Including Shop Direct’s biggest ever trading day and mammoth H&M opens in Cardiff.
The Source rounds up some of the key retail stories of the week.
Shop Direct was on track for its biggest ever trading day on Black Friday, with total transactions up 24% on last year. Speaking to Retail Week, boss Alex Baldock said that average spend was also up by double digits on the previous year.
H&M has opened its biggest store in the UK, encompassing its whole proposition under one roof. The Cardiff outlet is on two-floors and is 46,000 sq ft. The size means the retailer can showcase its full range including home, beauty, sport, fashion and kids.
John Lewis has reported its biggest ever sales week, with Black Friday promotions growing revenues by 4.8%. For the week ending November 28, the company said that sales hit £187.7 million. Online revenue increased 15.5%. Overall sales were up 27.6% on the same period two years ago, while against the prior week there was a 60.1% increase in sales.
Morrisons has fallen out of the FTSE 100 for the first time in over 14 years. The grocer has seen its market cap drop to around £3.51 billion after a 13% decline in its share price to 151p this year.
More than £760 million was spent online using Visa cards on Black Friday, according to the company. However, in-store spend was £1.13 billion, down from £1.14 billion last year. Spend online was around 40% of all transactions (2014: 35%).
