JANUARY The snow wreaked havoc in the UK, threatening stock shortages because of delivery delays and a customer shortage as shoppers shunned the high street
FEBRUARY Iconic department store Liberty paid tribute to designer Alexander McQueen following his death in a window display entitled ‘McQueen and Country’
MARCH Primark founder and chairman Arthur Ryan made an unprecedented appearance at the Oracle Retail Week Awards, where he was recognised for his outstanding contribution to retail
APRIL Best Buy, with its big ambitions for the UK, made its long awaited debut with its ‘big blue box’ format
APRIL DFS founder Lord Kirkham secured the sale of his sofa business for £500m while on a trip to the North Pole with Iceland founder Malcolm Walker
APRIL Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown chose a Morrisons store to kick off his election campaign, as retail leaders called for politicians to be clear with the electorate about their plans to boost consumer confidence
Source: Getty Images
MAY Marc Bolland started at the helm of Marks & Spencer as Sir Stuart Rose’s successor, and was only one day in to the when job finance director Ian Dyson, overlooked for the role, announced he was leaving
MAY The UK retail industry became that little bit less colourful in May following Mohammed Al Fayed’s surprise £1.5bn sale of Harrods to Qatari investors
Source: Rex Features
JUNE As the World Cup approached, retailers were busy planning how to maximise the benefit of a lift in consumer sentiment. England’s failure meant the lift was short lived
Source: The FA via Getty Images
JUNE Retailers reacted with relief to the coalition Government’s emergency Budget. However, shoppers were targeted, with the biggest increase coming from the VAT rise to 20%
JULY Ocado’s IPO was one of the most controversial flotations in memory, with many City analysts baulking at its £800m to £1.2bn valuation. After debuting at 180p per share, shares plunged to 166p after the first day of trading
AUGUST 20,000 people flocked to Apple’s Covent Garden store - its 28th in the UK on its opening day. The first customer was waiting outside for 24 hours before the doors were unlocked
Source: Alamy
SEPTEMBER Kate Moss’ collaboration with Topshop has come to an end. The model’s next collection will be her last, and instead concentrate on limited edition pieces only
OCTOBER Burberry’s Angela Ahrendts won the Outstanding Leadership Award at the Oracle World Retail Awards for the way she had made the luxurybrand relevant in challenging markets
NOVEMBER Retailers had reason to cheer as news of the royal wedding promises to lift shoppers’ moods, boost tourism and increase sales of all royal memorabilia linked to the happy couple’s big day
Source: AP/Press Association Images
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