More finance
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AnalysisBudget 2025: How proposed changes to NI, VAT and pensions could affect retailers and consumers
With less than a month to go until the next Budget, on November 26, Retail Week has spoken to retailers, economists and analysts to try and piece together what the impact could be on both businesses and consumers
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Chart of the WeekChart: Next’s Q3 results are ahead of expectations
Next pointed to improved stock levels and strong marketing performance as the reason sales came in £76m ahead of guidance
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FeatureTikTok Shop: why are some retailers yet to take the plunge?
Four years on from TikTok Shop’s launch in the UK, Retail Week explores how it has gone from an entertainment app to a revenue driver, which brands have dived in, and which are worried about the murky waters.
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Opinion‘As Christmas nears, the picture is bumpy but not bleak’
Retailers should be prepared for unpredictability ahead, but be ready for a strong finish, observes PwC’s Lisa Hooker
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Opinion‘Who’d begrudge Archie Norman more years at the top of Marks & Spencer?’
The extension of Archie Norman’s tenure as chair of the famous retailer may not be the governance norm but few will be bothered by that, believes George MacDonald
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Chart of the WeekChart: There’s a price war, but which products are actually getting cheaper?
Supermarkets keep talking about prices being cut, but what is actually getting cheaper?
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Opinion‘B&M shouldn’t throw baby out with bathwater as it downgrades store standards’
The back to basics strategy being enacted by B&M’s new chief executive makes sense but these days that must include store standards, believes George MacDonald
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FeatureIdeal world: What would retail look like in the world’s best EV service stations?
If you started from scratch and redesigned service stations and forecourts to deliver a world-class shopping experience, what would they look like?
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AnalysisThe City’s verdict after B&M goes ‘back to basics’
Yesterday, value retailer B&M’s new chief executive unveiled a “decisive” plan to get the brand back on track after it issued a profit warning. Here’s how the City responded to his “back to basics” approach.
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Opinion‘Why not make a third less profit, Tesco?’
A call for Tesco to make less money isn’t the answer to food price inflation but would mean less investment in Britain, a more insecure food system, and lower tax receipts, maintains Shore Capital’s Clive Black
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Chart of the WeekChart: Reduce National Insurance and business rates – poll of economists
A new survey of economists and policy experts by the Centre for British Progress think tank suggests experts think NICs and business rates should not be used to raise additional revenue, but VAT should
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Opinion‘The Labour Party Conference offered moments of political clarity and economic ambiguity’
The Labour conference in Liverpool shows that some of retail’s demands are breaking through to government, writes Helen Dickinson. But it also reveals that Labour’s priorities lie in fighting off the rise of Reform, not focusing on business
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AnalysisThe fight before Christmas: Tesco boss Murphy gears up for a very festive price war
In the looming shadow of a late autumn Budget which is filling businesses and consumers with dread, Tesco boss Ken Murphy is also predicting a price war before Christmas.
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InterviewQ&A: Amex on payment innovation, driving conversion, and meeting younger consumers’ demands
In this exclusive Q&A, Amex general manager of Global Merchant Services Dan Edelman reflects on how to appeal to Millennials and Gen Z, the importance of personalisation in retail, and the future payment innovations set to attract consumers in the years ahead.
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AnalysisModella Capital: The private equity firm fast becoming the UK high street’s most prolific investor
Embattled fashion accessories chain Claire’s was snapped up by one of retail’s most prolific investors this week as it became the latest addition in Modella Capital’s portfolio
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Analysis‘Like a bomb threat’ – Co-op looks forward as it grapples with cyber attack fallout
Bruised, battered, but unbowed, Co-op’s group chief executive Shirine Khoury-Haq and her c-suite fronted up to the damage wrought by the cyber attack, and their plans for the business to come back better
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Opinion‘Retailers must continue to make noise about unsustainable cost burdens’
Government-imposed financial pressures are inflicting pain on the heart of the retail industry – its people, believes Charlotte Hardie
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AnalysisKingfisher: the factors powering its success – and warning on business rates’ impact
DIY giant Kingfisher, owner of B&Q and Screwfix in the UK, lifted its full-year profit forecast to the upper end of expectations on the back of strong interims
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Chart of the WeekChart: Next shares its vacancy figures in warning on UK jobs market
Next sounded a warning about the UK economy alongside their results last week, pointing to rising unemployment and rising application numbers