Retail news

• Adidas earmarks underperforming Reebok for potential sale

  14-12-2020 19:46
  German group assessing options for US brand acquired in $3.8bn deal to take on Nike
  
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• COMMENT: Covid didn’t cause a “shift” to online retail, it just accelerated it

  14-12-2020 18:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The biggest retail story of 2020 – and indeed for every individual and every business worldwide – is Covid-19. We were all expecting it to be Brexit when we began the year but there is absolutely no doubt that the pandemic and the response to it has had a dramatic effect on retail.
  The impact for us, as a pure-play online retailer, has been one of accelerated growth. It was something that was happening anyway but the national lockdown in the spring led to a channel shift into e
  
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• Frasers Group to open brand new multi-brand fascia in Birmingham city centre

  14-12-2020 17:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Frasers Group have signed a new 60,000sq ft site in Birmingham city centre
  // The brand-new store will be one of the latest “multi-brand” retail destinations for the firm
  // The new store will house Frasers Group’s Sports Direct, USC, Evans Cycles and Game fasciasFrasers Group has unveiled plans to open a 60,000sq ft multi-brand flagship store in Birmingham city centre, as part of a strategy that will see key strategic flagship stores open around the UK.
  Slated to open on Ne
  
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• Asda bolsters security in stores ahead of peak Christmas shopping

  14-12-2020 17:24 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Asda deploying extra security on the doors of all its 421 large stores between December 19-24
  // It said its Qudini virtual queuing app was also now available across its storesAsda has said it will boost security measures across its stores ahead of a rush of shoppers before Christmas.
  The Big 4 giant said it would be deploying extra security on the doors of all its 421 large superstores between December 19 and December 24.
  It said the additional safety measures would be in place to “pro
  
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• Weekly footfall up almost 20% in first weekend of all of UK out of lockdown

  14-12-2020 15:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Footfall  up 19.5% week-on-week as all of the UK enjoyed its first weekend since Oct lockdown-free
  // However, compared to last year, footfall was still 29.9% lower, Springboard saysShoppers returned to cities and shopping centres in large numbers as customers as the UK enjoyed its first weekend since mid-October when retailers in all four countries no longer had to be in lockdown.
  According to data from retail monitoring firm Springboard, overall footfall across the UK increased 19.5 pe
  
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• Brexit could cut volume of goods shipped to Ireland by retailers, hauliers warn

  14-12-2020 13:28 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Road Haulage Association warns that retailers could cut back on shipping to Ireland if checks created by Brexit cause delays
  // It said Scottish producers may struggle to get time-sensitive goods to mainland Europe quickly enoughLarge retailers could cut back on shipping to Ireland if checks created by Brexit cause delays, hauliers have warned.
  Martin Reid, the Road Haulage Association’s (RHA) director for Scotland and Northern Ireland, said it was “crazy” that industries ar
  
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• Amazon’s Zoox unveils fully autonomous “robotaxi” set to rival Uber

  14-12-2020 13:12 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Amazon’s has officially revealed its autonomous electric robotaxi in a move it hopes will “reimagine transportation”.
  Zoox, the self-driving startup which Amazon purchased for $1.2 billion in June, has unveiled its flagship robotaxi capable of carrying up to four people and reach top speeds of 75 miles per hour.
  According to Bloomberg, the fully autonomous passenger vehicle features two motors at each end enabling it to travel in either direction, and two battery packs und
  
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• Walmart received £1.1bn Asda dividend weeks before the first lockdown

  14-12-2020 13:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Walmart paid itself a £1.15bn dividend from Asda back in early March
  // The pay-out was confirmed in the Big 4 grocer’s filed accounts for the 2019 financial year
  // Pay-out also came just a week after Walmart confirmed that it was in talks to sell a majority stake in AsdaAsda has said that former owner Walmart paid itself a £1.15 billion dividend from the supermarket chain, just weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic forced the UK into the first lockdown over the spring.
  The pa
  
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• Huawei opens doors to first ever physical UK store dubbing it “hugely important market”

  14-12-2020 12:17 via huawei%20opens%20doors%20to%20first%20ever%20physical%20uk%20store%20dubbing%20it%20%E2%80%9Chugely%20important%20market%E2%80%9D
  Huawei has opened the doors to its first ever physical UK store in Westfield Stratford City which it says will “open up more jobs” and “help support the British economy.”
  The Chinese technology giant’s new store will sell everything from its flagship smartphones, to its “extensive range” of audio, wearable, PC and tablet products.
  According to Huawei, which has now been trading in the UK for 20 years, this is one of three stores it plans to open in the c
  
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• Made.com gives out share options to staff after “extremely strong” 2020 sales

  14-12-2020 09:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Made.com says share options are a way of saying ‘thank you’ to colleagues
  // Design-led furniture retailer saw record-breaking Black Friday sales
  // Made.com is on track for eleventh year of consecutive sales growthOnline furniture retailer Made.com is handing out share options worth more than £10,000 to all of its staff after a windfall year for the company.
  Made chief executive Philippe Chainieux on Monday said sales in 2020 had been “extremely strong”, with th
  
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• Associated British Foods joins line-up of Arcadia suitors

  14-12-2020 09:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Associated British Foods reportedly considering Arcadia bid
  // Deloitte administrators set to receive firm offers for Sir Philip Green’s retail empire by end of this weekPrimark owner Associated British Foods (ABF) is reportedly considering a bid for a number of Arcadia’s brands, according to the Sunday Times.
  ABF is believed to be looking over an offer for a portion of Sir Philip Greens’ retail empire, joining a long line of potential suitors that includes Mike Ashley&rsquo
  
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• Fortnum & Mason hampers running out: “demand this year has been unlike any other”

  14-12-2020 09:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Fortnum & Mason hampers almost completely sold out
  // CEO says “demand this year has been unlike any other”
  // Only hampers at the top end of luxury retailer’s range remain on saleFortnum & Mason hampers may sell out before Christmas after receiving unprecedented demand for shoppers sending presents to loved ones they cannot see this festive period due to coronavirus restrictions.
  The luxury retailer is well-known for selling an extensive range of hampers filled with
  
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• BRC urges shoppers not to stockpile food ahead of Brexit deadline

  14-12-2020 08:42 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // UK and EU issue joint statement of extension to post-Brexit trade deal talks
  // Ministers reportedly told supermarkets to stockpile food
  // BRC says “there is no need for the public to buy more food than usual as the main impact will be on imported fresh produce”The British Retail Consortium on Sunday said ongoing uncertainty over the UK’s trade deal with the EU was making it harder for firms to prepare for the coming months.
  The comment came after the UK and the EU agr
  
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• Made gives staff share options windfall after lockdown boosts sales

  14-12-2020 08:01
  
  Online furniture seller says strong trading only possible because of its 650 workersThe online furniture retailer Made is giving share options worth more than £10,000 to all its staff after the company benefited from new shopping habits forged during the lockdown.Coronavirus restrictions, coupled with the shift to working from home, proved the catalyst for a boom in home furnishings sales, with consumer cash usually spent on foreign holidays and socialising funnelled instead into interior
  
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• Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield appoints leasing director for UK & Italy

  14-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield has appointed Kate Orwin to the role of leasing director for the UK & Italy. In her new position, she will be responsible for leasing... View Article
  
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• Sustainable Shopping Trends Report

  14-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  How tech can facilitate conscious consumerism….Consumer behaviour is changing as the impact of climate change and consumerism rise up the agenda. If retail is to remain... View Article
  
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• Next joins line-up at Icon Outlet at The O2

  14-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Next has opened a new store in London’s Greenwich at Icon Outlet at The O2. Covering 4,700 square feet, the shop is situated on the lower... View Article
  
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• Made shares lockdown success with staff

  14-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Made.com is to give all its staff a stake in the business in recognition of their commitment during the coronavirus pandemic. The furniture retailer has also... View Article
  
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• Central England Co-op trials refill station at Lichfield store

  14-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Central England Co-op is trialling a new concept that allows customers to fill their own containers with food as part of plans to improve the customer... View Article
  
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• AO opens outlet store in Bolton

  14-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Online electricals retailer AO has opened a new outlet store in Bolton. Known as Elek Direct, the 2,600 square foot shop stocks appliances from AO.com at... View Article
  
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