Debenhams share price tumbles as firm mulls over rescue plan September 10, 2018 Shares in high street retailer Debenhams crashed 17 per cent this morning after it emerged the firm had brought in KPMG to advise on a number of options to save the struggling company. Debenhams has had a gruelling year, announcing three profit warnings so far alongside a raft of job cuts, causing its share price to tank [...]
Apprenticeship levy: Treasury slashes businesses’ contributions in half October 29, 2018 Chancellor Philip Hammond has unveiled plans for a £695m initiative to help small firms hire apprentices in his Budget this afternoon. The Treasury is cutting the small businesses co-investment level for apprenticeships from 10 per cent to five per cent. Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “While the Chancellor’s recent announcement to [...]
UK retail sales slide as consumers cut discretionary spending, according to British Retail Consortium June 6, 2017 Retail sales fell back again last month as consumers started counting the pennies and cut their discretionary spending. Like-for-like retail sales were down by 0.4 per cent in May, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), falling back from the sales boost the sector received over the Easter holiday. Non-food retailers dragged on [...]
Karen Millen buys Coast after collapse but 300 jobs still at risk October 11, 2018 Fashion retailer Coast has collapsed into administration, putting an estimated 300 jobs at risk. Retail rival Karen Millen has bought the brand’s website and UK department store concessions, it announced this evening, however all 24 stand alone Coast outlets and European concessions will close. Read more: Retail sales growth slumps after bumper summe A total of [...]
Retail sales beat expectations as shoppers continue spending spree September 20, 2018 Retail sales volumes beat expectations and rose 0.3 per cent in August as British shoppers continued to spend. The Office for National Statistics data showed sales jumped 3.3 per cent on August last year. There were increases across all sectors except food, clothing and petrol. Read more: Retail industry fears 'tipping point' amid looming business [...]
Retail sales beat expectations as shoppers continue spending spree September 20, 2018 Retail sales volumes beat expectations and rose 0.3 per cent in August as British shoppers continued to spend. The Office for National Statistics data showed sales jumped 3.3 per cent on August last year. There were increases across all sectors except food, clothing and petrol. Read more: Retail industry fears 'tipping point' amid looming business [...]
Former Staples chain Office Outlet to close stores in new CVA filing August 19, 2018 Stationery chain Office Outlet, formerly known as Staples, is set to launch a Company Voluntary Arrangement – an insolvency procedure to reduce stores and costs – tomorrow and close a selection of its 96 UK stores. Sources today told Sky News that the retailer, which was bought by restructuring fund Hilco in 2016, will request a [...]
British shop prices rise for first time in five years August 29, 2018 British shop prices have risen for the first time in five years as hot weather and the rising price of oil conspired to add to inflationary pressure. Shop prices increased by 0.1 per cent in August 2018 compared to last year, figures from the British Retail Consortium, prepared by Nielsen, will today show. The rate [...]
Retail’s Super Thursday: The good, the bad and the ugly January 10, 2019 Today's so-called Super Thursday delivered a very mixed shopping basket of retail results, from some fresh bargains ready to be snapped up to others in danger of being labelled as out of date. Tesco, John Lewis, DFS, Debenhams and more released their results on a day dubbed Super Thursday, but which coincided with a dire [...]
Profiting from the retail revolution: What’s hot and what’s not? January 15, 2019 It turns out that so-called Super Thursday wasn’t so super after all. Despite being lauded as a day when retailers boast strong figures from the festive period, last Thursday proved to be a mixed basket of results. With consumers feeling the pinch and Brexit-sized uncertainty looming large over the high street, it’s not surprising that [...]