All articles by Duncan West

Covid-19 live timeline

Here’s the timeline of how the Coronavirus outbreak evolved and how it affects the retail industry.

US White House and Senate reach deal on $2 trillion stimulus package

New Zealand declares national state of emergency over Covid-19

Global GDP may drop by 1% in 2020, says Goldman Sachs

OECD expects economic fallout to be felt ‘for a long time to come’

Covid-19: What commentators are saying

Live summary of analyst and commentators’ responses and updates on the Covid-19 outbreak, updated throughout the day.

Covid-19: What governments are saying

Sainsbury’s to take lead in homewares race

There are three clear front runners among the grocers for homewares: Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s – in that order.

Has the Michael Kors boom finally ended?

Michael Kors’ comparable store sales growth has softened over the past four years and entered into decline with Q2 2016/17 at -5.4%, creating doubts over the brand’s direction and how it can achieve growth beyond new store openings.

Online pureplays put spring into mattress market

The influx of new boxed mattress specialists is set to make online a much more important channel for mattress retailers, despite concerns over tangibility, as these specialists improve awareness of their offers and address quality concerns.