Retail news

• Amazon deletes 20,000 reviews after evidence of profits for posts

  04-09-2020 21:03
  FT investigation finds suspicious behaviour by 9 of top 10 UK contributors on feedback
  
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• Retail Gazette Loves: Snag Tights’ first ever global ambassador

  04-09-2020 17:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Snag Tights has announced the winner of the Snag Queens competition it ran in partnership with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Sum Ting Wong.
  Following a social media campaign that launched on July 3, Lydia Hayter was announced as Snag’s first ever global ambassador.
  Lydia Haytar will star in the online retailer’s upcoming Snag Queens advertising campaign, receive a cash prize of £5000 and a year’s supply of Snag tights.READ MORE: Snag Tights enlists Sum Ting Wong to fi
  
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• Debenhams is not on the brink & trading is better than expected — Chairman

  04-09-2020 17:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Debenhams chairman denies retailer is on the brink in an interview with BBC News
  // Mark Gifford also insists trading is better than expected
  // He also says Debenhams has £50m more money in the bank than initially forecast when it went into administrationDebenhams chairman Mark Gifford has said the department store chain is far from being on the brink of collapse and insisted that trading has been better than expected.
  In an interview with BBC News, Gifford said Debenhams has more than
  
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• Debenhams is not on the brink & trading better than expected — Chairman

  04-09-2020 17:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Debenhams chairman denies retailer is on the brink in an interview with BBC News
  // Mark Gifford also insists trading is better than expected
  // He also says Debenhams has £50m more money in the bank than initially forecast when it went into administrationDebenhams chairman Mark Gifford has said the department store chain is far from being on the brink of collapse and insisted that trading has been better than expected.
  In an interview with BBC News, Gifford said Debenhams has more than
  
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• From cool beans to has-beens? The Covid threat to Britain's coffee shops

  04-09-2020 15:48
  
  Why the chains and independents at the heart of Britain’s high streets are in deep troubleCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIt’s the multibillion-pound industry that kept on growing, based on a bean that Britons couldn’t seem to get enough of: coffee.Until, that is, the pandemic struck. As is the case with many businesses hit hard by coronavirus, the ubiquitous coffee chains that have powered city centres and high streets across the UK are in dee
  
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• Iceland ups support for Marcus Rashford’s campaign to end child food poverty

  04-09-2020 15:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Iceland to further support Marcus Rashford’s campaign to end child food poverty through free frozen veg offer
  // As part of the campaign it will give a free bag of frozen vegetables worth £1 to shoppers using the Healthy Start vouchersIceland has announced further support for Marcus Rashford’s campaign to end child food poverty by offering free frozen vegetables to families using Healthy Start vouchers.
  The Manchester United and England striker was successful in campaigning
  
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• Five Top Buzzwords in Retail

  04-09-2020 15:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  [Webinar] Five Top Buzzwords in Retail: Forrester Research
  There is never a shortage of buzz in the retail industry when it comes to technology, transformation, and disruption. However, retailers and brands who have been in this industry long enough know that there is often a line between what’s possible and what’s practical – between what to do and what to do now.
  In this webinar, Brendan Witcher (Principal Analyst, Forrester Research) and Ed Kennedy (Senior Director of Commer
  
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• Pret A Manger launches monthly subscription service

  04-09-2020 14:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Pret A Manger launches monthly subscription service after sales slump and major high street job cuts
  // The YourPret Barista service allows customers to buy up to 5 drinks a day for a month on a £20 monthly feePret A Manger has launched an in-store subscription service for customers to pay for the coffee they order each month as part of a major shift in its high street business model.
  The food-to-go retailer last week axed 2800 roles after reporting that sales had been significantly hit
  
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• Amazon’s top reviewers making tens of thousands of pounds exchanging 5-star reviews for free goods

  04-09-2020 13:25 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Amazon’s top reviewers are thought to be making tens of thousands of pounds from offering 5-star reviews in exchange for free products.
  Amazon UK is reportedly investigating its top reviewers after an investigation by the Financial Times found evidence they were receiving free items from Chinese brands, giving them 5-star reviews, then reselling them on Ebay.
  The number one ranked reviewer on Amazon.co.uk, Justin Fryer, was found to have given a 5-star rating to £15,000 wor
  
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• Several Tesco warehouse workers in Scotland infected with Covid-19

  04-09-2020 13:24 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // “Small humber” of Tesco workers infected with Covid-19 at Scottish distribution centre
  // Tesco’s Livingston Distribution Centre in West Lothian employs 1800 staff
  // It supplies 3.6m boxes of produces per week to 318 Tesco stores in Scotland, England & Northern IrelandTesco has confirmed that a “small number” of staff at one of its warehouses have been tested positive for Covid-19.
  The Big 4 giant said the affected staff were now self-isolating at home and t
  
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• Eve Sleep raises full-year forecasts thanks to “strong trading”

  04-09-2020 12:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Eve Sleep raises expectations for the full year
  // The company expects revenues to reach £22 million for the yearEve Sleep has raised its expectations for the full year after its “trading continues to be strong”.
  The mattress retailer said in a trading update covering the eight months to August 31 that it expects revenues to reach £22 million for the year.
  Eve Sleep said it expects the “strong” trading to continue for the rest of the year after the com
  
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• Footfall “not returning” to city centres as office staff stay home

  04-09-2020 12:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // August footfall slumped 34.3% year-on-year
  // However, compared to the previous month this is a 7.3 percentage point improvement
  // High streets and shopping centres improved as well, but still continue to lag behind retail parksCity centre shops have continued to see a slump in footfall in August as vast swathes of office employees continued to work from home, according to new figures.
  The latest monthly BRC-ShopperTrak Footfall Monitor revealed that overall UK footfall slid by 34.3 per cent
  
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• Ocado stops all deliveries to staff after it “underestimated the demand for M&S food orders”

  04-09-2020 11:13 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Ocado has paused all deliveries to its own staff as it scrambles to clear a backlog of orders following the launch of Marks & Spencer on its platform.
  The online grocery giant told Retail Week that it would pause all deliveries to its own staff for the first few days of its new joint venture with M&S, which debuted this week.
  It comes after Ocado was forced to apologise to customers after a “surge in demand” meant it had no choice but to cancel orders just hours bef
  
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• UK businesses demand urgent talks over fears of Brexit border chaos

  04-09-2020 11:08
  
  Firms trading with EU want ministers to address major gaps in supply chain preparationsBusinesses trading with the EU are demanding an urgent meeting with government ministers over concerns there are significant gaps in the UK’s Brexit border preparations.Eight logistics organisations have written to say they fear the supply chain that keeps supermarket shelves stocked daily will be severely disrupted next year if issues are not resolved before Brexit. Related: Government secrecy hindered
  
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• Topps Tiles welcomes new chief financial officer

  04-09-2020 09:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Topps Tiles hires new finance boss
  // Stephen Hopson joins from US beverage company Molson CoorsTopps Tiles has appointed the finance boss of a US beverage company, Stephen Hopson, as its new chief financial officer.
  Hopson, who will join Topps Tiles at the start of November, is currently director of central finance, Western Europe, at multinational brewing company Molson Coors.
  Prior to Molson Coors, we was the finance director at pipeline and heating distributer BSS, and has also held 
  
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• 200 job cuts as Jigsaw creditors approve CVA

  04-09-2020 09:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Jigsaw will shut quarter of its store estate after CVA was given green light by creditors
  // The retailer closed stores during lockdown which affected salesJigsaw will reportedly shut a quarter of its shops and switch to turnover-linked rent after its CVA proposals were approved by its creditors.
  The premium fashion retailer is shifting towards a CVA since witnessing a rapid drop in sales since the Covid-19 pandemic struck the UK, The Times reported.
  Jigsaw was forced to close stores due to t
  
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• Ebay promotes British Airways veteran to UK general manager

  04-09-2020 08:54 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Ebay promotes Murray Lambell to general manager of its UK business
  // The move comes five months after the appointment of new global CEO Jamie IannoneEbay has promoted the head of its trading team, Murray Lambell to general manager of its UK business as part of a management reshuffle.
  Lambell succeeds Rob Hattrell, who took charge of Ebay Europe following the arrival of new global chief executive Jamie Iannone five months ago.
  Ebay said the reshuffle also comes after reporting a strong growth
  
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• Co-op to create 1000 local jobs as it seeks to launch over 65 stores

  04-09-2020 08:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Co-op to open over 3 stores a week until December
  // The retailer plans to invest £130m into its stores and create up to 1000 local jobsCo-op has said it will launch more than three stores a week until December to serve new neighbourhoods as part of major expansion plans.
  The convenience retailer will launch over 65 stores new and extended stores, with more than 100 further outlets receiving major makeovers.
  The initiative is part of a £130 million store investment programme creat
  
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• Amazon’s top UK reviewers appear to profit from fake 5-star posts

  04-09-2020 05:00
  FT investigation finds suspicious behaviour by 9 of top 10 UK contributors on product feedback
  
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• Pret shifts to dinner deliveries and out-of-town shops

  04-09-2020 01:01
  London-focused sandwich chain has been hit hard by move to homeworking in pandemic
  
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• Co-op creates 1,000 jobs and opens 50 new stores in UK

  04-09-2020 01:01
  
  Supermarket expands in response to increased shopper demand and online ordering amid Covid lockdownCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Co-op is to create 1,000 jobs as it opens 50 new stores, becoming the latest supermarket to expand during the coronavirus pandemic.The jobs will be spread across the new shops and another 15 stores that will be enlarged as part of a £130m investment, the company said. Continue reading...
  
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• Webinar: Connecting omnichannel touchpoints – data management for new behaviours and eCommerce strategy 

  04-09-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Webinar -Sept 9 10AM – For both well-established and ‘first generation’ internet retailers, customer data is both a great asset and a great challenge as we... View Article
  
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• Pret to launch in-store coffee subscription service

  04-09-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Pret A Manger is to launch an in-shop coffee subscription service as it looks to boost sales following the coronavirus crisis. Due to launch on 8... View Article
  
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• John Lewis adds 30 new fashion and beauty brands

  04-09-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  John Lewis has launched more than 30 new fashion, beauty and accessory brands as part of plans to modernise its product offering this autumn. The department store... View Article
  
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• Government must do more to get public back into shops, say retailers

  04-09-2020 01:00
  
  British Retail Consortium says empty office blocks mean city centres deprived of customersRetailers have told Boris Johnson that his government must do more to persuade the public that it is safe to travel to work and shop or risk needless job losses and store closures, as data showed city centres suffering from a lack of office workers.The British Retail Consortium said its monthly survey of footfall showed that empty office blocks were leaving city centres bare of potential customers even thou
  
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• Co-op to open more than three stores a week to serve new neighbourhoods

  04-09-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Co-op is set to open more than three new food stores each week until December. The convenience retailer will launch over 65 new and extended stores and give 100... View Article
  
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• ChannelAdvisor to Host Connect, October 7-8

  04-09-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Leading SaaS company to offer interactive virtual event, bringing together premier brands, retailers and solution providers ChannelAdvisor Corporation (NYSE: ECOM), a leading provider of cloud-based e-commerce... View Article
  
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• Boxpark appoints chief operations officer

  04-09-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Boxpark retail, casual dining and leisure concept has appointed David Gough as its chief operations officer. Gough was previously operations director at Fuller’s Stable Bar & Restaurants... View Article
  
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