Retail news

• Last-minute Christmas shoppers provide boost for UK retailers

  24-12-2024 19:45
  
  Christmas Eve footfall up 31% on last year across all retail destinations, after lacklustre start to seasonRetailers received a boost from a last-minute spree by shoppers on Christmas Eve, with an increase in footfall after a lacklustre festive season.Footfall was up by 31.1% across all UK retail destinations up until noon on Tuesday compared with Christmas Eve last year, although the date fell on a Sunday in 2023 and so suffered from shorter shopping hours. Continue reading...
  
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• Fortnum & Mason warn customers hampers may not arrive for Christmas

  24-12-2024 16:48 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Fortnum & Mason has warned customers that their festive hampers may not arrive in time for 25 December due to “staffing issues”.
  The luxury department store said it had put caps on orders of its Christmas hampers because of high demand, The Telegraph reported.
  The retailer, which launched a pop-up in Heathrow Terminal 4 earlier this month, has been the subject of complaints across X – formerly Twitter – with some shoppers claiming they had been placed on hold for over
  
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• Average Briton causes 23 times more CO2 on Christmas Day, study reveals

  24-12-2024 16:00
  
  Campaigners say consumption such as travel, gifts and food are destroying planet and the meaning of ChristmasWhether out of poverty or virtue, many of us spend much of the year reining in our appetites to save our pennies and our health. But at Christmas many of us put our worries aside and go wild in an orgy of lavish gifting, extensive travel and a gluttonous feeding frenzy.This carnival of consumption has a cost: not just to our wallets and our waistlines, but also to the climate. Continue re
  
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• B&Q acquires 3 Homebase stores in Ireland

  24-12-2024 13:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  B&Q is set to acquire three Homebase stores in the Republic of Ireland for £3.2m following the retailer’s collapse last month.
  The stores in Letterkenny, Navan and Waterford will join the DIY chain’s eight stores, and staff will be transferred across.
  B&Q said the deal will add a combined 9,300 sqm to its portfolio in Ireland and aims to convert the spaces to its banner by the end of next year. Related StoryThe Range to open first set of former Homebase stores next mont
  
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• Data: Last-minute shoppers drive footfall surge ahead of Christmas

  24-12-2024 12:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  December 23, the peak shopping day ahead of Christmas, has once again been fruitful for retailers across the UK.
  Data from MRI Software shows footfall across the UK surged 28.5% yesterday, led by a 45.5% rise in shopping centre footfall, alongside a 31.1% jump in retail parks.
  Footfall across UK high streets also enjoyed “strong” week-on-week growth, which was up 18.8%. Related StoryData: £1.13bn Christmas rush to hit UK high streets today23/12/2024 x 11:11 AMMRI marketing and
  
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• Asda owners enjoy £44m payout despite poor performance

  24-12-2024 12:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda’s private equity owner has enjoyed a £44m payout despite the supermarket chain’s ongoing struggles.
  Newly filed accounts for TDR Capital, which also owns pet retailer Jollyes, show its partners shared a profit pot of £43.9m in the year to March, £10m more than the £33.6m from the year prior.
  The highest earning partner received £2.9m, The Telegraph reported. Related StoryCan Asda veteran Allan Leighton return the supermarket to its former glory?26/1
  
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• Best of 2024: Wilko 2.0 – How The Range owner plans to revive the discount chain

  24-12-2024 08:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  It’s coming up to a year since The Range owner Chris Dawson snapped up the Wilko brand out of administration and set about restoring the value chain.
  The self-made billionaire had planned to keep the retailer online only but quickly shifted gears following a nationwide campaign for the brand to return to the high street.
  “I was amazed at the love for the Wilko brand…especially in the north, it was like a bloody national outcry.  I’m pleased to own it and I’m q
  
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• Ocado shoppers missing Christmas essentials after warehouse malfunction

  24-12-2024 08:24 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Hundreds of Ocado orders have been delivered to shoppers missing essential Christmas food items following a malfunction at one of the online supermarket’s Customer Fulfilment Centre’s (CFC).
  Some customers said their orders were missing chilled and frozen products, with others claiming to be without dozens of items, Mail Online reported.
  One X (formerly Twitter) user commented: “Well thanks very much @Ocado – due to deliver our Christmas order between 8 & 9 this eveni
  
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• Conversation with… Samantha Dyer, head of sustainability at B&Q

  24-12-2024 08:06 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Here we chat to Samantha Dyer, head of sustainability at B&Q, as part of our new ‘Conversations’ series. Sam leads initiatives that drive positive change and... View Article
  
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• In pictures: The 12 best store openings of 2024

  24-12-2024 08:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  2024 saw a surge in retailers investing in stores as they continue to defy ‘death of the high street’ talk.
  Retail Gazette rounds up the best new store openings of the year that have created a real buzz on the high street.
  M&S, Battersea in LondonAt the start of the month, M&S opened the doors to its first clothing-only store inside London’s Battersea Power Station.
  The 8,400sq ft shop stocks the retailer’s womenswear and menswear ranges, including dedic
  
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• Best of 2024: Gymshark’s Ben Francis – ‘I want to be a globally iconic brand’

  24-12-2024 07:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Since launching in 2012, Gymshark has captured the hearts, minds and wallets of fitness obsessed consumers across the globe with its practical products and community-centric approach.
  As the gymwear giant prepares to open its second store in Westfield Stratford this weekend, CEO Ben Francis speaks to Retail Gazette on his expansion plans as he looks to make Gymshark “a globally iconic brand”.
  Learnings from its first store
  Gymshark first entered the world of bricks and mortar back in
  
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• Oak Furnitureland to open new North Shields showroom on Boxing Day

  24-12-2024 07:13 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Oak Furnitureland is to open a new showroom in North Shields later this week as part of plans to drive growth and expand its showroom portfolio.... View Article
  
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• Desert Island Stores: Paul Wilkinson of Deliveroo

  24-12-2024 07:13 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Paul Wilkinson is product director of grocery/retail partners at Deliveroo – where he is playing a major role in the fast-growing grocery and non-food delivery division... View Article
  
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