Retail news

• Nice profit margins, Unilever, but spare us the ‘sharing the pain’ gloss | Nils Pratley

  25-07-2023 19:30
  
  The household staples firm and its rivals have done a better job of protecting their margins than the supermarketsGreedflation in action? Well, Unilever and its ilk certainly make more plausible corporate culprits than the supermarkets.Last week the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) reported on the state of grocery retailing in inflationary times: in short, competition is alive and flourishing, even if the shopkeepers should make their price labels clearer. Average profits in the sector w
  
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• iRobot takes $200mn loan from Carlyle as Amazon deal price is cut

  25-07-2023 19:04 via ft.com
  Roomba maker seeks lifeline as proposed acquisition by ecommerce company attracts antitrust scrutiny
  
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• Trader Joe’s recalls cookies over fear of ‘rocks’ in dough

  25-07-2023 14:49
  
  US grocery chain tells customers not to eat Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond CookiesTrader Joe’s has recalled two of its own-branded cookies after a supplier alerted the boutique US grocery chain to suspicions of “rocks” in the dough.In a recall announcement, the company warned customers that some batches of its Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies “may contain rocks”, without elaborating on the size of the &
  
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• Rock cakes? Trader Joe’s recalls cookies over fear of ‘foreign material’ in dough

  25-07-2023 14:49
  
  US grocery chain tells customers not to eat Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond CookiesTrader Joe’s has recalled two of its own-branded cookies after a supplier alerted the boutique US grocery chain to suspicions of “rocks” in the dough.In a recall announcement, the company warned customers that some batches of its Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies “may contain rocks”, without elaborating on the size of the &
  
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• Supermarket sales drop as shoppers prep for summer holidays

  25-07-2023 13:24 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Sales at UK supermarkets slowed throughout the past four weeks ending 15th July 2023, according to NIQ.
  The consumer intelligence company revealed total till sales were down to 8.9%, compared to 12.4% in June.
  NIQ said the dip was partly caused by the unusually high growth experienced in June, but was also combined with a slowdown in food inflation trading against previous high comparatives.
  The company revealed volume sales at the grocery multiples were down from -2% to -3.6%.
  This was caused b
  
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• LVMH named premium partner for Paris 2024 Olympic Games

  25-07-2023 12:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  LVMH has become a premium partner for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as the luxury group looks to deepen its ties with sport.
  The French conglomerate which owns Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Rimowa revealed its brands will roll out brand-specific initiatives for the event.
  It said Sephora will sponsor the Olympic Torch relay and launch activations for the public along the relay route, meanwhile jeweller Chaumet will design the Olympic and Paralympic medals. French delegation will also be dress
  
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• Boohoo raises stake in Revolution Beauty as shares plummet

  25-07-2023 11:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Boohoo has upped its stake in Revolution Beauty, as shares in the online makeup retailer  fall.
  The clothing giant, which already sat as a majority shareholder of Revolution, increased its holdings in the beauty business from 26.4% to 27.1%.
  Boohoo Group initially took up a stake in the makeup giant back in August last year.
  Meanwhile, the share price in the cosmetics giant dropped by more than 7.5% on Monday.Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
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• In pictures: Greggs unveils first London airport shop at Gatwick

  25-07-2023 11:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Greggs has unveiled its first London airport shop at Gatwick’s South Terminal.
  The food retailer said the move represents a major milestone in its expansion strategy across key transport hubs in the UK.
  The 1600sq ft shop – twice the size of a typical Greggs store – is open 24 hours a day and serves the retailer’s full menu of freshly prepared salads and sandwiches, bakes, a range of sweet treats as well as hot food options.Greggs property director Tony Rowson said: &ldqu
  
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• Amazon shutters first UK ‘Just Walk Out’ store after two years

  25-07-2023 09:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Amazon has shuttered its first till-less store in the UK, which opened in west London just over two years ago.The Amazon Fresh store in Ealing Broadway opened back March 2021 to much fanfare, despite the Covid lockdown at the time, and was the online giant’s first “just walk out” grocery store outside of the US.It permanently shuttered this weekend along with two other Amazon Fresh stores, in Wandsworth and East Sheen.
  Amazon said they were closed after an assessment of its &ld
  
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• Mike Ashley eyes Leeds outlet shopping centre for £50m

  25-07-2023 09:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Mike Ashley, the retail mogul has offered nearly £50m to acquire an outlet shopping centre on the outskirts of Leeds, marking his latest foray into the world of retail property, the Times reports.
  The billionaire owner of Frasers Group, has tabled the offer for Junction 32, which lies just off the M62, near Castleford.
  The 250,000 sq ft outlet shopping centre has close to 100 stores, including outlet shops for popular brands including Nike, Adidas and Barbour, as well as Fraser-owned Jack
  
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• Dobbies names former Pets at Home COO as chief executive

  25-07-2023 09:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Dobbies has named the former chief operating officer at Pets at Home, David Robinson as its new chief executive.
  Retail veteran Robinson spent four years at Pets at Home and has also held executive roles at Bestway, Argos and Homebase.
  He joins Dobbies with the garden centre in expansion mode as it pushes ahead with new store openings, including its smaller urban format Little Dobbies.
  Robinson took to Linkedin to share the news and said: “Very much looking forward to working with this bri
  
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• Dobbies names former Pets at Home CCO as chief executive

  25-07-2023 09:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Dobbies has named the former chief commercial officer at Pets at Home, David Robinson as its new chief executive.
  Retail veteran Robinson spent for years at Pets at Home prior to joining the specialist gardening retailer and has also held executive roles at Bestway, Argos and Homebase.
  Robinson took to Linkedin to share the news and said: “I am pleased to share that I’m starting a new position as Chief Executive Officer at Dobbies Garden Centres.”
  “Very much looking forwa
  
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• The £1 price point is back at Poundland as it slashes prices on best-selling products

  25-07-2023 08:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Poundland has reduced prices on its biggest-selling products, many back to a £1 price point across all its 800-plus UK stores.
  The move, dubbed ‘Operation Sell for Less’ will hit its 800-plus UK stores this morning as the discount retailer passes on the benefit of easing inflation and lower costs to customers.
  According to the business shoppers will see big selling lines come down in price, with many items now at over a third less than RRPs.
  Examples of items falling from &poun
  
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• The £1 price point is back as Poundland slashes prices on best-selling products

  25-07-2023 08:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Poundland has reduced prices on its biggest-selling products, many back to a £1 price point across all its 800-plus UK stores.
  The move, dubbed ‘Operation Sell for Less’ will hit its 800-plus UK stores this morning as the discount retailer passes on the benefit of easing inflation and lower costs to customers.
  According to the business shoppers will see big selling lines come down in price, with many items now at over a third less than RRPs.
  Examples of items falling from &poun
  
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• Wickes maintains full year outlook as DIY trend improves

  25-07-2023 08:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Wickes has posted an improved second-quarter performance with like-for-like sales up 3% compared with a 1.8% fall for the first quarter, as it maintained its full-year guidance.The home-improvement retailer also has launched a £25m share buyback programme to return “surplus cash” to shareholders, based on its strong balance sheet and business performance.
  Chief executive David Wood said its strong performance was “underpinned by further momentum in Trade, as local traders
  
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• Urgent scam warning as Australia’s largest loyalty point programs, including Qantas, Telstra and Coles, targeted

  25-07-2023 08:40
  
  Customers warned to be vigilant of messages stating their rewards are expiring as pressure builds for banks to offer compensationFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe ACCC has issued an urgent warning to customers of some of Australia’s largest loyalty reward programs, including Qantas frequent flyer, after detecting a new scam that targets valuable points.The National Anti-Scam Centre has rece
  
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• Superdrug updates website with new accessibility features

  25-07-2023 08:20 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Superdrug has unveiled new personalised accessibility features on its website as it looks to make it more inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities.
  With 14 million people registered as disabled in the UK and the world’s products and services continuing to move online, currently 70% of people shopping with disabilities abandon their cart due to inaccessibility.The health and beauty retailer said the technology will allow people to navigate the its website with ease, provid
  
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• Are London’s West End flagship stores just expensive billboards?

  25-07-2023 08:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  From Ikea and HMV on Oxford Street, to The North Face and Joseph on Regent Street, and Burberry and DSquared2 on Bond Street. There is a throng of new store leases being signed across London’s West End that shows the shopping district has retained its appeal for big brands.
  In fact, luxury group Kering agreed a £13m-a-year lease for a new Yves Saint Laurent store on London’s Bond Street in April, which is thought to have set a record rent for the UK.
  But with footfall still lag
  
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• Are London’s flagship stores just expensive billboards?

  25-07-2023 08:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  From Ikea and HMV on Oxford Street, to The North Face and Joseph on Regent Street, and Burberry and DSquared2 on Bond Street. There is a throng of new store leases being signed across London’s West End that shows the shopping district has retained its appeal for big brands.
  In fact, luxury group Kering agreed a £13m-a-year lease for a new Yves Saint Laurent store on London’s Bond Street in April, which is thought to have set a record rent for the UK.
  But with footfall still lag
  
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• Wickes returns to growth in second quarter

  25-07-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Wickes saw its like-for-like sales grow by 3% in its second quarter despite a “challenging” trading environment. This meant that the home improvement retailer’s group like-for-like... View Article
  
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• The Boulevard announces several retailer expansions

  25-07-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Northern Ireland designer outlet The Boulevard has said retailers’ confidence in the destination remains strong as existing tenants take more space to increase stock and add... View Article
  
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• SPAR announces winners of the £100k Community Cashback scheme

  25-07-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Leading convenience symbol group SPAR has announced the winners of its second £100,000 Community Cashback scheme launched in January this year. Following the success of last... View Article
  
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• SilkFred launches AI personal shopping experience

  25-07-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Leading fashion marketplace, SilkFred, has launched an innovative new shopping tool to help women discover tailored fashion recommendations – saving time and injecting fresh thinking into... View Article
  
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• Poundland implements range of price reductions

  25-07-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Poundland has reduced the price of some big-selling branded items, many of which are back to a £1 price point. Dubbed ‘Operation Sell for Less’, the... View Article
  
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• Matalan spring sales hit by weather and cost-of-living pressures

  25-07-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Matalan’s total revenues fell by 8% to £263.6 million in the 13 weeks to 27 May after the clothing and homewares retailer was hit by the... View Article
  
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• M&S’ Family Matters Index: UK optimism at its highest in two years

  25-07-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Family optimism is at its highest level in almost two years, according to M&S’ Family Matters Index – a quarterly tracker of the priorities, challenges, and... View Article
  
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• Greggs opens first London airport store at Gatwick

  25-07-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Food-to-go retailer Greggs has opened its first London airport store at Gatwick’s South Terminal. The retailer said the move marks a major milestone in its expansion... View Article
  
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• Dobbies appoints David Robinson as chief executive

  25-07-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Dobbies Garden Centres has appointed David Robinson as its new chief executive. Robinson has joined the business from Pets at Home where he worked as chief... View Article
  
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