London businesses hold out hope for bumper Christmas trade November 18, 2021 Three in 10 businesses anticipate this Christmas will be their most successful in the past five years, according to exclusive data from Barclaycard. Some 54 per cent of firms said they felt neutral or optimistic about the UK economy, meaning worries rage on for many businesses across the city. However, Barclaycard’s fourth quarter barometer found [...]
House of Fraser flagship Oxford St store to shut as firm warns of ‘inevitable’ further closures November 17, 2021 The House of Fraser flagship store on Oxford St is set to permanently close, in another blow to the capital’s shopping district. Frasers Group said it had been served notice by the landlord to close the site, after an application for planning permission to redevelop the site was given the green light. A spokesperson for [...]
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 [...]
Retailers to lose £5.6bn due to supply chain nightmares November 17, 2021 Retailers are set to lose £5.6bn after reporting heavy losses due to supply chain disruption. According to Coupa Software’s survey of around 600 supply chain leaders at retailers across Europe, retailers anticipate losses of up to 20 per cent. Supply chain issues have been blamed, with UK retailers estimating an average loss of 5.7 per [...]
McColl’s shares topple by a third after supply chain nightmare hits profit forecast November 17, 2021 Convenience store chain McColl’s saw shares plummet by a third after it warned annual profits would be impacted by supply chain chaos. The firm blamed a lack of HGV drivers for a lack of supply of key items in the final quarter of its financial year. It said its EBITDA for the 2021 financial year [...]
Shortage warning: Greggs stores ‘may not have’ vegan sausage rolls November 17, 2021 Fast food chain Greggs has warned its popular vegan sausage roll is among products to have experienced “temporary interruptions” in supply. “Some shops may not have them or may not have them throughout the day. It varies,” a Greggs’ spokesperson told news agency Reuters. The vegan alternative has become a beloved staple of the bakery [...]
Antivaxxers targeting Tesco Christmas ad set to complain to advertising watchdog November 17, 2021 The antivaxxers who began the #BoycottTesco trend at the weekend have reportedly arranged a campaign to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority. Tesco became the latest subject to antivax protest after it included a double vaccinated Santa in its Christmas advert. Antivaxxers, those who have been against the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, took to Twitter to [...]
Lidl to become UK’s highest-paying supermarket in £18m wage investment November 17, 2021 Lidl is set to become the UK’s highest-paying supermarket after it said it would invest £18m in wages. Entry-level wages are to increase £10.85 to £11.30 in London from March 2022 while new starters outside the capital will see wages hike from £9.50 to £10.10. Lidl colleagues are also to earn up to £12.25 in [...]
Retailers slam rocketing interchange fees as UK firms face £36.5m increase November 17, 2021 UK and European Economic Area (EEA) retailers are facing a cost increase of around £150m a year to accept cross-border card payments. UK businesses may be forced to take on an additional £36.5m, according to research by retail payments advisory firm CMSPI, alongside the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The BRC has called on ministers 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 [...]