Retail news

• Asda paid £1bn dividend to Walmart 7 months before sale announced

  11-12-2020 19:55
  Parent company is selling its majority stake in deal that values UK chain at £6.8bn
  
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• The best Christmas window & light displays this year

  11-12-2020 17:48 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Selfridges
  This year in traditional Selfridges style, the department store has pulled out all the stops, unveiling its earth-conscious festive windows centred around Christmas trees.
  The pandemic may have prevented us from travelling as freely as we normally would, so the luxury department store made their festive spectacle virtual – allowing customers to enjoy the window display from the comfort of their own home.
  In the spirit of the department store’s long-standing commitment to
  
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• Scots could receive shopping vouchers to boost embattled retail sector

  11-12-2020 17:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Scottish Government considering shopping vouchers for Scots to help struggling retail sector
  // Northern Ireland is due to roll out a voucher scheme early in the new year
  // It comes as much of Scotland exits lockdown todayThe Scottish Government is mulling the idea of handing out shopping vouchers to Scots in a scheme to help the country’s struggling retail sector.
  First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the initiative was something it is “considering”.
  It comes after non-essen
  
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• Retail Gazette Loves: John Lewis teaming up with Charlotte Tilbury to break a Guinness World Record

  11-12-2020 16:58 via retailgazette.co.uk
  On Thursday evening, John Lewis and Charlotte Tilbury broke the Guinness World Record title for the UK’s largest ever beauty masterclass, with 10,000 people taking part.
  The online event was attended by the department store’s My John Lewis loyalty scheme members, and co-hosting it alongside Tilbury was beauty expert Sarah Jossel.
  Having worked with some of the most famous faces in the world, Tilbury shared her A-list beauty secrets and created one of her iconic beauty looks step-by-
  
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• Bravissimo promotes MD Leanne Cahill to CEO

  11-12-2020 14:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Bravissimo appoints MD Leanne Cahill to the role of CEO
  // She replaces founder Sarah Tremellen, who will remain as chairBravissimo has promoted managing director Leanne Cahill to the role of chief executive.
  She will replace founder Sarah Tremellen.
  Tremellen, who started the lingerie retailer in 1995, will remain with the business as chair and founder.
  Cahill joined Bravissimo in October 2017 as finance director.
  She was promoted to managing director in September 2018.
  Prior to Bravissimo,
  
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• Westfield hires Kate Orwin as new UK leasing director

  11-12-2020 14:11 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Unibail-Radamco-Westfield bolsters leasing team with appointment of Kate Orwin as new UK & Italy leasing director
  // She joins from Hammerson where she was leasing at its UK flagship centresw
  // She will replace Keith Mabbett, who will take on a new role of senior adviser – business developmentUnibail-Rodamco-Westfield has appointed Kate Orwin to to the role of UK and Italy leasing director.
  Effective from February 26, Orwin joins from shopping centre rival Hammerson, where she was
  
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• Chess sets, face masks and Animal Crossing were this year’s most popular items according to Ebay

  11-12-2020 13:56 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Ebay says chess sets, face masks and Animal Crossing were the most popular items sold on its platform throughout 2020.
  The online retail marketplace has released its annual Shopping Barometer Report, revealing an unusual blend of trending items in an “unpredictable year”.
  Chess sets were the unlikely best seller this year, driven both by the recent runaway success of The Queen’s Gambit and a sharp rise in the popularity of physical board games during lockdow
  
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• Non-essential retail reopens as Northern Ireland & parts of Scotland exit lockdown

  11-12-2020 12:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Non-essential retail in Northern Ireland reopens as the country exits lockdown today
  // Northern Ireland had been in a two-week circuit breaker lockdown
  // The 3-week lockdown in 11 council areas across Scotland also ends todayShoppers are being urged to adhere to government guidance as non-essential retail reopens across Northern Ireland and 11 council areas in Scotland.
  Non-essential shops across Northern Ireland have reopened their doors following a two-week circuit-breaker, while the 11 c
  
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• Ocado begins stockpiling long-life products as no-deal Brexit becomes “strong possibility”

  11-12-2020 11:30 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Ocado has become the latest UK supermarket to begin stockpiling long-life products as a no-deal Brexit becomes increasingly likely.
  The online grocery giant’s chief executive Tim Steiner warned that “you can’t store fresh food because it is fresh”, as he confirmed that his company had begun stockpiling a number of lines.
  Despite efforts to sure up reserves in preparation for a no-deal scenario, Steiner warned that Ocado would need four times the amount of warehouse space
  
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• Heathrow Terminal 4 will remain closed until end of 2021

  11-12-2020 09:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  //  Heathrow T4 will remain shut to visitors for another year
  // Passenger volumes down 88% year-on-year
  // CEO says end of tax-free shopping could be “final nail in the coffin” for businessesLondon Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 will remain closed to travellers until the end of 2021, as Heathrow’s chief executive warns the end of tax-free shopping could be “the final nail in the coffin for struggling businesses”.
  Heathrow passenger volumes fell by 88 per cent yea
  
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• Heathrow could lose 2,000 retail jobs because of 'tourist tax'

  11-12-2020 09:50
  
  UK government’s decision not to offer tax-free shopping to international visitors criticisedHeathrow could lose 2,000 retail jobs because of the government’s decision not to offer tax-free shopping for tourists, according to the airport’s chief executive.John Holland-Kaye said the move, which will make the UK the only country in Europe to have a “tourist tax” on international visitors, could be the “final nail in the coffin” for many struggling businesse
  
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• French Connection confirms $6.5m funding for US business

  11-12-2020 09:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // French Connection receives $6.5m loan for US business
  // Fashion retailer notes “encouraging” trade across stores in England and Wales since being able to reopenFrench Connection on Friday announced its US business has secured USD 6.5 million (£4.9 million) in additional funding, noting that trade has been “encouraging” at its stores in England and Wales since reopening on Wednesday December 2.
  In a trading update this morning the UK-based fashion retailer said i
  
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• Arcadia administrators seeking bids of £200m for Topshop

  11-12-2020 09:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Sources say administrators overseeing the sale of Topshop will look for a deal up to £200m
  // Frasers Group and Boohoo could be potential bidders for the fashion retailerAdministrators at Deloitte are looking for bids of up to £200 million for Topshop, according to the Guardian.
  Deloitte is expecting to see initial bids for the fashion retailer filed by the end of next week, with several sources cited by the Guardian saying administrators would look for as much as £200 milli
  
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• BRC warns that supermarkets and customers will face ‘£3bn bombshell’ if Brexit talks fail

  11-12-2020 08:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // If no-deal Brexit goes ahead, BRC says 85% of food imported from the EU will face tariffs
  // Comments come as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday there is a “strong possibility” of a no trade deal with the EU
  // Supermarkets would face “£3bn tariff bombshell” according to BRCThe British Retail Consortium (BRC) on Friday warned supermarkets and their customers will face over £3 billion in tariffs if the UK leaves the EU without a trade deal.
  Last n
  
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• UK leisure sector chill takes bite out of private lenders

  11-12-2020 06:00
  Struggling retailers and restaurants had turned to debt funds and Covid fallout has meant pain for both sides
  
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• UK high street insolvencies ricochet to direct lenders

  11-12-2020 06:00
  Specialists in private company loans face losses as months of pandemic restrictions take toll on already-struggling sector
  
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• Waitrose expects to have its biggest ever Christmas for rosé wine

  11-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Waitrose is expecting to have its biggest ever Christmas for rosé wine with sales set to outperform all previous years by at least 50%. The supermarket has... View Article
  
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• Steve Madden announces chief financial officer transition

  11-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Footwear brand Steve Madden has promoted Zine Mazouzi to the role of chief financial officer. Currently chief accounting officer and senior vice president of finance and... View Article
  
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• Sainsbury’s creates 12,000 seasonal roles

  11-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Sainsbury’s is creating 12,000 seasonal roles to help fufil online grocery orders in the run-up to Christmas. With the number of recruits being almost double that... View Article
  
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• Pure Electric unveils mainland Europe expansion plans

  11-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  E-mobility specialist Pure Electric is to branch out into mainland Europe by opening new shops in Paris and Madrid. The store on Paris’s Boulevard de Sebastopol... View Article
  
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• French Connection gives update on trading and new US funding

  11-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  French Connection has said trading has been “encouraging” in England and Wales since stores reopened on 2 December. The fashion retailer had previously reported that trading... View Article
  
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• Frasers Group half year profits up 17.6%

  11-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Sports Direct owner Frasers Group has seen its half year pre-tax profit rise by 17.6% to £106.1 million. The uplift was largely driven by strong trading... View Article
  
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• Frasers Group half year profits rise

  11-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Sports Direct owner Frasers Group has seen its half year pre-tax profit rise by 17.6% to £106.1 million. The uplift was largely driven by strong trading... View Article
  
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• Central England Co-op outlines plan to minimise impact of Brexit

  11-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Central England Co-op has confirmed it is taking significant steps to help minimise the impact of Brexit on its customers. In a statement, the retailer said... View Article
  
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• Case Study – Rossmann: Successful Supply Chain & Coronavirus Crisis Management

  11-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Dirk Rossmann GmbH is Germany’s second-largest drugstore chain and operates over 4,000 stores in eight countries. Measured by turnover, the company ranks among Germany’s ten most... View Article
  
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• [ WHITEPAPER ] The New Retail Journey Revealed

  11-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Across Europe the retail landscape has been reshaped as a result of COVID-19, to understand these changes we asked people who are best placed to answer... View Article
  
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