High-street retailers are struggling to meet the demands of tech-savvy consumers November 16, 2016 Black Friday marks the start of the UK's busiest shopping period of the year, and research shows retailers aren't doing enough to improve their customers' in-store experiences. Among the biggest irritations to shoppers are crowded shops (45 per cent), checkout queues (42 per cent) and long waits for fitting rooms (29 per cent). Almost two thirds [...]
Amazon Restaurants’ food delivery expands to more London locations November 15, 2016 Tech giant Amazon is ramping up its battle with Deliveroo and UberEats, extending its food delivery service to more locations in London. Amazon Restaurant has added more than 20 new areas to the list of locations it delivers food to, from restaurants such as Strada and Pod. Read more: Black Friday: Four pairs of wireless [...]
Black Friday 2016 deals: Four pairs of wireless headphones Amazon has in its Black Friday sale today November 15, 2016 It's day two of Amazon's 12-day Black Friday bonanza, and today the retailer has gone berserk for wireless headphones. If you're an Apple fan with a hankering for an iPhone 7 – sensationally unveiled in September sans headphone jack – take a look at today's deals: 1. Yeona Wireless Bluetooth stereo headphones – 55 per cent off Not [...]
A petition to stop shops opening on Boxing Day has 100,000 signatures November 14, 2016 A petition calling for shops to shut on Boxing Day has gathered more than 100,000 signatures. Boxing Day, which falls on 26 December, is traditionally a massive day for shopping as most major retailers begin their post-Christmas sales. Many companies have already launched promotions ahead of Black Friday, which falls on 25 November this year. [...]
Black Friday 2016: Eight of today’s best deals from Amazon November 14, 2016 Amazon kicked off two weeks of Black Friday deals this morning, with offers on products from CDs (old school) to TVs, headphones and, er, loo roll. For those sneaking in some early Christmas shopping while they're at work (we don't blame you), we'll list the best deals every day in the run-up to the annual [...]
The Battle for Virality: How the advertising industry stole Christmas November 14, 2016 Consumer capitalism is like an annual balloon, pumping in steady increments throughout the year. It grows and grows, stretching and straining around November, taut before the Black Friday Pin; the pressure too much, one prick and the balloon explodes in a relentless cloud of Christmas advertising. But where has this volley come from? We can’t even [...]
Retail sector shows signs of strengthening as shoppers return to the high street November 14, 2016 Retailers saw footfall drop in October, but at a slower rate than the previous month, as shoppers headed to the high street despite the lure of online shopping. Springboard UK’s latest figures showed a less severe fall last month compared to September. Read more: Christmas adverts rated: Which retailer has made the best ad of 2016? “The slight [...]
Consumers splash the cash in October, as spending growth hits six-month high November 14, 2016 Brits have been on a spending spree during October, with a surge in money spent heading to hotels, restaurants and bars, according to figures out today. Visa's UK Consumer Spending Index showed that year-on-year growth for consumer spending had risen to 2.5 per cent for October, the sharpest rise in six months and up from 2.3 per [...]
Whistles recorded a £2.9m loss before its takeover by South Africa’s Foschini Group earlier this year November 13, 2016 Upmarket womenswear retailer Whistles recorded a loss of £2.9m ahead of its takeover by South Africa’s Foschini Group in March. Accounts filed at Companies House show that in the 12 months up to 30 January, Whistles's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) fell from a profit of £1.9m in 2015 to a loss of [...]