Swipe card: Social media accounts for quarter of all online purchases October 14, 2020 Almost a quarter of all online purchases are now made through social media, new data has revealed, as more and more people use their favourite messaging platforms for shopping. Research by Visa showed almost a fifth of Brits use social apps to shop, while one in 10 has made a purchase this way since the [...]
East London Liquor: Craft doesn’t have to mean expensive, as indie distiller toasts Tesco and Co-op deals October 13, 2020 East London Liquor Co boss: Craft alcohol doesn't have to mean expensive, as indie distiller toasts Tesco and Co-op supply deals
Cineworld could be out of money ‘in weeks’ October 13, 2020 Cineworld could run out of money within weeks, analysts at the Bank of America have warned, with the chain needing to find $500m (£380m) if it is to survive the winter. Last week the chain announced that it would temporarily close all of its screens in the UK and US due to the coronavirus pandemic, [...]
Amazon Prime Day piles pressure on retailers ahead of Christmas trading period October 13, 2020 Amazon Prime Day has launched today, kicking off the crucial Christmas trading period and piling the pressure on retailers to keep up with online discounting. The Amazon sale, which will see the e-commerce giant slash prices on 13 and 14 October, was postponed from July, bringing it closer to the Black Friday discounting bonanza and [...]
Ikea to buy back used furniture to resell as second hand October 13, 2020 Ikea has launched a scheme to buy back used flatpack furniture to be resold in stores as second hand. The Swedish firm announced this morning that the “Buy Back” initiative is part of its plan to “become a fully circular and climate positive business by 2030”. Customers will be given vouchers to spend in Ikea [...]
French Connection warns of further store closures as sales dive October 13, 2020 French Connection this morning warned of further permanent store closures in the coming months as the high street store reported that sales have plummeted due to the coronavirus pandemic. The struggling retailer, which closed nine stores in the first half, said it continued to target the closure of non-contributing sites and expects to shutter more [...]
Ocado sales surge on new M&S deal amid online shopping shift October 13, 2020 Ocado added thousands of new customers following the launch of its partnership with Marks & Spencer amid a sustained rise in the number of consumers choosing to shop online. In the 12 weeks to 4 October, Ocado increased sales by 41.9 per cent as the ecommerce retailer was buoyed by its new deal with M&S [...]
Leicester factory scandal: Boohoo supplier involved in ‘multi-million-pound’ fraud scheme October 13, 2020 Leicester clothing factories with links to Boohoo and Select Fashion have been involved in a “multi-million pound” money laundering and VAT fraud scandal, an investigation has found. Firms based in the city’s garment manufacturing district, some of which were suppliers to the fast fashion retailers, were revealed to have been involved in fraudulent activity relating [...]
Christmas isn’t cancelled — Santa is accepting buy now, pay later October 13, 2020 One thing’s for sure: we’re going to be tempted to spend more than ever this Christmas, because 2020 has not been a joyful year. Let’s face it, if 2020 were a wine, it would be reduced to being a bin-end, and a pretty poor one at that. But as furlough unwinds, and with a no-deal [...]
Hospitality firms face ‘worst of both worlds’ without more support October 12, 2020 Hospitality firms have warned that pubs and bars in “tier one and two areas” will have “the worst of all worlds” as they will have to keep trading without the financial support available to those businesses forced to close. Today Merseyside was placed under “tier-three” restrictions, which will see pubs and bars shuttered unless they [...]