As the doors of “non-essential” shops re-open tomorrow, independent and local stores are set for a £3.5 billion boost in the build up to Christmas, as two-thirds (66 per cent) of people plan to buy gifts from independent shops. Research from digital bank Starling and the British Independent Retailers Association questioned 2,000 UK adults in November and found that many wanted to “buy local”.

2020 has seen a marked decline in business optimism in the UK, with COVID-19 and Brexit creating concerns over international trade and supply chains, according to HSBC. Research by the banking group, which surveyed more than 10,000 business across 39 markets with 1,000 of those in the UK, focussed on business attitudes towards international trade in relation to external concerns.

eBay UK has appointed Eve Williams as its new chief marketing officer. She will be responsible for all of the company’s UK marketing activity.

Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has offered Arcadia an emergency loan of £50 million and expressed interest in buying parts of the retail empire if it goes into administration. In a statement the group said that if “efforts to agree to an emergency funding package fail and the Arcadia Group enter into administration, the company would be interested in participating in any sale process.”