Retail news

• Empty high streets reach beyond retail for survival

  30-10-2020 22:00
  Offices and residential look to fill the gaps as stores beat retreat
  
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• Friday Fun One: Bensons for Beds is looking for a “Bum Tester”

  30-10-2020 18:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Bensons for Beds puts out internal job advert whereby it is seeking a “bum tester”
  // Applicants must be “willing to sit down on the job”
  // Successful candidate for the Posterior Elasticity Recovery Technician role “needs to make big impression”Yep, your eyes are not deceiving you. Nor is this a hoax.
  Bensons for Beds – one of the UK’s leading bedding and mattress retailers – is currently advertising an internal vacancy for a “bum t
  
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• Retail Gazette Loves Morrisons donating 15,000 lunch boxes daily for kids in need

  30-10-2020 17:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Morrisons to donate 15.000 lunchboxes every day during half-term to school children in need
  // The move aims to fight holiday hunger this half term and follows a related campaign by football star Marcus Rashford
  // Customers can also purchase pre-packed bags of groceries to feed young peopleMorrisons stores are joining the national effort to ensure no school child in need goes without an adequate meal this half term by donating 75,000 lunch boxes – which works out at 15,000 daily.
  The l
  
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• Debenhams unveils Watchshop partnership

  30-10-2020 16:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Debenhams launches new online partnership with watch retailer Watchshop
  // The deal will see Debenhams expand its watch offering while Watchshop takes care of buying & merchandisingDebenhams has revealed a new partnership with online watch retailer Watchshop to expand its accessories offering via the launch of the WatchShop at Debenhams concept.
  The arrangement will see Debenhams, which already features brands such as Armani Exchange, Casio and Tommy Hilfiger, expanding its online watch s
  
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• Under Armour calls time on connected fitness business

  30-10-2020 16:15
  Sportswear brand to sell MyFitnessPal that was once a focus of its growth strategy
  
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• AO launches youth mentor programme

  30-10-2020 16:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // AO staff to mentor young people from disadvantaged backgrounds as part of an ambitious new scheme
  // AO is one of 12 founders of FastFutures, a programme designed to increase employability for 18-22 year olds
  // AO is providing opportunities in the north west for youth who may struggle to find their feet in a post-Covid job marketAO has become a member of a programme that will see its staff become mentors for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
  The Bolton-based online retailer is one
  
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• Holland & Barrett to give staff instant access to pay

  30-10-2020 15:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Holland & Barrett’s UK staff will be able to receive their earned wages whenever they need them
  // The Wagestream app gives them instant access to a percentage of their earned pay any day of the month – for a flat feeHolland & Barrett has launched a new scheme that gives staff instant access to their wages.
  The health and wellbeing retailer said 5000 UK employees would be able to use the Earned Wage Access service, which allows them to receive their earned wages whenever t
  
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• Face masks sold in major UK retailers let through 93% of particles according to Which?

  30-10-2020 15:12 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Face masks sold by major high street retailers are letting through up to 93 per cent of particles providing almost no protection from coronavirus.
  Consumer watchdog Which? has tested 15 of the most common face masks available online and on the UK’s high streets and found wild disparities between their effectiveness.
  According to Which? its highest rated face coverings were able to filter more than 99 per cent of particles, similar to those warn in medical settings, while the worst were onl
  
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• Retailers among more than half a million UK firms “significantly distressed”

  30-10-2020 15:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Begbies Traynor says 557,000 businesses are in particular turmoil as Covid restrictions continue
  // The figures showed the biggest increase in distress among firms since 2017
  // This includes a 14% increase in the number of food & drug retailers in significant distress since lockdownRetailers are among the more than half a million UK businesses that are in “significant distress” due to the impact of the Covid pandemic, according to new figures.
  The latest Begbies Traynor red f
  
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• Amazon: it all ads up

  30-10-2020 14:45
  The ecommerce giant’s advertising business is growing faster than the company as a whole
  
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• M&S forecast to post half-year loss as Covid hits clothing & home

  30-10-2020 14:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Analysts say M&S will post a £59m pre-tax loss when it presents half-year trading update next week
  // It’s thought that the pandemic and the lockdown period would have hit sales in its clothing & home department
  // M&S forecast to post 0.3% growth in like-for-like food sales while like-for-like clothing & home sales expected to be 41% lowerMarks & Spencer is set to deliver a loss for the past six months as the Covid-19 pandemic weighed on clothing and home sale
  
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• Alibaba more than doubles duration of ‘Singles Day’ shopping festival

  30-10-2020 13:09 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Alibaba is set to launch its “Singles Day” shopping festival early this year, more than doubling the length of the world’s largest shopping event.
  Singles Day, which last year took more money in its first hour than all of Black Friday, will be expanded across two separate sales periods for the first time.
  While the shopping extravaganza will still run for a 24-hour period on November 11 as usual, shoppers will also be able to access millions of deals and discounts from November
  
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• London landlord to “selectively invest” in Covid-ridden retail tenants

  30-10-2020 11:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Grosvenor Estate is in talks to take a stake in Roland Mouret
  // The brand designs clothing for celebrity figures such as actress Scarlett Johansson and the Duchess of Sussex
  // Grosvenor is one of Britain’s wealthiest landowners and owns property in Belgravia and MayfairA high-profile London landlord is reportedly seeking to “selectively invest” in retail tenants to help them recover from the effects of the pandemic.
  West End commercial landlord Grosvenor Estate is in
  
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• Sainsbury’s products now available on both Deliveroo and Uber Eats as it rushes to expand delivery capabilities

  30-10-2020 11:27 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Sainsbury’s has partnered with both Uber Eats and Deliveroo as it scrambles to rapidly expand its grocery delivery capacity in time for Christmas.
  As the online grocery boom continues unabated and stricter lockdown measures loom for millions across the UK, Sainsbury’s is turning to the two delivery giants in a bid to “find new ways to serve even more of our customers”.
  Around 1000 Sainsbury’s products will soon be available to purchase on the Uber Eats app in ten l
  
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• Grocery chiefs urge Chancellor to use business rates reform to “level up” economy

  30-10-2020 10:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Supermarket bosses urge Chancellor to use an overhaul of the business rates system
  // Co-op CEO Steve Murrells, Morrisons CEO David Potts, and Tesco UK and Ireland CEO Jason Tarry collectively signed a letter
  // Rishi Sunak has said that a consultation on business rates may result in radical reformsSupermarket executives have reportedly urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to use an overhaul of the business rates system to “level up” the economy as pressure on the handling of Covid-19 mou
  
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• Co-op to address ethnic inequality and publish pay gap data annually

  30-10-2020 09:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Co-op will publish its ethnicity pay gap data annually from 2021
  // The retailer will also call on the government to make this mandatory
  // To increase awareness for Black History Month, Co-op has launched online seminarsCo-op has committed to addressing the issues that ethnic minority employees may face in the workplace, in an effort to increase awareness during Black History Month.
  The retailer, which currently employs 65,000 staff, has outlined a number of initiatives including publishing
  
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• Shop vacancies rise as Covid-19 causes ongoing uncertainty

  30-10-2020 09:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Vacancy rates increase during third quarter of 2020
  // The overall vacancy rate rose to 13.2%, up from 12.4% in the second quarter
  // All locations reported the vacancy increase although shopping centres were the worst hitNew research has found that the number of shuttered shops across the UK has increased in the third quarter as the Covid-19 pandemic creates high levels of uncertainty.
  The overall vacancy rate rose to 13.2 per cent in the third quarter of this year, up from 12.4 per cent in
  
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• M&S drops clothing TV ad to focus on grocery this Christmas

  30-10-2020 08:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Marks & Spencer scraps TV Christmas campaign for clothing arm to focus on grocery
  // M&S has run separate TV campaigns for its Christmas clothing and food offers since 2018Marks & Spencer has reportedly ditched its TV advertising campaign for its clothing division to instead focus on its grocery offering this year.
  The retailer is now relying on online and influencer activity to drive its festive clothing and homeware sales, and will instead focus its marketing efforts on food, Ca
  
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• UK economy feels the effects as Covid second wave hits critical stage

  30-10-2020 07:00
  
  Our latest snapshot of key economic indicators shows recovery is fizzling out Continue reading...
  
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• US business tries to adapt to stay-at-home Halloween

  30-10-2020 06:00
  Bars and costume shops face nightmare but decoration sales hold up
  
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• Costume stores face a hellish Halloween as sales drop

  30-10-2020 06:00
  With health authorities telling kids not to trick or treat, US consumers are reining in spending
  
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• Waitrose to recruit 1,850 extra drivers and pickers

  30-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Waitrose is to recruit nearly 1,850 extra drivers and pickers to work in its online grocery delivery service. The supermarket will be offerng both temporary and... View Article
  
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• More shops close as the Covid-19 crisis continues

  30-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New figures have shown that the UK shop vacancy rate increased to 13.2% in the third quarter of 2020 from 12.4% in the previous three-month period.... View Article
  
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• Collectables arrives in Newcastle

  30-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Home fragrance and gift retailer Collectables has opened a new store in Newcastle. Situated in the city centre in Monument Mall on Blackett Street, the shop... View Article
  
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• Annie’s Ibiza to open first UK boutique

  30-10-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Annie’s Ibiza is to open its first ever UK standalone store in London’s Carnaby district next month. Spanning 814 square feet, the shop in Newburgh Street... View Article
  
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• Amazon says keeping up with holiday shopping demand will be ‘tight’

  30-10-2020 00:09
  Ecommerce giant details rising costs as record-breaking streak continues
  
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