Retail news

• Co-op boss urges police to take shoplifting more seriously after £33m cost

  21-09-2023 19:00
  
  Matt Hood says shoplifting increasingly seen as crime with no consequences with rise in organised gangs looting storesThe boss of the Co-op grocery chain has called on the police to take shoplifting more seriously and says he is frustrated by a lack of action against thieves who cost the business £33m in the first half of 2023.Matt Hood, the chain’s managing director, said shoplifting was becoming a major issue for UK communities and cited a rise in what he called “shop looting
  
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• UK retail: falling inflation and consumer demand lift sector

  21-09-2023 17:20
  Pay rises appear to have prompted shoppers to keep spending despite higher prices
  
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• Hamleys targets ‘kidults’ as it reveals top 10 toys for Christmas

  21-09-2023 16:46
  
  £150 radio-controlled van among toys store hopes will tap into £1.2bn trend of adults buying for themselvesHamleys is usually thinking about what will feature on the Christmas lists of children but for the first time this year the retailer has served up toy-buying ideas for “kidults” too, and they include a £150 kit for a cult radio-controlled car from the 80s.Lifestyle changes during the pandemic led to a big rise in demand from adults for games, building sets and
  
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• Revealed: Hamleys unveils its top ten toys for Christmas 2023

  21-09-2023 16:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Hamleys has unveiled its top ten toys set to dominate wishlists this festive season.
  The toy retailer’s line-up includes the newest and most sought-after toys for all ages, with prices starting from £18.
  According to its buying team, ‘out with the old and in with the new’ is the motto for this season.
  Barbie Pop Reveal dolls are set to top most lists this Christmas following the blockbuster movie release in the summer.Imaginative play is a big theme this Christmas among e
  
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• Co-op pulls in profits as cost savings pay off

  21-09-2023 15:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Co-op has seen a £44m jump in profits as its £101m saving efforts in 2022 paid off.
  While underlying EBITDA also shot up by £27m, the supermarket revealed its sales dipped by £0.2bn during its interim results announcement.
  The supermarket blamed the decline on lower revenue in the food retail business, resulting from the impact of the petrol forecourt sale.
  However, the retailer saw net debt of just £123m, compared to £608m during the same time last y
  
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• H&M rolls out return fee: is this the end of free returns?

  21-09-2023 13:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  As H&M becomes to latest fashion retailer to charge shoppers for returning items purchased online, Retail Gazette takes a look back at the free returns debate…Free returns might be coming to an end as some of the world’s biggest fashion brands have introduced fees to send back parcels.
  Big-named fashion retailers including H&M, Boohoo and Zara have all scrapped free online returns and these brands are not alone.
  According to research by parcelLab, a quarter of 200 leading on
  
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• H&M rolls out return fee: is this the end of free fulfilment?

  21-09-2023 13:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  As H&M becomes to latest fashion retailer to charge shoppers for returning items purchased online, Retail Gazette takes a look back at the free returns debate…Free returns might be coming to an end as some of the world’s biggest fashion brands have introduced fees to send back parcels.
  Big-named fashion retailers including H&M, Boohoo and Zara have all scrapped free online returns and these brands are not alone.
  According to research by parcelLab, a quarter of 200 leading on
  
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• Co-op: Real cost of shoplifting is to physical and mental safety of staff

  21-09-2023 12:54 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Co-op has claimed the real cost of shoplifting is to the “physical and mental safety” of its staff, despite the high leakage costs experienced by the food business.
  Co-op group CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq highlighted leakage costs to the food business, including factor fraud, were around £33m in each one.
  However, she reiterated colleagues in stores had to face these issues everyday, and that it “should not be part of their job”.
  The executive said: “We’v
  
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• Avon hits the high street across 100 Superdrug stores nationwide

  21-09-2023 12:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Beauty brand Avon will be sold in high street shops for the first time from October 11 following a new partnership with Superdrug.
  Over 150 Avon products, ranging from serums to foundations and lip oils to moisturisers, will be available in 100 Superdrug stores nationwide and online.
  Avon, which was bought by The Body Shop owner Natura back in 2019, said the move will help it “embrace a wider customer base” as it seeks to transform into “a truly omnichannel beauty company&rdquo
  
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• Next raises profit outlook again and says prices could fall in spring

  21-09-2023 12:34
  
  Retailer ups full-year expectations for third time in four months as it signals prices could fall for first time in at least two yearsNext has raised its full-year profit expectations for the third time in four months and signalled that prices could start to fall next spring for the first time in at least two years.The fashion and homewares retailer upped its annual profit guidance by £30m to £875m as it said better ranges, the sunny spring and pay rises for many of its customers had
  
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• Dunelm eyes former Wilko stores in expansion drive

  21-09-2023 11:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Dunelm expects to snap up several former Wilko stores as part of its expansion plans, the retailer’s boss has said.
  Chief executive Nick Wilkinson told The Times that the homewares retailer could soon hoist its sign above some of the Wilko branches.
  Dunelm is set to double its store opening rate to five to ten branches in the next two years.
  Wilkinson said: “[Wilko] had 400 shops and we’re talking about five to ten shops a year, so we’re not one of the players to say we&r
  
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• DFS profits almost halve in ‘tough economic climate’

  21-09-2023 09:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  DFS has seen its profits fall by close to 50% in its preliminary results for the 52 weeks ended 25 June 2023.
  The furniture retailer posted a pre-tax profit of £29.7m for the 52 weeks ended 25 June 2023, down 49.2% from £58.5m in 2021/22.
  Revenue from continuing operations also fell by 5.3% to £1.09bn from £1.15bn the previous year, reflecting “a very weak market and high levels of input cost inflation.”Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
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• Next raises profit outlook again after sales boom

  21-09-2023 09:46
  
  Retailer ups full-year expectations for third time in four months as it signals prices could fall in springNext has raised its full-year profit expectations for the third time in four months and signalled that prices could start to fall next spring for the first time in at least two years.The fashion and homewares retailer upped its annual profit guidance by £30m to £875m as it said better ranges, the sunny spring and pay rises for many of its customers had helped lift sales. Continu
  
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• Wilko: Administrators to conduct review over £77m payouts

  21-09-2023 09:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Wilko’s administrators PwC are set to grill majority shareholder Lisa Wilkinson on the distribution of £77m in dividends to investors during the decade leading up to the discount retailer’s demise.This inquiry comes amidst mounting demands for the Wilkinson family to address a £56m deficit in the pension funds of the company’s employees.
  The Times reports that PwC will hold a review into the dividends paid out to the Wilkinson family and the retailer’s other d
  
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• Wilko: Administrators to conduct review over £77m dividend payouts

  21-09-2023 09:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Wilko’s administrators PwC are set to grill majority shareholder Lisa Wilkinson on the distribution of £77m in dividends to investors during the decade leading up to the discount retailer’s demise.This inquiry comes amid growing demands for the Wilkinson family to address a £56m deficit in the pension funds of the company’s employees.
  The Times reports that PwC will hold a review into the dividends paid out to the Wilkinson family and the retailer’s other dire
  
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• JD Sports on track for over £1bn profits amid solid sales growth

  21-09-2023 09:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  JD Sports remains on track to increase its profits to more than £1bn after demand for its branded footwear and apparel bolstered its sales.
  The sportswear giant posted profit before tax of £375.2m for the 26 weeks to July 29, 2023, up 25.8% year on year from £298.3m in the same period last year.
  Sales increased 8.3% to reach £4.78bn for the period, up from £4.4bn during the same period in 2022 as growth for the retailer’s premium sports fashion brands continue
  
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• Next lifts profit forecast for third time as consumer demand holds up

  21-09-2023 09:01
  
  UK fashion retailer says previous guidance was too cautious as full-price sales climb
  
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• Next defies expectations as it raises profit outlook for third time this year

  21-09-2023 08:47 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Next has upped its full-year guidance for the third time this year following a rise in first-half pre-tax profit driven better-than-expected sales, a significant improvement in online services, and lower-than-anticipated costs
  Revenue rose to £2.5bn compared with £2.4bn, as retail sales saw a 0.5% lift and online sales rose 5.0% to £1.5bn from £1.4bn.
  The high-street giant saw pre-tax profit for the six months ended July 30 climb 4.8% to £420m compared with a profit
  
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• First look: Footasylum opens Oxford Street flagship ‘jam packed with retail technology’

  21-09-2023 08:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Footasylum has opened the doors to its new flagship store at 73-89 Oxford Street, as it continues to see strong demand for its branded streetwear offering.
  The 20,000 sq ft store, previously occupied by New Look trades across two floors, with additional customer service and click-and-collect lockers located in the store’s basement.
  The fashion and sportswear retailer said there has been” a significant investment in the store’s digital capabilities in order to create a mobile-fi
  
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• Secret Sales acquires Spanish discount retailer

  21-09-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Secret Sales, the online marketplace for off-price retail, has acquired Spanish discount retailer Dreivip.com as part of its ongoing European expansion strategy. The move follows the... View Article
  
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• Q&A: Rory O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Scurri 

  21-09-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Scurri is customisable next generation delivery management and post purchase experience software that was created to put retailers in control of the most fundamental pillars of... View Article
  
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• Poundland relaunches website

  21-09-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Poundland has relaunched Poundland.co.uk as a fully transactional website following a digital overhaul. The retailer said the move was made possible by the digital migration of... View Article
  
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• Case Study: Streamlining HRIS for global retailer

  21-09-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  A global fashion retailer approached Silver Cloud to provide project management and consultancy support for the implementation of their new HR system. The HR teams were... View Article
  
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• Almost 2,000 more independent stores in Great Britain left empty this year

  21-09-2023 01:01
  
  Biggest rise in vacancies in at least eight years comes as inflation and cost of living crisis hit businessesAlmost 2,000 more British independent stores were left empty in the first half of this year, as small businesses struggled to cope with rising inflation and the cost of living crisis.The biggest rise in vacancies in at least eight years marks a reversal in fortunes for independent outlets after two years of growth. Small firms had thrived from a shift towards local shopping prompted by th
  
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