Table of Contents
UK Retail Sales
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- Key points
- Retail Sales
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- Figure 15: Retail sales trends, January 2019 – February 2021
- BRC vs ONS
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- Figure 16: UK retail sales y/y growth, BRC vs ONS, January 2018 – February 2021
- Inflation
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- Figure 17: : Annual % change in the consumer price index for selected product groups, January 2019 – February 2021
- Inflation and wages
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- Figure 18: Real wages growth: Wages growth vs inflation, January 2016 – January 2021
- Looking forward
Sector Focus – Grocery
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- Retail sales recover in February
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- Figure 19: All retail sales (ex-fuel), non-seasonally adjusted, January 2020-Febaruary 2021
- Store-based online grocery continue to soar
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- Figure 20: Annual % change in all grocery retail sales and store-based online grocery retail sales January 2021-February 2021
- Consumers are still limiting time-in -stores
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- Figure 21: Consumer behaviours during COVID-19, 4th March - 12th March 2021
Launch Activity and Innovations
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- UK: Costcutter trial new loyalty app
- UK: Mango adds Intimissimi to offering as part of new marketplace model
- UK: Infarm rolls out larger-scale vertical farming option for retailers
Headlines for the Month
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- Grocers
- Other food and drink specialists
- Clothing retailing
- Footwear retailing
- Multi-sector retailing
- Department stores
- DIY retailing
- Furniture retailing
- Homewares retailing
- Online
- Garden centres
- Pets and pet products retailing
News Analysis – Food and Drink
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- Convenience stores
- UK: Morrisons and McColl’s extend partnership for another three years
- Grocers
- UK: Aldi invests in £22 million on new and refurbished London stores
- UK: Asda
- ...sale to Issa Brothers completed for £6.8 billion
- ...festive sales up 5.1% as customers’ trade up
- ...owners consider selling fashion label George
- ...risks 5,000 roles ahead of restructuring plans
- UK: Lidl launches Whatsapp Customer Care messaging for ‘on-the-go’ shoppers
- UK: Morrisons offers takeaway service from new Camden store
- UK: Sainsbury’s
- ...price match Aldi on 240 products
- ...to cut 500 roles including from its clothing division Tu
- ...will not accept business rates relief extension
- UK: Tesco
- ...risks store managers’ jobs as part of restructuring process
- ...Tesco supermarkets in Thailand and Malaysia rebranded to Lotus
- UK: Waitrose opens new fulfilment centre as it expands online delivery services
- Other food and drink specialists
- UK: Hotel Chocolat sees ‘superb’ half-year results as revenues grow 11%
News Analysis – Clothing and Footwear
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- Clothing retailing
- UK: Belstaff sales up 29% pre-COVID
- UK: Burberry to voluntarily return £6m in business rates relief
- UK: French Connection begins formal sale process
- UK: Inditex profits fall in a 'difficult' year
- UK: Moss Bros does not expect to ‘return to pre-COVID-19 levels in the short-term’
- UK: Primark expects £1.1 billion loss in sales due to store closures
- UK: Ted Baker revenue down 47% following weekly demand for occasion wear
- UK: Urban Outfitters sales rise 25% thanks to virtual shopping service
- Footwear retailing
- UK: Clarks sees revenue drop 6.4% thanks to ‘challenging trade’ in the UK
- UK: Shoe Zone sees a loss of £14.6m due to store closures
News Analysis – Mixed Goods
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- Multi-sector retailing
- UK: B&M revenues up 22% in Q3 thanks to customers ‘stockpiling’
- UK: Halfords
- ...calls for legalisation of e-scooters on roads amid rising demand
- ...to repay £10.7 million of furlough support
- UK: Home Bargains increases turnover by 13% thanks to new store openings
- UK: M&S
- ...boss warns ‘unbearable’ business rates will lead to thousands of more job losses
- ...reveals new sustainable denim range
- ...rolls out credit option for loyalty members
- ...rolls out new online websites in 46 markets
- Department stores
- UK: Debenhams to close Scottish stores leading to 647 redundancies
- UK: Frasers Group
- ...warns of £100m hit from lockdown
- ...reviews store estate despite business relief extension
- ...opens kidswear stores
- UK: John Lewis
- ...to roll out ‘hundreds’ of shop-in-shops inside Waitrose stores
- ...looks to close more stores
- ...offers online credit scheme to customers
News Analysis – Household Goods
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- DIY retailing
- UK: Travis Perkins to complete demerger from Wickes in Q2
- UK: Homebase to open three small-format stores
- UK: Kingfisher to launch B&Q stores in Saudi Arabia
- Furniture retailing
- UK: DFS interim revenues up 17.3% amid ‘resilient’ market
- Homewares retailing
- UK: Cox & Cox sales up 75% bolstered by strong Christmas trading in the final quarter
- UK: Dunelm deputy chair to sell £211m stake to ‘broaden his investment portfolio’
News Analysis – Online
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- UK: Amazon set to open first contactless store in Ealing
- UK: Angling Direct online sales up 40%
- UK: Asos relaunches Topshop and Topman on its website
- UK: Deliveroo confirms intention to float
- UK: Farfetch and The Restory team up to launch Farfetch Fix
- UK: In The Styles expected to float in March
- UK: Made.com thinking about next strategic options and considers possible IPO
- UK: Moonpig expects full-year revenue to double
- UK: N Brown closes Figleaves website and headquarters
- UK: Ocado rivals dedicated aisles for B Corp-certified suppliers
- UK: Virgin Wines makes its stock market debut after £110m valuation
News Analysis – Other Retail
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- Health and beauty retailing
- UK: Boots to cut 300 roles from Nottingham HQ
- UK: Essie teams up with L’Oréal to launch new AR tool ‘Essie On Hand’
- Sports and leisure goods retailing
- UK: Evans Cycle to cut 300 jobs
- Garden centres
- UK: Dobbies sales rise 51% amid lockdown
- Pets and pet products retailing
- UK: Pets at Home increases profit guidance after strong fourth quarter
- Shopping centres
- UK: Westfield owner to focus on UK estate as it reduces its presence in the US
News Analysis – Economy
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- UK: January sales down 2.3% amid national lockdown
- UK: Non-essential retail to open in April according to roadmap
- UK: BRC reports 9.5% growth in retail sales for February
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