{"id":12894,"date":"2024-07-05T11:59:50","date_gmt":"2024-07-05T11:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/retail-reacts-to-landslide-labour-victory-currys-iceland-ao-and-majestic-bosses-welcome-win\/"},"modified":"2024-07-05T11:59:50","modified_gmt":"2024-07-05T11:59:50","slug":"retail-reacts-to-landslide-labour-victory-currys-iceland-ao-and-majestic-bosses-welcome-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/retail-reacts-to-landslide-labour-victory-currys-iceland-ao-and-majestic-bosses-welcome-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Retail reacts to landslide Labour victory: Currys, Iceland, AO and Majestic bosses welcome win"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/online-workshops-list\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-496\" src=\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90.png\" alt=\"Retail Online Training\" width=\"729\" height=\"91\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90.png 729w, https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90-300x37.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 729px) 100vw, 729px\" \/><\/a><\/p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p>Retail bosses have welcomed the news that Labour won yesterday&#8217;s general election, putting an end to 14 years of Conservative rule.<\/p>\n<p>Iceland boss Richard Walker labelled the win as a &#8220;historic night for politics&#8221;, while AO chief executive John Roberts said Labour now has &#8220;overwhelming mandate for change&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Majestic CEO <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">John Colley said he hopes the landslide win for Labour will bring &#8220;provide a boost for consumer confidence, which as we all know has been suffering for a long time&#8221;.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p>However, the sector has wasted no time in calling for the new government, led by Sir Kier Starmer, to act on the retail&#8217;s most pressing matters.<\/p>\n<p>Currys chief executive <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alex Baldock said: \u201cRetail matters. We account for 3 million jobs and \u00a317bn of tax, and can play a starring role in helping the new Government power growth, jobs and prosperity for all. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Retailers are looking for stability, of course, but also for Government to provide the conditions for growth, through better skills, infrastructure and planning. Most of all, we must urgently fix the broken, damaging and unfair burden of business rates,&#8221; he said, adding that<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0Currys &#8220;will engage with them all the way&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class=\"rght-related-articles-middle rght-latest-articles mb-4 mt-3\">\n<h5>Related Story<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"rght-middle-related-article-list\">\n<li class=\"rght-middle-related-article-box\">\n<div class=\"rght-middle-related-article-img\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/www.retailgazette.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Fy-1024x321.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Fy!\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"rght-middle-related-article-content\">\n<h3>Channel 4 to invest millions in Trouva owner Fy!<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rght-articles-author-date\"><i class=\"far fa-calendar-alt\"><\/i><span>05\/07\/2024 x 10:34 AM<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Colley reiterated Baldock&#8217;s calls for reform on the &#8220;archaic&#8221; business rates system, which Labour promised to overhaul last month.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It\u2019s been a problem for years and has been highlighted as a contributing factor for a number of major retailers who have gone out of business over the past two decades,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The tax has become archaic in a world of multichannel retailing, it\u2019s been crying out for reform for a long time, and I would urge the new government to finally deliver a fundamental review after years of seeing the can kicked down the road.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He also urged the new government to scrap the &#8220;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ill-conceived&#8221; new alcohol\u00a0<\/span>excise duty regime that&#8217;s due to come into effect from 1 February 2025.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;It is an unnecessarily bureaucratic system, which will add huge cost and complexity for businesses, and threaten jobs and livelihoods \u2013 particularly at the 900 independent wine merchants operating across the UK. We would urge the new Chancellor to put a stop to this policy before it is too late.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield COO Scott Parsons asked for two simple requests: &#8220;The first is to do what no previous government has been able to achieve and reform business rates once and for all, and the second is to abolish tourist tax.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, AO&#8217;s Roberts took a moment to reflect on what the result means for the next generation, adding <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the first job of this new Government &#8220;has to be to give the nation\u2019s kids some badly needed hope for the future&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;That means things like restoring investment in youth services with the help of private philanthropy and business, or reforming the disastrous Apprenticeship Levy. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;It\u2019ll need fresh, long-term thinking and a willingness to empower people and organisations with proven track records to deliver it,&#8221; said Roberts, who has been a youth campaigner for over 30-years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He added: \u201cThe people have spoken, and Labour now has an overwhelming mandate for change. That means no more excuses. The time for talking is over \u2013 it\u2019s time to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Similarly, British Retail Consortium boss Helen Dickinson said she was looking forward to &#8220;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">getting down to business&#8221; with new government and &#8220;turning commitments into delivery.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cLabour\u2019s manifesto made some crucial commitments for retail, from reforming business rates, planning and the apprenticeship levy, to introducing a specific offence for assaulting a retail worker, and we now await the details of how these will be taken forward.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cLabour recognised that the business rates system is broken. With retail paying 22% of the total rates bill while accounting for 5% of the economy, it is the number one thing in the way of increased retail investment which could unlock growth across the economy.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>New West End Company chief executive\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dee Corsi said today\u2019s result will bring &#8220;much-needed certainty to businesses across the capital&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Labour\u2019s promise to deliver economic growth for Britain is reassuring for all who want to see our high streets thrive, and the new Government\u2019s commitment to tackling a troubling rise in retail crime, reforming the outdated planning system holding back investment, and revising the burdensome business rates system is encouraging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Now, over the next 100 days, we must see swift action to turn these pledges into credible policies, constructed in close dialogue with the business community. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If the new Government is truly committed to delivering growth for the UK, it is absolutely critical that businesses are invited to help shape the solutions to these thorny issues.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Ros Morgan, CEO of Heart of London Business Alliance (HOLBA), which represents over 600 businesses and property owners across the West End, including the Piccadilly, St James\u2019s and Piccadilly Circus said: \u201cWith political alignment locally, regionally and nationally for the first time in a long time, there is hopefully now an opportunity to make a big difference on the key issues impacting London\u2019s West End, such as the return of tax-free shopping for our international visitors, anti-social behaviour, rough sleeping and transport policy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Heart of London area currently generates \u00a310bn for the UK economy and supports over 100,000 jobs &#8211; we look forward to working with the new Government and our new MP to achieve their and our priorities, with a particular focus on boosting economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette\u2018s free daily email newsletter<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/online-workshops-list\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-496\" src=\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90.png\" alt=\"Retail Online Training\" width=\"729\" height=\"91\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90.png 729w, https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90-300x37.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 729px) 100vw, 729px\" \/><\/a><\/p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Retail bosses have welcomed the news that Labour won yesterday&#8217;s general election, putting an end to 14 years of Conservative rule. Iceland boss Richard Walker [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}