Retail news

• [ CASE STUDY ] Dr Martens put best boot forward with Microsoft Dynamics 365

  07-05-2024 05:17 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Dr Martens is an iconic British footwear brand, loved the world over for its signature style that unapologetically represents freedom, self-expression, and authenticity. Formed in 1947,... View Article
  
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• UK petrol trade body in dispute with ministers over ‘inflammatory’ comments

  13-03-2026 17:52
  PRA claims staff have been abused by public following government comments suggesting retailers are ‘price gouging’
  
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• The Fragrance Foundation’s Central London hub launches next week

  13-03-2026 17:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The Fragrance Foundation UK has unveiled its first-ever Central London Fragrance Hub, which will be open during National Fragrance Week from 18 to 19 March.
  The hub, which brings together brands, retailers and creators from across the perfume space, will explore trends within the industry such as AI-driven discovery, digital influence and sustainability.
  The 2026 Next Gen Cohort will be unveiled at National Fragrance Week. The accelerator programme was developed in partnership with Growth Studio
  
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• Zebra Technologies: How retailers can implement hyper-personalisation in store?

  13-03-2026 14:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Many retailers have started trying to copy the online experience in-store. Online consumers can receive recommendations tailored to them based on their past browsing and shopping habits.
  In-store, typically, customers don’t receive that level of service. However, that may be changing.
  Thanks to loyalty programmes such as Boots Advantage Card and Tesco Clubcard, customers can receive hyper-personalised recommendations while in store.
  We sit down with Mark Thomson of Zebra Technologies
  
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• Desert Island Stores: Andy Smallwood, CEO of Pashley Cycles

  13-03-2026 12:37 via theretailbulletin.com
  In his latest Desert Island Stores interview, Glynn Davis chats with Andy Smallwood, chief executive of Pashley Cycles. The store you remember from childhood? Growing up... View Article
  
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• Safety gear shapes modern work clothing

  13-03-2026 11:58 via theretailbulletin.com
  Safety gear has increasingly become the central influence in the design and function of modern work clothing. The integration of advanced safety features and materials is... View Article
  
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• UK economy stalls in January as restaurant spending drops sharply

  13-03-2026 11:16 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The UK economy unexpectedly failed to grow in January, with a sharp fall in spending at restaurants and cafés highlighting continued pressure on consumer demand.
  According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), gross domestic product (GDP) showed zero growth during the month, weaker than economists had forecast and following modest growth of 0.1 per cent in December.
  The ONS said the broader economic picture remains “subdued”, while analysts described the da
  
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• Flat February for retail sales in Scotland, says SRC

  13-03-2026 11:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  According to recent data from the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), total sales in Scotland were flat at 0.0 per cent when compared with February 2025,  when they had decreased by 0.4 per cent .
  When adjusted for inflation, there was a decrease year-on-year of 1.1 per cent .
  The body highlighted that total food sales in the country had increased 1.2 per cent  compared when compared with the same period last year. However, this was below the 3-month average increase of 1.4 per cent and
  
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• The challenges of marketing to ever-changing consumer needs

  13-03-2026 10:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The need to focus on brand, the dominance of big tech in online marketplaces and consumers demanding more in an AI-driven era are just a few challenges facing One Retail Group.
  Giulio Beltramo, the company’s head of marketing, is acutely aware of how the industry has changed.
  Adaptability, he says, is essential.
  We caught up with him to discuss how One Retail Group balances performance marketing and brand storytelling, manages marketplaces and owned channels, and navigates growth and reten
  
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• Bleak economic data shows UK plc in trouble well before the Middle East crisis

  13-03-2026 09:54
  Zero GDP growth in January will not help Rachel Reeves claim her policies have put UK in a stronger position to weather oil price stormBusiness live – latest updatesUK economy unexpectedly flatlined in January, ONS data showsEven before Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury on Iran unleashed higher oil prices, threatening the outlook for growth and inflation, the UK economy was flatlining.That’s the bleak message in the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), wh
  
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• Pets at Home invests £3m in four new UK locations as it expands veterinary and retail network

  13-03-2026 09:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Pets at Home is investing more than £3m to open four new locations across the UK this month as it continues expanding its veterinary and petcare retail network.
  The retailer will add more than 20,000 sq ft of new space through openings in Giltbrook (Nottingham), Stocksbridge (Sheffield), Kew (London) and Glossop (Derbyshire), strengthening its regional veterinary capacity and in-store services.
  The rollout begins this week with two new petcare centres, launching today.
  The Kew site will sp
  
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• Footasylum secures £60m funding boost to accelerate store expansion

  13-03-2026 09:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Footasylum is accelerating its UK expansion plans after extending its revolving credit facility with HSBC UK from £35m to £60m.
  The increased funding will support the next phase of Footasylum’s store rollout programme, with new locations planned in Leeds, Glasgow and Merthyr Tydfil.
  As part of the expansion and store upsizing programme, the retailer expects to create more than 80 jobs.
  Alongside the new openings, Footasylum will significantly expand its existing stores in Manch
  
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• Temporary shock or wider downturn? Middle East energy crisis raises fresh cost pressures for UK retailers

  13-03-2026 09:16 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Rising oil prices triggered by the conflict in the Middle East are raising concerns about a fresh wave of economic pressure for UK retailers, with economists warning that a prolonged disruption to global energy supplies could push the UK economy towards recession.
  The crisis has intensified after maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz (a route that normally carries around 20 per cent of the world’s traded oil and liquefied gas) was effectively halted amid escalating military tension
  
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• Conversation with… People in Retail Awards Judge Gill Smith

  13-03-2026 09:16 via theretailbulletin.com
  Here we catch up with Gill Smith, managing director of The Perfume Shop, to reflect on a landmark year for the business that has included award... View Article
  
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• Whole Foods Market to open six new stores in London

  13-03-2026 09:10 via theretailbulletin.com
  Whole Foods Market is to open six new stores in London over the next three months. The news follows the launch of the natural and organic... View Article
  
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• Amazon reviews AI processes after website outages disrupt shoppers

  13-03-2026 09:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Amazon is reviewing how its engineers deploy AI-assisted tools after a series of outages disrupted its retail website, reportedly locking customers out of checkout and key account features.
  According to reports, the retailer experienced four ‘high-severity’ incidents in a single week, including a six-hour outage that prevented shoppers from accessing pricing, account information and checkout functionality.
  Internal discussions reportedly examined whether generative AI-assisted develo
  
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• Estée Lauder sues Jo Malone over Zara fragrance collaboration

  13-03-2026 08:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Estée Lauder Companies is taking legal action against British perfumer Jo Malone after she used her name in a fragrance collaboration with fashion retailer Zara.
  The US beauty group, which owns the luxury fragrance brand Jo Malone London, claims Malone breached contractual terms that prevent her from using the “Jo Malone” name for certain commercial purposes, including marketing fragrances.
  The dispute centres on a fragrance collaboration between Zara and Malone’s newer
  
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• Aldi invites shoppers to nominate their mum to win a year’s supply of flowers

  13-03-2026 08:08 via theretailbulletin.com
  Aldi has said it expects to sell two million bouquets of flowers in the week leading up to Mother’s Day as it launched a competition where... View Article
  
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• LVMH appoints Béatrice Goasglas as CEO of Tag Heuer

  13-03-2026 07:46 via theretailbulletin.com
  LVMH has appointed Béatrice Goasglas as chief executive of the Tag Heuer luxury watch brand. Goasglas has been working with Tag Heuer since 2018, initially as... View Article
  
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• The Hidden Revenue Driver: How store cleanliness influences dwell time and basket size

  13-03-2026 07:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  The Psychology of Clean Retail Environments: Long before a customer interacts with staff or examines a product, they have already formed an impression of the store. Cleanliness... View Article
  
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• Keeping it simple was always the answer for John Lewis | Nils Pratley

  12-03-2026 19:33
  Remedy for partnership’s post-Covid woes was the old-fashioned one of basic shopkeeping and cutting costsIt turns out, the remedy for the John Lewis partnership’s post-Covid woes of a few years ago did not lie in seeking outside capital or building 10,000 buy-to-rent flats. Rather, the solution was the old-fashioned one of cutting costs and concentrating on basic shopkeeping.As it happens, the wild idea of seeking external investors was virtually dead the moment it was loosely aired,
  
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• Too Good To Go’s MD on structured surplus, viral recipes and reducing household food waste

  12-03-2026 15:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  A new behavioural trend emerging in UK households could have implications far beyond the dinner table. Research from surplus food marketplace Too Good To Go suggests many consumers are experiencing what it describes as “dinner decision fatigue”, a sense of overwhelm caused by the sheer number of food choices available today.
  According to the research, one in ten Britons say the abundance of meal options leads them to order takeaway rather than cook. At the same time, households conti
  
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• The US govt has labelled Anthropic a ‘supply chain risk’. Could this lawsuit reshape how retailers treat AI suppliers?

  12-03-2026 15:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Retailers have spent the past five years building resilience into their supply chains after shocks ranging from Brexit to Covid-19 and geopolitical conflict. But now, according to the latest news, a new risk could be emerging – AI services in the supply chain.
  Last week, the US government’s decision to label Anthropic a “supply chain risk” triggered a legal battle that could reshape how companies view artificial intelligence suppliers across their technology stacks.
  The A
  
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• Ingka Centres names new managing director

  12-03-2026 15:03 via theretailbulletin.com
  Ingka Centres has appointed Sebastian Hylving as its new managing director. A division of Ingka Group, which also includes IKEA, Ingka Centres operates 37 shopping destinations... View Article
  
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• John Lewis pays first annual staff bonus in four years as profits rise

  12-03-2026 14:48
  Payment of 2% at employee-owned partnership follows sales increase to £13.4bn• Business live – latest updatesThe owner of John Lewis and Waitrose has paid an annual bonus to workers for the first time in four years after underlying profits rose by 6%.The retail group’s 69,000 employees – which it calls partners – will share £35m, the equivalent of 2% of salary, after it recorded an increase in sales and profits. The payout amounts to about one extra week
  
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• How to create a learning and development strategy​ in retail

  12-03-2026 13:21 via theretailbulletin.com
  The pace at which retail is changing is accelerating on a daily basis. What retailers need to keep up with daily operational pressures, rapid technological changes... View Article
  
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• Toolstation partners with British Heart Foundation for staff CPR training

  12-03-2026 13:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Toolstation has joined forces with British Heart Foundation (BHF) to train all 5,000 of its staff in CPR.
  The partnership will see the DIY retailer commit to training its workers to do CPR via BHF’s RevivR tool before the end of the year and raise funds for the charity. 
  The collaboration aims to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors among tradespeople.
  Through the partnership, Toolstation and the charity will provide tradespeople with information about cardio
  
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• Footasylum opens new Glasgow store

  12-03-2026 13:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Footwear brand Footasylum has opened a new store in Glasgow today (12 March).
  The new 10,305 sq ft store will be located in the Silverburn shopping centre and will create 29 new jobs for the area.
  According to the business, the opening “strengthens the brand’s presence” in the Scottish city and builds upon the performance of its former Silverburn store and existing locations across the city.
  Shannon Osman, head of retail at Footasylum said, “Glasgow has always delivered f
  
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• Whole Foods Market to launch six London stores this year

  12-03-2026 13:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Whole Foods Market is set to launch six new London stores by June.
  The grocery chain, which reported a loss in September, is opening new shops in Angel, Liverpool Street, Notting Hill Gate, Wood Wharf (Canary Wharf), Monument and St. James’s.
  The new sites will double the supermarket’s UK store portfolio to 12.
  The shops will sell a selection of organic and fresh produce, as well as prepared foods including salads, sandwiches and hot meals. It will also offer meat and seafood, bakery
  
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• Oatly retires well known brand slogan in the UK with ‘contraband’ campaign

  12-03-2026 13:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Oatly will be retiring its ‘Post Milk Generation’ slogan in the UK, after the Supreme Court ruled that it could no longer use it on its products.
  The brand has given out “contraband” merchandise with the slogan to passersby in London. The Post Milk Generation Outlet could be found in Cowcross Yards in Farridgon yesterday (11 March).
  Bryan Carroll, general manager at Oatly UK & Ireland said: “We haven’t dared utter the forbidden m‑word in our marketin
  
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