising questions that it could be scrapped
  // The department store has used the promise for 95 yearsJohn Lewis could potentially ditch its famous “Never Knowingly Undersold” promise after 95 years, according to reports.
  The promise, which doubles up as the department store’s slogan, sees John
  
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• Debenhams owner on brink of administration

  23-08-2020 15:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Debenhams parent company Celine calls in FRP to advise on own administration
  // Celine says their own administration won’t affect Debenhams’ sales, staff, customers or suppliers
  // During lockdown, Debenhams went into a light-touch administrationDebenhams’ parent company has reportedly appointed advisers to prepare its own administration.
  According to reports in The Telegraph and The Times, Celine Group Holdings hired Philip Watkins and Philip Armstrong from FRP Advisory as
  
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• 'We're asking for help': rent row grows at New Covent Garden flower market

  23-08-2020 13:34
  
  Vendors at UK’s largest wholesale horticultural market compain their landlord isn’t offering support in Covid pandemicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBuckets of colourful and scented cut lilies, roses and hydrangeas adorn the stalls at the New Covent Garden flower market, waiting to catch the eye of passing shoppers. Except nobody’s buying.Outside by the Thames, the roads hum with early morning traffic, but inside the market’s warehouse j
  
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• Labour warns of “shuttered streets” without help for retailers

  23-08-2020 13:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Labour warns of “shuttered streets” and steps up calls targeted support to help save high street jobs
  // It said 115,000 business in distress could get help from a Hospitality and High Street Fightback FundLabour has stepped up its call for a special fund to stave off the threat of continued job losses in the retail and hospitality sectors.
  The party warned of “shuttered streets” as its research suggested 115,000 business in distress could get help from a Hospitality a
  
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• Why the scented candle really gets on my wick | David Mitchell

  23-08-2020 11:00
  
  With new varieties evoking the smell of damp music festival sleeping bags, I fear we may have taken a step too farWith the world gripped by a disease that causes people to lose their sense of smell, it’s surprising to learn that the scented candle industry is doing so well. I mean, it was always a bit surprising, but a massive economic downturn coupled with millions of people suffering olfactory shutdown might hit sales, you’d think. But then maybe people are buying them to check the
  
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• First, private equity holds us to ransom. Now it wants us to bail out its losses | Will Hutton

  23-08-2020 09:15
  
  It is the richest business in the UK – but now its debts are weighing it downIt could be your local Pizza Express, the home caring for a cherished relative, your favourite supermarket, even the sports tournaments you love. They are all ventures owned not by their founders or a company quoted on a public stock exchange. They are in the hands of a new class of invisible investors who mortgage companies for self-enrichment, rather as homebuyers mortgage themselves to buy homes.But while homeb
  
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• How Britain’s Covid-19 panic buyers triggered a tinned food renaissance

  23-08-2020 08:33
  
  Dedicated food festival hails revival of canned goods as sales of store cupboard staples soar by 72%Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIt started with tinned tomatoes, symbolically stripped from supermarket shelves in the panic-buying frenzy of the early days of the pandemic.But lockdown has led to a wider renaissance of canned food as shoppers have embraced staples from spam and corned beef to beans, pulses and fish, all enjoying a popularity not seen since the ra
  
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• Coronavirus is putting the whole idea of fashion out of fashion | Rachel Cooke

  23-08-2020 08:15
  
  This year’s must have clothes may well be a thing of the past soonCoronavirus – latest updates Sometimes, we don’t need to be told what’s going on out there. Just occasionally, a story unfolds in front of our very own eyes. Last Saturday, after a long time away, I took a walk along London’s Bond Street and it was very strange indeed. In the swanky stores close to Piccadilly – Celine, Gucci – the assistants stood at their doors, gazing out hopefully at th
  
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