Sports Direct shares dive after results chaos
Mike Ashley group warned of ‘terminal’ House of Fraser problems and £605m tax bill Shares in Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct crashed by more than a quarter after the retailer’s disastrous… Read more »
Category: Retail industry
A quarter of UK betting shops could close, with 12,000 jobs at risk
William Hill may shut 700 shops as it looks to offset £820m loss from FOBT reform A quarter of betting shops on UK high streets have been slated for closure,… Read more »
Waitrose launches packaging-free trial
Oxford store offers refillable options for items such as alcohol, rice and cleaning materials Waitrose has unveiled its vision of environmentally conscious shopping, offering customers the chance to buy food… Read more »
Mike Ashley: make me Debenhams CEO and I’ll back £150m rescue
Sports Direct boss seeks to prevent lender takeover that would wipe out his stake Mike Ashley has offered to underwrite a £150m shareholder rescue fundraising for Debenhams if the ailing… Read more »
Waterstones says it can’t pay living wage, as 1,300 authors support staff appeal
Managing director says book chain ‘simply not profitable enough’, as Sally Rooney, Val McDermid and other authors write to protest More than 1,300 writers including Kerry Hudson, David Nicholls, Sally… Read more »
LK Bennett fashion chain collapses into administration
As many as 500 jobs at risk after owners fail to find new financial backer The upmarket fashion chain LK Bennett has collapsed into administration, putting 500 jobs at risk,… Read more »
‘Girl power’ charity T-shirts made at exploitative Bangladeshi factory
Over 100 workers claim to have been sacked after protesting about low wages at factory that makes ‘girl power’ T-shirts Charity “girl power” T-shirts sold in the UK are made… Read more »
Karren Brady quits as chair of Philip Green’s retail group
Businesswoman had refused to resign after allegations of inappropriate behaviour against tycoon Karren Brady has resigned as chair of Sir Philip Green’s retail empire, a fortnight after insisting she had… Read more »
Philip Green accused of racial, physical and sexual abuse
Businessman faces string of allegations by employees after injunction is lifted Philip Green allegedly subjected people working in his business empire to abuse and other inappropriate behaviour that was at… Read more »
Thousands of Tesco jobs at risk as bosses look to axe fresh food counters
Reports claim retail giant plans to axe butchers and fishmongers, and trim bakeries among other cuts Tesco is embarking on a fresh round of aggressive cost-cutting in its UK supermarket… Read more »
Companies press Brexit panic button in further blow to Theresa May
P&O opts for Cypriot flag, Sony confirms HQ move and Pets at Home stockpiles cat food The scale of no-deal panic gripping major companies has been thrown into sharp focus… Read more »
Tesco, Mothercare and M&S use factory paying workers 35p an hour
Bangladeshi firm that made charity Spice Girls T-shirts also works with major UK retailers Revealed: Spice Girls T-shirts made in factory paying staff 35p an hour Tesco, Marks & Spencer… Read more »
Debenhams chairman ousted by Mike Ashley
Retailer’s chairman Ian Cheshire steps down and CEO Sergio Bucher leaves board The chairman and chief executive of Debenhams have been ousted from the retailer’s boardroom after two major shareholders… Read more »
John Lewis may suspend staff bonus as retail slump bites
Weak consumer demand prompts department store chain to consider scrapping bonus for first time since 1953 John Lewis may suspend its staff bonus this year in the wake of the… Read more »
Desperate UK retailers hoping for Christmas Eve shopping reprieve
Chains including Debenhams, House of Fraser, Topshop and New Look offer big discounts Struggling retailers are hoping for a late burst of trade on Monday as bargain hunting Britons take… Read more »
Packaging producers to pay full recycling costs under waste scheme
Government strategy to make ‘polluter pay’, with penalties for difficult to recycle items Retailers and producers of packaging will be forced to pay the full cost of collecting and recycling… Read more »
Asos issues shock profit warning after November downturn
Downturn for fashion retailer suggests high street malaise is spreading to online companies Asos has issued an unexpected profit warning after a poor November, becoming the latest retailer to be… Read more »
English sparkling wine tops Which? taste test of non-champagne fizz
Surrey-made £16 bubbly outclasses foreign rivals such as prosecco, cava and crémant A £16 English sparkling wine made in Surrey has triumphed in an annual consumer taste test of supermarket… Read more »
Body that banned Iceland Christmas ad ‘faced storm of abuse’
Clearcast says it had to shut Facebook page after it blocked film for being too political The body responsible for blocking Iceland’s Christmas ad had to remove staff pictures from… Read more »
Retailers to pay up to £1bn for recycling under waste strategy
Exclusive: ministers seeking to make firms pay more towards recycling their own waste Supermarkets, retailers and major drinks brands are set to pay tens of millions of pounds more towards… Read more »
Iceland’s Christmas TV advert banned for being too political
Supermarket’s Greenpeace film on palm oil’s impact on orangutan deemed rule breach Iceland’s Christmas campaign has been banned from TV because it has been deemed to breach political advertising rules…. Read more »
Embattled high street retailers call for help as closures soar
Pubs, fashion outlets and estate agents prominent among 24,205 closures recorded in the first six months of this year Retailers have called for “decisive action” from the government to support… Read more »
Philip Green allegations: ‘It’s not banter, it’s a climate of fear,’ claim staff
Exclusive: employees allege mogul groped, threatened and humiliated workers Current and former employees of Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group have come forward to allege a climate of fear, bullying and… Read more »
Grimsby named unhealthiest high street in UK by RSPH study
Lincolnshire town tops list that punishes locations which have bookmakers and fast food outlets Grimsby, the centre of the UK fish-processing industry and which has marketed itself as Europe’s Food… Read more »
Third of Britons have stopped or reduced eating meat – report
Figures from Waitrose suggest animal welfare, environmental and health concerns driving sea change in UK diet One in eight Britons is now vegetarian or vegan, according to a new report… Read more »
Philip Green: ‘There was banter but I meant no offence’
Topshop boss rejects abuse claims and says he is being used as ‘target practice’ Sir Philip Green, the owner of Topshop, has denied sexual harassment and racist abuse of staff,… Read more »