Asda boss Andy Clarke’s 4 top leadership tips | City A.M. February 6, 2014 Speaking last night at the British Retail Consortium’s Future Retail Leader’s event, Asda chief executive Andy Clarke gave an account of his journey to the top – starting with the day he left school with just one O Level in English at 15. Realising he had spent too much time on the rugby pitch in [...]
Asda boss Andy Clarke’s 4 top leadership tips February 5, 2014 Speaking last night at the British Retail Consortium’s Future Retail Leader’s event, Asda chief executive Andy Clarke gave an account of his journey to the top – starting with the day he left school with just one O Level in English at 15. Realising he had spent too much time on the rugby pitch in [...]
Online retailers take £10bn in a bumper November December 16, 2013 ONLINE retailers took over £10bn of sales in November, a new monthly record that raises further fears that high street retailers have been left behind in the key Christmas trading period. Online retail sales jumped by 30 per cent in November compared with the previous month – the highest monthly increase in 10 years. This [...]
A two-speed high street January 9, 2014 A CLEAR split between Britain’s winners and losers in the battle for consumers’ cash this Christmas emerged yesterday, as three of the biggest retail chains revealed worse-than-expected trading. Poor results from Tesco, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer added to dreary updates from Sainsbury’s and Mothercare, with heavy discounting, weak consumer spending and the rising discount [...]
London Report: Retailers set to reveal scale of 2013 hangover January 5, 2014 RETAIL figures due this week will reveal whether Britain’s major brands are going into the New Year with a Christmas hangover. Marks & Spencer and Tesco are both set to report on Thursday, and J Sainsbury on Wednesday, with figures likely to show retailers faced a dismal festive season. Debenhams has already set the tone, [...]
British retailers rebound ahead of festive rush December 18, 2013 THE RETAIL sector regained momentum at the beginning of December after a disappointing performance in the two previous months, according to new data, giving hope of a last-minute sales push ahead of Christmas. Grocers, department stores and clothing shops, which had seen sales fall in the year to November, saw sales rebound strongly in the [...]
Burden on high streets is eased as rates capped December 5, 2013 BRITAIN’S struggling high streets were handed some relief yesterday after the government gave in to calls from industry leaders to cap the rise in business rates next year. George Osborne has cut the rise in rates, due to come into force next April, to two per cent instead of the planned 3.2 per cent rise [...]
Shop prices fall again to ease Christmas costs December 3, 2013 SHOP prices fell again in November, industry figures showed yesterday, recording the seventh consecutive month of deflation on the high street. Overall prices fell 0.3 per cent compared with the same month of 2012, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said. Food prices increased by 2.3 per cent on the year, but other products saw an overall dip [...]
Retail rents to begin rising after years as property market heats November 7, 2013 AFTER a long period of weakness, surveyors now predict that retail rents will begin to rise again, for the first time since the financial crisis began. Surveyors now predict that rents will increase across the commercial sector, in retail, industrial and office property, but this is the first time that more respondents expect rents to [...]
Retail still struggling to drive footfall despite British growth November 17, 2013 HIGH streets are still recording declining footfall, with little boost from the robust economic growth recorded for the second and third quarters of the year. Footfall in October was down 2.9 per cent across the sector, compared to the same month in 2012, according to data released today by Springboard and the British Retail Consortium [...]