Retail news

• John Lewis: would ending staff ownership help the retailer, and is its boss’s strategy failing?

  20-03-2023 19:28
  
  The chain’s mutual model was once hailed as a template, but now it needs cash amid hefty lossesCould breaking the staff-ownership model be the answer for the owner of John Lewis and Waitrose, which is considering bringing in outside investment of up to £2bn as a way to secure its future after reporting hefty losses?The John Lewis Partnership has been owned by its employees since the 1920s, meaning they receive an annual bonus based on profits in a set-up that motivated staff and help
  
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• Tell us: has the meaning of shopping at John Lewis changed for you over time?

  20-03-2023 18:17
  
  We’re keen to hear how consumers and staff feel about the John Lewis brand, what their stores mean to them and whether this has changedWe’re interested to hear about people’s relationships with John Lewis and the brand’s stores.The company that runs John Lewis department stores and supermarket Waitrose has said it would have to cut staff numbers and scrap bonuses this year, flagging an uncertain outlook as customers struggle with inflation. Continue reading...
  
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• Employee ownership is the heart and soul of John Lewis – losing that would destroy it | Gemma Goldfingle

  20-03-2023 17:55
  
  Yes, its customers could buy cheaper beans or bras elsewhere. But there’s an inherent trust tied up in its ownership structure which is now under threatThe John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has long been held up as an example of how business should be done. Back in the early 2010s, David Cameron and Nick Clegg’s coalition government used it as the poster child for “responsible capitalism”. In fact, Clegg, the then deputy prime minister, had a vision for a “John Lewis eco
  
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• IKEA now uses 100 drones for inventory operations

  20-03-2023 17:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // As part of IKEA’s technological expansion, Swedish retail giant has expanded its autonomous fleet to 100 drones across 16 locations in Belgium, Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
  // To find out more, visit Retail Gazette’s sister site, Charged Retail: click hereThe Netherlands-based IKEA franchising partner Ingka cooperated with a Zurich-based startup Verity to develop the technology. Verity has been providing IKEA franchises with its systems since
  
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• Morrisons fined £3.5m after employee dies at work

  20-03-2023 17:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // READ MORE ON GROCERY GAZETTEMorrisons has been fined £3.5 million after an epileptic employee died when he suffered a seizure and fell from a staircase in one of its stores.
  Matthew Gunn, 27, had serious head injuries after the fall at a Morrisons store in Gloucestershire in September 2014.
  Having previously denied three health and safety charges, the retailer was convicted by a jury at Gloucester Crown Court. The company then admitted a fourth charge prior to the trial&hellip
  
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• Amazon to cut 9,000 jobs thanks to ‘uncertain economic conditions’

  20-03-2023 17:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Amazon to cut another 9,000 jobs across the company
  // The redundancies follow the 18,000 job cuts the business announced in JanuaryAmazon will cut another 9,000 jobs across the company’s cloud services, advertising and Twitch units.
  The redundancies follow the 18,000 job cuts the business announced in January.
  Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said “uncertain economic conditions” were behind the decision.Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
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• John Lewis: mutual would not be knowingly overvalued

  20-03-2023 16:57
  Any external investor would have to be comfortable with big staff bonuses in good years and a form of worker democracy
  
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• Boux Avenue poaches Ted Baker exec as new marketing chief

  20-03-2023 14:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Boux Avenue hires Ted Baker’s digital officer Jason Beckley as marketing boss
  // Beckley was the chief customer, marketing and digital officer since last JanuaryBoux Avenue has poached Ted Baker’s digital officer Jason Beckley as its new chief marketing officer.
  Beckley will join the lingerie retailer from Ted Baker, where he has worked as chief customer, marketing and digital officer since last January.
  He has held marketing roles at a range of fashion retailers including Clarks,
  
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• Industry reacts to John Lewis’ ‘very worrying’ plans to dilute partnership model

  20-03-2023 12:48 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // John Lewis faces backlash from MPs and industry experts over its plans to dilute the 100% staff-owned model
  // Chair Sharon White is said to be exploring the possibility of selling a minority stake in the Partnership model to raise cashPlans to dilute John Lewis’ 100% staff-owned model has faced criticism from Labour shadow trade minister Gareth Thomas and fellow industry experts.
  Chairwoman Sharon White is understood to be exploring the possibility of selling a minority stake in t
  
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• Lidl expands ‘Good to Give’ trustmark to include hygiene products

  20-03-2023 12:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Lidl is expanding its ‘Good to Give’ trustmark to include hygiene products
  // The trustmark will be added to 10 essential sanitary and personal care itemsLidl’s ‘Good to Give’ trustmark will now include hygiene products as the grocer looks to tackle the rising levels of hygiene poverty across Great Britain.
  From today, shoppers will see the ‘Good to Give’ signage on price tickets for 10 essential sanitary and personal care items including nappies
  
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• Former John Lewis Birmingham store to be converted to ‘wellbeing-designed’ offices

  20-03-2023 11:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Hammerson receives planning consent to transform the former John Lewis store in Birmingham’s Grand Central shopping centre
  // The store will be transformed into 200,000sq ft of modern wellbeing-designed offices called ‘Drum’The former John Lewis store in Birmingham’s Grand Central shopping centre will be transformed into a “wellbeing-designed” office after Hammerson receives planning consent.
  The store was occupied by the department store chain an
  
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• Sainsbury’s saves 22 tonnes of plastic with new detergent packaging

  20-03-2023 11:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Sainsbury’s is to save 22 tonnes of plastic annually with new laundry liquid detergent packaging
  // It is the first UK supermarket to switch its own-brand detergent range to cardboard cartonsSainsbury’s has become the first UK supermarket to replace its laundry liquid detergent packaging with cardboard cartons, saving 22 tonnes of plastic annually.
  From this week, shoppers will be able to pick up the revised packaging which are 35% lighter than the original packagin
  
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• Home Bargains boss picked up over £20m in dividends last year despite profits falling

  20-03-2023 09:42 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // The family owners behind Home Bargains paid themselves a £20 million dividend last year despite profits falling by 26%
  // The Morris family sparked controversy last year when it refused to repay taxpayer support from the pandemicHome Bargains billionaire owner TJ Morris was handed over £20 million in dividends last year despite the retailer’s profits falling by 26%.
  The Liverpool-headquartered company posted profits of £290 million for 2022 from revenues of £
  
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• Iceland and Just Eat team up for rapid grocery delivery

  20-03-2023 09:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Iceland launches new partnership with Just Eat to expand its offering to rapid grocery delivery
  // Initially the partnership will launch in over 200 stores before being rolled out to “many more” sites throughout 2023Iceland has teamed up with Just Eat to expand its offering to include rapid delivery.
  Initially, the partnership will launch with over 200 of the frozen food specialist‘s stores by the end of April and with 5,000 products available to customers in cities like Lon
  
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• Morrisons fights back against Aldi as it slashes prices for the third time this year

  20-03-2023 08:58 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Morrisons reduces prices across another 490 products in a bid to rival big-4 grocer Aldi
  // The supermarket previously cut prices last month and in JanuaryMorrisons is slashing its prices for the third time in three months as it steps up efforts to lure shoppers back from rival grocer Aldi.
  The Telegraph reports that the supermarket is reducing prices on another 490 products, including fresh meat, baby essentials and freezer items, following previous price cuts last month and in January.
  Morr
  
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• Sweaty Betty CEO and COO to exit this summer following £300m takeover

  20-03-2023 08:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Sweaty Betty chief executive and chief operating officer are leaving the sportswear retailer
  // Both will step down from the business in the summer while the search for successors is currently underwaySweaty Betty chief executive Julia Straus and chief operating officer Mark Smith will be departing the business, Drapers reveals.
  Their departures come after the sportswear retailer was bought by US-based lifestyle footwear group Wolverine Worldwide for almost £300m in August 2021.
  Straus
  
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• M&S to add more high-street brands online as it looks to rival John Lewis and Next

  20-03-2023 08:24 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Marks & Spencer will be adding more names to its ‘Brands at M&S’ banner as it looks to rival Next and John Lewis
  // Last month the retailer poached Amazon exec Nishi Mahajan to mastermind the strategyMarks & Spencer is set to launch a major push to sell more high-street brands alongside its own clothes in a bid to entice shoppers away from high-street rivals Next and John Lewis.
  According to the Telegraph, the retailer is thought to be planning to increase the number o
  
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• LatAm retail group Femsa aims to crack Mexico’s unbanked ‘puzzle’

  20-03-2023 05:00
  Network of convenience stores an advantage in country where less than half of adults have a bank account
  
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• Tesco saving 24,000 tonnes of carbon emissions

  20-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Tesco has reached 600 stores with electric charging points – saving more than 24,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. Tesco’s Kirkwall superstore has become the 600th store... View Article
  
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• People in Retail Awards announce Graham Johnston as judge

  20-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The TRB team is delighted to announce that Graham Johnston, Retail & Distribution CEO for Donaldson Group has joined the People in Retail judging panel for... View Article
  
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• Morrisons announces new wave of price cuts

  20-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Morrisons is cutting the price of a further 490 products as it extends a previously announced commitment to have over 1,000 prices locked low for at... View Article
  
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• John Lewis explores change to staff ownership model

  20-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The John Lewis Partnership is considering diluting its employee ownership structure as it looks to inject new capital into its department store and supermarket chains. According... View Article
  
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• Interview: Graham Johnston on joining the judging panel

  20-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  We speak to Graham Johnston, CEO of specialist timber firm Donaldson Group about his appointment as judge for the People in Retail Awards 2023. Graham previously... View Article
  
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• Iceland teams up with Just Eat for rapid grocery delivery

  20-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Iceland has teamed up with food delivery app Just Eat to expand its offering to include instant delivery. The partnership will initially launch with more than... View Article
  
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• HMV to return to Woking’s Victoria Place

  20-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The HMV music and entertainment retailer is to return to Woking’s Victoria Place. This month, the retailer will be opening a 3,982 square foot store at... View Article
  
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• Don’t miss out on last few remaining free tickets for Omnichannel Futures

  20-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Retail Bulletin’s flagship Omnichannel Futures conference will be returning live in London this Wednesday. If you’re working in retail, don’t miss your chance to nab some... View Article
  
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• Clean up in aisle four: How to prevent your ecommerce picking capabilities from become a CX issue for in-store shoppers 

  20-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The growing popularity of online grocery is having unintended consequences in stores that have not been thought through, specifically the impact on customers of bad picking... View Article
  
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• Auctioneer John Pye to sell stock and assets of Moore Large

  20-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Auction house John Pye has been hired by administrators to sell the stock and assets of Moore Large. One of UK’s largest suppliers and distributors of... View Article
  
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• [ Survey Report ] Beauty, Grooming & Cosmetics Online Shopping Consumer Survey findings 2023

  20-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Customers increasingly shop online for health, beauty and grooming products in today’s digital world. That’s why Space 48 conducted an online survey to understand better what... View Article
  
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