Brits are set to spend £3.85bn on Boxing Day sales this year, 96 per cent more than on Black Friday December 22, 2016 Boxing Day sales are expected to blow Black Friday spending out of the water as Brits prepare to splash out 96 per cent more on the day after Christmas. Nineteen million consumers will spend £3.85bn on Boxing Day sales this year, three per cent more than in 2015, a study by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) found. [...]
Heavy Black Friday discounting drove the basket value of online electrical purchases to its lowest value ever December 20, 2016 Black Friday discounting slashed the average value of online purchases in the electrical sector by 22.7 per cent year on year, a new report suggests. Discounts on electronics were key for attracting bargain-hunting Black Friday shoppers, but new figures show the price cuts brought the average basket value down to £119 in November, its lowest value [...]
John Lewis hits out at Labour MP over Christmas jingle December 20, 2016 The John Lewis Partnership has hit out at a campaigning Labour MP after she produced a Christmas jingle criticising the retailer for how it treats its staff. Labour MPs, led by Siobhain McDonagh, recently recorded a song – titled "National Living Rage" – to highlight how retailers are cutting staff benefits in response to the national living wage. Read more: [...]
Only a quarter of us are getting our festive haul on the high street December 16, 2016 Only a quarter of UK shoppers are collecting their haul on the high street this year, preferring to stay at home instead and order goods online. Figures from research company Qualtrics suggest that the proportion of Britons who are willing to physically search for gifts is falling. Last year, 29 per cent of people in the UK [...]
Retail sales continue on upwards trend ahead of Christmas shopping season December 15, 2016 The amount Britons spent in November increased 5.9 per cent year-on-year, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). At £34.2bn for the four-week period, retail sales in November were up 0.5 per cent as compared to October. This equated to an average weekly spend of £8.5bn. The ONS said retailers selling household goods had boosted their [...]
Boohoo’s share price surges as it picks up a two-thirds stake in PrettyLittleThing for £3.3m December 14, 2016 No tears over here: Boohoo's just acquired a majority stake in fellow online retailer PrettyLittleThing for £3.3m. Boohoo's chairman Peter Williams said PrettyLittleThing was a "natural fit" and would complement Boohoo's "inclusive and innovative" brand. We are delighted to add this fast growing, international business to the group. We believe this is an excellent opportunity to [...]
John Lewis sales bolstered by final Black Friday promotions December 6, 2016 John Lewis' sales over the past week received a boost from the final Black Friday promotions on offer. Sales for the week to 3 December increased 3.9 per cent year-on-year, the department store said, reaching £172.1m. Read more: Nespresso is teaming up with John Lewis to open two new boutiques Year-on-year, fashion and home sales [...]
Here’s everything you need to know about Amazon’s new see-it-take-it shop December 6, 2016 David Bowie died, then Brexit, then Trump – now Amazon has launched a shop where you can just take stuff off the shelves and walk off. When will the madness of 2016 end? If it's all getting a bit much, chill out and read our handy guide to the new Amazon Go shop. I've seen the [...]
Consumer spending growth was at its second highest since 2011 last month December 6, 2016 Consumer spending received its second highest boost since 2011 last month, even though consumer confidence was flat. Spending growth was 5.1 per cent year-on-year, according to data from Barclaycard. The highest consumer spending growth that Barclaycard recorded (5.5 per cent) was in October. Read more: Black Friday: Customers of this lender are spending £32,000 a [...]
Black Friday wasn’t quite the sales boost retailers may have expected December 6, 2016 Black Friday wasn't quite the spending boom that retailers were expecting. Figures from KPMG and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show that like-for-like UK retail sales increased 0.6 per cent in November. Read more: Piccadilly Line delays likely to continue until after Christmas, TfL admits And, although non-food sales increased around 40 per cent on [...]