All High street & town centre articles – Page 13
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News
Retail sales boosted in October as Christmas shopping starts early
Customers looking to buy Christmas presents before the second lockdown started in England earlier this month helped boost retail sales for the sixth straight month.
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News
Consumer 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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Interview
Interview: Pano Christou’s plan to save Pret a Manger
The CEO looks back on his whirlwind first year in charge and ripping up the rulebook.
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Video
Face 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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News
Greggs 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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Analysis
Why WHSmith boss Cowling sees ‘big opportunity’ from the pandemic
After a bruising year for both the high street and travel hubs amid the coronavirus pandemic, WHSmith suffered losses of £69m in the 12 months to August 31, compared with £155m profit last year.
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News
Retail rages over government store closure guidance
Retailers have been left angry and confused by the government’s handling of second lockdown store closures, after its guidance on mixed essential and non-essential retail was published late.
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Analysis
Data: The retailers expanding and retreating from high streets in 2020
New data compiled by the Local Data Company charts both the toll the coronavirus crisis has taken on many UK retailers but also highlights the categories that are proving more resilient.
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Analysis
Nightmare before Christmas: bosses of John Lewis, M&S and The Entertainer on lockdown 2.0
It’s the news the industry dreaded. This Thursday so-called ‘non-essential’ retail will be shut down until December 2 in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus. Many fear chaos, but could click and collect come to the rescue?
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News
Sadiq Khan calls for business rates holiday extension
London mayor Sadiq Khan has written to housing secretary Robert Jenrick calling for an extension of the business rates holiday for retail and hospitality businesses in the capital.
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News
Primark profits and sales battered by coronavirus store closures
Primark has posted falls in both its full-year profits and sales blaming the closure of its store estate during the third quarter in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
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Analysis
The Big Question: Is John Lewis’ Oxford Street office conversion a good idea?
With the pandemic leaving London’s West End devoid of workers and tourists, the news earlier this week that John Lewis has been green-lit to turn half its Oxford Street store into office space received mixed reviews. Industry experts offer their view on whether it’s the right move for the retailer.
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News
Intu Metrocentre taken over by Sovereign Centros
Shopping centre operator Sovereign Centros has taken ownership of the Metrocentre in Gateshead, as the assets of former institutional landlord Intu continue to be sold off.
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News
Retail sales continue recovery with fifth consecutive month of growth
UK retail sales increased for the fifth consecutive month in September, boosted by an uptick in non-essential categories according to official figures.
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News
Gap mulls closure of all European stores and UK warehouse
American fashion chain Gap is considering closing all of its European stores and operating in the region purely through partnerships, potentially putting hundreds of jobs at risk.
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Analysis
Local heroes: The retailers benefiting from the rise of localism
Since the lockdown, people have taken to shopping where they live and local retailers have come to the fore. Many have adapted, served and won loyal customers over the past eight months. Retail Week highlights some of the thriving businesses that hold lessons for all of retail.
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News
Sunak unveils changes to job support scheme as golden quarter kicks off
The chancellor has today announced new business support schemes to deal with the ongoing coronavirus crisis, including changes to the job support scheme that replaces furlough at the end of the month.
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News
Liverpool footfall plummets to July levels in first week of Tier 3 restrictions
Footfall in Liverpool has plunged to levels last seen at the end of the national lockdown in the summer, in the week since it became the first city to be placed into the government’s highest tier of Covid-19 restrictions.
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News
Retail footfall slumps as three-tier Covid restrictions take effect
The government’s three-tiered Covid restrictions have had an “immediate impact” on retail footfall across the UK after coming into force late last week.
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News
Pret to axe another 400 jobs amid ‘setback’ in Covid recovery
Pret a Manger is to axe another 400 jobs and shut six more stores as it wrestles with the damaging impact of the coronavirus crisis.