Retail news

• Row after London council is warned off enforcing mask rules in shops

  05-10-2020 20:04
  
  Exclusive: council says BEIS official intervened on shops’ side after it raised issue of non-compliance‘There should be fines’: east London shoppers on mask lawSee all our coronavirus coverageMinisters have been accused of putting the high street above public health after the business department warned council leaders against enforcing mask-wearing in supermarkets.Four retailers – Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Morrisons and B&M homeware stores – were issued with warn
  
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• Depop to expand UK team as Covid-19 drives demand

  05-10-2020 18:24 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Depop to expand UK team by almost a quarter
  // Depop is aiming to have at least 350 employees by the end of 2020Depop has reportedly begun a hiring spree after witnessing the demand for its service double during the Covid-19 lockdown.
  The fashion marketplace is seeking to expand its UK team by almost a quarter by the end of the year, The Telegraph reported.
  In total, Depop is aiming to have at least 350 employees by the end of 2020, operating out of London, Manchester, Los Angeles, New York a
  
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• Cineworld is in slow-motion endgame

  05-10-2020 18:22
  Cinema chain draws curtains on screens; Mulberry suffers at home on the high street
  
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• Retail footfall drops after government’s 10pm curfew

  05-10-2020 17:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Footfall across retail has declined after government’s 10pm curfew
  // UK footfall fell each day between Wednesday and Saturday, averaging 7.1%Footfall across UK retail has dropped by 3.5 per cent over the last week, as the government’s 10pm curfew continues to impact high streets.
  Footfall across retail destinations declined by 8.4 per cent between 7pm and 11pm and 14.8 per cent between 11pm and 7am over the past week, according to Springboard.
  UK footfall fell each day between We
  
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• UK pub and restaurant bonds sink on new round of Covid-19 curbs

  05-10-2020 17:21
  Measures including 10pm curfew knock country’s ‘junk’ debt market
  
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• Scottish Gov’t had no warning about end to tax-free tourist shopping

  05-10-2020 16:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Scottish Gov’t says it had no warning about end to tax-free tourist shopping
  // VAT Retail Export Scheme set to be cancelled after the end of the Brexit transition periodThe Scottish Government has expressed concerns over the cancellation of a scheme allowing tourists to claim back VAT on shopping done while in the UK.
  Scotland’s finance secretary Kate Forbes said Edinburgh was not consulted before an announcement that the VAT Retail Export Scheme would be cancelled after the end
  
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• Payments in a Pandemic – and Beyond

  05-10-2020 16:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  UK retail executives have highlighted the rapid change experienced by their industry as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with a focus on a fast track evolution in payments.
  In our report you will discover:A timeline of rapid change
  Leading UK retailers sharing their own experiences
  How meeting consumer demands for a frictionless customer journey will drive technology investment
  Contactless or Cash? The growth of mobile enabled payments
  The important takeaways for payments, the point of sale
  
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• Latest Tesco equal pay hearing could see payouts years earlier than expected

  05-10-2020 16:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Hearing begins to determine if Tesco’s job evaluation study meets legal test
  // The study assesses the value of roles as Tesco shop workers allege they are being underpaid
  // Workers could be in like to receive compensation years earlier than expected, up to £10,000 in backpayTesco shop workers could receive compensation years earlier than expected if an Employment Tribunal decides that a job evaluation study carried out by the grocery giant is reliable.
  A hearing is taking place
  
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• Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis sends sales of thermometers and disinfecting wipes skyrocketing

  05-10-2020 14:25 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Donald Trump’s surprise announcement that he had contracted COVID-19 sent sales of thermometers and disinfectant wipes skyrocketing across the US.
  Amazon saw sales of its own branded Solimo disinfecting wipes shoot up nearly 900 per cent following the US president and first lady’s news that they had tested positive for coronavirus on Friday.
  According to Jungle Scout data shared with Business Insider, sales of Femometer’s medical oral thermometer jumped 248 per cent on Ama
  
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• Mulberry warns on sales after falling to £14m loss

  05-10-2020 14:18
  British luxury group shares hit as its says footfall to stores is ‘alarmingly low’
  
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• Alibaba/Dufry: line of duty

  05-10-2020 13:40
  Deal involving ecommerce giant and duty-free titan looks timely
  
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• Emma Mattress hires chief technology officer to launch new IT platform

  05-10-2020 13:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Emma Mattress has hired Andreas Westendoerpf as new chief technology officer
  // Westendoerpf previously worked as CTO and MD of Engel & Voelkers Technology GmbH
  // He has also worked for the online retailer ZalandoEmma Mattress has appointed a new chief technology officer in an effort to strengthen its management team and establish a new IT platform to support the retailer.
  Andreas Westendoerpf has joined to set up and scale organisational structures to gain success through team members.
  
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• Alibaba to take up to 10% of Dufry

  05-10-2020 12:36
  Chinese online giant to join emergency funding call as Swiss duty free operator steers business through pandemic slump
  
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• Allbirds raises £76m to continue store expansion despite pandemic

  05-10-2020 12:24 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Allbirds fundraises £76 million to continue expansion
  // The retailer now has a £1.2 billion valuationAllbirds has raised $100 million (£76 million) in an effort to continue expanding its physical store estate, despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
  The wool shoe retailer closed the fundraising round this week, which gave it a $1.7 billion (£1.2 billion) valuation.
  The new funding will partly support physical expansion in markets outside the US as well as increasing he
  
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• Amazon Prime Day Live event to feature Lewis Capaldi and support UK’s independent music venues

  05-10-2020 12:12 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Amazon will host a major live streaming event with Lewis Capaldi, Celeste and Cate Le Bon to raise awareness and funding for “iconic grassroots music venues” under threat of closure.
  ‘Prime Day Live’ will take place from 7-9pm on Friday October 9, featuring 30-minute sets from some of the UK’s biggest artists live streamed from various independent music venues across the UK.
  The event, which will be presented by Amazon Music in support of the Music Venue Trust, will
  
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• Next opens first beauty hall concepts at Intu Watford & Milton Keynes

  05-10-2020 11:47 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Next opens the doors to its first beauty hall concepts at Intu Watford & Intu Milton Keynes
  // The beauty halls fall under Next’s Beauty & Home fascia and take over former Debenhams sites
  // Next announced plans to extend its online beauty offer to bricks-and-mortar back in MayNext has officially opened the doors to its first bricks-and-mortar beauty concepts at Intu Watford and Intu Milton Keynes.
  The two stores, which both opened on the same day, fall under Next’s Beauty
  
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• John Lewis Partnership new inclusion strategy ensures “black voices are lifted”

  05-10-2020 10:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // John Lewis Partnership to launch a black partner advisory group to review inclusivity of fashion
  // The parent company of John Lewis and Waitrose aims to build a more inclusive companyThe John Lewis Partnership will launch a black partner advisory group to review the inclusivity of fashion amid Black History Month.
  The retail group announced a series of actions aimed at building a more inclusive company, which includes working with partners from under-represented groups to create a new d
  
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• Asda’s new billionaire owners paid £55m in tax in the last 5 years

  05-10-2020 10:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Issa brothers paid only £55m tax over the past 5 years on back of £37.5bn revenues from debt-fuelled expansion of EG Group
  // For 2 of those 5 years EG Group’s debt pile meant it reportedly paid no tax at all
  // However, sources say EG Group had still “paid all the tax that was due”The new billionaire owners of Asda have reportedly managed to pay minimal tax in recent years as a rapid expansion scheme led to billions of pounds of debt and reduced taxable income.
  
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• Mulberry suspends final dividend as full year loss deepens

  05-10-2020 09:11 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Mulberry suspends final dividend amid widening full year pre-tax loss
  // Full year pre-tax loss came in at £47.9m compared to last year when it recorded a loss of £5m
  // Despite this, it says trading is improvingMulberry has seen its full-year loss dramatically widen, prompting it to suspend the final dividend due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  The British luxury good retailer and brand said that for the 52 weeks ended March 28, reported pre-tax loss was £47.9 million, compared w
  
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• How Walmart’s UK invasion fizzled out

  05-10-2020 06:00
  US retailer’s sale of Asda ends its ambitions to conquer European grocery market
  
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• Parcel delivery boom prompts DPD to employ 20,000 new staff

  05-10-2020 05:00
  French company responds to surge in demand because of coronavirus crisis
  
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• MP demands removal of Boohoo chief over supply chain scandal

  05-10-2020 05:00
  Liz Kendall calls for shareholder action after review confirms reports workers were paid less than minimum wage
  
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• Walmart sells majority Asda stake to the Issa brothers

  05-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Walmart has sold its Asda supermarket chain to EG Group founders the Issa brothers for £6.8 billion. The deal will see the brothers and investment funds... View Article
  
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• The Very Group appoints digital customer experience director

  05-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Very Group has appointed Paul Hornby as digital customer experience director. Due to join the business in January 2021, he will report to chief technology... View Article
  
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• Retailers and licensing agents – creating a relationship that works for everyone

  05-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Comment: Bethan Garton, Commercial Director, The Point.1888. The Point.1888 is exhibiting at Festival of Licensing, a month-long virtual celebration of the licensing industry, taking place from 6-29... View Article
  
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• Q&A: Gary Pope, Kids Industries

  05-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Gary Pope is co-founder of Kids Industries, an award-winning insight, strategy and creative agency that helps businesses and brands to connect with the family market. Its... View Article
  
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• Peloton to take space at Edinburgh’s St James Quarter

  05-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Peloton is to open a showroom at Edinburgh’s new St James Quarter next year. Spanning 2,926 square feet, the showroom will launch in the spring as... View Article
  
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• Mulberry posts full year loss

  05-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Luxury brand Mulberry has posted a pre-tax loss of £47.9 million in the year to 28 March. Revenue fell by 10% to £149.3 million in the... View Article
  
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• Aldi scraps single-use bags for loose fruit and vegetables

  05-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Aldi is ending the use of single-use bags for loose fruit and vegetables across all of its stores in a move which will save more than... View Article
  
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