Retail news round-up on June 20, 2014: TUC calls for Government pressure on retailers over Rana Plaza; Waitrose and John Lewis win Which? Awards; Harvey Nichols advises shoppers not to overload themselves with bags; European Court rules against Dunnes’ arguments in design case

TUC calls on UK to press retailers to contribute to Rana Plaza disaster support fund

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady has called on the British government to put pressure on UK retailers sourcing from Bangladesh to pay into a support fund for victims of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, The Guardian reported.

A meeting next week at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris will discuss the aftermath of the Rana Plaza disaster in which more than 1,100 people died and many more were injured.

Waitrose bags best supermarket and John Lewis best retailer title at Which? awards

Waitrose won the best supermarket title for performing consistently highly in-store and online at the Which? awards, beating off competition from Aldi, Lidl, Marks & Spencer and Ocado.

The best retailer title for the second year running was claimed by Waitrose’s sister business, John Lewis, The Guardian reported.

John Lewis beat retailers such as Lakeland, Lush, Richer Sounds and Screwfix.

Harvey Nichols tells customers not to overload themselves with shopping

Harvey Nichols has warned consumers that carrying too many heavy shopping bags could be a health risk.

The department store group has joined forces with TV doctor Rosemary Leonard to tell customers they risk pulled muscles, neck strains and fainting if they overload themselves, the Daily Mail reported.

The retailer is telling customers that when they have enough bags to stretch 11 inches along their arms, they should stop shopping. It has even issued arm bands to help them mark the cut-off point.

European Court of Justice rules against Dunnes Stores

The European Court of Justice has ruled against Dunnes Stores in relationship to arguments made in a design copyright case involving Karen Millen clothing.

The ruling was the latest in a series of court hearings after Dunnes appealed some earlier Irish court decisions and now a full hearing of Dunnes’ appeal can go ahead.

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