Retail news

• Amazon attacked after “sexist” ads show women with cleaning products

  20-10-2020 17:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Amazon accused of sexism by a women’s rights charity after featuring ads of women using cleaning products
  // Fawcett Society said the online retailer was “lazily reinforcing outmoded gender roles”
  // Amazon has been urged to alter the adsAmazon has been accused of sexism by a women’s rights charity after featuring ads that exclusively show women using cleaning products.
  Fawcett Society has criticised the online retailer for “lazily reinforcing outmoded gender rol
  
  Read more

• Big Interview: Ella d’Amato, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer, Notonthehighstreet

  20-10-2020 16:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  When it comes to gift-giving and “niche” products, Notonthehighstreet has created mass appeal with its offerings and a business model that links independent producers and businesses that have a limited physical store to a web presence.
  Speaking to Retail Gazette, Notonthehighstreet chief commercial and marketing officer Ella d’Amato said she and her team were preparing for the online retailer’s “biggest Christmas yet”.
  With the Covid-19 pandemic causing a tre
  
  Read more

• MPs approve delaying business rates revaluation until 2023

  20-10-2020 15:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // MPs approve bill that postpones next business rates revaluation until April 2023
  // The bill also moves the latest date for publishing draft rating list from Sept 30 to Dec 31 in the year before the revaluation
  // Plans to delay the business rates revaluation first emerged in MayMPs have approved a bill which postpones the next business rates revaluation for England and Wales until April 1, 2023.
  The government first revealed plans to delay the revaluation in May and in July it confirmed it w
  
  Read more

• Iceland eyes same-day delivery with Swift trademark registration

  20-10-2020 15:00 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Iceland is thought to be lining up plans to offer a same-day delivery service for its groceries, according to a new trademark registration reported by Retail Week.
  The frozen food specialist has registered the trademark Swift with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), and is thought to be launching a rapid grocery delivery service to rival Ocado, Amazon, and the UK’s Big Four grocers.
  In its application to register the trademark, Iceland said ‘Swift’ would relate to &ldq
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• UK retail “least attractive in Europe” if tax-free shopping is axed, retailers warn

  20-10-2020 12:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Fashion retailers urge Rishi Sunak to make u-turn on decision to abolish tax free shopping
  // Ending tax-free shopping could make the UK “the least attractive shopping destination in Europe”
  // Up to £6bn will be lost to UK businesses due to a drop in tourist numbers and spending in key regionsTed Baker, The White Company and Paul Smith have collectively written to the Chancellor urging him to reverse his decision to end tax-free shopping for tourists in the UK.
  Rishi Sunak
  
  Read more

• Landsec to “reimagine” retail and offload a third of its £12.8bn assets

  20-10-2020 12:19 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Landsec to sell off a third of its £12.8 billion portfolio
  // It will offload some of its hotel and leisure properties, as well as retail parks
  // Landsec is seeking to focus on growth opportunities in citiesBluewater shopping centre owner Landsec has said it will offload close to a third of its £12.8 billion portfolio in an effort to focus on growth opportunities in cities.
  The property company, which also owns Trinity Leeds shopping centre, will sell some of its hotel and l
  
  Read more

• Muji launches payment app across UK stores

  20-10-2020 11:47 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Japanese household and lifestyle retailer Muji has launched a new customer payment app across its eleven UK stores.
  MishiPay’s Scan, Pay & Go app means customers will be able to pay for their items without having to wait in line or have contact with checkout terminals.
  They can also use the app to check prices, view additional Item information and access promotional information about products.
  READ MORE: Coronavirus crisis has given “a once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity f
  
  Read more

• Boots HQ staff “furious” as toilets reserved for Walgreens executives

  20-10-2020 11:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Boots HQ toilets restricted for ordinary staff and reserved for executives
  // Staff left furious as social distancing is harder to practice
  // Fewer toilets available meant they were being used by more peopleBoots has reportedly barred employees from using some of the toilets at its Nottingham head office, only reserving them for executives and making it harder for staff to practise social distancing amid the pandemic.
  The health and beauty retailer had last week “encouraged” staf
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Retailers pay £1.1bn to accept customer payments – BRC data

  20-10-2020 10:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Retailers spent £1.1bn to accept payments from customers in 2019
  // The BRC & other trade bodies call for action to tackle excessive card costs as a gov’t call for evidence on payments closes today
  // BRC Payments Survey shows a continued move from cash to cards in retailRetailers had to spend more than £1 billion last year to accept payments from customers, prompting calls for the government to tackle excessive card costs.
  According to the BRC’s latest Payment Sur
  
  Read more

• Asda officially opens new sustainability concept store in Leeds

  20-10-2020 10:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Asda unveils brand new sustainability concept store in Middleton, Leeds
  // The pilot store features product refill options, loose and unwrapped produce, recyclable facilities & sustainable fashion
  // The store will be used to test and learn which elements can be rolled out in 2021Asda has opened its brand new sustainability concept store in Leeds, featuring product refill options, loose and unwrapped produce and a pledge that “customers will not pay more for greener options&rdq
  
  Read more

• Retailers to front House of Commons inquiry on Uyghur forced labour

  20-10-2020 09:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // BEIS writes to retailers to provide into on whether they’re making use of forced labour Uyghurs in China
  // They have until Oct 23 to submit their information, and have been invited to take part in a vitural hearing on Nov 5Several fashion retailers have been called to give evidence for the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee’s latest inquiry exploring the forced labour of Uyghur people among UK chains.
  The committee said its inquiry would investigate how UK-
  
  Read more

• Retailers to front government inquiry on Uyghur forced labour

  20-10-2020 09:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // BEIS writes to retailers to provide into on whether they’re making use of forced labour Uyghurs in China
  // They have until Oct 23 to submit their information, and have been invited to take part in a vitural hearing on Nov 5Several fashion retailers have been called to give evidence for the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee’s latest inquiry exploring the forced labour of Uyghur people among UK chains.
  The committee said its inquiry would investigate how UK-
  
  Read more

• Non-essential retail to go back into lockdown in Wales

  20-10-2020 09:16 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Wales to enter a national lockdown for two weeks from this Friday night
  // All non-essential retailers will be forced to shut until November 9Non-essential in retailers in Wales will be forced to shut from Friday as the country goes into a national firebreak lockdown for two weeks.
  Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford appealed to the nation to “come together” and “play our part in a common endeavour” during the latest round of measures to come into force from 6pm Friday
  
  Read more

• Boots accused of harming social distancing by roping off HQ toilets

  20-10-2020 08:00
  
  Employees at Nottingham head office say they were barred from toilets newly reserved for executivesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoots roped off office toilets for executives during the pandemic, making it harder for ordinary employees to practise social distancing, the Guardian has learned.The pharmacy firm was criticised last week for “encouraging” staff to come into the head office in Nottingham, where cases are the highest in England, despite g
  
  Read more

• Can the centre hold? Germany looks to its Covid-stricken high streets

  20-10-2020 01:01
  
  Minister battles to rescue retailers amid fears for 50,000 shops and hundreds of thousands of jobsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe stakes for Germany’s high streets could not be greater when the economics minister, Peter Altmaier, summons trade representatives across the country this month for a series of crisis workshops to discuss how to save them from collapse.In Germany, as elsewhere across Europe and beyond, the coronavirus pandemic has blown a hug
  
  Read more

• Asda launches 'greener price' promise and sustainability store

  20-10-2020 01:01
  
  Loose fruit and veg to cost no more than wrapped as part of move to cut down on single-use plasticsAsda is to unveil a strategy to help cut down on single-use plastics, pledging that “greener” products without packaging will not carry a hefty price tag, as it opens a sustainability trial store.To encourage customers to shop sustainably across all its stores, the UK’s third largest supermarket is launching Greener at Asda Price, a promise that loose and unwrapped fruit and veget
  
  Read more

• The Co-operative Bank appoints new chief executive

  20-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Co-Operative Bank has appointed Nick Slape as its new chief executive. Due to take up his role on 31 October, he is being promoted from... View Article
  
  Read more

• Store closures running at twice the rate of last year

  20-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New figures have shown that shop closures in the UK have hit a record levels with over twice as many net store closures in the first... View Article
  
  Read more

• Seamless Customer Experiences with PMC’s new Cloud Development and Integration Services

  20-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  A new service launched today by Technology Service Provider PMC enables retailers to connect digital touchpoints with in-store experiences, to deliver more personal, insight-driven customer journeys.... View Article
  
  Read more

• Insight: store closures running at twice the rate of last year

  20-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New figures have shown that shop closures in the UK have hit a record levels with over twice as many net store closures in the first... View Article
  
  Read more

• Footfall continues to decline

  20-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New data has revealed that footfall across all UK retail destinations declined by 3.1% last week from the previous seven day period. On an annual basis,... View Article
  
  Read more

• Dunelm launches in-store textile recycling scheme

  20-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Homewares retailer Dunelm has introduced a textile recycling scheme in ten of its UK stores as part of plans to become a more sustainable business. Launched... View Article
  
  Read more

• Burberry uses gaming technology to streamline design process

  20-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Luxury brand Burberry is using gaming technology to help streamline the fashion design process. The company has teamed up with Koffeecup  to develop a new application that merges... View Article
  
  Read more

Follow @retailuknws on Twitter!