2021 was certainly a year of change for the retail industry. In the first of a series of 2022 predictions Chris Jones, executive vice president, Industry & Services at Descartes Systems Group, reflects on the challenges that faced supply chains in 2021 and predicts the trends we are likely to see in (more…)
The proportion of consumers thinking same day delivery is important has increased from a third (33%) in 2020 to more than half (56%) in 2022, according to new data from ParcelHero. Demand for next day delivery has also surged. The change in demand follows the increase of online shoppers during (more…)
THG has said that investment in infrastructure and fulfilment has helped it deliver significant growth across all divisions during the peak Q4 trading period, as well as record annual sales of £2.2billion. The group has invested around £1 billion across infrastructure, technology and M&A in its first full year as a (more…)
Currys’ omnichannel strategy is helping to bring online and stores together, with the channel mix having reverted to an almost equal split now, according to Currys group chief executive Alex Baldock. He said that in the UK order and collect sales are up more than 170%, often supplemented by the (more…)
Marks and Spencer’s strong online sales growth of 50.8% for clothing and home has been supported by a substantial expansion in instore fulfilment, the company said in its Christmas trading statement this week. The company said that trading over the Christmas period had been strong. Food sales increased 12.4%, with M&S (more…)
Asos has admitted that supply chain constraints “played out as anticipated” in the four months to the end of 2021. Although revenue grew 5% CCY in the period gross margin decreased by 400 bps to 43.0%. The company said the margin erosion was driven by heightened clearance activity to shift (more…)
DPD UK, part of DPDgroup, has completed the acquisition of same day delivery company CitySprint, following the recent approval of the transaction by the Competition and Markets Authority. DPD UK first announced that it was buying CitySprint last August. The completion of the deal means that DPD UK’s customers will now (more…)
Household and commercial appliances brand Miele has appointed two-person home delivery specialist ArrowXL to handle more than 2,500 consumer home deliveries each month across the UK. Customers are able to use the 24-hour delivery service to nominate their delivery day. The ArrowXL service also includes an unpack and position feature, where (more…)
Whistl has restructured its senior leadership team with the appointment of a new chairman and a new CEO, following its recent growth and diversification into ecommerce fulfilment. The company has appointed Nick Wells as executive chairman of the Whistl Group. He will focus on the strategic direction and growth of (more…)
Walmart is to ramp up its InHome delivery grocery service from 6 million currently to more than 30 million US households by the end of this year. The retail giant is to hire more than 3,000 associate delivery drivers this year and build out a fleet of 100% all-electric delivery (more…)
DX (Group) has opened two new depots in the West Midlands and the South West of England as it continues its expansion. Both will serve the group’s DX Freight division, which specialises in the delivery of irregular dimension and weight (“IDW”) items. The South West new depot is located on (more…)
The first Christmas day return took place at 01:53 on Christmas Day in Kirkcaldy (Scotland), according to data from PayPoint. The item was returned to a Collect+ store at 01:53 on Christmas Day, with the next return made in Crewe at 08:20. Throughout December 2021, the Collect+ network managed more (more…)
Tesco is to operate two electric heavy freight articulated trucks from this month, the first in commercial operation in the UK. The company is partnering with logistics and freight forwarding company FSEW to transport goods emission-free in two new 37 tonne DAF electric vehicles. They will move food and other (more…)
Online retailers and couriers have seen a swell of last-minute gift ordering after high street visits fell by 25% on Sunday, compared to the last Sunday before Christmas in 2019 before the pandemic began. The Springboard footfall figures show that as pandemic panic has once again hit, shoppers have returned (more…)
Boohoo has issued a profit warning in its latest trading update, blaming significantly higher returns rates impacting net sales growth and costs, as well as continued disruption to its international delivery proposition hitting international demand. It said that net sales are being impacted by returns rates that are 12.5 percentage (more…)
Tesco and Direct Rail Services (DRS) are launching a new refrigerated rail freight service that the supermarket giant claims will take 40 lorries off the road for every journey the trains make. The service marks the first time Tesco has used refrigerated rail freight in the UK and will be (more…)
Fashion brands and retailers have seen a 48.4% increase in returns in the last three weeks compared to the previous three weeks, as Christmas parties are cancelled in the light of the Omicron variant spread. The figures, from Rebound, show that in the first week of December when the government (more…)
Tesco has averted planned strike action which threatened to disrupt pre-Christmas trading after improving its pay offer to distribution staff. Planned industrial action in the week before Christmas has now been suspended pending the ballot result due on Wednesday 22 December. Ballots of more than 5,000 Usdaw members, including drivers (more…)
The role of the delivery experience is as important as the face to face, instore experience for customers, according to David Grimes, founder of Sorted. Here he explains the power of brands who get this right. The death of high street brands is nothing new, nor is the astronomical boom (more…)
Post-Christmas returns could hit almost £4 billion, according to ParcelHero. UK shoppers are predicted to return 10% of their online Christmas purchases this year but return dates vary greatly among retailers, according to ParcelHero. Its research shows that stores including Amazon, ASOS, Debenhams, Gap, The White Company and Warehouse, give (more…)