Retail news

• Sharon White stands down: What next for ‘battered and bruised’ John Lewis?

  02-10-2023 22:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  As Dame Sharon White prepares to leave John Lewis Partnership, she can’t exactly say ‘job well done’. It’s more like ‘job half done’, with no real promise that the end goal will ever be reached.
  In fact, only a month ago, the JLP chair revealed that her big five-year plan that she promised would deliver £400m a year in profits at the department store and grocery group, would be delayed by two years.
  Meanwhile, the losses continue to rack up. At JLP&rsquo
  
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• Dame Sharon White is right to signal her exit at John Lewis | Nils Pratley

  02-10-2023 19:00
  
  Retail chief’s confused messaging has hinted at self-doubt and panic, even though the group is making reasonable progressChairs of the John Lewis Partnership usually go on and on. Before Dame Sharon White took the role in February 2020, only four people had done the job since 1955. Her two immediate predecessors served 13 years and 14 years. For White to announce that she’ll be off by early 2025 – long before a final reckoning can be made on her turnaround programme – is
  
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• Dame Sharon White is right to signal her exit at John Lewis

  02-10-2023 19:00
  
  The retail chief’s confused messaging has hinted at self-doubt and panic, even though the group is making reasonable progressChairs of the John Lewis Partnership usually go on and on. Before Dame Sharon White took the role in February 2020, only four people had done the job since 1955. Her two immediate predecessors served 13 years and 14 years. For White to announce that she’ll be off by early 2025 – long before a final reckoning can be made on her turnaround programme –
  
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• Birkenstock targets £7.5bn IPO valuation

  02-10-2023 16:58 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Birkenstock is set to be valued at more than £7.5bn ($9.2bn) as it launches its initial public offering (IPO) in New York today.
  The fashion retailer said in an updated filing that it would sell stock at between £36 ($44) and £40 ($49) per share to raise up to £1.3bn ($1.6bn).
  At the top of its price range, the retailer would have an initial market value of £7.5bn based on outstanding shares or £8.1bn ($9.9bn) on a fully diluted basis.Subscribe to Retail Gazet
  
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• Next CFO Amanda James to retire next year

  02-10-2023 16:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Next chief financial officer Amanda James will retire from her role next year after 28 years at the business.
  James will be succeeded by Reiss COO Jonathan Blanchard, who will join the retailer in February and take over as CFO in July 2024.
  “Amanda has made a huge contribution to the group in her 28 years with Next and has been an exceptional guardian of our finances,” the fashion retailer said in a statement.Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
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• In pictures: Inside Zara’s revamped Metrocentre store

  02-10-2023 15:53 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Zara has returned to the North East after a major refurbishment and more than doubling in size of its Metrocentre store.
  The fashion giant’s 42,000 sq ft store in the centre’s Red Mal features expanded product offering across all departments alongside the ‘latest technology innovations’ via its fitting rooms and self-service tills.Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
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  Metrocentre seni
  
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• Tesco rolls out new safety screens to protect staff as physical assaults soar

  02-10-2023 11:54 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Tesco has installed new protective screens in over one hundred of its Express stores and petrol station kiosks as it looks to protect its staff following an increase in violent attacks.
  The supermarket, which has already introduced body-worn cameras across its store estate, will roll out the toughened glass screens to a further 250 locations as part of its multi-million pound investment into colleague safety.
  The move comes as new figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found violence a
  
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• Sharon White to step down as John Lewis chair in 2025

  02-10-2023 11:31
  Decision comes just weeks after UK retailer warned it would take two more years to complete turnaround
  
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• John Lewis boss Sharon White to step down

  02-10-2023 11:02
  
  Chair of John Lewis Partnership will leave in February 2025 at end of her five-year term, company saysBusiness live – latest updatesSharon White, the chair of British retailer John Lewis Partnership, plans to step down in Februray 2025at the end of her five-year term.White has asked the board of John Lewis – Britain’s biggest department store chain, which also operates Waitrose supermarkets – to start looking for a successor as she will not seek a second term. Continue re
  
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• Fast fashion retailers crank up fees to deter repeat online returners

  02-10-2023 11:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  A host of major fast fashion players, including Zara and Asos, are cracking down on serial returners who shop online by reducing promoted items or introducing fees for items sent back.
  In the past, consumers have been used to ordering numerous different sizes and colours of the same product before making their final choice.
  But now fast fashion retailers, including Boohoo, Zara and H&M, have all introduced small charges for returns to tackle the growing issue which is hitting profits and red
  
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• John Lewis boss Dame Sharon White to step down next year

  02-10-2023 10:53 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  John Lewis boss Dame Sharon White is to step down next year, making her the shortest-serving chair in the partnership’s history.
  White has initiated talks with the John Lewis Partnership board to find a replacement when her first term as chair comes to an end. She has told the board she will not seek re-election, according to the BBC.
  The publication understands that White has opted to leave when she considers the worst of the cost-of-living crisis to be over.Subscribe to Retail Gazette fo
  
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• John Lewis boss Dame Sharon White to step down in early 2025

  02-10-2023 10:53 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  John Lewis boss Dame Sharon White is to step down in early 2025, making her the shortest-serving chair in the partnership’s history.
  White has initiated talks with the John Lewis Partnership board to find a replacement when her first five-year term as chair comes to an end. She has told the board she will not seek re-election, according to the BBC.
  The publication understands that White has opted to leave as she believes the worst of the cost-of-living crisis will be over at that point.
  Fo
  
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• Tesco farmers told to plant more crops to shield against climate change

  02-10-2023 10:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Tesco farmers have been told to plant more crops this year over fears that climate change will spoil more of their harvest.
  The supermarket has struck new deals with two of its largest carrot and onion suppliers in a bid to safeguard crops from Britain’s changing weather, The Telegraph reported.
  The grocer has lowered its forecasts on how much its farmers will grow per hectare of land and is set to ask suppliers to plant more fields in the hopes their output will stay the same.Subscribe to
  
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• Sports Direct taken to High Court over £5.4m commercial property bill

  02-10-2023 10:23 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Sports Direct has entered a High Court battle with JP Morgan over a £5.4m bill the investment bank claims it is owed for leaving a vacant unit in a state of disrepair.
  The sportswear retailer left the complex in Wigan in 2019 after taking advantage of a break clause in its 10-year lease that was signed in 2014.
  The retailer has been accused of not completing most of the refurbishment work it was contractually required to do before it vacated, breaching some covenants and causing “los
  
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• Victoria Plum snapped up by Beds.co.uk owner

  02-10-2023 09:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Victoria Plum has been snapped up in a pre-pack administration deal by the owner of Beds.co.uk and furniture seller Cox & Cox.
  AHK Designs acquired one of the UKs biggest online bathroom retailers late on Friday afternoon, after it had been put up for sale by Endless, which has owned the business since 2019.
  The deal means that all of Victoria Plum’s workforce of over 300 people will be transferring to the new owner.
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• Lidl rapid expansion plans threatened as interest bill triples to £108m

  02-10-2023 09:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Lidl’s UK operation is facing increased borrowing costs, posing a potential challenge to its relentless growth plan across the nation.
  The German discounter’s British arm plunged into the red after the interest bill on its debts almost trebled to £108 million, This is Money reports.
  Along with fellow discount rival Aldi, the grocers have stolen significant market share away from traditional supermarkets with the pair accounting for £1 of every £5.50 spent in grocers
  
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• John Lewis: Death of the high street predictions are ‘overstated’

  02-10-2023 08:48 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Predictions of the death of the high street have been “overstated”, according to John Lewis as it revealed that online sales had fallen while store visits were up in a new report.
  New figures found that online transactions made up 57% of the department store retailer’s sales over the past year, down from 81% at the height of the pandemic, while store customers were up 8% on last year.
  Commercial director Kathleen Mitchell wrote in the firm’s latest ‘How We Shop, Liv
  
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• Fitness trackers and air fryers among John Lewis’s ‘products of the decade’

  02-10-2023 07:00
  
  Annual retail report shines light on current trends and 10 years of changing British buying habitsThey are the things you didn’t know you needed but now can’t live without: a fitness tracker, wireless headphones, a fancy “bean-to-cup” coffee maker and, more recently, an air fryer. For women add a flattering jumpsuit and white trainers (but forget the floral midi).So says John Lewis in its latest retail report. The annual exercise usually shines a light on the current year
  
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• Urban Outfitters launches BDG pop-up with denim swap shop

  02-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Urban Outfitters has opened a new pop-up store in London’s Chelsea. Called BDG Jeans by Urban Outfitters, the shop on King’s Road is the retailer’s first-ever... View Article
  
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• Retailers demand urgent action on shoplifting surge

  02-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Retailers have called on the Government to take action over rising rates of shoplifting and assaults on store staff. In a letter organised by the British... View Article
  
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• Next’s CFO to retire next year

  02-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Clothing retailer Next has confirmed that finance chief Amanda James will step down in July after 28 years with the firm. Jonathan Blanchard, currently CFO and... View Article
  
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• John Lewis Partnership chair to step down

  02-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The John Lewis Partnership has announced that its chair is to leave the business in early 2025. In a statement, the employee-owned company, which operates the... View Article
  
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• Iceland boss resigns from Conservative Party citing loss of direction

  02-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  In a surprising turn of events, Richard Walker, CEO of Iceland, has announced his resignation from the Conservative Party, expressing deep concerns about the party’s direction... View Article
  
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• Dreams celebrates 20 years of mattress and bed making in the West Midlands

  02-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Bed retailer Dreams has today celebrated 20 years of making mattresses and beds in the West Midlands by opening the doors to its factory in Oldbury.... View Article
  
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• [ EVENT ] THIS WEEK: Brand Licensing Europe 2023, London

  02-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  It’s just two days until Brand Licensing Europe 2023 opens its doors, here’s our top reasons for heading to ExCeL, London this week. 260+ exhibitors and... View Article
  
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• [ EVENT ] STARTS TODAY: Brand Licensing Europe 2023, London

  02-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  It’s just two days until Brand Licensing Europe 2023 opens its doors, here’s our top reasons for heading to ExCeL, London this week. 260+ exhibitors and... View Article
  
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• [ EVENT ] FINAL DAY – Brand Licensing Europe 2023, London

  02-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  It’s just two days until Brand Licensing Europe 2023 opens its doors, here’s our top reasons for heading to ExCeL, London this week. 260+ exhibitors and... View Article
  
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