Latest Retail Insight, News, Information & Articles from all top sources for the Internet.

High street bakery chain’s CEO said business would not be profitable if weak sales continue Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Greggs has announced plans to cut more than 800 jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The chief executive of the bakery chain said it “will not be profitable as a business” if sales stay at the levels seen during lockdown, as it was confirmed that 820 staff will be let go. Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3nru7PQ via IFTTT

Retailers blame surge in Christmas imports, Brexit preparations and vast backlog of NHS equipment at Felixstowe Retailers are warning a logjam at the country’s biggest container port could result in product shortages this Christmas, as it emerged 11,000 containers of government-procured PPE is clogging up Felixstowe. Congestion at Felixstowe is a problem for the whole country as the Suffolk port handles approximately 40% of all the containers coming into and out of the UK. Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Uqq0at via IFTTT

Covid edition of annual TV advert focuses on kindness rather than gift-giving Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage A hedgehog who hopes to fly, a group of hip-hop pigeons and lots of love hearts are the stars of this year’s pandemic edition of the John Lewis Christmas TV adverts. Over the past decade the retailer’s festive ad has become a big annual TV moment that kicks off the Christmas shopping season. Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2UnvaEk via IFTTT

Choice slaps down big retailer’s credit card practices, InvoCare’s funeral pricing, a ‘pathetic’ air purifier, and Coles and Bunnings floor cleaners An electronics retailer setting their customers up for “crippling debt”, a funeral provider hiding prices from grieving families, and cleaning products that perform worse than water are among brands Australian consumers are being urged to avoid. Choice magazine’s latest Shonky awards, which “uncover and call out practices from companies taking advantage of their customers”, warned against a “pathetic” air purifier that “barely” purifies any air, and a company targeting older Australians with a health survey that uses the data generated to sell them beds. Related: Trivago loses appeal after misleading Australian consumers over cheap hotel deals Related: Solomon Lew to get $24m in dividends after retail group given $70m in Covid subsidies Related: Want a bicycle by Christmas? 'If you leave it till December there will be no stock&

Pop promo looks from BTS, Beyonce and others are driving designer sales through increased screen time As fashion shows have ground to a halt due to international Covid restrictions, the catwalk has shifted on to a new platform: music videos. Last week, the rapper Drake released his clothing collaboration with Nike, but key items from the Certified Lover Boy collection, including a much-coveted quilted pink bomber jacket, were previewed in his Laugh Now Cry Later video. Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3paLgiw via IFTTT

Independent retailers predict a bleak future as pre-Christmas lockdown hits them harder than big rivals Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage “They have absolutely crucified us,” says Steve Holden, when asked what the month-long high street lockdown in England means for his family’s three Essex gift shops. “We have spent thousands of pounds on Christmas stock and it is crucial we sell it in November and December, which is our busiest time of year,” he said. “Without that money coming in we can’t get through January and February when the high street is dead.” Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/38jiTZD via IFTTT

Call for crackdown on firms such as Carpetright, The Range and Ryman for selling ‘non-essential’ goods Thousands of independent retailers have urged the government to crack down on major chains such as The Range , Carpetright and Ryman for continuing to trade during lockdown despite largely selling “non-essential” goods. Andrew Goodacre, the chief executive of Bira, a trade association representing 3,000 independent retailers, said his members were furious that large homewares and other non-food businesses were continuing to trade while small businesses were sticking to the rules. “They are using words like injustice, unfair and un-level playing field,” he said. New national restrictions are due to come into effect in England on Thursday, after MPs vote on them, and remain in place at least until 2 December. Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/36gQhgO via IFTTT

Chain to close all meat, fish and deli counters and move 150 Argos stores into supermarkets to slash costs Up to 3,500 jobs are at risk at Sainsbury’s as the supermarket closes more than 400 standalone Argos stores and cuts all meat, fish and deli counters. The supermarket said about 150 Argos stores would be moved into its supermarkets to crack down on costs. Related: Sainsbury's among five UK companies announcing job losses totalling 7,200 Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/369ZoQm via IFTTT

I feared the worst for my bookshop. Fortunately, for people here in Manchester, shopping locally is now an act of defiance Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage We are all aware of what a challenging time it is right now for the retail and hospitality sectors . Many high streets and city centres were struggling under the weight of the shift to online shopping, among many other pressures, even before the pandemic came along to wreak further havoc. I co-own a bookshop in Levenshulme, south Manchester. This region has been living under most of tier 3’s restrictions for several months now, although they weren’t billed as such until recently: there’s been no meeting your mum for a cuppa in the garden for any of Manchester’s residents for quite some time. Levenshulme is a Covid “hotspot”: effectively, my bookshop has been operating in one of the most difficult places possible. Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/38gDOMO v

Trade body warns billions in Christmas sales at risk, leading potentially to more job losses Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Any extension to the four-week English lockdown would be “catastrophic” for struggling retailers who risk losing billions of pounds in Christmas sales, the industry’s trade body has warned. About 363,000 specialist shops will remain shuttered in England from Thursday as new government restrictions kick in. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said the warning that the public should only buy essentials would mean overall shopper numbers would plummet. The impact on sales could potentially trigger further store closures and job losses, it said. Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/34Zu8nX via IFTTT

Finance director Patrick Lewis to leave after 26 years ‘to seek new opportunities’ John Lewis is cutting 1,500 head office jobs as part of efforts to make £300m in annual cost savings and return to profitability. Its finance director, Patrick Lewis , the great grandson of John Lewis’s founder and the only family member still working for the business, is to exit the department store and Waitrose group after 26 years as part of the changes. Related: 'They have to think differently' – shoppers on John Lewis's new strategy Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2HU7nct via IFTTT

Half-year loss of £87.6m comes as new coronavirus restrictions create more uncertainty Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Marks & Spencer has crashed to its first-ever loss as clothing sales collapsed during the first coronavirus lockdown, with more pain to come as its shops in England face new restrictions. The retailer made a pre-tax loss of £87.6m in the six months to 26 September after a series of one-off costs, including the £92m bill for a major reorganisation that resulted in 7,000 job cuts . Related: Up to 18,000 UK high street premises could be vacant amid Covid crisis Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3kWj0hd via IFTTT

Closures would leave 14% of high street, retail park and shopping centre outlets empty in Britain Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Another 18,000 high street premises could be left empty in 2020 , almost double the number in 2019, as the coronavirus pandemic hammers retailers, restaurants and leisure businesses. AsEngland prepares to enter a month-long second high street lockdown from Thursday, analysts at the Local Data Company warned “vast numbers” of leisure and hospitality businesses could close up for good. Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3mUcHvf via IFTTT

The high street is clearly facing disaster, but in order to survive it must make peace with the online world Good news from the high street. We don’t often read those words, least of all courtesy of the internet. The UK opening on Monday of the Bookshop website is a blood transfusion for independent bookshops and one from which all retailers can learn. The website is a mail-order circumvention of Amazon , selling books under the flags of more than 130 independent booksellers. Buyers order their book at a slightly discounted price after “entering” their chosen front door on the site and the shop duly receives the 30% bookseller’s margin. The US version of Bookshop was launched in January by Andy Hunter, the co-founder of Literary Hub. It has 900 shops signed up and has tripled sales each month since then. It has given an estimated $7.5m already this year to its bookseller members. Buyers clearly forego the 30% or so Amazon discount but they know that the price is what they would pay

Some sellers seeing strongest sales in months as customer numbers surge Retailers, hairdressers and restaurants in England have said they are extending opening hours and seeing their strongest bookings in months, as Thursday’s lockdown looms. Gary Grant, the chairman of toyshop chain The Entertainer, said shoppers were “clearing the shelves like it’s Christmas Eve” with sales on Monday double that of the equivalent day last year. New national restrictions are due to come into effect in England on Thursday, after MPs vote on them, and remain in place at least until 2 December. Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2I08pDx via IFTTT

I checked out a whisky promotion but the invoice had doubled when it arrived I ordered two bottles of whisky online from Tesco that were on special promotion. The total price was £50, with a £4.50 delivery charge. The order was delivered five days later in the first available delivery slot Tesco offered me. Three days later, £83.40 had been debited from my bank account to Tesco. That is £28.90 more than the Tesco invoice stated – equivalent to a 53% increase. I then noticed the invoice said “total (estimated)”, as well as “saved”, and then, below: “Your total may differ due to missed promotions, products sold by weight and substituted items.” The items I bought were not sold by weight and were not substituted. I had not “missed” the promotion as I made the purchase the day the promotion was offered. Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3oNe2po via IFTTT

Shops sell £500m of toys in November but online shopping capacity will be stretched to the limit, say experts Retail and hospitality warn of Christmas trade meltdown Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The forced closure of toy shops as part of a new lockdown in England could lead to disappointment for children this Christmas as the industry struggles to cope. Gary Grant, the founder and chairman of The Entertainer , said toy retailers usually sell £500m worth of toys during November, which was as big in sales terms as takings over the three months of the spring lockdown put together. “We could lose as much turnover in four weeks as we lost in 12,” he explained. Related: Retail and hospitality sectors warn of Christmas trade meltdown from Covid-19 lockdown Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3jNH1FJ via IFTTT

Economists predict another big hit but the GDP drop will not be so severe, not least because it has less far to fall Second England lockdown fuels fears of double-dip recession Retail and hospitality warn of Christmas trade meltdown Coronavirus – latest updates It goes without saying that the lockdown restrictions due to come into force in England represent a serious setback for the economy. This, after all, is deja vu time, and back in the spring during lockdown 1 activity collapsed. Between February and April gross domestic product fell by a quarter. So when a Whitehall insider says “it’s going to be bad” in response to a question about the likely impact of the lockdown, that’s a statement of the blindingly obvious. What’s at issue is just how bad. Related: Second England lockdown fuels fears of Covid double-dip recession Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2GgO2Bd via IFTTT

Economist predict a further GDP fall from between 7.5% and 10% with unemployment to soar Retail and hospitality warn of Christmas trade meltdown Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Bank of England policymakers are expected to inject up to £100bn into the economy when they meet this week amid mounting fears that the four-week lockdown for England will lead to a double-dip recession. Threadneedle Street’s nine-strong monetary policy committee (MPC) will spend the next few days weighing up the impact of the renewed closure of large chunks of the economy before announcing its latest decisions on Thursday. Marston's - 2,150 jobs 15 October: Marston's  - the brewer which owns nearly 1,400 pubs, restaurants, cocktail bars and hotels across the UK - said it would cut 2,150 jobs due to fresh Covid restrictions. The company has more than 14,000 employees.  Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/35Xupa8 via IFTTT

Jobs at risk in England and billions of pounds at stake as firms warn online shopping network may not cope Retailers and hospitality firms have warned of the devastating financial impact of a new month-long lockdown in England which they say threatens billions of pounds worth of Christmas trade and puts hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk. The next two months are supposed to be the most lucrative time of the year for the high street but 500,000 shops, restaurants and pubs will have to close on Thursday and remain shuttered until 2 December. Marston's - 2,150 jobs 15 October: Marston's  - the brewer which owns nearly 1,400 pubs, restaurants, cocktail bars and hotels across the UK - said it would cut 2,150 jobs due to fresh Covid restrictions. The company has more than 14,000 employees.  Continue reading... from Retail industry | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2GfJLOq via IFTTT