High Street
The high street remains a vital battleground for pet retailers, balancing in-person service with growing digital competition. Pet Gazette covers the role of independent pet shops, regional chains, and national retailers on UK high streets — reporting on shop openings and closures, rent pressures, footfall trends, and evolving customer expectations. We also examine localised marketing strategies, product merchandising, and how high street stores adapt to omni-channel retail. For wholesalers and suppliers, this tag offers visibility into the challenges and opportunities facing brick-and-mortar stockists across towns and cities.
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Aug- 2020 -25 AugustCoronavirus
UK footfall accelerates fourfold
Footfall in UK retail destinations rose by 4.1% last week against the week before, marking a “significant” acceleration in the prior week’s rise of 0.8%, and 1.8% rise in the same week last year. According to the latest data from Springboard, this was largely driven by rises in footfall of…
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21 AugustRetailing
Road closures are ‘accelerating the decline of the high street’, says Bira
Local authorities across the UK are “accelerating the decline of the high street” with “unnecessary” road closures, according to Bira. The group said it has been “inundated” with calls from concerned businesses that post-lockdown accessibility issues are “significantly impacting trade”. Bira said it is now working hard to help address…
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7 AugustCoronavirus
Poor July sales rock high street recovery
Poor in-store sales through the month of July have “dampened hopes of a recovery” across UK high streets, according to the latest High Street Sales Tracker from BDO. In-store like-for-like sales decreased by 39.4% last month, down from a marginal base of 0.1% that was reported the year before. According…
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7 AugustRetailers
Usdaw warns business rates increase could risk more jobs
Retail trade union Usdaw has expressed “major concerns” over reports that the government is considering increasing business rates for premises with a rateable value over £51,000. The news comes as reports suggest Rishi Sunak is considering increasing business rates in an effort to boost the UK economy. Instead, Usdaw is…
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4 AugustCoronavirus
Mandatory face coverings spark ‘modest’ uplift in footfall
Footfall across all UK retail destinations saw a “modest” uplift last week, with footfall up by 2.8% against the week prior. According to Springboard, this may have been boosted by the mandatory use of face coverings in shops, after footfall was up by 4.4% the weekend the rule was introduced. …
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Jul- 2020 -22 JulyRetailers
Bira urges PM to ‘give us back our high streets’
The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) is calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to intervene and “give us back our high streets”. In an exclusive Bira survey, three quarters (75%) of independent retailers said trade is being “detrimentally impacted” by lockdown road closures. The survey revealed that two thirds (66.1%)…
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22 JulyFeatures
Building loyalty with pet owners, manufacturers must take the lead
A lack of knowledge of the end customer is a challenge for any industry where a manufacturer is selling via distributors, large buying practices or, in the case of the pet trade, direct to the veterinary practice. Manufacturers have the tough job of appealing to all the stakeholders; the vets,…
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20 JulyCoronavirus
Footfall sees ‘most modest’ decline since lockdown
Footfall rose by 4.5% last week against the week prior, according to the latest figures from Springboard. The group said this rise was largely driven by high streets and shopping centres, where footfall rose by 6.8% and 4.7%, respectively, while slipping 0.7% in retail parks. While this recorded rise was…
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16 JulyRetailers
Usdaw welcomes compulsory wearing of face coverings in shops
Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed the mandatory wearing of face coverings in shops, but warns that it can only be effective alongside existing social distancing and hygiene procedures. Earlier this week wearing a face covering in retail shops and supermarkets will be made compulsory from the 24 July. It…
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14 JulyEconomy
June retail sales show signs of recovery
Retail sales increased by 3.4% in June, against a decrease of 1.6% in June 2019, marking the first signs of growth registered since the UK lockdown began. This is according to the latest BRC–KPMG retail sales monitor, which found that the increase in retail sales to be above the three-month…
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