All Covid-19 articles – Page 29
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AnalysisThe Big Question: Should retailers be paying big dividends during the pandemic?
Big-name retailers, most recently Sainsbury’s, have become embroiled in controversy for paying dividends while benefiting from pandemic assistance measures such as business rates relief. We ask industry experts whether retailers should be giving out dividends during the crisis
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NewsConsumer confidence slips to six-month low as coronavirus restrictions tighten
UK consumer confidence fell to its lowest ebb since the spring as coronavirus restrictions tightened, leaving one in three hospitality businesses wondering whether they will survive.
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NewsM&S extends midnight openings to manage Christmas rush
Marks & Spencer will open most shops until midnight in the last days before Christmas to manage shoppers safely as the Covid pandemic continues.
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NewsEdinburgh Woollen Mill brands Jaeger and Peacocks appoint administrators
Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group has appointed administrators for Jaeger and Peacocks.
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NewsRising clothing and food prices push inflation higher
Increases in the cost of both clothing and food prices pushed the UK inflation rate to higher-than-expected levels last month.
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NewsOnline sales soar as golden quarter spending moves early and online
Ecommerce sales in the UK had their strongest year-on-year growth since June as golden-quarter spend was brought forward and much of the UK was plunged back into lockdown.
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NewsAsda sales rise as Christmas spending is brought forward
Asda has posted an increase in sales during its third quarter as demand for “key Christmas products” was brought forward.
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NewsSecond lockdown footfall ‘more resilient’ as Christmas nears
Retail footfall during the UK’s second lockdown has proved “more resilient” than in March, as shoppers head to stores in the lead up to Christmas.
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VideoFace time: Lord Rose on Christmas, the future of cities and limiting screen time
From bricks and mortar to online, Lord Stuart Rose’s experience spans all of retail and the industry’s ups and downs. The Ocado chair and former Marks & Spencer chief executive shares his thoughts on the second lockdown, vaccine hopes, Christmas prospects and the industry’s future.
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OpinionFran Minogue: Retail leadership lessons for our stop-go times
There was a horrible novelty to the first lockdown. We’d never been there before and the first priority was colleague safety and then to focus on keeping operations going.
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NewsGreggs makes 820 redundancies as new lockdowns hit business
Food-to-go giant Greggs has made 820 redundancies across the business with boss Roger Whiteside warning the “battle with Covid hasn’t gone away”.
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VideoWatch: Tesco’s celebratory Christmas ad after year of pandemic gloom
Tesco is encouraging shoppers to treat themselves this Christmas after a year dominated by the Covid pandemic and associated lockdowns.
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NewsTopshop owner Arcadia in talks to secure £30m loan
The Arcadia group led by Sir Philip Green is understood to be urgently seeking fresh funding after the second national lockdown in England put paid to its recovery plans.
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NewsStores might never reopen if lockdown extended, retail bosses warn
More than 60 high street bosses have signed a letter calling for the lockdown in England to not be extended beyond December 2.
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OpinionJulian Richer: ‘Questioning Sunak’s rates decision is not selling out retail’
Following Retail Week’s recent article about retailers squabbling like “cats in a bag”, I felt the need to write after some comments I made at the recent Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference may have been misunderstood.
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NewsPret a Manger to launch hot dinner menu this week
Pret a Manger will launch a range of hot dinner options this week as it ramps up its response to the coronavirus crisis.
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NewsUK retail chairs predict hiring freezes, redundancies and more store closures
Chairs from across UK retail have warned of hiring freezes, staff reductions and store closures over the coming months amid the ongoing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
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NewsAlibaba Singles’ Day sales surpass $70bn, spurred by luxury
Alibaba posted record sales of $74bn (£56bn) for its annual Singles’ Day Sales event, which this year was extended beyond the usual one day of deals.
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NewsWHSmith tumbles to full-year loss as sales slide
WHSmith has fallen into the red at the full-year mark as the retailer’s sales across travel and the high street were “heavily impacted” by the pandemic.
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NewsLive updates: Tracking retailers’ response to lockdown 2.0
Retailers and brands are reacting to the challenges posed by the winter lockdown in England and restrictions across the UK. Retail Week tracks the response of businesses, as they happen. Last updated on November 20.