Retail news

• Boohoo ditches another Leicester supplier ‘in light of’ BBC probe

  13-10-2020 20:44 via ft.com
  Retailer ends contract with garment producer linked to network linked to money laundering
  
  Read more

• COMMENT: Online retail tax could spell the end of indie retailers on the high street

  13-10-2020 18:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  In times like these and for retailers like ours, online is not just another sales channel – it has literally been our lifeline.
  When full lockdown was announced in late March, we were forced to temporarily close our three London stores – and in all honestly, it came as a relief. We had been watching our sales fall dramatically since the beginning of March, with less footfall, less consumer confidence and uncertainty hitting us hard, both online and off.
  Then lockdown was announced an
  
  Read more

• Retail’s tick-box approach to supply chains is untenable

  13-10-2020 18:19 via ft.com
  To halt labour abuses, companies must stop thinking about the issue as a matter of ethics
  
  Read more

• Morrisons takes aim at Fortnum & Mason with new luxury Christmas hampers

  13-10-2020 17:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // From today, Morrisons is offering customers a luxury Christmas Dinner Box via online
  // The 16-piece hamper is £50 and aims to cater to customers wanting to social distance or self-isolate
  // The hampers are available from today and will be delivered between December 22-23Big 4 giant Morrisons is seemingly taking aim at Fortnum & Masons with the launch of a luxury Christmas dinner hamper.
  Available from today, customers can order a Christmas Dinner Box online for it to be delivered
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Waitrose launches first dedicated overseas ecommerce offer

  13-10-2020 17:20 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Waitrose expands into new areas with its first dedicated overseas ecommerce offer in the UAE
  // Orders will be picked and packed in two of Waitrose’s 12 shops across Dubai & Abu DhabiWaitrose customers in the United Arab Emirates will now be able to shop with the grocer online after the launch of its first dedicated website overseas.
  The new website will home more than 15,000 grocery products with over 2800 delivery slots available each week, reaching more than 1500 homes across Dub
  
  Read more

• Matalan profits plunge 44%

  13-10-2020 16:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Matalan EBITDA drops 44% and sales down 3.9% in 13 weeks ending August 29
  // It attributed the drop to heavy discounting to clear spring stock accumulated over lockdownProfits at value retailer Matalan have taken a hit after it carried out heavy discounting in a bid to clear spring stock following the nationwide lockdown period.
  In the 13 weeks ending August 29, the high street chain saw EBITDA plunge by 44 per cent year-on-year to £28.5 million.
  Meanwhile, total sales for the same peri
  
  Read more

• Mamas & Papas steps up concession expansion with Next

  13-10-2020 14:25 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Mamas & Papas expands Next concessions with two new openings this month in Manchester & Sheffield
  // They follow the launch of concessions in Bristol & Hayes, and form part of Mamas & Papas multichannel strategyMamas & Papas is stepping up its concessions with Next after confirming new openings this month at Manchester Arndale and Meadowhall, Sheffield.
  The maternity and early childhood brand said a 2000sq ft space is set to open in the Next Home store in Meadowhall immine
  
  Read more

• UK shoppers spend £261m more on alcohol amid Covid pub curfew

  13-10-2020 13:07
  
  Supermarkets and corner shops are busiest since wave of stockpiling in MarchCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBritons spent an extra £261m on alcohol in grocery stores last month as the government’s eat out to help out scheme came to an end and a 10pm curfew on pubs and bars began.Total sales in supermarkets and corner shops rose 10.6% in the four weeks to 4 October, up from 8% in the previous month, with stores the busiest they had been since a wave o
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Ikea to buy back unwanted furniture for up to half original price

  13-10-2020 12:39
  
  Chain to launch scheme in UK and Ireland on Black Friday reselling secondhand productsIkea is to buy back its unwanted furniture from customers to resell as secondhand as part of the Swedish group’s efforts to become more environmentally friendly.The Buy Back initiative will be launched in Ikea stores across the UK and Ireland on 27 November – the Black Friday discount day. Customers will receive vouchers to spend in store, with their value calculated according to the condition of th
  
  Read more

• Grocery sales surge but minimal signs of panic-buying

  13-10-2020 12:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Grocery sales surged 10.6% last month, above the 9.4% recorded in the 3-month period it falls in
  // There is only limited evidence of consumers stockpiling goods at a national level amid the second waveThe end of the Eat Out To Help Out scheme and new Covid-19 restrictions introduced last month saw shoppers flock to supermarkets in huge numbers although without the same panic-buying seen in March, according to new data.
  The surge came in the four weeks to October 4, with sales increasing 10.6
  
  Read more

• Ikea will now buy back customers’ old and unwanted furniture

  13-10-2020 12:27 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Ikea customers in the UK will now be able to sell their unwanted furniture back to the retailer in an unprecedented sustainability initiative.
  Ikea UK is set to launch a new “Buy Back” scheme on Friday November 27, timed to coincide with this year’s Black Friday event, encouraging shoppers to “live more sustainably”.
  Customers can visit Ikea.co.uk and submit a return request for their unwanted furniture, before bringing the fully-assembled product to their local sto
  
  Read more

• Tesco hiring 11,000 temporary staff to meet online spike as unemployment hits 3-year high

  13-10-2020 11:44 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Tesco is set to recruit more than 11,000 temporary staff this year to help it meet the spike in demand for online grocery orders over Christmas.
  The UK’s largest grocer has seen its online operations grow rapidly throughout 2020, increasing by 90 per cent over the three months to the end of August alone.
  As further lockdowns loom across the country, Tesco is anticipating another dramatic spike in online orders over the Christmas period and is ensuring it has the manpower to deal with it.
  A
  
  Read more

• Retailers exempt from new lockdown measures

  13-10-2020 10:23 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Retailers will not be forced to close under new three-tier system
  // High streets could still be impacted from closures in high and high alert regionsRetailers will not be forced to close their shops under the new three-tier lockdown system, according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
  Depending on the rate of infection in a specific area, all regions in England will now be categorised as being on medium, high or very high alert.
  READ MORE: BRC – KPMG Sales Monitor: September retail sales
  
  Read more

• BRC – KPMG Sales Monitor: September retail sales up 6.1%

  13-10-2020 10:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // “Resilience of British retailers has been nothing shy of remarkable” says KPMG head of retail
  // Decline in in-store, non-food sales softened to 12.3%
  // Online non-food sales increased 36.7% year-on-year“The resilience of British retailers has been nothing shy of remarkable in recent months,” said KPMG head of retail on the back of the latest Sales Monitor figures.
  Covering the five weeks from August 30 to October 3, the BRC – KPMG results found sales were up 5.
  
  Read more

• French Connection revenue down 53% during first half of 2020

  13-10-2020 09:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // French Connection reveals revenue plunged 53% during nationwide lockdown
  // Retailer saw losses deepen to £12.1m
  // French Connection notes it has finance in place to provide funds going forwardFashion retailer French Connection saw group revenue fall 53 per cent year-on-year to £23.9 million after the nationwide lockdown forced its stores to close.
  In the first half of the year to July 31, the business saw its losses depend to £12.1 million compared to a £3.6 million
  
  Read more

• Boohoo and Select Fashion linked to “extraordinary” money laundering garment network

  13-10-2020 09:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Select Fashion and Boohoo linked to multi-million pound Leicester network of money laundering
  // BBC investigation examined complex system of fraud in shell companies and fake invoices supplying fashion retailers
  // Chair of Public Accounts Committee says this could be “tip of the iceberg”Fast fashion retailers Boohoo and Select Fashion have been linked to a group of companies based in Leicester’s garment manufacturing district that are involved with money laundering and VAT
  
  Read more

• Boohoo & Select linked to “extraordinary” money laundering garment network

  13-10-2020 09:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Select & Boohoo linked to multi-million pound Leicester network of money laundering
  // BBC investigation examined complex system of fraud in shell companies and fake invoices supplying fashion retailers
  // Chair of Public Accounts Committee says this could be “tip of the iceberg”Boohoo and Select have been linked to a group of companies based in Leicester’s garment manufacturing district that are involved with money laundering and VAT fraud, according to an investigation
  
  Read more

• Amazon braces for winter of demand with relentless expansion

  13-10-2020 06:00 via ft.com
  Christmas amid new lockdowns poses biggest test yet for tech giant’s logistics strategy
  
  Read more

• Amazon braces for winter demand surge with relentless expansion

  13-10-2020 06:00 via ft.com
  Christmas amid new lockdowns poses biggest test yet for tech giant’s logistics strategy
  
  Read more

• Very launches partnership with Re-Fashion

  13-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Very.co.uk has teamed up with second-hand clothes specialist Re-Fashion on a scheme designed to reduce clothes waste and the number of fashion items going to landfill.... View Article
  
  Read more

• UK Flooring Direct expands into new offices and warehouse

  13-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  UK Flooring Direct is ramping up its expansion with the opening of a new warehouse and offices. The company’s headquarters are in Hinckley in Lecicestershire but... View Article
  
  Read more

• Tesco to recruit for 11,000 temporary roles

  13-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Tesco is to recruit more than 11,000 temporary staff to work in its stores during the busy Christmas period. The UK-wide roles will be available in... View Article
  
  Read more

• Slowear to expand in US and Europe

  13-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Italian fashion brand Slowear has unveiled plans to strangthen its presence in the US and Europe through the opening of 25 new stores by 2023. The... View Article
  
  Read more

• Retail sales figures show Christmas shopping has begun early

  13-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New figures have shown that retail sales increased by 6.1% in September on a like-for-basis. According to data from the British Retail Consortium, total sales rose... View Article
  
  Read more

• PMC and Enactor announce strategic partnership to deliver world class retail solutions

  13-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  PMC is delighted to announce a new and exciting strategic partnership with Enactor, as a leading, global provider of retail systems. The partnership will see independent... View Article
  
  Read more

• IKEA to buy back customers’ old and unwanted furniture

  13-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  IKEA is introducing a new scheme where customers can sell back their unwanted IKEA furniture to the retailer’s stores in the UK and Ireland. Customers selling... View Article
  
  Read more

• Guide: How robots help retailers meet today’s cleaning challenges

  13-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The recent health crisis has dramatically heightened consumer expectations around cleaning and safety. With a growing emphasis on in-store sanitation, retailers can’t afford to compromise on... View Article
  
  Read more

• FREE Onboarding of Flexible Testing Resources

  13-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Guest Post: PMC Retail know there is increased pressure to reduce costs and still perform in today’s challenging market. There are many paused projects which need... View Article
  
  Read more

• Footfall: impact of 10pm curfew relatively shortlived

  13-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New data on UK retail footfall reveals there was drop of 0.3% last week from the previous seven days. The figures from retail specialist Springboard shows... View Article
  
  Read more

• Aldi doubles sizes of trial with Deliveroo

  13-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Aldi is to double the size of its trial of on-demand grocery deliveries with Deliveroo. Running in 20 stores across London, Greater Manchester, Cambridge and the... View Article
  
  Read more

Follow @retailuknws on Twitter!