Up-to-date coverage of the latest events in UK retail.
07:21 Chinese firm mulls LK Bennett swoop
A Chinese firm that supplies LK Bennett has joined the race to buy the fashion retailer from administrators.
Byland UK has been set up in the hope of acquiring the business after it went in to administration earlier this month.
The two directors of the newly incorporated Byland UK are Feng Kangjie and Zhou Cuiqing whose company is said to be a supplier to the retailer Sky reported.
07:11am Travis Perkins chief executive steps down
Wickes parent company Travis Perkins’ boss John Carter, who has worked for the group for over 40 years and spent the last five as chief executive, will step down from the helm of the DIY group in August.
He will be succeeded by Nick Roberts, currently the chief executive of engineering group Atkins.
Roberts will take up his new role in July, with Carter staying on until the end of the year to ensure a smooth handover.
Travis Perkins chair Stuart Chambers said: “[Nick Roberts] has deep experience of the construction, design and engineering industries, which coupled with his successes in the adoption of digital, will prove invaluable in driving the group’s strategy into the future.”
7:03am Consumer confidence remains negative but stable
Consumer confidence has held steady at -13 this month, according to the GfK consumer confidence survey.
Despite ongoing political uncertainty, consumer confidence in March was unchanged compared to February.
However, there was a slight uptick in consumers personal finance situation scoring to 2, up one measure from the previous month.