Up-to-date coverage of the latest events in UK retail.
7.37am Boohoo offer misled customers, says ASA.
Boohoo broke Advertising Standards Authority rules with “misleading” promotions.
TV programme Watchdog Live recorded promotions on the company’s website that did not end after the countdown clock on screen reached zero.
Boohoo said it was never its intention to mislead and that customer demand drove it to extend certain offers.
Between August and November 2018, Watchdog Live recorded 14 sales advertised on the Boohoo website that had a countdown clock attached to them but after the countdown clocks on the Sale reached zero, the clocks reset and the offers continued.
The ASA told Watchdog Live: “Boohoo is breaking rules around sales promotions that we have investigated and ruled against previously, which is why this has been passed straight to our compliance team. Our team will work with the advertiser to ensure they bring their ad into line.
“The use of a countdown clock is problematic if it misleadingly implies the offer is time-limited when that is not the case.”
7.25am Department store spend falls for 13th consecutive month
Spending at UK department stores has fallen for the 13th consecutive month, according to data from Barclaycard.
Spending in the sector fell 7.1% year on year in November, making it the hardest-hit area of retail over the month.
Overall consumer spending rose 3.3% year on year in November, the lowest growth since March, despite the boost from Black Friday, according to Barclaycard.
7.18am Ted Baker founder faces further allegations
Ted Baker boss Ray Kelvin is facing further allegations over his conduct, with one employee accusing him of shoving him against a wall for not inviting him to his wedding.
Kelvin allegedly became angry after learning that he was only invited to the reception and not the ceremony of the wedding of two of his senior staff.
The fashion boss is said to have berated the bride and then pinned her fiancé against a wall.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Kelvin paid off the pair after they signed non-disclosure agreements.
7.07am Joules sales soar as it ups profit expectations
Joules’ sales jumped 17.6% to £113.1m in its first half as it raises profit expectations.
Strong retail sales drove the revenue rise, with sales in its stores up 21.2%, compared with a 8% rise in wholesale.
The retailer said it expects underlying pre-tax profits to be “slightly ahead” of initial expectations for the half to November 25.
