Nation of failing shopkeepers

The UK, a nation of shopkeepers? Napoleon Bonaparte would have to eat his words. The country’s retail sector suffers from oversupply and erratic management. For better offers, foreign predators would be advised to look elsewhere. Baugur, the Icelandic investment company has just offered a derisory “low tens of millions of pounds” for Woolworths Retail, once a great name on the High Street. The problems at Woollies are extreme, but the sector’s shares are down 40% this year. Only the banks have ...