Retail news

• Edinburgh Woollen Mill on brink of administration

  09-10-2020 17:43
  Thousands of jobs at risk as group controlled by billionaire Philip Day seeks ‘breathing space’ from creditors
  
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• Philip Green scuppered BHS sale to Mike Ashley, court told

  09-10-2020 16:27
  Claim comes as businessman Dominic Chappell faces trial over £1 sale of retail chain in 2015
  
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• Gov’t to pay 2/3 of staff wages if retailers forced to shut in new lockdowns

  09-10-2020 16:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Eligible businesses to receive grants to pay wages of staff who cannot work due to new lockdown restrictions
  // Government to pay two thirds of each employee’s salary (67%) up to a maximum of £2100 a month
  // The scheme will last 6 months and is less generous than the furlough schemeThe UK Government will pay two thirds of the wages of staff in retailers and other businesses if they are forced to close under new coronavirus restrictions, the Chancellor has announced.
  Rishi Sunak s
  
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• Coronavirus: UK workers to get two-thirds of wages if firms told to shut

  09-10-2020 16:16
  
  Rishi Sunak announces new furlough scheme to cover 66% of workers’ pay at businesses closed under new Covid-19 lockdownsThe government will cover two-thirds of workers’ wages at businesses forced to close during new coronavirus lockdowns, the chancellor has announced.Coming as ministers scramble to contain the economic fallout from tough new lockdown measures planned for the north of England, Rishi Sunak said the government would subsidise pay by providing grants to companies forced
  
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• Rishi Sunak expands wage subsidies to head off winter surge in job losses

  09-10-2020 16:00
  
  The government vows to cover two-thirds of workers’ wages at firms closed under any new Covid-19 lockdownsThe government will cover two-thirds of workers’ wages at businesses forced to close during new coronavirus lockdowns, the chancellor has announced.Coming as ministers scramble to contain the economic fallout from tough new lockdown measures planned for the north of England, Rishi Sunak said the government would subsidise pay by providing grants to companies forced to close their
  
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• 42% of retail professionals feel their mental health is worse than a year ago

  09-10-2020 15:23 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // 42.2% of retail professionals feel their mental health is worse than it was a year ago due to Covid-19
  // CV-Library says 51.9% worried about not being able to find a job, while 48.1% experienced financial difficultiesAround four in 10 retail professionals feel their mental health is worse than it was a year ago due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new study released ahead of World Mental Health Day.
  Research from CV-Library, which surveyed 1300 individuals, found that 42.2 per cent o
  
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• H&M to launch high-tech “Looop” system instore which will shred old clothes and create new ones in real time

  09-10-2020 15:03 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  H&M is set to launch a cutting-edge “garment-to-garment recycling system” in its store, which will shred old clothes and spin them into brand new ones in front of customers.
  It’s new “Looop” system will soon be launched at its flagship store in Stockholm, marking the first time its revolutionary garment recycling system will be revealed to the public.
  Looop will take customers old clothing, clean it, shred it into fibres, then spin these into a new yarn which ca
  
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• Up to 24,000 jobs at risk as Jaeger and Austin Reed owner prepares to appoint administrators

  09-10-2020 13:54
  
  Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group, which also owns Peacocks, blames the ‘harsh trading conditions’ from Covid-19 pandemicEdinburgh Woollen Mill Group, the owner of Jaeger, Peacocks and Austin Reed, is teetering on the brink of administration putting up to 24,000 of jobs at risk.The group, controlled by entrepreneur Philip Day, has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, a legal document which provides protection from creditors for 10 days. The group had been seeking a buyer
  
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• Up to 21,500 jobs at risk as Jaeger and Austin Reed owner prepares to appoint administrators

  09-10-2020 13:54
  
  Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group, which also owns Peacocks, blames the ‘harsh trading conditions’ from Covid-19 pandemicUp to 21,500 jobs are at risk at Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group – the owner of Jaeger, Peacocks and Austin Reed – as the retailer teeters on the brink of administration.The group, owned by the entrepreneur Philip Day, has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, a legal document which provides protection from creditors for 10 days.Whitbread - 6,0
  
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• Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group calls in administrators, putting 24,000 jobs at risk

  09-10-2020 13:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group owner Philip Day drafts in FRP administrators
  // The group said the Covid-19 lockdowns continued to impact sales
  // It also said it has been heavily impacted by allegations of unpaid billsEdinburgh Woollen Mill Group owner Philip Day has called in administrators, putting around 24,000 jobs at risk.
  The company, which owns the Peacocks and Jaeger brands, has lodged a notice of intention to appoint administrators to look for potential buyers to shore up its business
  
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• Central England Co-op food business drives total sales

  09-10-2020 12:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Central England Co-op gross sales rise 6.4%
  // Trading in the first half of 2020 generated sales of £486.4 millionCentral England Co-op has reported a gross sales increase of 6.4 per cent thanks to its food business generating a trading profit of £19.3 million.
  The group which operates over 400 food, funeral and floral sites across 16 counties, posted “strong” half year results to August 8, and outlined plans to tackle challenges ahead.
  Trading in the first half of 202
  
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• Which? names Waitrose supermarket of the year

  09-10-2020 11:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Waitrose has been named “supermarket of the year” by Which?
  // Which? found the grocer to be ahead of rivals in how it handled the Covid-19 crisis
  // Separately, Waitrose food & grocery boss Rupert Thomas announces resignationWaitrose has been awarded the “supermarket of the year” title by consumer group Which?, beating competition from shortlisted rivals Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Iceland.
  The upmarket grocer was recognised for its handling of trade during
  
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• Amazon debuts first “state-of-the-art” electric delivery vans from Rivian

  09-10-2020 11:40 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Amazon has debuted its first “state-of-the-art” electric delivery vans developed in partnership with Rivian featuring “industry leading safety, navigation and design features”.
  Amazon first unveiled the prototype model of its new EV delivery vans in February, but has now received its first completed model, understood to be one of three in development with Rivian.
  The van, which is expected to begin making deliveries next year, comes with cutting edge sensor detection tech
  
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• Pandora raises profit guidance after third quarter sales recover

  09-10-2020 11:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Pandora saw an “improvement” in its main markets
  // The jewellery retailer raised its profit guidance after sales rosePandora has raised its profit guidance after sales rose thanks to a shift to online shopping during the third quarter.
  The Danish jeweller saw a “further improvement” in the majority of its main markets, as underlying brand momentum continued to develop.
  It now expects EBIT-margin for the year in the range of 17.5 per cent to 19 per cent, up from a prev
  
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• Zalando expands sustainability offering thanks to growing demand

  09-10-2020 11:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Zalando expands sustainable category after demand rises
  // Zalando launched its own recyclable capsule collection ‘redeZIGN for Circularity’Zalando has boosted its sustainability plans after witnessing a growth in demand for eco-friendly products.
  The online fashion retailer has expanded its sustainable offering from 27,000 to 60,000 items as the number of active customers shopping for such products doubled to 40 per cent since January of this year.
  Zalando also launched its
  
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• What are retailers doing for Black History Month 2020?

  09-10-2020 10:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Sainsbury’sThe Big 4 grocer used Black History Month to announce that it would review its ethnic pay gap to ensure that its Black colleagues “have a fair and enjoyable experience working at Sainsbury’s”.
  The retailer also stated it would provide Black colleagues with a safe space to gather in response to the ongoing Black Lives Matters movement.
  “At Sainsbury’s we want to celebrate black heritage with our colleagues and customers,” a company statement s
  
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• British Land reports “encouraging” September rent collections

  09-10-2020 09:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // British Land reports “encouraging” rent collections for September
  // Retailers are on a road to recovery after trading was impacted due to the Covid-19 pandemic
  // As of October 8, British Land collected 69% of rents it was owed for the third quarterBritish Land has seen “encouraging” rent collections for September as retailers that were struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic reported a recovery.
  The property giant, which owns Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield,&
  
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• Dominic Chappell evaded tax on income from buying failed BHS, court told

  09-10-2020 09:47 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Dominic Chappell in court for evading tax on £2.2m income received when he bought BHS from Sir Philip Green
  // He denies 3 charges of cheating the public revenue related to his bankrupt finance company Swiss RockBusinessman Dominic Chappell evaded tax on the £2.2 million income he received from buying the collapsed BHS high street chain from retail tycoon Sir Philip Green, a court has heard.
  He ended up in this position because “he was simply too busy” to sort out his
  
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• Chancellor under more pressure to extend furlough amid 2nd Covid-19 wave

  09-10-2020 09:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Lib Deb’s treasury spokeswoman Christine Jardine urges Chancellor Rishi Sunak to extend the furlough scheme
  // She says “fundamental premise for ending the furlough scheme no longer holds” amid the second wave & local lockdownsChancellor Rishi Sunak is under fresh pressure to extend the furlough scheme as the second wave of the coronavirus prompts new restrictions for hotspots across the UK.
  The Liberal Democrats have urged Sunak to guarantee that the UK Government would
  
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• Coles supermarkets across Australia closed after computers go offline

  09-10-2020 09:09
  
  Customers cleared from stores as company reports a ‘technical issue’ with processing paymentsA nationwide IT shutdown has forced Coles supermarkets across Australia to clear out customers and close their doors.A Coles spokeswoman confirmed the outage on Friday afternoon, saying it had affected all 800 of the grocery giant’s stores across Australia. Related: Where's my Waitrose? Why swanky supermarkets are rare in Australia Abandoned trolleys & customers turned away @coles a
  
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• Footfall down by almost a third in September amid tighter restrictions

  09-10-2020 09:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Overall footfall drops by 31.1% Y-o-Y in September, according to BRC-ShopperTrak’s latest data
  // High street footfall was down 36.9%; shopping centres was 36.1% lower, while retail parks were down 6.9%
  // Meanwhile, the BDO high street sales tracker reported that like-for-like sales were down 23.4% in stores in SeptemberRetail footfall dropped by almost a third throughout September as the tightening of restrictions impacted retailers’ recovery, according to new data.
  The lat
  
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• Can Amazon upend the luxury sector?

  09-10-2020 06:00
  Ecommerce giant’s long-awaited foray will need to convince brands and consumers
  
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• One4all Gift Cards signs up five new brands

  09-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  One4all Gift Cards has embarked on new retail partnerships with Xbox, Nintendo, Spotify, Rituals and Dr Botanicals. The move means the multi-store gift cards can now... View Article
  
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• H&M launches in-store recycling machine

  09-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  H&M is to offer its Swedish customers the opportunity to transform unwanted garments into new fashion items with the help of its new ‘Looop’ garment-to-garment recycling... View Article
  
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• Gap appoints Nancy Green as CEO of Old Navy

  09-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Gap has announced that Nancy Green has been appointed as president and chief executive of its Old Navy business on a permanent basis. Green has been... View Article
  
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• Footfall down 30% in September

  09-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  UK retail footfall decreased by 30.1% year-on-year in September as additional Covid-19 restrictions were put in place. According to figures from the British Retail Consortium and... View Article
  
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• Central England Co-op grows first half sales and profit

  09-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Central England Co-op grew its sales by 6.4% to £486.4 million in the six months to 8 August. The company said the performance was largely a... View Article
  
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