Retailers

Jan- 2018 -

19 January

Mackle Pet Foods increases Sainsbury’s presence

Mackle Pet Foods has increased distribution into Sainsbury’s of its range of natural and grain free dog food, with the introduction of two new lines. This follows on from the company’s £3 million investment in its plastic tray manufacturing facility in Moy, Northern Ireland in 2017, which has enabled it…

19 January

December 2017 sees retail sales slump

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that December 2017 had the weakest retail sales in over four years. The quantity of items bought in December decreased by 1.5 per cent when compared with the stronger sales in November 2017. Although retail sales increased by 1.3 per cent in…

18 January

Retailers warned the Darwin £10 note is almost extinct

The Bank of England has warned that it will withdraw legal tender status of the paper £10 note featuring Charles Darwin at 23:59 on Thursday 1 March 2018. With six weeks to go, all retailers that handle cash need to plan and prepare for the change. After the deadline, businesses…

18 January

Pets at Home closes all of its Barkers stores

Pets at Home has confirmed the closure of all seven of its Barkers stores across the country by the end of March. Pets at Home opened seven Barkers stores across the country in Bristol, Surrey, West Yorkshire, Marlow, London, Kent and Wilmslow. The shops were dog-centric outlets, offering toys, accessories,…

17 January

Boots recalls bobby pins found to contain real fur

Boots have recalled bobby pins from the hair accessory brand Scunci, after it was found to be made with real fur. The true material of the pins – which were marketed being ‘fur style’ – was discovered by anti-fur campaigner Ruby Miranda, who posted images of the bobby pins on…

17 January

Inflation drops for the first time in 6 months

The inflation rate saw a slight dip in December, falling to 3%, according to figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The level of inflation, according to Consumer Price Index (CPI), was less than November’s rate of 3.1%, which was at its highest for six years. The high…

15 January

High street sees sharpest footfall decline in four years

New figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard show footfall in the month of December suffered its sharpest decline since March 2013. Total UK retail footfall fell by 3.5% compared with December 2016, while the high street saw a sharper drop, down by 4.6%. Shopping centres suffered a…

12 January

Shoppers make 80% of retail purchases online

Online shoppers in the UK make 80% of their retail purchases online, up from 74%, according to a new report. The Royal Mail’s ‘Delivery Matters’ report found that the proportion of money being spent online has increased year on year. The average online shopper spends £40 each month on clothes…

10 January

Plastic bag charge set to affect all retailers

The 5p plastic bag charge could be applied to all retailers as part of new government plans to protect the environment. Prime Minister Theresa May is set to announce the 25-year environment plan on Thursday 11 to tackle “throw-away culture”. Currently, large businesses which have 250 or more employees are…

10 January

Two dogs die during PetSmart grooming session

A PetSmart centre in New Jersey is being investigated after two dogs died and a third was injured when they were dropped off for grooming appointments during an eight-day period. The three dogs had been taken to the Flemington pet store between 22 and 29 December 2017. Danielle DiNapoli told…