Dunelm sales jump as lockdown fuels interest in homewares January 14, 2021 Dunelm recorded a jump in sales in the weeks leading up to Christmas despite the closure of its stores, as lockdown measures continued to fuel an interest in home improvements and interior decorating. The retailer said total sales were up 11.8 per cent in the 13 weeks to 26 December, driven by “buoyant” consumer demand [...]
Card Factory suffers loss as closures rip through festive sales January 14, 2021 Closed stores over the Christmas period meant Card Factory suffered significant losses, sending its shares down 4.1 per cent this morning. Card Factory experienced a year-on-year decline of over 38 per cent, where forced store closures prohibited openings for 37 per cent of available trading days. Sales over the eleven-month period fell from almost £425m [...]
Pandemic cycling boom drives growth at Halfords January 14, 2021 Halfords saw sales growth of nearly 12 per cent in the third quarter, boosted by a pandemic-driven rise in cycling. Growth in Halford’s cycling department jumped more than 35 per cent in the third quarter, boosted by a surge in sales for cycling products, e-bikes and e-scooters. The firm’s performance cycling business Tredz grew more [...]
London health startup Cera to create 5,000 jobs in expansion drive January 13, 2021 London health startup Cera is set to hire 5,000 new employees as it looks to double its headcount this year. Cera, which uses AI to provide in-home care, said it is recruiting data scientists and analysts, software engineers, IT professionals and operational and logistical staff, as well as frontline care workers. The company said its [...]
Debenhams closes six stores including Oxford Street flagship January 13, 2021 Debenhams has permanently closed six department stores, including its flagship site in Oxford Street, due to the third national lockdown. The retailer had planned to reopen the stores to sell off remaining stock, but the introduction of new Covid-19 restrictions means that sites where it was unable to secure lease extensions will close. The closures [...]
Debate: Should Primark open an online store? January 13, 2021 Overnight opening hours, queue-management systems and lashings of promotions – Primark did everything it could to keep its customers happy amid a year of on/off lockdown restrictions. But with parent company Associated British Food’s trading update out this week, is it time for the High Street phenomenon to go digital, too? Kam Phullar, Lead Strategist [...]
Exclusive: City fund managers on the impact of the third lockdown January 13, 2021 In this 2-part series, City A.M. asked UK-focused fund managers what they make of post-Brexit trade arrangements, the impact of three lockdowns and the long-term outlook for the UK’s investment community. Yesterday, in part 1, the investment managers focused on the UK-EU deal and which sectors and companies may become the winners and losers from [...]
City Moves: Who is switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? January 13, 2021 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. After a rocky year for business, City firms are continuing to adapt to the challenges of three national lockdowns and post-Brexit bureaucracy to keep things moving across the Square Mile. This week, Lloyd’s [...]
Morrisons to be first UK supermarket to pay staff at least £10 an hour January 13, 2021 Morrisons will pay its supermarket staff at least £10 an hour, becoming the first major UK supermarket to reach that milestone. The new deal will start in April and represents a significant pay increase for nearly 96,000 colleagues, the majority of which will see a nine per cent rise. Staff had pushed for an increase [...]
Pink goes offline as Covid takes the shirt off its back January 13, 2021 Pink Shirtmaker, the fashion retailer that became famous trading under the name Thomas Pink, has been shuttered by owner LVMH. Covid appears to have seen off the shirtmaker, which had been struggling for years and closed its Jermyn Street flagship in December. All traces of its social media channels, online store and links on the [...]