Retail news

• French luxury group Kering becomes luxury outlier as sales stutter

  25-04-2023 19:50
  Revenue growth at Gucci owner lags behind that at rivals Hermès and LVMH
  
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• Ted Baker CEO Rachel Osborne to step down

  25-04-2023 17:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Ted Baker chief executive Rachel Osborne is to step down from her role in the coming months
  // Her departure follows a string of senior exits as new owner Authentic Brands Group converts the business into a licensing modelTed Baker chief executive Rachel Osborne is to step down from her role six months after the retailer was snapped up by Authentic Brands Group (ABG).
  Sky News reported that Osborne will leave the company in the coming months.
  Her departure comes as ABG is in the process
  
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• Data: Aldi market share tops 10% as discounters in demand

  25-04-2023 17:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Aldi and Lidl “biggest beneficiaries” of soaring demand for own-label ranges, Kantar figures show
  // Aldi secures double-digit market share for the first time after sales jumped 25% in the 12 weeks to 16 AprilBoth Aldi and Lidl continue to gain ground in the UK’s grocery market as demand for value ranges soar.
  Aldi secured double-digit market share for the first time, reaching 10.1%, following a 25% jump in sales in the 12 weeks to 16 April, Kantar figures showed.
  Aldi UK ch
  
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• Interview: How Pandora has kept its shine – and is still opening UK stores

  25-04-2023 17:28 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Danish jewellery giant Pandora has been popular in the UK since the business launched in 2007. In fact, the UK is its second biggest market with almost half of women in the UK and Ireland owning one of its pieces.
  Pandora could have easily been ‘huge today, gone tomorrow’ brand.
  Its surging popularity in the noughties when its charm bracelets were the must-have birthday gift for many girls and women could have easily been a short-term fad, however, years later the brand is still
  
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• Premier Inn/Primark: discerning Germans set test for incomers

  25-04-2023 16:47
  Values guide German consumers’ shopping choices
  
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• Mastering Picking And Last Mile: The Key To Profitable E-Groceries

  25-04-2023 16:16 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
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• Activists shut down central London Co-op over sale of ‘Frankenchickens’

  25-04-2023 15:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Animal rights activists shut down central London Co-op in protest over animal welfare
  // Open Cages are campaigning for Co-op members to vote for the ‘Better Chicken Commitment’ to stop the sale of “Frankenchickens”Animal rights activists have shut down Co-op’s London Soho branch in a protest to end the sale of “Frankenchickens”.
  Members of Open Cages, donned in chicken masks, have blocked the meat aisle to demonstrate the “silent suffering of t
  
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• Planet Organic founders beat out Sainsbury’s to buy grocer out of administration

  25-04-2023 15:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Planet Organic has been rescued from administration byBioren Limited
  // The deal will see 10 Planet Organic stores continue to trade in locations throughout LondonPlanet Organic has been rescued from administration byBioren Limited, whose shareholders include the founders of the organic supermarket chain Renée and Brian Elliott.
  The deal will see 10 Planet Organic stores continue to trade in locations throughout London, safeguarding 194 jobs in-store and 71 jobs in the head office.
  But
  
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• BREAKING: Planet Organic founders beat out Sainsbury’s to buy grocer out of administration

  25-04-2023 15:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Planet Organic has been rescued from administration byBioren Limited
  // The deal will see 10 Planet Organic stores continue to trade in locations throughout LondonPlanet Organic has been rescued from administration byBioren Limited, whose shareholders include the founders of the organic supermarket chain Renée and Brian Elliott.
  The deal will see 10 Planet Organic stores continue to trade in locations throughout London, safeguarding 194 jobs in-store and 71 jobs in the head office.
  But
  
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• Next to relaunch Joules ‘much earlier than expected’ this October

  25-04-2023 14:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Next accelerates the relaunch of Joules to this year thanks to significant progress in reducing the lead times
  // The initial launch date of March 2024 has now been pushed forward to October 2023Next is accelerating Joule’s transition to its total platform following its acquisition of the collapsed retailer last year.
  The high-street giant‘s technology teams said they “have made significant progress in reducing the lead times” for the platform and as a result, it belie
  
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• Next puts Joules jobs at risks as it brings forward relaunch

  25-04-2023 14:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Next accelerates the relaunch of Joules to this year thanks to significant progress in reducing the lead times
  // The initial launch date of March 2024 has now been pushed forward to October 2023Next has launched consultations with Joules staff as it said a number of tasks could now be absorbed into the retail giant’s teams or would no longer be needed.
  The retailer will be work with those affected to ensure that they are considered for any suitable vacancies at its head office which is
  
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• Card Factory plots South Africa expansion with £2.5m acquisition

  25-04-2023 13:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Card Factory acquires greetings card and gift packaging wholesaler SA Greetings for £2.5m
  // The retailer said the deal would help grow its presence in its target South African marketCard Factory has snapped up South African-based SA Greetings for £2.5m as it looks to tap into new markets overseas.
  The card retailer said the acquisition of the greetings card and gift packaging wholesaler would help grow its presence in South Africa.
  SA Greetings is the leading wholesaler of g
  
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• Primark sales climb as prices rise and city centre stores boom

  25-04-2023 13:02
  
  Retailer warns that growth may slow in coming months because of inflation and cost of living crisisPrimark has reported strong first-half sales growth helped by higher prices and a return of tourists and office workers across the UK’s cities, but said that revenue would slow in the coming months amid the cost of living crisis and higher interest rates.The retailer’s parent company Associated British Foods said like-for-like sales rose 10% at the budget clothing chain in the six month
  
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• Britons turn to stores’ bargain ranges as grocery price inflation stays above 17%

  25-04-2023 11:58
  
  Cost of living squeeze continues, led by price rises for eggs, milk and cheese, say analysts KantarShoppers increasingly turned to supermarkets’ cheapest own-label products as grocery inflation remained above 17% over the past month, keeping the pressure on already strained household finances.Sales of the very cheapest value own-label lines jumped 46% in the four weeks to 16 April, compared with a year earlier, dropping in to nearly one in five baskets as consumers sought to make savings.
  
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• Planet Organic founder Renee Elliott returns to secure rescue deal

  25-04-2023 11:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Planet Organic founder Renee Elliott returns to spearhead rescue deal after obtaining backing from a number of private investors
  // Former chief executive Peter Marsh is said to have been lined up by Ms Elliott to return to the business
  Planet Ogranic’s founder Renee Elliott, who established the organic supermarket back in 1995, is returning to spearhead a takeover that will be implemented through a pre-pack administration, Sky News reports.
  The outlet has learnt that Elliott has agreed
  
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• Ocado to close Hatfield warehouse, putting 2,300 jobs at risk

  25-04-2023 10:16
  
  Online retailer to open new site in Luton but sales have fallen back after Covid lockdowns Ocado and Marks & Spencer’s online retail joint-venture is to close its oldest warehouse, in Hatfield, putting up to 2,300 jobs at risk.Ocado said the orders handled at the warehouse in the Hertfordshire town would be switched to the group’s other automated warehouses, including a new site scheduled to open in Luton later this year. The Hatfield site processes about a fifth of Ocado.com&rsq
  
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• Ocado to close Hatfield fulfilment centre with over 2,000 jobs at risk

  25-04-2023 09:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Ocado is stopping operations at its Hatfield customer fulfilment centre, placing over 2,000 roles at risk
  // The business has begun a consultation with staff with hopes to redeploy “as many as possible” to other sitesOcado Retail, the 50/50 joint venture between Ocado Group and M&S has said it will halt operations at its Hatfield customer fulfilment centre, putting 2,300 roles at risk.
  The online grocer said its Hatfield site was the oldest in the network and is resp
  
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• Primark sales soar as it expands click-and-collect trial to London

  25-04-2023 09:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Primark sales surge as it posts a 19% increase in sales to £4.3bn for the 24 weeks to March 4, 2023
  // Owner ABF has kept its guidance for a flat outcome in the full year, staying cautious about the resilience of consumer spendingPrimark’s sales surged 19% in its first half as the value fashion giant rolls out its click-and-collect trial.
  The retailer reported “very good footfall and margin better than expected”, which helped sales soar to £4.3bn for the 24 weeks
  
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• JD Sports appoints Angela Luger and Darren Shapland to board

  25-04-2023 09:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // JD Sports has appointed Angela Luger and Darren Shapland as non-executive directors
  // Both new appointments bring a wealth of expertise having held top jobs at a range of retailersJD Sports has appointed Angela Luger and Darren Shapland to its board as non-executive directors
  Luger will join the sporting retailer‘s remuneration committee and Shapland will take up a position on the audit and risk committee from 1 June 2023.
  With extensive experience in digital commerce, digital transfor
  
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• Zalando pilots virtual fitting rooms

  25-04-2023 08:48 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Zalando is piloting a virtual fitting room, where customers will be able to try on clothing by creating a 3D avatar by inputting height, weight, and gender details.
  // The size and fit team are now working on a body measurement feature where customers will be able to receive personalised advice based on their measurementsZalando is piloting a virtual fitting room, allowing customers to try on clothing by creating a 3D avatar and inputting their height, weight, and gender details.
  In a move to
  
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• John Lewis appoints first pan-partnership head of loyalty as it ramps up rewards programme

  25-04-2023 08:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // John Lewis Partnership accelerates its investment in customer loyalty with new strategic partnerships with marketing firms dunnhumby and Eagle Eye
  // The retailer has also appointed former Tesco exec Emily Wells as its first pan-partnership head of loyaltyThe John Lewis Partnership has unveiled new partnerships with customer loyalty and marketing experts dunnhumby and Eagle Eye in a bid to deepen its relationships with customers and provide them with even more benefits.
  The department store r
  
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• John Lewis appoints first pan-partnership head of loyalty as it ramps up rewards

  25-04-2023 08:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // John Lewis Partnership accelerates its investment in customer loyalty with new strategic partnerships with marketing firms dunnhumby and Eagle Eye
  // The retailer has also appointed former Tesco exec Emily Wells as its first pan-partnership head of loyaltyThe John Lewis Partnership has unveiled new partnerships with customer loyalty and marketing experts dunnhumby and Eagle Eye in a bid to deepen its relationships with customers and provide them with even more benefits.
  The department store r
  
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• Our £1,500 Furniture Village sofa has led to nothing but discomfort

  25-04-2023 08:00
  
  It was damaged and after five attempts to fix it, the store now says it is costing it too muchTwo years ago we placed an order for a £1,500 sofa at our local Furniture Village store. After being delayed for more than three months, it arrived with a large, noticeable scratch on one of the sofa arms, and various holes and marks across the back of the sofa, and the firmness of the seats did not match. We reported this to the company on the same day it arrived.Since then, the company has sent
  
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• Poor families miss out on budget ranges at big chains’ smaller shops, says Which?

  25-04-2023 07:00
  
  Own-label items available less than 1% of the time at Sainsbury’s Local, Tesco Express and Morrisons Daily, finds consumer groupLow-income families are missing out on the chance to pick up supermarkets’ lowest-priced essentials as fewer than 1% of the leading chains’ smaller stores stock them, according to a study.The consumer group Which? dispatched mystery shoppers to hunt for a list of about 30 items under the cut-price own-label ranges in Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and
  
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• Zalando takes virtual fitting room pilot to millions of customers

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Online fashion retailer Zalando is enhancing the customer experience by piloting a virtual fitting room experience with millions of customers. The move enables customers to create a 3D... View Article
  
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• WiHTL, Diversity in Retail and Sainsbury’s partner for Ethnic Future Leaders Programme

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  WiHTL and Diversity in Retail (DiR) have announced that Sainsbury’s will be partnering with them on the fourth cohort of their Ethnic Future Leaders (EFL) Programme.... View Article
  
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• UK grocery inflation eases slightly to 17.3% in April -Kantar

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Market researcher Kantar has said grocery inflation was 17.3% in the four weeks to April 16, down from the record 17.5% in its March data set.... View Article
  
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• The O2 celebrates strong first quarter and Easter holiday performance

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The O2 has enjoyed a strong start to 2023 with like-for-like sales across outlet shopping up 44%, F&B sales up 26%, and total footfall up 20%... View Article
  
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• Primark to expand Click + Collect trail in London

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Primark is expanding its Click + Collect trial, rolling it out across London stores this summer as it builds on the success of the 25-store trial... View Article
  
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• Primark boosted by half year sales jump

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Primark owner Associated British Foods has said first half trading at the fashion retailer was significantly better than expected due to strong footfall and the appeal... View Article
  
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• Monsoon celebrate 50th anniversary with Portobello Rd pop-up

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Today, 25 April 2023, the day of its 50th anniversary, Monsoon opens the doors to a pop-up boutique on Portobello Road, right where the brand’s story... View Article
  
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• John Lewis Partnership appoints first pan-partnership head of loyalty

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The John Lewis Partnership has appointed its first pan-partnership head of loyalty as part of plans to drive an improved experience for customers. Due to take... View Article
  
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• JD Sports appoints Angela Luger and Darren Shapland to its board

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  JD Sports has announced that Angela Luger and Darren Shapland will become non-executive directors of the company on 1 June. With extensive experience in digital commerce,... View Article
  
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• Fortnum & Mason Coronation Collection a storytelling triumph

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Department store Fortnum & Mason have launched an extensive Coronation Collection as well as a ‘behind the scenes’ look at the designs and products. According to... View Article
  
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• Avoiding a ‘summer of discontent’ for retail

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  By Charlotte Rees-John, partner and head of Irwin Mitchell’s consumer goods and services sector.  The latest official figures show trade union membership in the UK is... View Article
  
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• Authentic Brands Group to acquire Vince

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Authentic Brands Group has agreed to acquire the intellectual property of the Vince luxury fashion brand. Through the agreement, Vince Holding Corp’s intellectual property will be... View Article
  
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• Aldi hits 10% grocery market share

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Discount supermarket Aldi has hit record double-digit market share according to market researcher Kantar. The news comes as Kantar today announced that UK grocery inflation has... View Article
  
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• [ GUIDE ] How to maximise your retail marketing potential with martech

  25-04-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The retail sector is evolving fast. In order to thrive in a crowded marketplace with a backdrop of changing consumer preferences and behaviours, marketers must know... View Article
  
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