Little festive cheer for retailers after worst December on record
Scottish retailers will continue to face challenges in 2019 while recovering from the “worst real-terms December sales figures in 20 years”.
Christmas
Boohoo bucks high street woes as sales surge
Online fashion firm Boohoo has shown its high street rivals a clean pair of heels after revealing a 44% surge in sales and upping its annual sales outlook.
Aberdeen pet shop’s Santa Paws fundraising helps break record
Workers at a pet shop raised an incredible amount of money to help feed local animals who spent their Christmas in a rescue centre.
Primark and Boohoo next in line to reveal Christmas trading
High street fashion giant Primark and online rival Boohoo will be among the next batch of retailers to report back on their festive fortunes.
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Primark and Boohoo next in line to reveal Christmas trading
High street fashion giant Primark and online rival Boohoo will be among the next batch of retailers to report back on their festive fortunes.
Quiz warns of lower profit after disappointing Christmas
Fashion retailer Quiz has warned its profit and revenue will be lower after Christmas trading failed to meet expectations.
Lidl Christmas sales climb on back of premium ranges
Lidl sales were up 8% over the Christmas period as it enticed customers away from the UK’s biggest supermarkets with its premium ranges.
Super Thursday sees Tesco, John Lewis, M&S report Christmas figures
Tesco, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Debenhams were among a host of retailers reporting festive trading figures on Thursday as the high street braces for another difficult year.
Retail winners and losers emerge after Christmas shopping season
The retail sector endured its worst December since the financial crisis, and this has been borne out in some dire trading updates and the collapse of HMV.
M&S adds to Christmas casualties after sales fall
Marks & Spencer has joined the list of retail Christmas turkeys after reporting further sales falls in its embattled clothing arm and food halls.
Mitchells & Butlers ‘delighted’ after festive sales fizz
All Bar One owner Mitchells and Butlers has said it is “delighted” after bumper Christmas sales, but cautioned over Brexit uncertainty.
Card Factory braces for ‘difficult’ 2020 after challenging Christmas
Card Factory has warned that underlying profits for the 2020 financial year are likely to be flat, as it braces for another “difficult” trading period.
B&M enjoys Christmas bounce-back after dire November
Bargain retailer B&M saw a tough November hit sales over its Christmas quarter, but said trading bounced back in the crucial final month.
John Lewis staff bonus could be axed as profits set to tumble
The John Lewis Partnership has warned that its annual staff bonus is under threat for the first time in living memory as it battles challenging trading conditions.
M&S sees Christmas sales fall, but cheers ‘steady’ trading
Marks & Spencer has insisted it is seeing “encouraging early signs” despite further falls in clothing and food sales over its Christmas quarter.
Found: Missing 3ft Rudolph Christmas light to be returned to north-east football club
A missing 3ft tall light-up Rudolph has found by eagle-eyed members of the public after it vanished from a north-east football club’s ground.
Drivers warned to mount navigation devices carefully or risk fine
A motoring organisation has warned of the danger of incorrectly mounted sat-navs in cars, which could net you a fine and up to three penalty points.
FatFace among clutch of retailers confirming ‘challenging’ conditions
Clothing chain FatFace joined a raft of retailers in revealing sales pressure after a tough Christmas on the high street.
Sainsbury’s sees ‘cautious’ consumer spending hit Christmas sales
Sainsbury’s has blamed “cautious” consumer spending for falling sales over its festive quarter as its Argos business also suffered after cutting back on heavy discounts.
Christmas sales boost for Ted Baker as probe into founder continues
Ted Baker has seen its Christmas sales jump despite allegations against its founder and challenges on the high street.
Sainsbury’s festive sales fall after non-food hit
Sainsbury’s has said sales dropped over its festive quarter after general merchandise trading was hit by consumer caution and as it held off from heavy discounting.
Looking to get rid of your real Christmas tree? These north-east goats want to eat it
A north-east woman is on the lookout for old Christmas trees – so she can feed them to her herd of goats.
Morrisons sales tick higher thanks to wholesale arm
Morrisons has unveiled an increase in Christmas sales thanks to stronger growth in its wholesale arm, despite a slowdown in retail shopping.
Hobbycraft enjoys Christmas sales boost
Arts and crafts retailer Hobbycraft has reported bumper Christmas sales as it continues to fight the consumer trend towards high tech gadgets.
Slug & Lettuce owner toasts bumper December
Slug & Lettuce owner Stonegate has toasted buoyant festive sales after being boosted by Christmas and New Year drinkers.
Shop prices rose in December despite festive discounting – BRC
Shop prices rose at their highest rate since 2013 in December, despite retailers slapping deep discounts on products during the critical Christmas trading period.
Sea of empty bottles and overflowing bins after festive celebrations
Local authorities face a backlog of overflowing bins and empty bottles as the evidence of Britain’s Christmas and new year celebrations waits to be disposed of.
‘Flat Battery Wednesday’ to hit country, warns Halfords
Today marks the first day back at work for many Britons after the festive break – but not all of them will have a seamless commute.
Department store John Lewis provides Christmas trading snapshot
A surge in shoppers looking for last-minute gifts helped lift sales at John Lewis over the festive period as the retailer gave the first glimpse of how trading fared over Christmas.