Ikea to close Tottenham store in £1bn plans to speed up home deliveries in London March 30, 2022 Ikea has revealed it will be shutting shop at its Tottenham store, with some 450 employees set to be impacted. However, Ikea said it has plans to retain as many individuals as possible. It is also planning to create some 600 vacancies in the capital before the store shuts. The North London store will remain open [...]
Council says it wants to rid central London of ‘candy and tat shops’ March 3, 2022 Westminster City Council has outlined its intention to rid central London’s Oxford Street of “questionable candy and tat shops” as a part of a £150m rejuvenation. Rachael Robathan, leader of the council, tonight said “Oxford Street is Europe’s hardest hit street” by Covid and that the decline will continue without a serious intervention. Footfall on [...]
When in Rome (or Paris), while in your bedroom: the metaverse of the high street February 14, 2022 When Topshop announced they were pulling out of their flagship Oxford street shop last year, the fatalistic chatter about the end of the high street gathered colossal momentum. The store was eventually snapped up by Ikea, for £378m, but another hole was left in its wake, with House of Fraser closing down too. Despite this, [...]
Changing high street: Bingo halls and casinos shutter while gyms take advantage of cheaper rent January 31, 2022 Bingo halls and casinos have declined amid the pandemic, with the number of leisure venues targeted at older customers dropping in the last year. The number of bingo halls decreased to 360 in 2021, down from 370 in 2020, according to commercial law firm EMW. Elsewhere, the number of snooker clubs dropped to 700 last [...]
Asos flies in clothes to manage supply chain delays and forced to sell products at a discount January 13, 2022 Online fashion giant Asos said this morning it had to fly in clothes to manage supply chain delays and sold more products at a discount as competition heated up over the autumn months. The company also revealed it suffered from the various lockdowns imposed in Europe as Omicron spread, but sales held up in the [...]
Retail in 2022: Leisure explosion and flexible landlords will give the UK high street a much-needed boost this year January 11, 2022 Demand for property outside traditional retail and pragmatic landlords have given “renewed optimism” for some high streets and shopping districts despite the toll of the pandemic, according to industry experts. The pressure from lockdown measures, after a steady decline in recent years, saw vacancy rates across shopping destinations hit record levels in the second quarter [...]
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 [...]
Retailers are using experiences, not goods, to keep high street fashion on trend November 22, 2021 A short stroll along Oxford Street these days doesn’t necessarilly fill retail fans with confidence. A phalanx of American candy stores, souvenir shops of questionable quality and ‘to let’ signs have blossomed after the pandemic, and House of Fraser last week became the latest bricks and mortar flagship to announce it would be closing its [...]
Celebrity details leaked after London jeweller hacked November 1, 2021 London-based jeweller Graff has been attacked by a ransomware gang, with cyberhackers stealing celebrity clients’ details. Russian group Conti – who are known for launching attacks on hospitals and government departments – are thought to have demanded millions of pounds in ransom. The group has already leaked around 69,000 confidential documents on the dark web, [...]
Letters: Ikea needs more than real estate for high street success October 27, 2021 [Re: Ikea snaps up former Topshop Oxford St flagship for £378m, yesterday] While Ikea’s takeover of Topshop’s iconic Oxford Street store seems like a no brainer in driving footfall and brand awareness, making it a success will require more than stocked shelves and Swedish meatballs. The pandemic has accelerated the shift from brick-and-mortar to ecommerce, [...]