Supermarkets made hay from restrictions, now they need to consolidate to keep going March 11, 2022 THE rapid grocery delivery sector has grown at a staggering pace across Europe and the US. Two years on from when we first saw Getir, Weezy, Zapp and Gorillas advertised on buses and hoardings across London, data from the ONS revealed the average weekly sales of online groceries in December 2021 were £372m – more [...]
Higher return rates impact Boohoo’s sales growth March 10, 2022 Boohoo said today its net sales growth in the fourth quarter of FY22 was impacted by Brits’ post-pandemic ‘buy before you try attitude’ . The company explained that the higher rate of items returned was due to changing consumption patterns, as people shifted from buying more ‘athleisure’ during the pandemic to mixing it up with [...]
London a £106bn key driver of surging global online sales in wake of pandemic March 10, 2022 London was at the forefront of soaring global online shopping, with record-breaking investment in the capital last year. As the world emerged from the pandemic, retailers took in more than $140bn (£106bn) from web-based sales in 2021 – more than double the previous year. Following numerous lockdowns which led to a spike in virtual shopping, [...]
Staff at John Lewis to share £46m bonus pot after profits rebound by nearly 40 per cent March 10, 2022 Staff at the John Lewis Partnership will share a £46m bonus pot after the retail giant saw underlying annual profits rebound by 38 per cent. The group, which also owns upmarket supermarket chain Waitrose, said it will pay a bonus of 3% to its employees, or one-and-a-half weeks’ pay, and increase wages by 2 per [...]
MADE.com confirms Nicola Thompson as permanent CEO as retailer sees results beaten by freight inflation March 8, 2022 Retail giant MADE.com has confirmed this morning that Nicola Thompson, the current interim CEO, is set to become the permanent CEO with immediate effect. It comes after former chief Philippe Chainieux left the post last month because of family reasons. Susanne Given, Chair of MADE, commented on Thompson’s appointment: “The Board is delighted to confirm [...]
Pandemic spending habits settle to ‘new normal’ after online shopping boom March 8, 2022 Pandemic spending habits have “settled into a new normal” with people returning to bricks and mortar stores to ‘try before you buy’ last month. Total retail sales were up 4.9 per cent in February, compared to the same month in 2020, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG retail sales monitor. Sales continued [...]
Next to wind down Russian operations after invasion of Ukraine March 7, 2022 Fashion retailer Next will close its Russian operations following the invasion of Ukraine, as British brands move to condemn the country. The clothing retailer informed staff at its Russian distribution hub that it will be winding down the operation in an orderly way. It told staff its website will be closed for Russian customers too, [...]
Zara and Burberry shut shops in Russia while John Lewis looks to ‘mitigate exposure’ to country March 6, 2022 Fashion powerhouses have halted trading in Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, citing “operational challenges”. Luxury goods maker Burberry has temporarily shuttered its three stores in Russia, The Times reported. According to the newspaper, the designer brand’s spokesperson said Burberry would continue to monitor developments and declined to address the invasion directly. It comes after [...]
Amazon makes major U-turn by shutting all book stores and physical shops in UK March 6, 2022 E-commerce giant Amazon has said it is planning to shut all of its book stores as well as its other brick-and-mortar shops and pop-up stores in the UK and US. The shock announcement to close down all 68 book stores, as well as shops that offer toys and home goods in Britain and the US, [...]
February retail sales perform well but warnings for mid-level retailers as living costs spike March 4, 2022 Purchases of clothes have driven retail sales growth, thanks to the easing of Covid restrictions. Total like-for-like sales swelled 49.6 per cent in February, according to the BDO’s February High Street Sales Tracker. This was from a base of minus 3.1 per cent in February 2021, when the country was in the throes of a [...]