Retail news

• Struggling landlords need a champion, not Wetherspoons chairman

  11-11-2020 18:49
  Tim Martin grapples with the government; Homebase owner looks to sell amid pandemic DIY boom
  
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• Can indie retailers in England survive the second lockdown?

  11-11-2020 18:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  England being in lockdown for the second time is a big deal.
  For starters, the country is home to around 85 per cent of the UK’s total population and the spending power that comes with that. With that in mind, the latest lockdown is set to have a huge impact on the most crucial, busiest quarter in the annual retail calendar – not just for England, but for the whole of the UK.
  It’s no secret by now that the Covid-19 pandemic has hammered the UK’s retail industry, forced a
  
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• Sainsbury’s scraps Burpham store expansion into woodlands after Brian May campaign

  11-11-2020 14:48 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Sainsbury’s scraps plans to expand Burpham, Surrey, store after campaign led by Save Me Trust
  // Save Me Trust, co-founded by Queen guitarist Brian May, says the plans threatened local hedgehog populationSainsbury’s has scrapped plans to extend one of its stores into an area of natural woodland following a campaign led by Queen guitarist Brian May.
  May said the development in Burpham, Surrey, threatened the “very existence” of the local hedgehog population.
  Under the p
  
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• Wetherspoons chairman hits out at ‘baffling’ Covid restrictions

  11-11-2020 13:41
  Pub chain warns its costs will be £11m a month higher during second lockdown
  
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• Alibaba: trust issues

  11-11-2020 13:19
  Investors would do well to heed the growling from tech watchdogs
  
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• Selfridges names Andrew Keith as new managing director

  11-11-2020 13:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Selfridges names Andrew Keith as new MD for its UK business
  // He takes over from Simon Forster, who left in February
  // Selfridges Group MD Anne Pitcher has been taking care of the role on an interim basisSelfridges has announced the appointment of Andrew Keith as its new managing director, replacing Simon Forster who resigned just weeks before the pandemic gripped the UK.
  Keith will join the luxury department store February next year, and will be responsible for steering the Selfridges stor
  
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• M&S expands cashierless shopping to all 573 stores as it continues digital push

  11-11-2020 13:01 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Marks & Spencer customers will soon be able to shop checkout-free at any of its stores as the retailer continues its digital push.
  M&S is expanding its “Mobile Pay Go” shopping app across its entire store estate, meaning shoppers across the UK can shop without ever having to visit a physical till.The retailer’s Mobile Pay Go service, which is housed alongside its new virtual Sparks loyalty scheme in the M&S app, allows shoppers to scan items with their smartphone as
  
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• Xbox Series X customers fuming after Amazon says pre-orders may not arrive before Christmas

  11-11-2020 12:26 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Amazon UK customers may not receive their pre-ordered Xbox Series X consoles before Christmas, despite it being officially released yesterday.
  Angry customers have taken to social media to slam Amazon after receiving emails the night before Microsoft’s new next-gen console was due to launch informing them their orders will be delayed until an unknown date in “the coming weeks”
  Numerous customers who had pre-ordered an Xbox Series X console from Amazon, some as early as Septembe
  
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• Supermarket bosses urge MPs to extend pre-Christmas Sunday trading hours

  11-11-2020 09:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Supermarket bosses launch fresh lobbying drive to extend Sunday trading hours
  // The bosses have warned ministers that the Christmas shopping rush could put customers’ safety at risk during the Covid-19 pandemicSupermarket executives have reportedly launched a fresh lobbying drive to extend Sunday trading hours ahead of a Christmas shopping rush.
  The bosses have warned ministers that the Christmas shopping rush could put customers’ safety at risk during the Covid-19 pand
  
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• Aldi commits to paying UK workers 10% bonus this Christmas

  11-11-2020 09:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Aldi to reward workers with 10% bonus this Christmas
  // 35,000 UK colleagues – both store and distribution workers – will receive the bonus as a “thank you” gestureAldi has announced that it will be handing its colleagues a 10 per cent bonus for November which will be paid in December ahead of Christmas.
  The retailer’s 35,000 UK colleagues – both store and distribution workers – will receive the bonus as a “thank you” for continuing to wor
  
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• Homebase begins search for new owner

  11-11-2020 09:23 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Homebase seeks new owners to invest £20m into the business
  // The retailer said there were “a large number of interested parties”
  // Homebase aims to secure new ownership by Easter next yearHomebase has reportedly announced that it is searching for new owners to invest £20m into the business as it enters the next stage of its transformation programme.
  The home and DIY retailer’s chief executive Damian McGloughlin said he is looking for new owners to invest in the
  
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• Poundland reveals full list of new stores to launch by Christmas

  11-11-2020 09:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Poundland to open 10 new stores across the UK, creating 280 new permanent jobs
  // Another 45 branches will follow over the next year as part of a £15m investment
  // News of the new stores comes as a Channel 4 TV documentary, “Inside Poundland: Secrets from the Shop Floor”Poundland is preparing to open 10 new stores across the UK despite widespread high street closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  The discount retailer said 280 new permanent jobs will be created in line with
  
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• Waitrose to shift focus on food counters after Sainsbury’s recent closures

  11-11-2020 08:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Waitrose announces plans to increase its focus on food service counters
  // It will relaunch its fish and meat counter ranges online at the beginning of next year
  // Waitrose said it wanted to “reassure” suppliers and customers about its fresh food countersWaitrose is set to increase its focus on food service counters just days after Big 4 grocer Sainsbury’s closed its equivalent meat, fish and deli areas.
  The upmarket grocer will relaunch its fish and meat counter ranges onl
  
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• Hilco puts Homebase up for sale

  11-11-2020 01:01
  Turnround group that bought home improvement chain for £1 in 2018 looks to benefit from DIY uplift
  
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• What Is Machine Learning and how is it used in Retail Demand Forecasting?

  11-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Nearly everyone takes advantage of some form of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in their daily lives—for example, media applications that predict, based on learned... View Article
  
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• Waitrose launches Virtual Food and Drink Festival

  11-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Waitrose is launching its first ever Virtual Food and Drink Festival. Running from 12 to 15 November, the event will give customers the chance to take part... View Article
  
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• VF Corporation to acquire Supreme

  11-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  VF Corporation, the owner of  The North Face, Vans and Timberland, is to acquire the Supreme streetwear brand from current investors The Carlyle Group and Goode... View Article
  
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• Travis Perkins appoints chief information and technology officer

  11-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Wickes owner Travis Perkins has appointed Phil Tenney as its new chief information and technology officer. Due to join the business in early 2021, he will... View Article
  
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• Selfridges hires Andrew Keith as managing director

  11-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Selfridges department store has appointed Andrew Keith as its new managing director. He will take up his position in February 2021. Keith has been working... View Article
  
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• Q&A: Robert Doherty-Bigara, Head of Business Development, Softworks UK

  11-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Can you tell us a bit about your background? I’ve been a “Softy” (a Softworks employee) for over 6 years. After a career in the British... View Article
  
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• New Look completes recapitilisation transaction

  11-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New Look has announced that it has completed a significant recapitalisation of its finances. The fashion retailer said the move will give it the financial strength,... View Article
  
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• Central England Co-op trials new grocery delivery service

  11-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Central England Co-op is piloting a new service where customers can have their groceries delivered to their door at a time of their choosing. Working with... View Article
  
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• Boots launches Christmas campaign

  11-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Boots has launched a new Christmas campaign called ‘What the World Needs Now’. The campaign message focuses on how the world needs acts of kindness in... View Article
  
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• Aldi to pay store and distribution staff a 10% Christmas bonus

  11-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Aldi is to pay its store and distribution staff a bonus as a thank you for working to keep the nation fed during the coronavirus pandemic.... View Article
  
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