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You and Yours: Retail sales, Automation in the workplace, Professional bridesmaids

10/01/2019

Retail sales, Automation in the workplace, Professional bridesmaids

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, Retail sales, Automation in the workplace, Professional bridesmaids

Retail figures, professional bridesmaids, and automation in the workplace

It's a big day for the UK's retail sector: the big department stores release their Christmas trading figures. And the professional bridesmaid who'll do the legwork on your big day.

2018 was tough on the High Street with thousands of closures and job losses - and the early signs are that 2019 won't be any easier. Analysts predict that trading figures for the crucial Christmas shopping period could be the lowest since the financial crash of 2008, with only the food sector offering any relief from the gloom. As the march of online shopping continues, can the big department stores do anything to stem the flow of bad news?

The honour of being a bridesmaid is normally reserved for the bride's most-trusted friends. So it might sound odd to enlist the help of an outsider to take on the role. But that's what Tiffany Wright is offering in her capacity as a 'professional bridesmaid'. Hunting down hair clips and struggling with your bra-straps is all in a day's work. But how does she deal with warring in-laws or divorced parents bringing their new partners to the big day?

Automation has been a part of the manufacturing landscape since the industrial revolution. But the revolution in artificial intelligence is quickening the pace of change, leaving some UK towns more vulnerable to job losses than others. Wigan is one of them, cited in a recent report. We take a look at how the town's responding to the challenge of automation.

Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Simon Hoban

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