More finance – Page 23
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AnalysisAnalysis: How can city centres rebound in a coronavirus world?
As one-time commuters predominantly continue to work from home post-lockdown, Retail Week assesses what can be done to encourage people to return to hard-hit city centres
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OpinionJacqueline Gold: ‘We’ve put more family money into Ann Summers, but now I’m facing a CVA’
The Covid-19 pandemic has been an extraordinary time for all retailers. With all our stores closed at Ann Summers, the focus shifted to online, and thanks to the heroics of our colleagues, we managed to meet a significant step up in demand while people were in lockdown. I can’t imagine why…
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Opinion‘Walmart’s TikTok interest is $30bn worth of evidence that retail has changed forever’
If ever something deserved an exclamation mark, it was the news that retail powerhouse Walmart hopes to snap up video-sharing social media network TikTok in a deal worth as much as $30bn.
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AnalysisAnalysis: Will The Hut Group’s IPO float or sink?
The Hut Group has finally revealed its intention to float on the London Stock Exchange after many years of speculation. Retail Week analyses whether it will hit its punchy £4.5bn valuation and why it has chosen to attempt it now.
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OpinionThe Secret Retailer: ‘Financial cliff edge looms without rent standstill deal’
We have to secure an extension to the moratorium on landlords taking action against retailers that do not pay rent.
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AnalysisThe economics of ecommerce: Counting the costs of trading online
As countries went into lockdown when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, ecommerce was the sole channel still open to retailers of products deemed non-essential.
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AnalysisThe Big Question: Should there be a cap on CVAs for retailers?
As the coronavirus continues to hammer sales and customer footfall levels show no signs of returning to pre-Covid levels any time soon, more struggling retailers are turning to insolvency procedures such as CVAs to survive. However, with many brands having a second or third bite of the cherry, industry experts debate whether a cap should be put in place
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AnalysisMarks & Spencer job cuts – harsh medicine, but necessary
Marks & Spencer’s biggest round of job cuts ever has sent shockwaves through retail. Around 7,000 roles will be axed – and that is on top of 950 redundancies revealed just a month ago.
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Opinion‘Retailers must recession-proof ahead of crunch Christmas’
Data released over the past few days has laid bare the extent of the challenge the UK economy faces over the coming months and years.
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Opinion‘Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group is not just unconventional – it’s unprofessional’
When a stock market announcement comes through from Frasers Group, formerly known as Sports Direct, you never know what to expect. A rant from founder Mike Ashley at landlords, the government or his rivals? A shiny new acquisition? The resignation of its auditor?
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Opinion‘V-shaped recovery masks wildly divergent retail performance’
Not a day seems to have passed recently without a CVA or job losses from one retailer or another as a result of the lower footfall, lower spend and acceleration in shift online caused by the pandemic.
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Opinion‘JD-Footasylum case shows how retail mergers have just got tougher’
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last week slapped JD Sports and its largest shareholder with a £300,000 fine for allegedly breaking an order from the watchdog over its acquisition of Footasylum.
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AnalysisFour ways retail landlords are ditching the rents status quo
Like so much else in the retail sector, the pandemic has accelerated existing trends in the retail property market. Retail Week looks at the actions taken by landlords Hammerson and the Crown Estate, and what they mean for the future of the industry
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AnalysisMarketplace melee: Amazon vs eBay vs Shopify – who won in the pandemic?
Retail Week examines the three big marketplaces’ second-quarter results to understand who traded best over the tumultuous coronavirus lockdown period.
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AnalysisFour must-see graphs from Next reveal lockdown trading pattern
Fashion giant Next’s latest update showed “a much better position than anticipated three months ago”. These graphs eloquently tell the story of how performance has played out and the impact of store reopenings.
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AnalysisBorrowed time: Is retail hurtling towards a credit crunch?
When the government shut all non-essential retail stores in March many businesses were forced to increase borrowing to simply stay afloat. But are these levels of debt unsustainable? Retail Week looks at whether retail is facing a ticking liquidity time bomb.
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Opinion‘Retail hasn’t been left behind by the government – it’s evolving’
On the back of the government’s latest economic update, I’ve read some people saying that retail has gotten used to being ignored by set pieces from chancellors, past and present.
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Opinion‘Retail can ill afford another business rates review that fizzles out’
As night follows day, the beginning of another financial year also brings another government review into business rates reform. However, with the sector reeling from the coronavirus, this latest call for evidence gives reasons for optimism.
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OpinionJohn Roberts: 'Why all AO staff – not just bosses – will share our success'
At AO.com, we talk a lot about trying to do things that would make our mums proud.
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Opinion‘Walmart’s Asda Price must be right to secure private equity backing’
On, then off. On, then off. And now back on again. Walmart has resumed efforts to sell off a majority stake in Asda – and hopes it will prove to be third time lucky.