• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • About Us
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Parcel & Express
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Robotics
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Customer Relationship Management
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • Green Energy
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Management & Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Warehouse Automation
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • WHITEPAPERS
  • VIDEOS
Home » U.K. Stores Feel the Pressure as Internet Online Hits Record

U.K. Stores Feel the Pressure as Internet Online Hits Record

U.K. Stores Feel the Pressure as Internet Online Hits Record
August 20, 2019
Bloomberg

The pressure on Britain’s store owners was highlighted starkly in new figures showing almost one fifth of all shopping last month was done online.

Data from the Office for National Statistics this month showed internet spending accounted for a record 19.9 percent of total retail sales. While the share has been creeping up for years, there was a 1 percentage point jump in July alone, suggesting Amazon’s Prime Day discounts played a significant role.

That underscores the pressures faced by U.K. retailers, who have been squeezed by the rise of online shopping and a backdrop of Brexit uncertainty. The fallout has meant high-profile problems for store owners such as House of Fraser and Debenhams Plc, while the likes of electronics chain Maplin have collapsed.

“As our high streets keep feeling the heat, there is no way back from the road towards online shopping,” said Duncan Brewer, Retail and Consumer Partner at consultants Oliver Wyman.

The July data showed that overall retail volumes rose 0.2 percent from June, but a driving force behind the increase was online promotions.

Worse still, the better-than-expected headline figures — sales were forecast to fall — masked weakness across a range of stores. Food sales flat-lined, non-food sales posted the biggest drop in seven months, while total sales growth over the past three months was the weakest this year. Conversely, non-store retailing, which includes internet sales, rose the most since May 2016.

Figures in June showed the number of retail businesses on high streets fell by 2 percent between 2012 and 2017, while those based elsewhere grew by 6 percent.

Amazon Prime Day is an annual event designed to attract users to the firm’s premium delivery service. In the U.S., Amazon said sales over the two days this year surpassed those on Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.

    RELATED CONTENT

    RELATED VIDEOS

    Logistics Global Supply Chain Management Global Trade & Economics All Warehouse Services Order Management & Fulfillment E-Commerce/Omni-Channel Retail
    KEYWORDS E-Commerce/Omni-Channel Europe Global Trade & Economics order fulfillment Retail
    • Related Articles

      Global Supply-Chain Pressure Hits Record Low, NY Fed Gauge Shows

      Survey: Holiday Shoppers Feel the Pinch as Tariffs Drive Up Costs

      Fuel Shortages Pile Pressure on Johnson as U.K. Crisis Escalates

    • Related Directories

      Tecsys, Inc.

      ProcureAbility

    Bloomberg

    Houthis to Impose ‘Complete Ban’ on Israeli Ships in Red Sea

    More from this author

    Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

    Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

    Featured Product

    Popular Stories

    • An employee in a warm suit crouches down to get boxes of food ready for shipping at a warehouse

      Packaging Optimization Is Boosting Cold Chain Growth

      Air Cargo
    • 025_the_rapid_evolution_of_warehouse_modernization_v1-(540p).png

      Watch: The Rapid Evolution of Warehouse Modernization

      Business Strategy Alignment
    • A PILE OF COFFEE BEANS SITS IN A COMPLETELY WHITE SPACE.

      U.S. to Levy 25% Tariff on Brazil, After 301 Investigation

      Global Trade & Economics
    • GIST-webinar-DecisionPoint.png

      From Fragmented Tools to Unified Workflows: How to Transform Field Operations

    • 023_automation's_scalability_in_the_warehouse_v1 (540p).png

      Watch: Automation's Scalability in the Warehouse

      All Warehouse Services

    Digital Edition

    2026 esg cover main scb q2 2026 cover

    SupplyChainBrain 2026 ESG Guide: ESG — The Supply Chain’s Biggest Secret

    VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

    Case Studies

    • Recycled Tagging Fasteners: Small Changes Make a Big Impact

    • A GRAPHIC SHOWING MULTIPLE FORMS OF SHIPPING, WITH A HUMAN STANDING AT THE CENTER, TOUCHING A SYMBOLIC MAP OF THE WORLD

      Enhancing High-Value Electronics Shipment Security with Tive's Real-Time Tracking

    • A GRAPHIC OF INTERLACING HONEYCOMBED ELEMENTS REPRESENTING GLOBAL BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS

      Moving Robots Site-to-Site

    • JLL Finds Perfect Warehouse Location, Leading to $15M Grant for Startup

    • Robots Speed Fulfillment to Help Apparel Company Scale for Growth

    Visit Our Sponsors

    4flow Arkieva Blue Yonder
    Carton Cloud CoEnterprise Dassault
    Duravant E2Open General Logistics Systems
    Hy-Tek iGPS Korber
    Lyngsoe Procurability Quinyx
    SAP Sikick Systech
    S&P Global Mobility TADA TransImpact
    US Bank Werner Enterprises WSI
    • More From SCB
      • Featured Content
      • Video Library
      • Think Tank Blog
      • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
      • Whitepapers
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Upcoming Webinars
    • Digital Offerings
      • Digital Issue
      • Subscribe
      • Manage Email Preferences
      • Newsletters
    • Resources
      • Events Calendar
      • 2026 Event Coverage
      • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
      • Supplier Directory
      • Case Study Showcase
      • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
      • 100 Great Partners Form
    • SCB Corporate
      • Advertise on SCB.COM
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact Us
      • Data Sharing Opt-Out

    All content copyright ©2026 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing