Six leading UK online retailers have joined forces to form the UK Digital Business Association, in a move that shows how powerful online pureplays now are and how they are seeing themselves as the driver of the post-pandemic recovery

Industry UK Digital Business Association

Wickes signs deal to offer more flexible deliveries from store

24 Feb 2021by Paul Skeldon

Upping the ante in the online DIY market, home improvement retail giant Wickes has announced that it has signed a new three year, multi-million Pound contract with CitySprint to offer more flexible delivery from local stores

Delivery homewares Industry Wickes

How Hotter shoes has adapted range and service to tap into ‘work from home’ boom

24 Feb 2021by Paul Skeldon

Hotter Shows, the UK’s largest footwear manufacturer, is adapting to changing consumer habits with the introduction of precision self-measuring technology as well as a new range of shoes designed to meet the ‘working from home’ demand of its customers

Brands Hotter Shoes Industry

How fashion retailers are tackling the issue of overpackaging as they improve sustainability

22 Feb 2021by Chloe Rigby

Retailers from H&M Group to The Very Group are among those that are acting to cut the amount of packaging they use to send out online orders. They are taking action as shoppers make more of their retail purchases online, with a knock on effect for the amount of packaging used. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest that 50% of UK clothing sales took place online last month

Industry packaging

Simple experiences, good price and environmental awareness: research shows how cemented changing shopping habits have become

17 Feb 2021by Paul Skeldon

More than half (55%) of consumers now shop online more frequently than they did during the pandemic – and for frequent online shoppers, this figure rises to 65%.

Customer Growth 2000 Industry

M&S sees 52% upswing in ‘athleisure’ sales as lockdown drives 84% upswing across the sector

16 Feb 2021by Paul Skeldon

M&S reported that 52% of its customers now wear athleisure items more often as everyday clothing when compared to last year, prompting Jill Stanton, its womenswear and kidswear director, to declare that 2020 "cemented activewear as a staple’ of the nation’s wardrobes"

Athleisure fast fashion Industry M&S Sweaty Betty

Digital investment could boost the value of UK retail by £21bn by 2040: study

16 Feb 2021by Chloe Rigby

Investment in digital technologies could add £11bn (+3.6%) to the value of the UK retail sector by 2030, and £21bn (+6.2%) by 2040, helping the industry to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new study suggests

Covid-19 Customer Data Health Industry Other People Research The Customer UK

UK’s Valentine’s Day spend to grow 26% this year as retailers up their online capabilities in readiness

11 Feb 2021by Paul Skeldon

UK consumers are set to spend around £787m around Valentine’s Day, with two thirds of retailers saying that they have enhanced their ecommerce platforms in anticipation of sales increasing by as much as 26%. The predicted boost is also seeing 40% of retailers feeling more optimistic about the months ahead

Growth 2000 Industry Peak valentine's day

Dunelm sees online grow 111% as it outperforms homeware market

10 Feb 2021by Paul Skeldon

Homeware retailer Dunelm has reported total sales growth of 23% and an online boom of 111% in its preliminary H1 FY2020/21 results – seeing the company outperforming the mean homewares market, which grew by 9.7% overall across the same period

Covid-19 Dunelm Homeware Industry Resilience

Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Bonmarche bought out of administration, some jobs and stores saved as M&S acquires Jaeger’s brand

Industry14 Jan 2021

Online grocery sales double in December leading to biggest Christmas on record for supermarkets, but many consumers still don’t like it

Industry06 Jan 2021

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