Union seeks urgent meeting with Unilever for ‘cast iron guarantee’ of factory workers’ futures November 19, 2021 Unite the Union has called for urgent talks with Unilever after it announced the sale of its tea business to a private equity firm. Unilever confirmed the £3.79bn sale of its tea division – including household names such as PG Tips and Lipton – to CVC yesterday following an auction process. Unite pointed to CVC’s [...]
Second-hand shopping lifts retail sales above pre-pandemic levels November 19, 2021 Retail sales jumped over the last month as consumers flocked to charity shops, according to data from the Office for National Statistics published today. Retail sales jumped 0.8 per cent over the last month and soared above pre-pandemic levels. Spending at second hand clothes stores climbed over the last month, driving overall retail sales higher [...]
Kingfisher maintains strong sales after lockdown boom in DIY and home improvements November 19, 2021 Kingfisher continues to enjoy strong sales despite the easing of pandemic restrictions and increased interest in DIY and home improvements.
Retail sales jump by modest 0.8 per cent in October November 19, 2021 UK retail sales rose in October, ending a five-month run of falling or flatlining sales, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales volumes rose by 0.8 per cent last month compared to September, following no movement between September and August. The ONS said non-food stores were the only main [...]
Cut off from the world November 18, 2021 [Re: US-China rhetoric won’t save our climate woes if Beijing stays hooked on coal, November 12] It is depressing that countries such as China, India and Russia appear unwilling to stop burning coal within timescales necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change. At the same time, other countries are continuing to allow large scale deforestation of [...]
Marks Electrical shines in half-year results following stock market debut November 18, 2021 Online electrical retailer Marks Electrical reported a 78 per cent boost to revenue in its half-year results, while also posting a lower profit.
Exclusive: The pandemic showed the limitations of an online-only model, says retail guru November 17, 2021 A year of enforced change in buying habits where pretty much everything went online has reverted to ‘the new normal’. The Covid pandemic accelerated the shift to online; but is the future of retail really digital only? While in the short to medium term, there will remain some concerns over the logistics of browsing and [...]
Revealed: Amazon to open 260 supermarkets across UK as it plots to take on Tesco and Sainsbury’s directly November 17, 2021 Amazon has developed detailed plans to storm the UK supermarket sector as the e-commerce is planning to open hundreds of cashierless grocery stores across the country in the next three years. More than 260 Amazon-owned and run supermarkets are to be launched before the end of 2024, namely 60 in 2022, another 100 per year [...]
Shoppers set to spend £33bn across major supermarkets in festive period November 16, 2021 Trips to UK supermarkets have shot up as Brits prepare to shop both online and in-store for Christmas. In-store visits to supermarkets swelled 6.5 per cent in the last four weeks ending 6 November. This represents 28m more visits compared with the same period last year, according to data from NielsenIQ. The online share of [...]
The high streets of the UK need to be able to woo global shoppers to stay competitive November 16, 2021 Alongside true love and compound interest, habit is one of the most powerful forces. The familiar click of the Christmas lights brought people back to London’s streets last week, with 2.5 per cent more people treading down the high street. But with the pandemic came new habits and the fairy lights will be switched off [...]