Retail news

• UK regulator blames supermarkets for higher petrol and diesel costs

  15-05-2023 18:27
  CMA said grocers were not ‘sufficiently forthcoming’ with evidence to show they remained price competitive
  
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• Tesco removes two billion pieces of plastic from its shelves

  15-05-2023 16:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Tesco has removed more than two billion pieces of plastic in the UK since 2019
  // The supermarket has removed 30 million plastic yoghurt lids and 42 million plastic forks from prepared salads and rice bowlsTesco has removed more than two billion pieces of plastic from its UK business over the past four years.
  The retailer has been working to reduce its plastic usage since it launched its 4Rs packaging strategy, known as Remove, Reduce, Re-use and Recycle.
  In the past year alone, Tesco id
  
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• Why enjoy the sunshine when you could torment yourself in a shopping centre? | Zoe Williams

  15-05-2023 16:42
  
  It’s 15 years since I last visited the immense Westfield in Shepherd’s Bush, dreaming of the collapse of capitalism. It’s still standing and I’m still waiting …It was the first beautiful day of 2023 and everyone in the country was in a park, except for me. I was in Westfield’s west London outpost, in Shepherd’s Bush. I’m not allowed to write about the kids any more – I’ve had article eight of the Human Rights Act thrown at me – s
  
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• Supermarket bosses face grilling on fuel prices from watchdog

  15-05-2023 16:22
  
  CMA says it has found evidence that retailers are putting up fuel prices to unnecessarily high levelsThe competition watchdog is to question supermarket bosses after finding evidence that retailers have increased fuel prices to unnecessarily high levels, squeezing consumers who are hit by the cost of living crisis.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that high pump prices could not be solely blamed on global factors, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It added it had found e
  
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• Hotter owner Unbound pauses online activity amid tough trading results

  15-05-2023 15:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Hotter owner Unbound pauses activity on its online platform following a strategic review
  // The group said it will focus on its core Hotter brand after it issued a profit warning earlier this yearUnbound Group will pause activity on its multi-brand ecommerce platform as it focuses on its core Hotter brand following tough trading results.
  The group will hold all activity on the site, which launched last July, and will replace the homepage with a holding page within weeks, Drapers reported
  
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• John Lewis Partnership names Saatchi & Saatchi as new creative partner

  15-05-2023 14:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // John Lewis Partnership appoints Saatchi & Saatchi as new creative partner
  // The creative agency will deliver the group’s new Christmas and customer loyalty campaignsThe John Lewis Partnership has appointed Saatchi & Saatchi as its new creative marketing partner for both John Lewis and Waitrose.
  This means the agency will develop and produce all of the retail group’s brand campaigns, including its popular John Lewis Christmas TV advert.
  From the summer, the high street sta
  
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• John Lewis owner picks Saatchi & Saatchi to replace agency behind hit Christmas ads

  15-05-2023 14:05
  
  Retailer parts ways with Adam&eveDDB as it attempts turnaround after slumping to a lossThe owner of John Lewis and Waitrose has replaced its advertising partner of 14 years with Saatchi & Saatchi, the agency famous for its 1979 “Labour isn’t working” Conservative party election campaign.The deal ends the relationship with Adam&eveDDB, which created a run of highly successful promotions based on a cosy emotional feel without a hard focus on price and turned John Lewi
  
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• Currys sales improve as shoppers ‘chase deals’ with credit

  15-05-2023 12:49
  
  Customers seek energy-saving tech, repair services and consumer finance deals to stretch budgets, says CEOBusiness live – latest updatesCurrys has reported improved sales as customers in Britain increasingly turn to loans to pay for energy-saving items such as air fryers and heat-pump tumble driers amid the cost of living crisis.The UK’s biggest electrical retailer said cost cuts and a focus on promoting the sale of more profitable goods and services had improved its margins. Continu
  
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• Ex-John Lewis customer director hired as Just Eat UK MD

  15-05-2023 12:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Pointon will be joining the food delivery firm as UK and Ireland managing director
  // She previously led in-store and digital customer function for John LewisJust Eat has appointed former John Lewis customer director, Claire Pointon as its new managing director for the UK and Ireland.
  Having most recently led the digital and in-store customer function for the department store retailer, Pointon brings more than 20 years of commercial experience in customer strategy, brand innovation and market
  
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• Morrisons unveils fourth round of price cuts in first ‘deflation dividend’

  15-05-2023 11:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Morrisons kicks off fourth round of price cuts since the start of the year
  // Chief executive David Potts said the recent cuts are the first of many ‘deflation dividends’Morrisons will cut the price of breakfast essentials by more than half as it kicks off its fourth wave of price cuts since the start of the year.
  Chief executive David Potts told The Telegraph the move was the first of many “deflation dividends” that shoppers would see over the next few months.
  Wh
  
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• Morrisons unfolds fourth round of price cuts in first ‘deflation dividend’

  15-05-2023 11:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Morrisons kicks off fourth round of price cuts since the start of the year
  // Chief executive David Potts said the recent cuts are the first of many ‘deflation dividends’Morrisons will cut the price of breakfast essentials by more than half as it kicks off its fourth wave of price cuts since the start of the year.
  Chief executive David Potts told The Telegraph the move was the first of many “deflation dividends” that shoppers would see over the next few months.
  Wh
  
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• Value of Tesco pension fund dives into deficit after £9bn drop

  15-05-2023 11:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Tesco’s pension fund plunges £9bn in value and falls into a deficit due to heavy exposure to Liability Driven Investments (LDIs)
  // LDIs were designed to match the assets of a pension plan through government gilts to cover any future liabilitiesTesco’s pension fund has fallen into a deficit after plunging £9bn following several ‘safe’ investments which turned sour.
  The fund, which looks after the 340,000 pensions, is the latest to be impacted by exposure to
  
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• Allbirds co-founder Tim Brown steps down as co-CEO amid mass job cuts

  15-05-2023 09:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Tim Brown has transitioned from co-chief executive officer to co-founder and chief innovation officer at Allbirds
  // The sustainable footwear retailer revealed it has axed 21 corporate jobs – approximately 9% of its corporate workforce​Allbirds co-founder Tim Brown has transitioned his role from co-chief executive to chief innovation officer.
  Joey Zwillinger, which Brown founded the footwear retailer with back in 2016, will remain sole chief executive.
  Brown said: “Joey and
  
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• Shein to open 30 pop-up stores this year

  15-05-2023 09:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Shein is set to around 30 pop-up stores this year as it doubles down on its physical retail strategy
  // The fast fashion giant opened the doors to a new office in Dublin which will act as its headquarters for its Europe, Middle East and Africa regionShein has revealed plans to open around 30 pop-up stores across the EMEA region this year, as it continues to roll out its physical retail strategy.
  The online fashion giant revealed that pop-up stores are an integral part of its business model an
  
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• Lidl calls on supermarkets to make fruit and veg more appealing to kids

  15-05-2023 09:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Lidl GB is calling on supermarkets to introduce packaging design changes to help make fruit and veg appeal more to children
  // The grocer has also confirmed it will remove cartoon characters from the packaging of all unhealthy products by Spring next yearLidl GB is calling on other supermarkets to introduce design changes on the packaging of fruit and veg products, in a bid to make them appealing to more kids.
  The call comes as the discount grocer reveals that sales of its Oaklands Funsize ra
  
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• Currys raises profit outlook thanks to strong UK sales

  15-05-2023 08:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Currys earnings will come in ahead of guidance as its core UK and Ireland business trades ahead of expectations
  // UK and Ireland like-for-likes were down 7% for the year – an improvement on the 10% decline in the first halfCurrys has raised its profit outlook for 2022-23 after better-than-expected trading in its home market in the final two months of the year.
  The electricals retailer had previously lowered its guidance in March due to the weak performance of its Nordics business,
  
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• Currys raises profit outlook as UK beats expectations

  15-05-2023 08:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Currys earnings will come in ahead of guidance as its core UK and Ireland business trades ahead of expectations
  // UK and Ireland like-for-likes were down 7% for the year – an improvement on the 10% decline in the first halfCurrys has raised its profit outlook for 2022-23 after better-than-expected trading in the UK in the final two months of the year.
  The electricals retailer had previously lowered its guidance in March due to the weak performance of its Nordics business, but it s
  
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• Zara to open flagship in former Topshop store

  15-05-2023 08:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Zara is moving into the former Topshop store in Trinity Leeds shopping centre
  // The new store will incorporate Zara’s latest technological innovations to “guarantee customers a seamless shopping experience”Zara is set to take the former Topshop premises at the Trinity Leeds shopping centre for its new flagship store.
  According to Retail Week, the Inditex-owned fashion giant has upsized and relocated from its current spot on the Briggate shopping street t
  
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• Zara to move new flagship into giant former Topshop unit

  15-05-2023 08:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Zara is moving into the former Topshop store in Trinity Leeds shopping centre
  // The new store will incorporate Zara’s latest technological innovations to “guarantee customers a seamless shopping experience”Zara is set to replace the former Topshop premises at the Trinity Leeds shopping centre for its new flagship store.
  According to Retail Week, the Inditex-owned fashion giant has upsized and relocated from its current spot on the Briggate shopping stree
  
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• Vashi acquired by Queensmith parent company

  15-05-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Upmarket jewellery retailer Vashi has been acquired by Queensmith’s parent company, Hearts of London Group, for an undisclosed sum. Vashi entered administration in April just a... View Article
  
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• Tesco removes two billion pieces of plastic from UK business

  15-05-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Tesco has now removed more than two billion pieces of plastic from its UK business since the launch of its 4Rs – Remove, Reduce, Re-use, Recycle... View Article
  
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• Sportsshoes.com opens new creative and tech hub to support continued growth

  15-05-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  SportsShoes.com has opened a new creative and tech hub adjacent to its head office and warehouse facilities in Bradford. The 10,750 square foot refurbished manufacturing warehouse... View Article
  
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• Skin Proud launch campaign for mental health awareness month

  15-05-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Gen Z cult skincare brand Skin Proud have launches a community led ‘Pay It Forward For a Brighter Future’ campaign for Mental Health Awareness Month. Studies... View Article
  
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• Shein launches EMEA headquarters in Dublin

  15-05-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Online fashion retailer Shein has opened a new office in Dublin which will act as its headquarters for its Europe, Middle East and Africa region. The... View Article
  
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• Retail staff are UK’s happiest ‘deskless’ employees finds new report

  15-05-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  A new study looking at the experiences at work of 3000 UK ‘deskless’ staff has revealed retail employees feel most appreciated by their managers and are... View Article
  
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• Mental Health Awareness Week – Useful information

  15-05-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2023  is anxiety and the campaign provides an opportunity for organisations to start a conversation and improving awareness around... View Article
  
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• Lidl calls for other supermarkets to make fruit and veg more appealing to kids

  15-05-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Lidl is calling on other supermarkets to make the packaging for fruit and veg products more appealing to children. The move follows the success of its Oaklands... View Article
  
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• Greggs and Primark open flagship ‘Tasty by Greggs’ café in Bristol

  15-05-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Greggs and Primark have opened a fourth ‘Tasty by Greggs’ café on the first floor of Primark’s Bristol Shopping Quarter store. The move follows successful openings... View Article
  
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• Currys raises guidance after better-than-expected UK and Ireland performance

  15-05-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Currys has raised its full year profit guidance following better-than-expected  trading in the UK and Ireland. In a trading update, the electricals and technology retailer said... View Article
  
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• Currys raises full year profit guidance after better-than-expected UK and Ireland performance

  15-05-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Currys has raised its full year profit guidance following better-than-expected  trading in the UK and Ireland. In a trading update, the electricals and technology retailer said... View Article
  
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• Amazon UK to fund 300 apprenticeships

  15-05-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Amazon is to fund 300 new apprenticeship roles in the next 12 months across 250 small and medium-sized businesses and partners in the UK. The move... View Article
  
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