The success of online retail over the past year of lockdowns is showcased by ASOS, the online fashion retailer, which has seen its active customer numbers rise from 1.5 million to 24.9 million in the six months to February. The impact of lockdowns on the high street has, on the other hand, been catastrophic. Eleven thousand shops in Britain closed last year alone and thousands more are expected to close in 2021. The Guardian has the story.
ASOS has more than tripled first-half profits to a record £106 million and raised full-year expectations as the online retailer continues to benefit from the pandemic.
Consumer trends accelerated by Covid had boosted trading, particularly in the UK and most of Europe, the company said, but it cautioned that the economic outlook was uncertain and shopping habits would change once clothing stores reopen next week.
While the reopening of “non-essential” shops next week will shift consumer attention from online to the high street, the continued imposition of rules on social distancing and mask-wearing will act as a brake on any recovery for the high street. ASOS said in a statement:
In the coming months we expect a portion of consumer demand will move back to stores as restrictions are eased throughout our markets, but we expect online penetration to remain structurally higher than pre-Covid levels.
The company’s recent performance is as follows:
Profits increased 253% year-on-year increase to £106.4 million in the six months to February 28th, as total group revenues climbed 24% to £1.97 billion.
Asos put a number on the amount of profit generated by the pandemic, identifying £48.5 million of “net Covid tailwind”. …
The company said the Topshop and Miss Selfridge brands as well as the activewear label HIIT, acquired from Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia empire for £330 million in February, had been “seamlessly” integrated into its online platform and had achieved “great early customer momentum”.
The number of active customers rose by 1.5 million to 24.9 million, which the company said was a good performance given the lockdown had led to fewer “event-led” reasons for people to shop for formal and occasionwear.
Last month, we reported on the damage done to the high street by the lockdowns and the tough restrictions in between. A study by the Local Data Company found that 11,000 shops permanently closed in the UK in 2020. This is expected to be followed by a further 18,000 closures in 2021.
The Guardian says this could be the tip of the iceberg.
The true impact of the pandemic has yet to become apparent. Many outlets included in the research were temporarily closed during lockdowns and were not counted as shut but may never reopen after restrictions are relaxed next month.
The report on online retail is worth reading in full.
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Putin wants a ceasefire where he’s losing
‘The Russians, defeated in the naval sphere by the Ukrainians, would appear to have more to gain from a ceasefire.’
‘….since early 2024 exports and imports to and from Ukraine have been at near pre-war levels anyway. Strikes in 2023 using a well planned and executed mix of special forces, missiles and drones effectively drove the Black Sea Fleet out of Sevastopol and into a state of near hiding in the Eastern part of the sea……Freedom of Navigation had largely been restored for the Ukrainians.’
‘UK intelligence noted that on the night of March 20, the Ukrainian Defense Forces used an unmanned aerial vehicle to attack an ammunition depot at the Engels-2 strategic aviation airbase.
It is almost certain that the targeted site stored aviation munitions used in strikes against Ukraine, British intelligence reported.
The analysis suggests that the losses were significant and are likely to disrupt airstrike operations from the base in the short term.’
So the Ukrainians have also, already, effectively imposed an energy sector ceasefire by force of arms.
‘Russia dedicated staggering amounts of manpower and equipment to several major offensive efforts in Ukraine in 2024, intending to degrade Ukrainian defenses and seize the remainder of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
These Russian efforts included major operations in the Kharkiv-Luhansk Oblast area, Avdiivka, Chasiv Yar, northern Kharkiv Oblast, Toretsk, Marinka-Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, and Vuhledar-Velyka Novosilka. Russia has achieved relatively faster gains in 2024 than throughout most of the war after the initial invasion and developed a blueprint for conducting slow, tactical envelopments to achieve these advances, but Russian forces have failed to restore the operational manoeuvre necessary to achieve operationally significant gains rapidly.
Russia has thus paid an exorbitant price in manpower and equipment losses that Russia cannot sustain in the medium term for very limited gains.’
The U.S. strategy of weakening Russia has been successful.
There is a ceasefire in the Black Sea as a consequence. An energy facility ceasefire may follow.
‘…after the publication of the corresponding statement on the results of the meetings and all the work of the teams, it will be possible to transition to silence regarding energy.’
But ‘neither the world nor Ukraine trusts Russia, so Russia must prove that it is ready to end the war and not deceive the world.’
Russia will not……
‘The Kremlin later issued a statement on March 25, stating that the ceasefire in the Black Sea will take effect only after Western sanctions on Russia’s Rosselkhozbank and other financial organizations involved in supporting international food trade operations are lifted and have their connection to the SWIFT messaging system restored.’
The introduction of drones into modern warfare has indeed resulted in significant changes to military thinking – which the West has still to assimilate. It is, for example, interesting that Iran apparently considers the idea of an Air Force composed of incredibly expensive modern fighters to be outdated, preferring a huge fleet of inexpensive drones.
Drones result in massive casualties to both armoured vehicles and military personnel, which explains the slow and careful advance of Russian forces. Russia has certainly suffered significant manpower and equipment losses but so has Ukraine: the morbid count of bodies exchanged by both sides was last well in excess of 10:1, if I remember correctly.
The US strategy of weakening Russia has failed completely since Russia is now militarily and economically significantly stronger than before the SMO, despite – or one could argue – because of the sanctions from both USA and Europe.
“Neither the world nor Ukraine trusts Russia” is absolutely not true. Russia has always kept its word in agreements with Ukraine, including the recent agreement not to attack energy infrastructure (which was immediately broken by Ukraine). And the world outside the West is very happy to place its trust in economic relationships with the country.
Trump may, in the case of Russia alone, play the statesman and demand the two sides stop fighting but who are they fighting against? It is USA that started and continues this proxy war against Russia, using Ukrainians and their country as abject, disposable pawns: to what purpose? Precisely how does USA benefit from a “strategy of weakening Russia”?
As I have written before, Russia is a major source of the world’s resources, would it not be more profitable for USA to encourage good relations with Russia rather than war against the country? Or do you mean Russia should be politically weakened, so that USA can continue playing bully boy in the world’s playground?
The world outside the West is tired of USA’s hegemony. USA has convinced its obedient subordinates in Europe to also wage war against Russia at great expense – again, to whose benefit? Does anyone in Europe benefit from this war? Are you going to once again claim that Russia is about to conquer all Europe, despite being supposedly so weak?
USA is also financing Israel to continue its genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, and to continue bombing almost every neighbouring country: how sick and tired do you think the populations around the world are of USA today? The West is still subject to the propaganda pumped out by its mainstream media but that is not the case in the “Global South”. And now Europe is also experiencing just how little it is valued by USA but our glorious politicians are still stuck in their globalist world, much to our detriment.
Tuesday Morning Bagshot Rd
& Nightingale Crescent Bracknell
Credible evidence’ ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe harassed women
Or not really…..
‘I gave the Daily Mail interview on the 25th of February, Farage’s team was made aware of that interview on the 26th.
These complaints were raised to the Party Chairman the day after, on the 27th.
Their complaints were submitted to the independent parliamentary body on the 28th of January, and the 2nd of February.
Why did it take almost a month for these to be raised within Reform? The day after the Reform leadership was made aware of my mildly critical interview?’
https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1904543048853237911?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
Expensive…..
‘I have spoken to my team – they are horrified that they have been publicly named by Reform.
Separate to my own action, they are now in touch with a legal team. By Reform putting their names in the public domain, they have been libelled and endangered.’
Still, no doubt old ‘Crypto Cotters’ in Montenegro will foot the bill…..potentially with laundered Russian money……..
‘Cottrell is set to launch a political strategy and polling firm, Geostrategy International Unlimited, at a time when Reform is in the midst of a major fundraising push. The party hopes to raise millions of pounds to fund its rapid expansion, partly by targeting overseas donors, as opinion polls increasingly suggest it poses the biggest threat to Labour at the next general election.
As an unlimited company, Geostrategy International will never have to file financial accounts, but can still make political donations; alarming transparency campaigners concerned by Cottrell’s previous conviction and his proximity to politics.’
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/george-cottrell-nigel-farage-reform-geostrategy-international-unlimited-company-donations/
The Conservative Party should make every effort to get Rupert Lowe and Ben Habib onboard.
British politics requires individuals of character, stature, commercial experience, common sense, all of which these two have in spades.
So you think Rupert Lowe and Ben Habib are going to suddenly pretend that they didn’t really mean all their criticisms of the Conservative Party and ask their supporters to now vote Conservative?
They might do if they were asked to write the next Conservative manifesto.
Feel free to sign and share
Signed.
More in hope than expectation…!
Signed and passed on.
Signed.
Regarding the dreadful Beeb article above about Rupert Lowe, he’s put out this lengthy post yesterday, so here’s just an excerpt;
”A statement from my entire current team:
“These two women have vexatiously complained in an attempt to smear Rupert, and the entire team. And we are a team. We work together well. The only issues raised within the office have been from these two individuals, who only did so after they committed serious offences.
This whole ordeal has been difficult on all of us. We don’t want any of this – we just want to get on with our jobs, and support Rupert who has been a fantastic boss. There has never been any bullying – we will all go on the record to say so, and have done so already.”
I have heard nothing from the relevant body in Parliament, nor have my team. Of course, I will cooperate fully with that investigation, if it ever comes.
This is not bullying. There was no bullying. There never has been any bullying. Using such claims to damage me through my staff is shameful, and I will be urging Parliament to take action alongside my own legal teams.
They have put my team through hell in an attempt to smear my reputation. This is not how politics should operate. It is dark, dirty and simply not the British way of doing things.
Anyone involved in Reform should be aware that when it becomes politically convenient for them to do so – they will use any means to get to you, including innocent staff.
My team has been more effective than anyone in Westminster at uncovering waste, revealing important data and supporting my work. I am incredibly proud of what they have achieved.
Reform’s leadership have proven themselves to be deceitful cowards.”
https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1904531625641140411
”Reform is not democratic, it holds its subscribers in contempt, it shuts down free speech, it doesn’t stand for this country and, as you have experienced, it engages in lawfare. Under Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf it is part of the problem, not the solution.” Ben Habib
“Four viruses already in UK could trigger new pandemic”
=
Itching for excuses to lockdown and vax up! In other words more CONTROL!
Yes, it was inevitable.
And the response is… FRO.
Too right
“New workers’ rights Bill allows officers to go into homes” – Officers enforcing Labour’s workers’ rights overhaul will have the power to enter people’s homes and seize documents and laptops while investigating potential breaches of the new laws…
…In accord with the 1984 playbook, Workers Rights means Government Wrongs.
Book-Burners of the Dis-Civil Service Unite.
Will these enforcement officers be wearing brown shirts?
“Four viruses already in UK could trigger new pandemic” – UK health chiefs have issued a stark warning about 24 deadly viruses that could trigger the next ‘Disease X’ – a term used to describe the culprit behind the next pandemic…
…No pandemic in the developed world since 1918, and there won’t be until Kommissar Miliband completes the Great Leap Backward and we all live in filth and squalor, desperate in our 15-minute ghettos for our next two-hour ration of electricity.
A box office disaster for Disney’s Snow White.
Jolly good. They really, really do need to learn that if you go woke, you go broke and to “leave those kids alone.”
“Brits see Reeves as ‘incompetent’ ahead of Spring Statement”
Rachel Reeves announces £4.8bn in welfare cuts by DWP
” Rachel Reeves set to slash benefits further to plug £1.6 BILLION BUDGET BLACK HOLE”
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There’s one very easy way for her to raise that money:
UK foreign aid spending on asylum seekers rises again – BBC News
“More than a quarter of all UK overseas aid was spent on ASYLUM COSTS AT HOME last year, new figures show.”
“The Foreign Office statistics reveal £4.3 BILLION of its Foreign Aid Budget went on supporting refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.”
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Trump Admin Ends Taxpayer-Funded Housing For Illegal Immigrants
“If meritocracy is now ‘racist’, Britain truly is doomed”
This article in The Expose shows where DEI came from:
DEI began as a tool used by Lenin and Stalin – it ended in disaster. So too will today’s DEI – The Expose
Stalin’s Soviet DEI Program – New Discourses