- Chancellor Alistair Darling responded to Retail Week’s Rate Rage campaign, saying there were no plans to amend the planned 5% increase in business rates, or the 2010 revaluation. However, he said he would consider proposals to make the system less vulnerable to property market fluctuations in the longer term.
- Threshers owner First Quench Retailingbegan a consultation process to make up to 80 staff at its head office redundant.
- Harvey Nichols suffered a 40% slump in profits as its high-end customers began to feel the effects of the global financial crisis. Sales fell 5% in the year to March 31.
- Jessopsrenegotiated rental terms with half its landlords, agreeing monthly rents with 40% of them and rent holidays and reductions with a further 10%, in the run-up to what was described as the toughest quarterly rent payment day for 18 years.
- Marks & Spencer shook up its senior food team, poaching staff from Woolworths South Africa and Asda to work under John Dixon and refresh the offer.
- Sir Geoff Mulcahy won the accolade for Outstanding Contribution to Retail at the Oracle Retail Week Awards. In his acceptance speech he called for changes to administration and insolvency practices.
- Tesco revealed plans to replace the e-commerce platform it developed in-house with packaged software in a major departure for the Tesco.com business.
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