From hero to zero: How supermarkets became the villains of the pandemic November 20, 2020 The recent news from Public Health England (PHE) that supermarkets are the most frequent common exposure setting for those catching Covid-19 in England is both shocking and devastating. But should we really be too surprised? PHE used data collated from the NHS test and trace app during the lockdown in November when supermarkets, as in [...]
Black Friday: Click and collect to boost retail park footfall as high streets suffer November 20, 2020 Retail footfall on Black Friday is forecast to plummet due to the closure of non-essential stores, but online stores, retail parks and shopping centres will benefit from click and collect services, according to the latest research. England is set to be the hardest hit, with footfall expected to plunge 61.7 per cent on Black Friday [...]
Arcadia taking ‘appropriate steps’ amid second lockdown but denies administration November 16, 2020 Sir Philip Green’s retail empire Arcadia has said it is taking “all appropriate steps” to mitigate the impact of a second lockdown and hit back at claims it is about to enter into administration. The second lockdown in England comes at a precarious time as retailers prepared for the Christmas period hoping to salvage the [...]
Majority of Brits sceptical of Black Friday offers, survey shows November 13, 2020 A huge majority of Brits are sceptical about Black Friday offers, believing many of the discounts are too good to be true, the latest research showed in the run up to the annual sales day. Black Friday has become one of the biggest shopping days of the year, and will be of particular importance to [...]
Christmas shoppers flock to toy shops ahead of second Covid-19 lockdown November 10, 2020 Toy and entertainment retailers reported a surge in shopper numbers in the days leading up to the coronavirus lockdown, as Brits snapped up Christmas presents ahead of the closure of non-essential stores. The latest analysis showed that toy stores more than doubled their share of pre-pandemic footfall between Monday and Wednesday last week. But one [...]
DEBATE: Will Black Friday save the retail industry? November 10, 2020 Will Black Friday save the retail industry? Kam Phullar, lead strategist at Feed Agency, says YES. Occuring during England’s second lockdown, this Black Friday will be an online-only affair. But if brands get it right, 2020 could be the biggest online Black Friday yet, and a step towards saving the retail industry in the long [...]
Pfizer vaccine: ‘A good news day’ for markets, say analysts November 9, 2020 Global stock markets catapulted this afternoon on news that Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine saw a 90 per cent success rate in clinical trials, as analysts welcomed the announcement as a “boost for hopes of a return to normality”. The prospect of a vaccine electrified world markets, with S&P 500 futures hitting a record high and tourism [...]
Markets greet Biden presidency with sigh of relief November 9, 2020 Markets have celebrated a return to political normality after a five-day vote count in the US presidential election finally yielded a result over the weekend. Joe Biden on Saturday was elected the 46th President of the United states after winning the major battlegrounds of Pennsylvania and Nevada, booting incumbent Donald Trump out of the White [...]
Joe Biden’s business in-tray: The President-elect’s most pressing issues November 9, 2020 President-elect Joe Biden will be entering the White House at a time when the US is facing stark crises on multiple fronts. The US is seeing a third wave of Covid with almost 240,000 deaths recorded, the economy is in a deep recession and the US’ federal climate policy is in need of reform. City [...]
US Election: Biden’s (almost certain) win: How it happened November 6, 2020 Live updates on the US Presidential Election 2020 as Donald Trump and Joe Biden go head to head. Rolling coverage as Americans vote.