Oxford Street on cusp of something really ‘special’, New West End chief says April 23, 2023 Oxford Street is on the cusp of something “really special” and “exciting”, the chief of the New West End company has said, as store development and a boost in international tourism signals a return to better times for London’s most iconic shopping district. Dee Corsi, who oversees operations for the retail strip which spans from [...]
Shein is plotting world domination, should UK retailers be worried? November 2, 2023 It is expected that Shein’s chokehold on shoppers will get even greater after acquiring its first UK company earlier this week.
RIP Wilko: How another high street chain went to the wall September 11, 2023 After more than 90 years on the high street, Wilko and all its 400 stores will vanish by early October. Its 12,500 staff were hoping that HMV owner Doug Putman would be able to close a rescue deal that would see several hundred stores saved. But the Canadian entrepreneur abandoned talks with the high street [...]
Mary Portas: Future of high street is ‘less retail but better retail’ August 18, 2022 The future of the high street will involve “less retail but better retail”, according to broadcaster and retail guru Mary Portas. More than nine in ten retailers believe the UK high street is suffering, according to new research from marketplace Ankorstore, backed by Portas. High street firms are facing turmoil including heightened energy bills, staff [...]
Most Arcadia stores lie empty a year after empire’s collapse December 1, 2021 Press Association THE vast majority of stores from Sir Philip Green’s former Arcadia empire remain empty a year after the retailer’s dramatic collapse. Around 86 per cent of shop sites run by the group – which included Topshop, Topman, Burton and Dorothy Perkins stores – are still vacant, according to data from the Local Data [...]
High street: Applications to convert shops to homes soar but councils reject almost half April 25, 2022 High street shop units are increasingly being targeted for conversion into homes, new data has revealed. Research by commercial law firm EMW found that the number of conversion applications leaped 37 per cent. Some 677 applications were made in 2020/2021, versus 494 in 2019/2020. However, out of the 677 applications for conversion, some 45 per [...]
Exclusive: Logistics warehouses expanded by 200 football pitches worth of space last year May 20, 2022 Distribution warehouses expanded to the tune of more than 200 football pitches last year, as pandemic momentum for e-commerce firms continues to swell. An additional 1.5 mm² space has been snapped up by e-commerce firms, according to an analysis of official data by law firm RPC, exclusively shared with CityA.M. E-commerce sales were worth £28bn [...]
West End landlords Shaftesbury and Capco eye £3.5bn merger May 7, 2022 Two major London property firms are in talks about a £3.5bn merger to create an extensive real estate empire in London's West End.
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 [...]
650k retail jobs lost in the past five years amid fears of unfair high street tax bills ahead June 13, 2022 Some 650,000 retail jobs have been lost in the past five years, as the high street comes under threat once more with consumer spending dropping amid historic inflation. The Centre for Retail Research has found that some 645,204 retail jobs have been lost and 72,580 stores closed across the UK since 2017. High street heavyweights [...]