More than 10 per cent of high street stores across the UK now lie vacant August 15, 2016 More than 10 per cent of high street stores across the UK now lie vacant as property costs continue to rise and retailers respond to consumer demand for online alternatives. National town centre vacancy rates rose to 10.1 percent in the third quarter of this year to July, according to new research from the British [...]
What heatwave? M&S is already filming its Christmas advert August 7, 2016 It may be a sweltering weekend of sunshine and clear blue skies, but one street in London has already seen snowfall – albeit the fake kind – after one high street favourite started shooting its Christmas advert. Yep, you heard that right. It may be the height of summer, but the Marks & Spencer is getting [...]
No sign of Brexit fallout at retailer Next – but prices will have to rise next year August 3, 2016 Shares in Next have popped at the open after it said it was yet to see signs the UK's vote for Brexit was weighing on consumer spending in its stores, but warned prices look set to rise in 2017 after sterling's dramatic depreciation. The business, which is seen as a bellwether for the health of the [...]
Yes, Selfridges has just opened its Christmas shop and this is what it looks like August 1, 2016 Is that a little bit of Scrooge spirit we sense spreading across the capital? That would be because Selfridges became the world's first department store to open its Christmas shop. Bah, humbug. The retailer has put 50,000 decorations on display, with plans to expand the store later this year to accommodate another 70,000 decorations. When the [...]
This is what Norway might be giving Finland as a birthday present next year… and it’s going to be pretty hard to wrap July 29, 2016 Birthdays… they stump us all, and not least when diplomacy is involved. It must be hard to think of a new present to give a country each year, but this week the Norwegian government confirmed it is considering giving Finland – wait for it – an arctic mountain for its birthday next year, when the country [...]
The Anglosphere is Britain’s past, present and future: Let’s embrace it post-Brexit July 25, 2016 Sometimes things are so much simpler than they seem. I had one such moment in Warsaw, not long after Poland’s accession to Nato. To a man, the Polish elite were particularly insistent on making every American aware of how much they valued being in the alliance, but they obviously wanted something more. A number of my [...]
Damning report slams Mike Ashley for “appalling” practices at Sports Direct July 22, 2016 Top MPs have launched a blistering attack on Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct, branding working practices at the company’s Shirebrook warehouse in Derbyshire as similar to those of “a Victorian workhouse”. The parliamentary Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, which has been investigating the retailer’s “extremely disturbing” employment practices, publishes its findings today, leaving the company open [...]
Strewth: John Lewis is going Down Under July 15, 2016 Brits will soon be able to travel to the other side of the world safe in the knowledge that they won't be far away from their favourite range of Egyptian cotton pillowcases and cashmere jumpers. That's right – John Lewis is going Down Under. The retailer is to open six shop-in-shops in Australian department store Myer. [...]
Bank of England to cut interest rates next week according to financial markets July 10, 2016 Financial markets are expecting the Bank of England to slash interest rates when they meet next week, in a drive to stimulate the economy after the EU referendum. The Bank's rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will announce its latest decision on interest rates on 14 July – and markets put the chances of a cut at [...]
Amazon is going on a pre-Christmas hiring spree as it gears up for another bumper festive period July 6, 2016 Amazon, the US online retailer that has been ruffling feathers with its aggressive expansion plans, is upping its UK staff head count by a further 1,000 this year. It today announced plans to add 1,000 permanent jobs across the UK, on top of 2,500 permanent roles previously announced in January. The latest increase means it will [...]