Retail news

• Retail job losses rise as virus shifts UK shoppers online

  15-12-2020 18:49 via ft.com
  Up to 250,000 roles could disappear as sector drives record fall in employment
  
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• Retail job losses rise as virus shifts shopping online

  15-12-2020 18:49 via ft.com
  Up to 250,000 roles could disappear as sector drives record fall in employment
  
  Read more

• Tripping the Christmas light fantastic

  15-12-2020 18:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Behind a gold door on a dilapidated south London industrial estate, sits a magical year-round Christmas workshop creating the UK’s most beloved high street and shopping centre festive decorations.
  For the last two decades, James Glancy Design (JGD) in London’s Bermondsey has added the sparkle and light to Regent Street, Carnaby Street and Seven Dials, as well as Meadowhall in Sheffield, St David’s Centre in Cardiff, Festival Place in Basingstoke, Bluewater in Kent, Leeds City
  
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• Aldi to expand click-and-collect to over 200 stores by Christmas

  15-12-2020 17:16 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Aldi to expand click-and-collect grocery service to over 200 stores
  // The initiative presents an opportunity to offer a service in high demand across the UK
  // Customers will be able to access Aldi’s full grocery range contact-freeAldi will expand its click-and-collect grocery service in an effort to make it available to more than 200 stores across the UK in the run-up to Christmas.
  The discount grocer signed an agreement with mdf commerce for its omnichannel commerce solution Orc
  
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• H&M/Inditex: still standing

  15-12-2020 15:04 via ft.com
  The stalwarts of fast fashion are surviving, but are not infallible
  
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• Top eCommerce trends & how to keep up

  15-12-2020 15:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Ride the Tsunami of ecommerce change
  ECommerce is changing, rapidly. So how do you keep up?
  Understand the top trends affecting eCommerce and retailers today, and what you can do about it to stay ahead of the competition.
  From dealing with the continued proliferation of mobile and social media shopping to the rise in shoppers moving away from brick-and-mortar stores, only exasperated by Covid-19, hear from Amplience, a leading headless content and commerce platform trusted by over 350 of the wor
  
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• Free Checklist for Retailers: 5 ways to Future-Proof with Digital Innovations

  15-12-2020 15:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Download your step-by-step checklist and set the foundation for retail success in today’s volatile market
  Get the checklist
  Managing multiple product lines and suppliers, rapidly adapting assortments, creating and sourcing products, safeguarding product margins through pandemic times… all of this is impossible to manage efficiently on spreadsheets and emails alone.
  These time-consuming processes and a complete lack of visibility can slow you down and set your retail business o
  
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• Ecommerce in a Mobile-First World

  15-12-2020 15:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Today, nearly half of all ecommerce sales are made on mobile devices and global ecommerce sales are set to pass $4.2 trillion by the end of the year. There has never been a more important time to ensure that your ecommerce strategy is mobile-centric.
  Download the Vibes Guide to Mobile Marketing for Ecommerce to learn how to start leveraging mobile marketing in your ecommerce strategies today. In this guide you’ll learn:• Measurable ways to get the most value out of mobile for ecommerc
  
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• A must-read Gartner report for retail leaders

  15-12-2020 15:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  To stay competitive in retail’s new normal, retailers and brands must make technology innovation a top business priority. But don’t take our word for it—ask Gartner.
  The research company’s 2020 Magic Quadrant Report for Multienterprise Supply Chain Business Networks provides valuable information on how companies can leverage their supply chain to drive cost savings, organisational resilience, and potential B2B revenue opportunities.
  Read this report for a path to supply c
  
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• Amazon accused of failing to comply with COVID-19 investigation into worker safety

  15-12-2020 14:03 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Amazon is being forced by California’s attorney general to provide information as part of an investigation into its worker safety conditions during the pandemic.
  Xavier Becerra, who is in line to become US secretary of health and human services under Joe Biden, has accused the retailer of failing to comply with outstanding subpoenas for information.
  The subpoenas are part of a state investigation into Amazon’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic launched in August.
  Amazon has repor
  
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• Yoox Net-a-Porter welcomes new global operations director

  15-12-2020 12:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Yoox Net-a-Porter Group hires Mirko Nobili as global operations director
  // Mirko Nobili will help advance global operations for the group’s ecosystem of multi-brand and mono-brand storesYoox Net-a-Porter Group has hired Mirko Nobili as global operations director to drive customer experience as well as its long-term strategic international growth.
  The fashion retailer’s global omnistock logistics model has been implemented across 180 countries.
  Nobili will help advance global oper
  
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• Sony is refusing to issue PS4 players refunds for “unplayable” Cyberpunk 2077

  15-12-2020 12:22 via chargedretail.co.uk
  
  Sony is now refusing to issue PlayStation 4 players a refund for Cyberpunk 2077 , after refunding a number of customers due to controversial and “exceptionally poor” performance issues.
  Cyberpunk 2077, which has already become the second-best selling game of 2020 after being released on December 10, has received a major backlash from fans playing on base PS4 and Xbox One models.
  While bugs and glitches have plagued the game, which was delayed three times this year, across a
  
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• Shaftesbury swings to £699m full-year loss as Covid-19 pandemic hits valuations

  15-12-2020 12:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Shaftesbury posts £699m loss, compared to £26m profit last year
  // The Covid-19 pandemic & the restrictions that it prompted battered rental income & property values
  // Shaftesbury said £698.5m was wiped off the value of its estate, taking its value down 18.3% to £3.1bn by SeptemberShaftesbury has plummeted to a full-year loss of £699 million after the Covid-19 pandemic battered rental income and caused property values to plunge.
  Shares in the West End pr
  
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• To save the high street, first fix business rates

  15-12-2020 11:00 via ft.com
  The UK’s property-based tax is not fit for a post-pandemic world
  
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• Schuh secures £19m funding as it bolsters outlook in wake of Covid-19

  15-12-2020 10:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Schuh secures new £19 million finance facility with Lloyds Bank
  // The business secured the funding via the Treasury’s Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme
  // It will aim to bolster the firm’s long-term liquiditySchuh has secured a £19 million finance facility with Lloyds Bank as it seeks to bolster its outlook in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.
  The shoe retailer secured the funding via the Treasury’s Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan S
  
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• Zara owner Inditex narrows quarterly sales decline

  15-12-2020 10:11 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Inditex narrows Q3 sales drop to 14%, a major improvement on the fall of 31% in Q2 and 44% in Q1
  // Sales recovered to year-earlier levels in early October, before falling to 81% of pre-crisis levels in November amid the second wave
  // Inditex also reported net profits of €866m (£789m) for Q3, down from €1.17bn (£1.07bn) a year earlierInditex has said it was able rebound after the height of the Covid pandemic with strong recovery in its third quarter, but this held back
  
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• N Brown sets out detailed plan to raise £100m after shareholder offers

  15-12-2020 10:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // N Brown receives valid acceptances from shareholders under open offer entitlements in respect of 60,018,958 open offer shares
  // The retail group secured the support of shareholders in its bid to raise £100 million in November
  // It revealed a proposed placing and open offer through the issue of 174,666,053 new ordinary shares at an issue price of 57 pence eachN Brown has said it received valid acceptances from qualifying shareholders under their open offer entitlements in respect
  
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• Grocers to ration products due to fears over a no-deal Brexit

  15-12-2020 09:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // UK grocers poised to ration staple products amid fears that consumers will begin panic-buying
  // A no-deal Brexit could prompt customers to stockpile products
  // The first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic also triggered an increase in stockpilingSupermarkets across the UK are preparing to ration certain products after concerns increase over customers stockpiling again.
  UK grocers will seek to begin rationing products within 24 hours as fears grow that consumers will start panic buying if a no-de
  
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• Second wave batters H&M fourth-quarter sales

  15-12-2020 09:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // H&M posted 10% decline in 4th quarter sales due to second wave
  // Between Oct 22 O& Nov 30 alone, sales decreased by 22% year-on-year
  // Full year 2020 net sales came in at 187bn krona (£16.67bn), down from 232.7bn krona (£20.75bn) last yearH&M has posted a decline in quarterly sales as the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on its recovery.
  The world’s second-biggest fashion retailer said sales in the quarter fell to 52.5 billion krona (£4.
  
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• Zara-owner Inditex stages recovery in sales

  15-12-2020 09:34 via ft.com
  World’s biggest clothing retailer says third-quarter revenues are close to pre-pandemic levels
  
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• Fashion retailer Inditex stages recovery in sales

  15-12-2020 09:34 via ft.com
  Owner of Zara chain says third-quarter sales are close to pre-pandemic levels
  
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• JD Sports acquires US footwear retailer Shoe Palace for $325m

  15-12-2020 09:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // JD Sports takes over US-based shoe retailer Shoe Palace in a $325 million deal
  // Shoe Palace currently has 167 stores, the vast majority of which trade under the Shoe Palace banner in California
  // The acquisition complements JD Sports’ ongoing developments from its existing Finish Line and JD Sports fascias in the USJD Sports has added US footwear retailer Shoe Palace to its stable of retail brands after completing a takeover deal worth $325 million (£240 million).
  The UK sports
  
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• JD Sports makes $681m US acquisition

  15-12-2020 08:55 via ft.com
  Shoe Palace has 167 stores, mainly on the West Coast
  
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• JD Sports acquires US retailer Shoe Palace for $681m

  15-12-2020 08:55 via ft.com
  UK company seeks to bolster position in key US market
  
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• Currys website crash wipes out £250-worth of gift cards

  15-12-2020 08:00
  
  I was trying to buy Apple Watch SE on Black Friday and lost out on the chance to get oneI purchased Currys gift cards for £200 and £50 via the Perks at Work scheme to buy an Apple Watch SE. But after attempting to check out online, the website crashed.When I tried again, the £200 was showing as £0. Currysconfirmed there was an issue and that the gift card balance would be restored in between two and 48 hours. This was more than 72 hours ago and the balance is still £
  
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• More than half of UK's furloughed jobs at risk of automation – report

  15-12-2020 01:01
  
  Covid crisis is accelerating change, study by Fabian Society and Community findsMore than half of furloughed jobs in the UK are at the highest risk of automation as the Covid crisis accelerates workplace technology change, driving up redundancies and inequality across the country, according to a report.The two-year commission on workers and technology, chaired by the Labour MP Yvette Cooper, found that workers in sectors hit hardest by the pandemic – such as hospitality, leisure and retail
  
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• Yoox-Net-A-Porter Group hires global operations director

  15-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Yoox-Net-A-Porter Group has appointed Mirko Nobili as global operations director. In his new role, Nobili will be responsible for the online retail group’s proprietary hub-and-spoke omnistock... View Article
  
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• UK Flooring Direct appoints commercial director

  15-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Online flooring retailer UK Flooring Direct has promoted Elia Green to the position of commercial director as part of its  expansion plans. Green initially joined the... View Article
  
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• JD Sports acquires Shoe Palace

  15-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  JD Sports has announced that it has acquired US retail chain Shoe Palace for  €325 million. Based in California, Shoe Palace was established in 1993 by... View Article
  
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• Huawei opens first UK retail store

  15-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Huawei has opened its first retail store in the UK at London’s Westfield Stratford City shopping centre. The move comes as the company enters its 20th... View Article
  
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• Footfall grows in run-up to Christmas

  15-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New figures have shown that retail footfall across all UK retail destinations climbed by 19.5% last week from the previous seven day period. The data from... View Article
  
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• Aldi introduces cardboard packaging across steak range in Scotland

  15-12-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Aldi supermarket chain is rolling out cardboard packaging across its entire beef steak range in all 95 Scottish stores following a successful trial in Wales and the north west... View Article
  
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