retail
Tesco has expanded its partnership with rapid delivery company Gorillas into the North, using its Stretford Extra store to fulfil customer orders. This is the second Gorillas location to launch in Manchester, joining Gorillas’ own warehouse that covers the Piccadilly and New Islington areas. Gorillas operate more than 200 dark stores across nine European countries. Tesco group innovation director Tom Hebbert said: “Through our partnership with Gorillas, we can be even more convenient to our customers, helping them with last-minute Tesco products delivered in minutes. Customers have responded really well to the first two sites in Thornton Heath and Lewisham, and we look forward to bringing this service to our customers in Manchester.”
New Look has opened its first ever clearance store. The 2,406sq ft store in Northern Ireland’s The Boulevard outlet scheme will sell womenswear, footwear and accessories. The new store is part of the fashion retailer’s strategy to turn around following a CVA in 2020. New Look CEO Nigel Oddy is focused on driving profitability through full-price sales; outlet stores could reduce discounting in the brand’s core sales channels.
John Lewis is to remove its Never Knowingly Undersold pledge. The department store said that the nearly-100-year-old pledge was “no longer enough to assure trust because it applies to fewer and fewer sales as shopping moves increasingly online”. The retailer has invested £500m on prices instead to allow the company to create good value rather than react to other retailers. John Lewis’ Anyday value range has attracted 2 million customers, a quarter of which were new, since its launch nine months ago.
PROPERTY
The Heart of London Business Alliance has announced a 2027 plan to revitalise the West End. The BID is planning over 40 potential projects to help the area recover from the impact of the pandemic and attract visitors. Initiatives include the creation of a new Arts Quarter in the area between the National Gallery, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus. HOLBA chief executive Ros Morgan said “We are committed to ensuring the West End comes back from the pandemic even stronger than before. Part of our strategy includes bringing culture on to the streets and integrating art into the built environment, which is based on the idea that it will be more important than ever to have spaces in the West End that people want to come back to, particularly as footfall from workers and tourists picks up.”
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