Category Archives: Retail industry

Suppliers ration stocks of tinned tomatoes after surge in demand

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Supermarkets told to ‘calm the fever’ as UK sales rise more than 30% during coronavirus crisis

Tinned tomato suppliers are rationing stocks to supermarkets after demand in the UK surged more than 30% and threatened to use up supplies ahead of this year’s harvest.

Supermarkets and convenience store groups are understood to be jockeying for supplies as families continue to buy more tinned foods than usual after the closure of schools and restaurants forced them to cook more meals at home.

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Arcadia Group cancels ‘over £100m’ of orders as garment industry faces ruin

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As owner of brands including Topshop and Dorothy Perkins cancels unshipped orders, thousands will be left without income, warn rights groups

The Arcadia Group, which owns brands including Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge, is estimated to have cancelled in excess of £100m of existing clothing orders worldwide from suppliers in some of the world’s poorest countries as the global garment sector faces ruin.

According to data from the Bangladesh Garments and Manufacturing Association (BGMEA), the Arcadia Group has cancelled £9m of orders in Bangladesh alone.

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Milk floats ride to the rescue of locked-down British households

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The once ubiquitous electric float had seen its power wane. Then came the pandemic

The humble milkman – a regular sight on most British streets throughout the 20th century – was almost consigned to the history books by the rise of the supermarkets.

But now, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, these dairy deliverers on their electric floats are busier than ever as they try to keep up with newfound demand for their services.

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Primark announces wage fund for garment workers

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Pledge comes in response to claims that order cancellations to minimise Covid-19 losses have hurt millions of workers in the developing world

Primark, one of the UK’s most popular retailers, has announced it will create a fund to help pay the wages of the millions of garment workers affected by its decision to cancel tens of millions of pounds worth of clothing orders from factories in developing countries across the world.

The pledge followed sustained criticism of the fashion retailer after data from the Bangladeshi and Garment Exporters Association (BGMEA) revealed it had cancelled all orders already placed with suppliers.

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Long queues as Australian supermarkets limit customers to avoid overcrowding in lead up to Easter

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Social media posts have shown lines stretching hundreds of meters as Coles, Woolworths and IGA enforce physical distancing

Long lines have formed outside supermarkets after Coles, Woolworths and IGA began limiting the number of customers inside stores in a bid to allow physical distancing and keep flattening the curve of Covid-19 infections during the Easter rush.

The Thursday before Easter is traditionally one of the busiest days for supermarkets, as people stock up for the weekend.

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Panic-buyers urged to ‘be responsible and think of others’ amid Covid-19 pandemic – video

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The environment secretary, George Eustice, has urged panic-buyers to only purchase what they need in order to not make shopping difficult for frontline workers, such as NHS staff. Standing in for Boris Johnson on Saturday at the government’s daily briefing, he said: 'Be responsible when you shop and think of others. Buying more than you need means others may be left without'

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Amazon to suspend non-essential shipments to UK and US warehouses

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The company is prioritising five categories of goods which it classifies as essential products

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    • Online retail giant Amazon is stopping sellers from sending non-essential items to its UK and US warehouses until 5 April, to make space for vital items needed by its customers during the coronavirus outbreak.

    Amazon wrote to its third-party sellers, some of whom use the company’s logistics to store and dispatch their products, to inform them that stocks of medical supplies and certain household items are running low due to increased demand from online shoppers.

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    Tesco withdraws Christmas cards from sale after forced labour claims

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    Supermarket halts production in China after six-year-old girl finds plea for help inside card

    Tesco says it has suspended production at a factory in China alleged to have forced foreign prisoners to help make charity Christmas cards and also withdrawn them from sale.

    The allegations came to light after the Sunday Times reported that Florence Widdicombe, aged six, from Tooting, south London, opened a box of charity Christmas cards from the supermarket and discovered a plea for help inside one of them.

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    Burberry and Cathay Pacific profits dented by Hong Kong protests

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    Retailer and airline report disappointing figures as anti-government rallies take toll

    Two companies with substantial interests in Hong Kong have announced figures that underline the damage being inflicted on the economy by the continuing anti-government protests.

    Burberry said its sales were down more than 10% and it had slashed £14m off the value of its 12 stores in the territory.

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    It’s time to boycott any company doing business in Xinjiang | Michael Caster

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    Forced labour in China’s internment camps taints the supply chains of many western companies. We need to take action

    Any western company doing business in Xinjiang should consider their supply chains tainted by forced labour drawn from internment camps. Hardly a drop in the ocean of the vast global economy, this involves companies such as Ikea, H&M, Volkswagen and Siemens.

    This month, the United States banned the import of products made by a firm in Xinjiang over its use of forced labour. It also blacklisted 28 Chinese entities for their role in the repression of Uighurs and issued visa restrictions on key Chinese officials. Following suit, two major Australian companies have now also announced they are ending partnership with their cotton supplier in Xinjiang.

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    Forever 21, global fast fashion retailer, files for bankruptcy

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    Struggling empire is the latest bricks-and-mortar outfit to suffer as shopping moves online

    Fashion retailer Forever 21 has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, joining a growing list of bricks-and-mortar players who have failed to navigate the shift towards online shopping.

    Since the start of 2017, more than 20 US retailers, including Sears Holdings Corp and Toys ‘R’ Us, have filed for bankruptcy as more customers shift to online retailers such as Amazon.

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    Opening-day frenzy at first Costco store in China – video

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    The US retailer Costco has said it will limit the number of shoppers at its first store in China after overcrowding forced it to shut early on the opening day. Large crowds caused traffic jams as they flocked to the store in Shanghai on Tuesday, and shoppers jostled to grab products off the shelves before joining the huge queues at checkouts 

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    Crowds force Costco to limit numbers at first store in China

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    Overcrowding and traffic jams forced first Costco in China to shut early

    The American retailer Costco has said it will limit the number of shoppers at its first store in China after overcrowding forced it to shut early on the opening day.

    No more than 2,000 shoppers at any given time will be allowed into the store in a Shanghai suburb and police will help to improve the flow of traffic near the store, it said on Wednesday.

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    Bosses force female workers making jeans for Levis and Wrangler into sex

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    Women at factories in Lesotho owned by Taiwanese firm say jobs and promotions in jeopardy if they refuse advances, claims report

    Women producing jeans for American brands including Levi Strauss, Wrangler and Lee have been forced to sleep with their managers to keep their jobs or gain promotion, an investigation into sexual harassment and coercion at garment factories in Lesotho has found.

    Brands have responded to the “extensive” allegations by the the US-based Worker Rights Consortium by signing enforceable agreements with labour and women’s rights groups to eliminate gender-based violence for more than 10,000 workers at five factories owned by the Taiwanese company Nien Hsing, one of the southern African country’s largest employers.

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    Britons have spent £4bn stockpiling goods in case of no-deal Brexit

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    Research suggests one in five people have a food, drinks and medicine hoard worth £380

    Britons have spent £4bn stockpiling goods in preparation for a possible no-deal Brexit, new research suggests.

    One in five people are already hoarding food, drinks and medicine, spending an extra £380 each, according to a survey by the finance provider Premium Credit. The survey found that about 800,000 people have spent more than £1,000 building up stockpiles before the 31 October Brexit deadline.

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    Asos issues third profit warning in seven months as shares fall

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    Online fashion retailer blames glitch in rollout of European and US automated warehouses

    Shares in Asos tumbled on Thursday as the online fashion retailer issued its third profits warning in seven months, blaming problems with the rollout of its new automated warehouses.

    The group said sales were hit by the overhaul of warehouses in Berlin and Atlanta, which left the firm struggling to keep up with demand. It now expects to make profits of £30m to £35m this year, far below City forecasts of £55m.

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    Competition regulator pauses Amazon’s deal with Deliveroo

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    Enforcement order issued after online retailer bought stake in food courier service

    The UK’s competition regulator has ordered Amazon and the food delivery company Deliveroo to pause any integration efforts pending an investigation into potential breaches of competition rules.

    The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Friday issued an initial enforcement order against the companies after Amazon bought a stake in Deliveroo.

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    From bleak to bustling: how one French town beat the high street blues

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    Mulhouse has turned around its image and now boasts more shops opening than closing, thanks to smart planning, investment and community efforts

    On a lane in what was once considered eastern France’s grimmest town, a street artist is up a ladder finishing a mural, the independent bookshop has a queue at the till, the organic cooperative is full of customers and Séverine Liebold’s arty independent tea shop is doing a brisk trade.

    When Liebold opened Tilvist in Mulhouse three years ago, in a space that had been vacant for years, friends tried to persuade her against it. “They said: ‘Not Mulhouse, look elsewhere,’” she recalls. “But I stuck with my instinct, and I was right.”

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    ‘Girl power’ charity T-shirts made at exploitative Bangladeshi factory

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    Over 100 workers claim to have been sacked after protesting about low wages at factory that makes ‘girl power’ T-shirts

    Charity “girl power” T-shirts sold in the UK are made at a Bangladeshi factory where more than 100 impoverished workers claim to have been sacked after striking in protest at low wages, it can be revealed.

    The £28 garments are sold online by F=, which claims to be “all about inspiring and empowering girls”, with £10 from each T-shirt donated to Worldreader, a charity that supplies digital books to poverty-stricken children in Africa. Television presenter Holly Willoughby recently reposted a 2017 picture of her and Spice Girl Emma Bunton wearing the T-shirts.

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    Philip Green accused of racial, physical and sexual abuse

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    Businessman faces string of allegations by employees after injunction is lifted

    Philip Green allegedly subjected people working in his business empire to abuse and other inappropriate behaviour that was at times racial, physical and sexual, according to a report.

    A host of serious allegations were published on Friday evening by the Daily Telegraph after an injunction obtained by the businessman was lifted.

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