High street decline May 5, 2021 With high streets in turmoil and recovery slow, high street graveyards are becoming a common sight across the UK. The past 12 months have not been easy for the vast majority of companies, in particular for those without an online platform. However, the struggle of the high street is not a new problem. Rewind a few years [...]
Gaping hole in Rishi Sunak’s budget leaves young and jobless behind March 3, 2021 Rishi Sunak made clear in today’s budget that protecting and supporting jobs remains the highest priority for the Government. This reassurance is vital. As we begin to plan for the future, the costs of the pandemic are becoming clearer and clearer. The toll will be immense and there is no group that has been as [...]
Business rates from the 16th century are ruining the high-street and an online sales tax isn’t enough February 23, 2021 The pandemic is in many ways not a break from the past but a rapid accelerator, and nowhere has the world sped up as much as in our shopping habits. In the last year, more retail sales shifted onto the internet than had done so in the previous decade. UK consumers spent £24 in every [...]
Don’t make us pay national insurance for furloughed staff, say struggling businesses November 27, 2020 Business groups representing hospitality, retail and leisure businesses have united to urge the government to provide sector specific support for fear of going bust due to higher tier restrictions. The groups, which have launched a ‘Bounce Back Better’ campaign to urge the government to provide them support, have asked for National Insurance payments to be [...]
High street redundancies: Which retailers have cut jobs in the pandemic so far? February 13, 2021 Thousands of high street jobs have evaporated during the coronavirus pandemic, as retail chains have fallen under the pressure of lockdown restrictions on trading. The UK high street, which was already struggling before the pandemic, is set to look very different when shoppers return after lockdown following high profile collapses that have cost many retail [...]
Covid was the final lever for the creative destruction of the high street: it’s not gone, just changing March 8, 2021 If you believe some of the gloomier predictions, the high street is on life support and will breathe its last when the government eventually pulls the plug on the comprehensive Covid relief package that has kept it alive. Last week’s budget offers another lifeline but is, in effect, a stay of execution in a process [...]
Sir Philip Green set to axe jobs and stores in vast Arcadia restructure March 15, 2019 Sir Philip Green is set to close vast numbers of Top Shop, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge in a huge restructure of his Arcadia retail empire, it is reported. Read more: Philip Green closes 210 Arcadia stores over two years The high street billionaire is preparing a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) that could result in [...]
Oxford Street: This is what the UK’s shopping destination could look like after lockdown March 11, 2021 Oxford Street – the world famous shopping destination that attracts millions of Londoners and tourists every year – is set to look drastically different when the city emerges from the latest coronavirus lockdown. An arts centre, 25 metre artificial hill and play areas in bus lanes are among the ideas that have been floated to [...]
McDonalds, Topshop and New Look close stores due to coronavirus March 23, 2020 High street retailers have begun to shut stores in response to the coronavirus pandemic in the UK. Topshop, New Look and H&M are among the major UK retail chains to temporarily shut all branches over the weekend. The government ordered all pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants to close on Friday as the public were encouraged [...]
Debenhams closure: Timeline of department store chain’s collapse December 1, 2020 Department street chain Debenhams announced this morning that it is preparing to close down after failing to attract a buyer, but the former high street giant’s problems stretch back over several years. Earlier this year the struggling retailer entered administration for the second time in 12 months, even before Covid-19 forced it to close its [...]