Table of Contents
Analyst Comment – H&M features vegan cactus leather in latest sustainability push
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- Figure 1: H&M’s Science Story collection “unites the energy of the present moment and the optimism promised by a sustainable future, 2021
- Figure 2: The Neon Green Sandals, in vegan imitation leather made from cactus leaves, £79.99, have sold out, 2021
- Responding to the shift in shopping behaviours
- Shoppers sceptical about sustainability claims
- What we think
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UK Retail Sales
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- Key points
- Retail sales
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- Figure 3: Retail sales trends, January 2019-March 2021
- BRC vs ONS
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- Figure 4: UK retail sales y/y growth, BRC vs ONS, January 2018-March 2021
- Inflation
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- Figure 5: Annual % change in the consumer price index for selected product groups, January 2019-March 2021
- Inflation and wages
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- Figure 6: Real wages growth: wages growth vs inflation, January 2016-March 2021
- Looking forward
Sector Focus – Household Goods
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- The sector – What’s included
- The sector in context
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- Figure 7: Household final consumption expenditure on household goods, 2016-20
- Figure 8: Household goods specialists’ sectors year on year growth in sales, 2016-20
- Reduced appetite for big-ticket items and store closures impact furniture sales
- Housing market resurgence help carpet specialists avoid another seismic collapse in sales
- Renewed focus on the home and garden and booming ecommerce drive DIY sales
- Specialists’ lose out to non-specialists as online electrical purchasing rockets
- Textile specialists’ sales fall sharply on back of COVID-19 store closures
- Rise in sector spending encouraging
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- Figure 9: Planned spend on home and garden products, 8 January-12 April 2021
Launch Activity and Innovations
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- UK: Asda announces raft of new brand partnerships for George
- UK: N Brown launches new brands to third-party offer starting with Finery
- UK: Decathlon opens experiential flagship in Leeds
Headlines for the Month
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- Convenience stores
- Grocers
- Other food and drink specialists
- Clothing retailing
- Footwear retailing
- Multi-sector retailing
- Department stores
- DIY retailing
- Furniture retailing
News Analysis – Food and Drink
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- Convenience stores
- UK: McColl's full-years sales rise 3.2% despite drop in profits
- UK: Nisa cuts wholesale prices for retailers in £2 million investment
- Grocers
- UK: Aldi
- ...removes plastic straws from all own-label drink cartons
- ...to offer National Lottery at all its stores
- UK: Asda opens first London in-store vaccination centre
- UK: Iceland launches new convenience format Swift
- UK: Morrisons
- ...revenue up 8.9% despite drop in profits
- ...rolls out ‘quiet hour’ during weekend
- UK: Tesco
- ...launches new plastic ban affecting online shoppers
- ...Pret teams up with Tesco to sell baked goods in supermarkets
- ...launches new plastic recycling scheme
- UK: Waitrose to stop selling magazines with disposable plastic toys
- Other food and drink specialists
- UK: Greggs suffers £14m loss due to store closures
- UK: Thorntons to close all shops risking 600 jobs
News Analysis – Clothing and Footwear
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- UK: Barbour sees turnover rise 7.8% despite ‘significant’ COVID-19 impact
- UK: Boda Skins rolls out buy-back scheme
- UK: Boux Avenue unveils first athleisure collection
- UK: Browns unveils new four-storey ‘destination’ store
- UK: Burberry updates full-year outlook after rebound in sales
- UK: Fred Perry opens new Manchester flagship
- UK: Frugi Group sales up 51%
- UK: Joules to open stores in Center Parcs holiday villages
- UK: menswear rental service Garmentry launches in the UK
- UK: Next
- ...pre-tax profits drop 53% amid ‘a crisis unprecedented in living memory’
- ...buys 25% stake in upmarket fashion retailer Reiss
- UK: Peacocks rescued out of administration saving 2,000 jobs
- UK: Ralph & Russo fall into administration
- UK: retailers call on the government to reopen fitting rooms
- UK: Ted Baker launches live shopping service for UK customers
- UK: The Carlyle Group buys majority stake in End
- UK: Weird Fish ecommerce grew 84% as it focuses on investing in digital and in-store experiences
- Footwear retailing
- UK: Clarks takeover completed
- UK: Kurt Geiger to open nine new stores
News Analysis – Mixed Goods
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- Multi-sector retailing
- UK: B&M hires new digital director signalling a possible ecommerce push
- UK: Halfords acquires Universal Tyre and Autocentres for £15m
- UK: M&S
- ...outlines reopening plans with new campaign
- ...set to add Sosandar offering to website
- ...turns closed cafes into Easter pop-up stores
- UK: Poundland
- ...set to open 30 new stores
- ...renegotiates 180 leases
- UK: Wilko to roll out in-store recycling face-mask scheme
- Department stores
- UK: Debenhams
- ...Leicester store to be converted into flats
- ...to reopen for closing down sale
- UK: John Lewis
- ...‘does not expect to reopen all John Lewis shops at the end of lockdown’
- ...closes eight more stores
- UK: Selfridges reveals first kitchen pop-up
News Analysis – Household Goods
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- DIY retailing
- UK: Homebase reveals revamped website
- UK: Kingfisher
- ...sales grow 7% as it sees ‘new generation of DIY’ers’ emerge
- ...to launch B&Q stores in Saudi Arabia
- UK: Screwfix plans 50 new store openings creating 600 jobs
- UK: Topps Tiles sales fall 17.3% thanks to lockdown restrictions
- UK: Wickes and Travis Perkins demerger resumes
- Furniture retailing
- UK: Eve Sleep reduces annual losses by 83%
- UK: owner of Julian Charles pledges to invest £20m for new retail acquisition
- UK: ScS revenues up 14.4% as CEO steps down
- UK: Victoria Plum sales grow by a record 46%
- Homewares retailing
- UK: home furnishing retailer Terrys sees 109% increase in demand during lockdowns
News Analysis – Online
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- UK: Amazon reduces shares in Deliveroo
- UK: Asos
- ...aims to raise £500 million to help global expansions push
- ...interim revenues up 24% as customers become confident in online shopping
- UK: Boohoo turns to vintage fabric amid sustainability drive
- UK: Just Eats revenues grows 54% to €2.4 billion
- UK: Ocado
- ...quarterly revenues grow 40% ‘reflecting strong demand for online grocery’
- ...relaunches own-label range as plastic-free
News Analysis – Other Retail
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- Health & beauty retailing
- UK: Boots online sales surge 105%
- UK: Lloyds Pharmacy rolls out UK’s first COVID-19 nasal spray
- UK: Superdrug to stock Missguided Beauty
- Sports and leisure goods retailing
- UK: Evans Cycle to cut 300 jobs
- UK: Frasers Group acquires retail park in Wigan
- UK: Nike severs ties with Urban Outfitters as part of its DTC strategy
- Garden centres
- UK: Dobbies
- ...rolls out virtual spring events
- ...reveals new Little Dobbies format in Bristol
- Shopping centres
- UK: Bluewater to launch drive-in cinema to attract footfall
News Analysis – Economy
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- UK: Boris Johnson confirms non-essential retail will reopen in England from April 12
- UK: retailers campaign for ‘Shop Out To help Out’
- UK: shops opening hours will be extended until 10pm in April
- UK: ONS results reveal February retail sales growth of 2.1%
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