Description
“Online only retailers have undoubtedly hugely benefited from the closure of non-essential retail for prolonged periods and the shift to online shopping as a result of COVID-19. Nevertheless, the strong growth reported by ASOS during the period is also due to the company’s ability to nimbly respond to the changes in shopping behaviour seen during the pandemic. The retailer has remained flexible in responding to demands for “lockdown” products, as sales of formal and outfits for social events dried up, with shoppers instead turning to ‘activewear’ and ‘casualwear’.”
This Report looks at the following areas:
- Analyst comment – ASOS profits surge during lockdown
- An overview of the latest European Retail sales
- Highlights of the latest Retail trend observations across Europe.
- Monthly headlines and retail news across Europe
Table of Contents
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Analyst Comment – ASOS Profits Surge in Lockdown
- Responding to demands for ‘lockdown’ products
- Figure 1: ASOS expanded its loungewear offering in lockdown, 2021
- A renewed demand for occasionwear
- Figure 2: ASOS’ homepage features garden party outfit inspiration, 2021
- Figure 3: “The May 17th edit”, 2021
-
- Figure 4: “Beer Garden Outfits” on online retailer Missguided’s website, 2021
- Responding to demands for ‘lockdown’ products
-
European Retail Sales
- Key points
- Retail sales
- Figure 5: Major European economies: Year-on-year retail sales value growth, 2019-21
- Figure 6: Major European economies: year-on-year retail sales volume growth, 2019-21
- Inflation
- Figure 7: Major European economies: all items CPI, 2019-21
- Figure 8: Major European economies: food price inflation, 2019-21
-
Launch Activity and Innovations
- France: Carrefour converts 15 Bio c’Bon sites into Carrefour City stores
- France: Monoprix reveals new convenience format
- France: Decathlon connects the digital and physical in new store format
-
Headlines for the Month
- Grocers
- Clothing retailing
- Multi-sector retailing
- Online
- Toy retailing
-
News Analysis – Food and Drink
- 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
- France: Casino Group teams up with Uber Eats
- France: Carrefour
- …buys three Colruyt stores
- …to buy Grupo Big from Walmart for €1.1 billion
- …extends Deliveroo partnership
- …tests uploading its catalogues to Youtube
- …to sell DIY COVID-19 tests
- France: Monoprix to open second-hand bike stores in new partnership with Recovelo
- France: Système U turnover grows 8.3%
- Germany: Tegut expands partnership with Amazon
- Italy: Esselunga sales up 2.9% as it plans for further expansion
- Italy: VéGé Group signs delivery partnership with Glovo
- Netherlands: Albert Heijn and Selecta to open unmanned stores
- Poland: Carrefour to expand OUTLET concept to more supermarkets
- Poland: Dino sales up 12.6% as it expands its store presence
- Poland: Salling Group finalises Tesco Poland acquisition
- Portugal: DIA looking to repurpose Clarel stores
- Spain: Aldi tests delivery service with Glovo
- Spain: Carrefour completes Supersol acquisition
- Spain: Mercadona replaces disposable plastic kitchenware with sustainable alternatives
- UK: Aldi
- …removes plastic straws from all own-label drink cartons
- …to offer National Lottery at all its stores
- UK: Asda
- …announces raft of new brand partnerships for George
- …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
- Clothing retailing
- Italy: Primark set to open eight Italian stores
- Spain: Inditex profits fall in a ‘difficult’ year
- Sweden: H&M first-quarter sales fall 27%
- 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
- Multi-sector retailing
- Finland: Kesko Group comparable sales up 3%
- France: GiFi celebrates 40th anniversary with more store openings
- 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
- 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
- Germany: Zalando revenues up 23% for the year
- 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: N Brown launches new brands to third-party offer starting with Finery
- UK: Ocado
- …quarterly revenues grow 40% ‘reflecting strong demand for online grocery’
- …relaunches own-label range as plastic-free
-
News Analysis – Other Retail
- 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: Decathlon opens experiential flagship in Leeds
- 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
- Toy retailing
- France: King Jouet acquires six Swiss Maxi Toys stores
- Garden centres
- UK: Dobbies
- …rolls out virtual spring events
- …reveals new Little Dobbies format in Bristol
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