Sainsbury’s: Business rates ‘nothing more than an unfair tax on shops’ August 12, 2024 Sainsbury’s has urged the government to cut business rates and warned that failure to act could lead to over 17,000 shop closures over the next decade. It has called for a rate cut of 20 per cent in a bid to revitalise the high street and protect jobs. Not only would this project jobs, the [...]
Harrods slashes 700 jobs as pandemic weighs on high street July 1, 2020 Luxury department chain Harrods has announced it is slashing 700 jobs, as the British high street continues to feel the weight of the coronavirus crisis. In an email to staff, managing director Michael Ward said Harrods was slashing up to 14 per cent of its 4,800-strong workforce due to the “ongoing impact” of Covid-19. Ward [...]
The Notebook: My key takeaway from a year at Just Eat? Tech isn’t the enemy May 15, 2024 Just Eat's Claire Pointon reflects on what she's learned from one year on the job (as well as the takeaway giant's kinship with Taylor Swift).
High street footfall soars on Super Saturday after lockdown lift July 6, 2020 Footfall in England hiked almost 36 per cent on Saturday evening, according to new research, as revellers flocked to high streets around the country to enjoy their first pints out after more than three months of lockdown. New data released by Springboard today showed that footfall on English high streets rose 35.8 per cent on [...]
WH Smith to cut 1,500 jobs as high street and travel footfall plummets August 5, 2020 WH Smith is preparing to cut 1,500 jobs, the high street retailer announced this morning, as it warned it expects to post a full-year loss of £75m due to the coronavirus pandemic. The retailer said it is reviewing its store operations across both its travel and high street businesses due to lower high street footfall [...]
DEBATE: Is Rishi Sunak’s digital tax a good idea to save the high street? August 3, 2020 Is Rishi Sunak’s digital tax a good idea to save the high street? Jordan Shlosberg, co-founder of proSapient, says YES. High street retail is not fundamentally unprofitable, but is disadvantaged compared to online retail through higher taxes and overpriced leases. Through shifting the national tax burden from physical to online retail, the government can support [...]
How Brits (and businesses) fell in love with the humble retail park September 20, 2023 On the outskirts of every bustling town and city lies the reliable, yet boring, retail park. But, as dull as they may be, retail parks are having their moment in the sun.
Wilko collapses into administration, placing 12,000 jobs at risk August 10, 2023 Wilko has collapsed into administration today after the struggling high street retailer failed to find a rescuer. The 400 strong high street store has appointed PWC as administrator, after a number of talks to save the business failed to come to fruition. In a statement, chief of Wilko, Mark Jackson, said the company had been [...]
Challenger banks win customers on back of better savings rates than big boys July 6, 2023 More generous savings rates at challenger banks are seeing customers flock to newer players in the market, as pressure grows on big banks
Adapt planning and licencing rules or risk losing the high street forever June 23, 2020 The nation’s high streets have been struggling for years. Rising vacancy rates and declining footfall over the past decade have seen town centres begin to undergo a fundamental transformation — but in many ways not for the better. Empty, boarded up shops have become a depressingly familiar sight in towns and cities across the UK. [...]