Supreme Court clears path for Tesco equal pay claim as Aldi names seven November openings
A major equal pay ruling, new stores and roles at Aldi, Frasers taking majority ownership of Hugo Boss and new Respect Orders for offenders lead today's news.
In brief
- Aldi is set to open seven stores across England in November, with up to 30 roles available at each site
- The Supreme Court has blocked Tesco's final attempt at appealing a procedural ruling in an equal pay claim worth up to £4bn
- More than a third of Post Office branches operating within TGJones stores are set to close by early 2027
- Frasers Group has increased its stake in Hugo Boss to more than 50 per cent, giving it majority ownership
- Respect Orders, a new civil behavioural order, were introduced on 26 October and welcomed by retail union Usdaw
Jobs and people
Aldi's seven November openings include two new locations in London1. Bestway Wholesale has appointed 23 territory sales managers to support independent retailers across the North and South2. DPD UK has announced a programme delivering 24,000 mentoring sessions in its first year to 16 to 25 year olds across the UK3.
At Liberty, Head of Technology Craig Pearce is leaving due to redundancy after 17 years, as a tech team restructure cuts five roles1. Jayesh Bhayani has left Tesco, where he spent the past ten years and served as Chief Product and Technology Officer2.
For store teams, breaching a Respect Order is a standalone criminal offence, unlike the Anti-Social Behaviour Injunctions they replace for adults. Shops hope the orders can "turn the tide" against retail crime1. Separately, with Halloween landing on Saturday this year, SAI is warning that theft incidents could rise as much as 2.5 times the level experienced in 20252.
Stores and openings
London's Oxford Street has become permanently traffic-free for the first time, which Mayor Sadiq Khan called a "momentous occasion for the capital"1. Burberry is to turn its Grade II-listed Regent Street flagship into Burberry House, adding a trench restoration service, archive gallery, café and private client rooms by autumn 20272.
Nando's Pompey Centre restaurant opens on 4th November1. Oak Furnitureland has opened a new showroom at Northampton's Riverside Retail Park2, and Brook Taverner has opened at 121 South Street in St Andrews, its 19th UK location3. Tameside Council has acquired the 140,000 sq ft Arcades Shopping Centre in Ashton-under-Lyne from Fairacre Property4.
Money and results
Frasers Group said it has increased its direct stake in Hugo Boss to 50.08% for €7.63m1. Very reported revenue up 1.3% to £1.86bn and adjusted EBITDA up 3.4 per cent to £317.5m, with sales growing across homeware, toys and beauty2. Blue Diamond Garden Centres reported a 12.5 per cent increase in sales to £216m3. The first interim trading update for the newly formed OurCoop shows "strong progress"4. M&S has said it will not increase the price of its school uniform in 2027, holding prices for a seventh year5.
Our take
New stores mean new teams. Aldi has 614 live roles on TRAP today and Nando's has 465, out of 19,590 in total, with Next listing the most at 1,207. If you work on the shop floor, it's worth getting to know how Respect Orders work and checking your store's security procedures ahead of Halloween on Saturday.
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