Grace Bowden
Grace is head of content for Retail Week.
She covers a variety of sectors including value, sports & leisure, health & beauty and lingerie, as well as wider technology developments across retail.
She is interested in new appointments, store formats and how retailers are keeping pace with the myriad of technological developments across the industry, from their boardrooms to shop floors.
Contact info
- Tel:
- +44 (0)20 3033 4338
- Email:
- grace.bowden@retail-week.com
NewsKingfisher donates £1m of protective medical equipment to health services
B&Q owner Kingfisher is set to divert all of its remaining stock of personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline healthcare workers across Europe.
- News
Shop prices fall as food inflation eases pre-coronavirus
Shop prices fell in March driven by falling non-food prices and easing food inflation, but BRC boss Helen Dickinson warns that grocery prices may rise amid seasonal shift and increased demand.
- News
Coronavirus: Poundland puts 100 stores into ‘hibernation’
Poundland is placing 100 of its stores into “hibernation” this week as part of efforts to stem the spread of coronavirus, Retail Week can reveal.
- News
Arcadia defers pension payments and cancels supplier orders
Topshop parent company Arcadia has launched a series of measures to cut down on costs amid the coronavirus crisis, including deferring payment into its pension scheme.
- News
M&S launches food boxes for household essentials
Marks & Spencer has launched a new grocery initiative that will allow shoppers to order food boxes online filled with 20 household essentials.
- Analysis
Analysis: Can non-essential retailers trade online without damaging their brand?
Since the government forced all ‘non-essential’ shops to close last Monday, many retailers have found themselves at something of an impasse.
- News
Brighthouse falls into administration following coronavirus store closures
Rent-to-own retailer Brighthouse has tumbled into administration, putting 2,400 jobs at risk.
- News
River Island to shut distribution centre amid coronavirus crackdown
River Island says it will close down its UK warehouse by the end of this week in a bid to “protect the health of our employees”.
- News
Schuh closes online operations to ensure staff ‘safety’ amid coronavirus outbreak
Schuh is temporarily shuttering its online operation alongside store closures “to ensure the safety of our teams and customers”.
- News
UK government teams up with supermarkets to target vulnerable customers
Supermarkets will be provided access to government databases to help prioritise deliveries to elderly and vulnerable customers.
- News
Coronavirus: Intu receives less than a third of quarterly rent payments
Intu has removed its full-year financial guidance and warned that it may break banking covenants after receiving just 29% of its quarterly rent payments from tenants.
- News
Coronavirus: M&S and Deliveroo team up for grocery delivery service
Marks & Spencer will start selling a range of products on Deliveroo for the first time in a bid to meet demand from shoppers social distancing as a result of coronavirus.
- News
Ted Baker sells London HQ, warns of coronavirus sales slump
Ted Baker has sold its London headquarters in a £79m deal and increased its loan facility after warning that coronavirus-related store closures have shuttered the majority of its global store estate.
- News
Coronavirus: Government orders pubs and restaurants to close, defers VAT payments
The government has ordered that a range of businesses including pubs, clubs and restaurants close from tonight and unveiled a VAT deferral scheme as part of a support package for businesses hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
- News
Co-op to hire 5,000 new store staff to meet coronavirus demand
The Co-op has unveiled plans for a recruitment drive in a bid to offer employment for laid off hospitality workers and drive quicker store replenishment and online order fulfilment.
- Analysis
Analysis: How coronavirus will change how we shop, live and work
It was on New Year’s Eve 2019 that the World Health Organisation’s China office first heard reports of a new virus sparking a rise in cases of pneumonia in the city of Wuhan.
- News
Coronavirus: TK Maxx to shutter UK store estate amid outbreak
TK Maxx will shutter its UK store estate as of tomorrow until further notice amid the coronavirus pandemic, Retail Week understands.
- News
Mountain Warehouse boss mulls 2,000 redundancies amid coronavirus sales slump
Mountain Warehouse chief executive Mark Neale has warned the business may need to make substantial redundancies following a “catastrophic” drop in sales triggered by the coronavirus.
- News
Amazon to hire 100,000 new workers meet coronavirus-induced demand
Amazon has said it will take on 100,00 new staff to meet increased demand for online shopping caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
- News
Private equity firms circle Asda for potential £7bn takeover
Asda has attracted several interested private equity firms for a potential takeover which, according to reports, could value the business at over £7bn.
