Retail news

• Richard Hyman: John Lewis – demutualisation will not fix a broken Partnership

  22-03-2023 23:54 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  How did JLP get here?
  The sudden departure of John Lewis’s MD Pippa Wicks followed by what seemed to be an equally sudden decision to appoint the business’s first CEO. Significant losses. The second missed bonus in living memory. And then the hitherto unthinkable.
  Richard Hyman
  It might be mooted as only partial, but what is being talked about is demutualisation.The major challenges the Partnership faces are retail ones. And they are pretty much the same as those faced by others.
  Not
  
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• John Lewis partnership model will ‘survive for decades to come’

  22-03-2023 20:22
  Retailer’s unusual structure not under threat, despite reports of plan to sell a minority stake, says chair Sharon White
  
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• Up to 40% of shops must be repurposed in next five years, UK local leaders claim

  22-03-2023 17:57
  
  Need to reinvent retail space is biggest concern named in survey of councils, landlords, developers and other local bodiesUp to 40% of shops will need to be reinvented into anything from go-kart tracks to food markets over the next five years or “wither on the vine” as demand for physical retail wanes, local leaders have claimed.The need to repurpose retail space was named as the biggest concern for local authorities, landlords, developers and other town centre management professiona
  
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• Ebay promotes marketing chief Eve Williams to UK boss

  22-03-2023 17:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Ebay promotes chief marketing officer Eve Williams to the role of UK vice-president, general manager
  // She has replaced Murray Lambell, who took over the role in 2020Ebay has promoted chief marketing officer Eve Williams to the role of vice-president, general manager of its UK business.
  She has replaced Murray Lambell, who took over the role at the online marketplace in 2020.
  Lambell has been promoted to global general manager of the home, garden and refurbished categories based at eBay
  
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• 6 rules to boost in-store experience through background music

  22-03-2023 17:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  What we hear makes a difference.  
  Music has a profound effect on the human brain and behaviour, and businesses can use this to their advantage by carefully selecting the audio experience they provide for their customers and employees.  
  By choosing the right music and in-store messaging, retailers have an excellent opportunity to connect with their customers on a deeper level, cultivate greater engagement and grow loyalty.  
   Music not only enhances the in-sto
  
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• Dreams invests £2m in opening its largest warehouse

  22-03-2023 17:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Dreams opens new 260,000sq ft warehouse in Willenhall
  // The site is Dreams’ largest distribution centre, within its network of 18 sites across the UKDreams has invested £2 million into opening a new 260,000sq ft warehouse in Willenhall as part of its growth strategy.
  The site is Dreams’ largest distribution centre, within its network of 18 sites across the UK.
  In addition to quicker deliveries for customers, the site will create at least 25 new jobs in the local area.Subscr
  
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• Boohoo to launch first ever pop-up in London

  22-03-2023 16:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Boohoo to open debut pop-up retail experience in central London
  // The store will showcase the latest collections and newest arrivalsBoohoo is set to open its first ever pop-up in London to showcase its spring season collection.
  The online retailer will launch the pop-up retail experience on Great Portland Street, central London from March 25 to March 26.
  Boohoo said the store will showcase the latest collections and newest arrivals. From popular premium tracksuits to trending transitional pi
  
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• In pictures: Primark opens ‘Tasty by Greggs’ café in Newcastle

  22-03-2023 14:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  UK high street icons Greggs and Primark have launched a third ‘Tasty by Greggs’ café in the fashion retailer‘s Newcastle store.
  The new café is located on the second floor of Primark’s Northumberland Street store in Newcastle.
  From Greggs’ humble beginnings back in Gosforth 1939, Newcastle has been hailed the home of Greggs and the opening of ‘Tasty by Greggs’ marks the thirteenth Greggs in Newcastle City Centre.
  Visitors can expect doughn
  
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• Asda’s great pay debate: Why workers want their bonus back

  22-03-2023 14:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // READ MORE ON GROCERY GAZETTELast month, Asda invested £141m in giving a 10% pay increase to all its hourly-paid store colleagues, taking it from the bottom of the supermarket pay league to sitting comfortably at the top.
  The pay rise – which will take the hourly rate to over £11ph by July – was the third Asda had given its staff within the past 12 months and came in the wake of strikes threats over the Christmas period. It takes the supermarket straight to th
  
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• Analysis: Is AI coming for retail jobs?

  22-03-2023 14:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // There is nothing new about the way retail companies navigate financial pressures. But it seems like artificial intelligence (AI) and automation might offer them a novel – and cheap – solution to tasks.
  Amid the mass layoff crisis, Mark Shirley, head of logistics at Primark, said 60-65% of the retail industry might be automated by 2025.
  // To find out more, visit Retail Gazette’s sister site, Charged Retail: click hereCharged talked to experts about the prospects of AI, discu
  
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• UK retailers to raise concerns over new recycling scheme with ministers

  22-03-2023 13:55
  Companies warn initiative will lead to higher costs for consumers without boosting environment
  
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• B&Q eyes 50 more smaller store openings in UK

  22-03-2023 13:11 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // B&Q could open at least 50 more smaller UK stores
  // The DIY retailer has backed its Local format as it reports 40% slide in pre-tax profits to £611mB&Q has plans to open at least 50 small and medium-sized stores across the UK following increased demand for more convenient local stores.
  The DIY retailer said it had eight high street outlets – called B&Q Local – in London and was perfecting the format.
  It is considering how it could better sell kitchens and b
  
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• [Webinar] Can AI help you target customers better? 

  22-03-2023 12:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Who’s your most valuable customer? How do you hold onto them, get more customers like them and increase their value over time? Knowing your customers’ lifetime value (LTV) is the first step to answering these questions.
  On Thursday 23 March, AI company Peak will be hosting our next Customer Intelligence webinar. We’re talking all things LTV, the latest methods for measuring it and how you can use it to improve your most importan
  
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• Superdry sells Asia Pacific IP assets for £40m

  22-03-2023 11:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Superdry has agreed to sell its Asia Pacific IP to South Korea’s Cowell Fashion Company for an upfront fee of £40.7m
  // The fashion retailer said the deal would help boost its liquidity and strengthen its balance sheetSuperdry has sold its intellectual property assets in countries within the Asia Pacific region in order to boost liquidity.
  The £40.7m ($50m) cash fee it receives from South Korea’s Cowell Fashion Company for the IP will be used to fund ongoing
  
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• Nike sales and profits rise thanks to ‘strong brand distinction’

  22-03-2023 11:23 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Nike profits and sales rise in third quarter thanks to its “brand distinction and strong execution”
  // The sportswear giant reported a 14% increase in revenue compared with the same time last year to £10.1bnNike has seen its sales and profits increase during its third-quarter trading period thanks to its “brand distinction and strong execution”.
  The sportswear giant reported a 14% increase in revenue compared with the same time last year to £
  
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• Primark installs ‘Women Only’ signs as it backpedals to segregated changing rooms

  22-03-2023 09:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Primark has reverted to segregated changing rooms after a number of female customers reported unsettling experiences in its combined changing spaces
  // The retailer has erected signs reading “These fitting rooms are for Women only”Primark has separated its changing rooms into “women only” and “all genders”, installing new signage outside its changing rooms to separate the categories.
  It comes after the fashion retailer announced last October that it wo
  
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• Inflation leaps to 10.4% thanks to rising food and drink prices

  22-03-2023 08:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Inflation across the UK unexpectedly rose last month after three consecutive months of easing, driven by dining out and food price rises
  // Inflation rose to 10.4% in February, up from 10.1 in JanuaryUK inflation has jumped unexpectedly to 10.4% in February, up from 10.1 the month prior in a blow to households as the cost-of-living crisis intensifies.
  The Office for National Statistics chief economist Grant Fitzner said: “Inflation ticked up in February, mainly driven by rising alcohol
  
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• Data: Lidl, Aldi and Asda see largest price rises as cost of everyday groceries double

  22-03-2023 08:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Which? data reveals that prices increased most at Lidl, followed by Aldi, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and then Ocado
  // While the discounters remain generally cheaper than bigger rivals, it seems they have less room for flexibility when it comes to passing costs on to customersThe price of some everyday groceries has more than doubled over the last year as the cost of own-brand items continues to rise, new data from Which? reveals.
  Which?’s food and drink inflati
  
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• John Lewis may find that cuddly co-investors don’t exist | Nils Pratley

  22-03-2023 07:00
  
  Sharon White, chair of the partnership, is fishing in an extremely small pool if investors must be like-mindedWould the world fall apart if the John Lewis Partnership were not 100% owned by its staff? Would the shoppers revolt if an outside investor – say a sovereign wealth fund or benevolent pension fund – were to acquire a 25% stake, as suggested by the tentative plan emerging from the boardroom?Actually, the answer is probably no on both counts. A few Waitrose and John Lewis shopp
  
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• The cut-price fashion retailers setting up shop on Oxford Street: the new American candy stores?

  22-03-2023 06:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Last year a spotlight was shone on the raft of American candy and souvenir stores that have sprung up on Oxford Street.
  Even M&S chief executive Stuart Machin, who has been outspoken about the decline of the famous shopping street, warned that it is falling prey to a “growing proliferation of tacky candy stores”.
  An investigation by Westminster City Council into the 30 stores that have cropped up on London’s famous shopping street found that tax evasion was rife. It is esti
  
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• Screwfix acquires assets of Connect Distribution Services out of administration

  22-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Screwfix has acquired the stock, intellectual property, contracts and fixed assets of Connect Distribution Services out of administration. Connect Distribution Services sells appliance spares, accessories and... View Article
  
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• Interview: Yemi Akisanya

  22-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  We talk to Yemi Akisanya, CEO and Founder of Akisanya Consulting about why he has joined the People in Retail judging panel for the 2023 awards.... View Article
  
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• Critizr changes name to Goodays

  22-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  New identity accompanied by launch of Artificial Intelligence Lab and appointment of new Chairman Martin Green Critizr, the specialist in customer satisfaction and experience management for... View Article
  
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• Asda expands partnership with Claire’s

  22-03-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Asda has expanded its partnership with jewellery and accessories retailer Claire’s. The move follows a successful ‘test and learn’ initiative with 10 stores which began in... View Article
  
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