Retail news

• 5 minutes with Steven Montgomery, UK Managing Director, Somfy

  25-11-2020 18:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Tell me a bit about the Somfy story.
  We recently celebrated our 50th birthday. Somfy was started in Cluses, France in 1969. It’s great to work in a business with true heritage as Somfy drew from the skills from the Swiss watch making industry in the region. Using these skills, Somfy launched their first tubular motor and soon after at the end of 1969 expended into Sweden starting the journey to the global company we see today.
  What gap in the UK retail market does Somfy strive to address?
  
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• Retailers “encouraged” by Spending Review despite no further business rates relief

  25-11-2020 16:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // BRC “encouraged” by Chancellor’s Spending Review
  // Gov’t is considering options for further business rates relief for retailers affected by Covid-19, although no further details provided
  // No reversing decision to end tax-free shopping for international visitors to the UK, eitherRetail leaders have said they are “encouraged” by the UK Government’s Spending Review, which revealed it was considering options for further business rates relief for retail
  
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• Retailers “encouraged” by Chancellor’s Spending Review

  25-11-2020 16:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // BRC “encouraged” by Chancellor’s Spending Review
  // Gov’t is considering options for further business rates relief for retailers affected by Covid-19, although no further details provided
  // No reversing decision to end tax-free shopping for international visitors to the UK, eitherRetail leaders have said they are “encouraged” by the UK Government’s Spending Review, which revealed it was considering options for further business rates relief for retail
  
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• B&Q owner buys home improvement services app for €10m amid major digital push

  25-11-2020 14:27 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  B&Q’s owner Kingfisher has bought tradesperson services marketplace NeedHelp for €10 million (£8.9 million) as it seeks to cash in on the home improvement lockdown boom.
  Kingfisher, which also owns Screwfix, acquired an 80 per cent stake in the French digital marketplace and says it now plans to launch the service in the UK.
  NeedHelp, founded in 2014, connects tradespeople and home improvement experts to homeowners looking for help renovating their homes.
  It already provides
  
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• Ted Baker, Hobbs, Whistles, Jigsaw & other retailers join #SaveShops initiative

  25-11-2020 14:14 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // 16 fashion retailers including Ted Baker, Hobbs, Whistles & Jigsaw join the new #SaveShops movement
  // #SaveShops encourages people to “buy British products from British brands” to help protect retail jobs & the high streetSeveral fashion retailers have joined the new #SaveShops movement, which aims to safeguard jobs and increase awareness of safe ways to shop amidst the second wave of the pandemic in the run-up to Christmas.
  The #SaveShops website promotes different multi
  
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• ScS names Steve Carson as new CEO amid positive quarterly results

  25-11-2020 13:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // ScS names Steve Carson as group CEO, to replace David Knight when he retires July next year
  // Carson most recently worked as group MD of Holland & Barrett and also held senior roles at Home Retail Group
  // Like-for-like sales increased by 15% between July 26-Nov 1, but second lockdowns saw a 65% drop in early NovScS has revealed that former Holland & Barret boss Steve Carson will become its new group chief executive next year, as it reports quarterly trading in line with expectations
  
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• Letter from Seoul: Alibaba’s big disconnect

  25-11-2020 13:09
  Beijing’s regulatory overhaul imperils ecommerce group’s top position in the local online shopping space
  
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• Amazon is partnering with the US government to tackle counterfeiters on its marketplace

  25-11-2020 12:21 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Amazon is partnering with the US government’s counterfeit watchdog as it ramps up efforts to tackle the prevalence of fake goods on its platform.
  The retailer has partnered with the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Centre, a task force set up by the Department of Homeland Security to “analyse data and conduct targeted inspections aimed at preventing counterfeit products from entering the US”.
  It is understood that the initiative, dubbed “Operation Fulfil
  
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• Businesses welcome Northern Ireland’s retail voucher scheme

  25-11-2020 12:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Retail vouchers worth £75-£100 to be handed to every adult in Northern Ireland to be spent by the end of March
  // They must only be used in bricks-and-mortar premises, such as retailers and restaurants
  // Northern Ireland business owners have welcomed the schemeBusiness owners have welcomed a voucher scheme that could see every adult in Northern Ireland being handed a retail voucher of up to £100 to spend in the local economy.
  Under an initiative inspired by a similar scheme
  
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• Patisserie Valerie announces new Sainsbury’s partnership in 250 stores

  25-11-2020 09:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Patisserie Valerie to retail 14 of its best-selling cakes and pastries in Sainsbury’s from next week
  // New partnership will rollout in 250 Sainsbury’s storesPatisserie Valerie will launch a range of cakes and patisseries in 250 Sainsbury’s stores as part of a new tie-up with the grocer, according to The Telegraph.
  The French-inspired chain headquartered in Birmingham will offer 14 of its best-selling cakes and patisseries in Sainsbury’s from next Wednesday.
  “Bot
  
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• AO World CEO hits out at retailers paying dividends after receiving taxpayer aid

  25-11-2020 08:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // AO World says retail execs “should go and ask their mum if she would be proud” on back of taxpayer-funded dividend payouts
  // Comments come as retailers that benefitted from lockdown measures face growing pressure to return tax support
  // B&M, Tesco and Sainsbury’s defend decisions to pay dividendsAO World chief executive John Roberts has criticised retailers paying out dividends on the back of rising sales during lockdown, after receiving millions of pounds in taxpayer
  
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• Abercrombie & Fitch to close Saville Row flagship

  25-11-2020 08:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Abercrombie & Fitch will close seven flagships by January 2021
  // US lifestyle brand will cut 10% from its retail space as it looks to reduce “dependence on tourist-driven locations”Abercrombie & Fitch will close its flagship London store by the end of January 2021, before its lease was set to expire, according to the Financial Times.
  The clothing chain said it will close seven of its global flagship stores in total, after a drop in visitors during the pandemic exacerbated
  
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• BRC and Which? call on Gov’t to protect access to cash

  25-11-2020 07:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Retail and consumer groups say cash needs to safeguarded
  // 2.2 million people entirely dependent on cash in the UK
  // “The government must urgently introduce its promised legislation to ensure consumers have local access to cash for as long as they need it,” says Which?A group of retail and consumer lobbyists are calling on the government to protect consumer access to cash.
  The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and UK consumer charity Which? has joined with the British Independent
  
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• Retailers face tough sell over data collection technology

  25-11-2020 05:00
  
  Monitoring customer behaviour can improve the in-store experience, but raises concerns about privacy
  
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• What are the biggest opportunities for ecommerce in 2021? 

  25-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  2020 has been a rollercoaster year for online retailers with unprecedented growth in online shopping leaving sellers racing to keep up with customer demand. Alongside supply... View Article
  
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• SCS trading in line with expectations as it appoints new CEO

  25-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Furniture retailer ScS has said its like-for-like order intake rose by 15% from 26 July to 1 November but declined by 65.2% in the three weeks... View Article
  
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• ScS says trading is in line with expectations as it appoints new CEO

  25-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Furniture retailer ScS has said its like-for-like order intake rose by 15% from 26 July to 1 November but declined by 65.2% in the three weeks... View Article
  
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• [Report] UK Golden Quarter Research – Making the most of this challenging year

  25-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Whilst 2020 has been a year quite unlike any other, one thing’s for certain – Christmas is coming, come what may! The annual survey from Aptos... View Article
  
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• MINISO makes regional debut in Cardiff

  25-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  MINISO, the Japanese-inspired lifestyle product retailer, has chosen Cardiff’s St David’s shopping destination as the location for its first store outside of London and its second... View Article
  
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• Kingfisher acquires home improvement services marketplace NeedHelp

  25-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  B&Q owner Kingfisher has acquired the French home improvement services marketplace NeedHelp for €10 million. Founded in 2014, NeedHelp connects customers with vetted tradespeople and provides its... View Article
  
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• Gretna Gateway Outlet Village welcomes The Fragrance Shop

  25-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Gretna Gateway Outlet Village has added perfume retailer The Fragrance Shop to its line-up. The boutique style shop will sell the retailer’s range of designer scents... View Article
  
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• Gap Inc appoints chief growth officer and CEO of Banana Republic

  25-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Gap Inc has appointed Asheesh Saksena to the newly created position of chief growth officer. Due to take up his new role in January, Saksena’s responsibilites... View Article
  
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• EXPERT VIEW: Ben Stirling, MD of Webloyalty comments on the Black Friday sales

  25-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Webloyalty’s market-leading reward platforms deliver customer value through a breadth of relevant rewards and shopping benefits while generating secondary revenue for businesses.  “Due to suppressed incomes... View Article
  
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• Creating confidence in safe customer feedback in the next normal

  25-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  People still want to give feedback – ensuring safe customer feedback with HappyOrNot® Smileys. Now, more than ever, it is critical to know how your customers... View Article
  
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• Creating confidence in safe customer feedback

  25-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  People still want to give feedback – ensuring safe customer feedback with HappyOrNot® Smileys. Now, more than ever, it is critical to know how your customers... View Article
  
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• Co-op extends robot home delivery service

  25-11-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Co-op is extending its use of autonomous home delivery robots to Northampton. The expansion will see the retailer serve around 5,000 households in the area with... View Article
  
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