The UK’s gift card and voucher market has grown by 7.2% year-on-year, according to the latest analysis carried out by the UK Gift Card & Voucher Association (UKCGVA) and KPMG UK. The analysis – looking at sales performance in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period the year before – recorded a […]
The end of an era is looming for Marks and Spencer, with the retail giant expected to be relegated from the FTSE 100 index of Britain’s biggest listed companies on Wednesday. If it is demoted, it will be the first time M&S has not been a FTSE 100 member since the index was launched in […]
The US retail giant Amazon has been criticised by customers for increasing its use of plastic packaging. While UK supermarkets and shops try to use less plastic, Amazon earlier this year introduced a new range of padded plastic envelopes for deliveries. One fed-up customer told the BBC: “Amazon shouldn’t be creating more plastic waste.” Amazon […]
UK consumers are fighting back against online retailers that fail to deliver, a new research report into what the UK public expects from retailers when shopping online has found. The report, titled ‘Are online retailers delivering for customers’?, from global commerce services company, PFS, found that more than six in ten (64%) online shoppers say […]
McDonald’s new paper straws – described as “eco-friendly” by the US fast food giant – cannot be recycled. Last year, it axed plastic straws, even though they were recyclable, in all its UK branches as part of a green drive. But the US fast food giant says the new paper straws are not yet easy […]
Shares in Aston Martin have dived more than 20% after the luxury carmaker cut its sales forecasts for 2019. The British firm blamed weaker demand across Europe after sales to dealers in the region fell by almost a fifth in the first half of the year. It now expects to sell 6,300-6,500 cars to dealers […]
Ikea could be building homes in the UK after a council in the south of England agreed to work with a developer owned by the flat-pack retailer. Worthing Council is considering a deal with BoKlok, owned by Ikea and construction company Skanska, to build up to 162 homes in the seaside town. BoKlok’s homes are […]
Despite clear differences in expectations among shoppers of different generations, almost half of retailers (44%) have made no progress in tailoring the in-store shopping experience according to a recent study conducted by Oracle NetSuite, Wakefield Research and The Retail Doctor. The global study of 1,200 consumers and 400 retail executives across the U.S., U.K. and […]
Just 52% of food packaging, including cardboard, glass and plastics, can be easily put into household recycling bins, according to Which? Researchers analysed the packaging of 46 own-brand items from Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose. The consumer champion broke down each item’s packaging and assessed whether every piece could be recycled […]
Whitbread, the UK’s largest hotel operator, has blamed ‘weak trading conditions’ for a fall in demand for its rooms. Sales at Whitbread’s Premier Inns open at least a year fell 4.6% in the first three months of 2019. Total sales fell about 1%. As political and economic uncertainty continued, the regional business market was less […]
