Retail News

Sales volumes unexpectedly rose by 1.4% in April with confectionery, alcohol and tobacco sales leading the way. ParcelHero says online sales also boomed as Brits indulged in some retail therapy. Shoppers parked their financial problems in April, says the home delivery expert ParcelHero, to spend money on Easter chocolates, ‘baccy and alcohol. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) retail sales figures for April show sales volumes unexpectedly climbed by 1.4%, against March’s results, led by…

The 2022 ONS ‘Shopping basket’ has been announced, reflecting consumer spending habits. This year jackets, sports bras, craft kits, pet collars, anti-bacterial wipes and climbing sessions have been added, while suits, laminate flooring, dictionaries and doughnuts have been dropped. ParcelHero says the changes are down to Covid and the rise in home shopping. The 2022 Office for National Statistics (ONS) ‘Shopping basket’ has been announced, which calculates the cost of living in the UK based…

The convenience store/newsagents chain McColl’s is reported to be on the brink of collapse. It’s the largest Post Office provider in the UK, and host to hundreds of Amazon lockers and CollectPlus collection points. This makes it a vital part of the UK’s parcels’ infrastructure that must not be allowed to fail, says the home delivery expert ParcelHero. McColl’s, the convenience store and newsagents chain, is widely reported to be on the brink of collapse…

New Government figures show January’s online retail sales collapsed by -4.5% against the previous month and -20.8% against January 2021. However, that doesn’t mean the e-commerce genie has been put back in the bottle, says ParcelHero. At the height of the pandemic, back in February 2021, online sales grabbed 35.6% of all retail trade as shoppers fled from the High Street. In contrast, the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) retail sales figures for January…

89% of consumers identify ease of returns as top priority when purchasing online. That’s according to new data from delivery experience platform Sorted, which found that retailers who get the returns process right will reap the most consumer loyalty. The survey, consisting of 2,000 UK respondents, found that those with strong returns processes in place will also see a return on investment, with 61% saying they would be more likely to exchange a product bought…

Stores have revealed their last order deadlines, but take them with a pinch of salt, warns the e-commerce delivery expert ParcelHero. Its popular Christmas deadline tool will help savvy shoppers avoid Christmas delivery disruption. Many retailers have now announced their final Christmas online order dates but the impact of driver shortages, Brexit and Covid means many look overconfident, warns the home delivery expert ParcelHero. Shoppers can keep up to date with final deadlines and any…

Forget the reason why Singles Day exists, says ParcelHero. Big bargains on many UK and international sites will help avoid Christmas delivery delays, whether you are buying for yourself or for all your friends and family. Expect a £1.58bn early November shopping explosion. Singles Day, which kicked off in China in 1993, has become the world’s biggest shopping event – an £84bn extravaganza. This year, Brits should jump aboard the international bandwagon, says the home…

Gousto is trialling a world-first* edible packaging solution, as part of its efforts to continue reducing plastic packaging in its recipe boxes.  After 15 years of research and one year of development, the stock cube wrapper is the world’s first edible packaging to be made from pea protein. Created in partnership with Xampla, a mission based spinout from the University of Cambridge, the stock cube will be trialled in Gousto recipe boxes this month. The…

The UK retail sector witnesses a 164% increase in sickness days taken in 2021 compared to 2019 With an estimated 50% more holiday to take in 2021 than 2020, the average UK employee still has 17 days of leave to book this year Data from global absence management provider, Edays has revealed that the UK workforce has half of its annual holiday allowance left to take with only a quarter of the year remaining. Despite…

August’s ONS retail figures reveal overall sales continue to fall, down -0.9% against the previous month. Once again, only an online sales uplift helped save the day, says ParcelHero. Today’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) retail sales figures for August reveal more bad news for the High Street. Despite the end of almost all Covid restrictions, overall sales actually fell in August, down -0.9% in volume against July. In contrast, online sales rose once again,…