BRC: Retailers ease discounting in July as lockdown relaxed July 29, 2020 British retailers discounted their goods less in July than the month before, after consumer demand picked up in many sectors as coronavirus lockdown restrictions eased, data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed today. Average shop prices in July were 1.3 per cent lower than a year before, compared with 1.6 per cent lower in [...]
The City takes the lead as Ebay reports 335 per cent jump in UK businesses July 29, 2020 The number of UK businesses signing up to become sellers on Ebay spiked more than 300 per cent in June, with the City of London taking the top spot for the most new companies on the site during lockdown. Ebay said the number of new businesses on its website jumped 335 per cent in June [...]
Sales plunge at Gucci owner Kering as 2020 outlook remains unclear July 28, 2020 Luxury group Kering said sales plunged almost 44 per cent in the second quarter due to the coronavirus pandemic, adding it could not provide a forecast for the second half of 2020. The Gucci owner’s revenue was a touch better than analyst expectations, however, with those at UBS citing estimates for a 46 per cent [...]
Amazon Fresh: What does the expansion mean for UK supermarkets? July 28, 2020 Amazon’s announcement that it will offer free grocery deliveries for Prime customers represents a step up in competition between the internet giant and the UK supermarkets. The US company, which bought upmarket grocery chain Whole Foods in 2018, will offer free Amazon Fresh delivery in London and the South East from today. Plans are in [...]
Travis Perkins sales slump 20 per cent in first half July 28, 2020 Travis Perkins reported a 20 per cent hit to sales during the first half of the year due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but said business started to recover as lockdown was eased. Group revenue in the first six months of the year was £2.78bn, down 20 per cent compared to the first [...]
UK retail sales bounce back as shops reopen from lockdown July 28, 2020 UK retail sales bounced back in July after “non-essential” shops were reopened, according to a closely watched gauge that hit its highest level since April last year. The CBI’s measure of retail sales volumes rebounded to a score of four in July from minus 37 in June. It indicated that sales grew slightly compared to [...]
LVMH sales slump drags down other luxury stocks July 28, 2020 Shares in luxury goods giant LVMH fell this morning after the Louis Vuitton owner posted a slump in profit and sales in the first half of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The French firm’s share price dipped more than four per cent after it reported a 27 per cent drop in revenue in [...]
Card Factory online sales soar 120 per cent over lockdown July 28, 2020 Card Factory has avoided its worst case scenario of a staggering drop in store sales since the end of lockdown, it said today, as digital sales soared 120 per cent during the quarantine period. The greetings card retailer said today that store sales have plunged 21.6 per cent year on year since mid-June, better than [...]
Selfridges to cut 450 jobs due to coronavirus pandemic July 28, 2020 Luxury department store Selfridges announced this morning it will make around 450 people redundant as the coronavirus crisis claims more UK high street jobs. The retailer said it will reduce its overall headcount by 14 per cent as sales this year are forecast to be “significantly less” than 2019. The retailer will focus on strengthening [...]
Irn Bru owner AG Barr suffers revenue hit amid coronavirus crisis July 28, 2020 AG Barr, the maker of Irn Bru and Rubicon, warned this morning that full-year revenue will be down as much as 15 per cent due to trading volatility during the coronavirus crisis. The drinks manufacturer said revenue for the year ended January 2021 is expected to slump 12 per cent to 15 per cent compared [...]