Retail news

• Christmas sales growth forecast to slow as prices soar

  09-10-2023 23:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  UK Christmas retail growth is predicted to increase by just 3.4%, compared to the 6.2% jump last year, GlobalData forecasts.
  The growth slowdown comes as shoppers face a 9.3% hike in retail prices, according to the data analytics company.
  The figures represents the second quarter of slowing growth this year, after a peak of 5.2% in the second quarter.
  Food and grocery is predicted to be the fastest growing sector this Christmas, with customers spending £2.8bn more during the quarter than l
  
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• Greggs launches first cafe inside Sainsbury’s at Sheffield store

  09-10-2023 16:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Greggs has launched its first ever cafe inside of a Sainsbury’s store, as the partnership between the companies takes another step forward.
  The cafe has opened in the supermarket’s Crystal Peaks, Sheffield store, creating 15 new jobs.
  Customers will be able to buy Greggs favourites such as sandwiches, bakes and coffee, and can sit in or takeaway.
  The cafe is the third Greggs shop to open in partnership with the grocer, following the launch of a shop where the businesses share petrol
  
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• Mamas & Papas targets South East Asia amid expansion spree

  09-10-2023 15:47 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Mamas & Papas is making strides with its international expansion plans after signing two new overseas deals in south east Asia.
  The nursery retailer has inked a multi-store supply agreement with PT MAP Active and Central Department Store Group in Thailand.
  The deal will see the retailer continue its Shop in Shop format and will launch in both retailers with its Spring/Summer 2024 range.
  It builds on Mamas & Papas’ international expansion plans, which saw two new locations pop up in
  
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• Next to launch Made.com concession in-store

  09-10-2023 14:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Made.com is set to launch an in-store concession in Next later this year, Retail Week reports.
  The clothes business will open the concession in its Sheffield Meadowhall shopping centre store in December, according to the publication.
  Speaking to Linkedin News UK, Made head of brand Hollie Parkinson said the company planned to widen its presence in-store and online.
  The executive added Made planned to keep its brand identity aside from Next and was looking at expansion options such as brand partn
  
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• Asda rebrands first former Co-op sites into Express stores

  09-10-2023 12:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda has launched its programme to convert 116 former Co-op convenience stores and attached petrol station forecourts into Asda Express shops.
  The supermarket has rebranded 11 Asda Express stores so far in locations including Yorkshire and Devon.
  The grocer plans to convert the remaining 105 by the end of Q1 next year, across sites including Manchester Oxford Road and Romford Station.
  Asda acquired 132 sites from rival supermarket Co-op last year under a £438m deal.
  The acquisition was app
  
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• Labour’s Defra team vows to get tough on pollution and protect farmers

  09-10-2023 12:10
  
  Strategy for governing includes taking on firms that contaminate environment and getting supermarkets to pay fair price to farmersLabour’s new environment team says it will take on big businesses and supermarkets in order to halt pollution and stop farmers from being ripped off if it wins the next election.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has been criticised in the past for being too soft on polluting companies, and not using its full powers to stop water comp
  
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• House of Fraser could vanish from the high street, says boss Michael Murray

  09-10-2023 09:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  House of Fraser could completely vanish from the high street as part of mass rebrand of the business, the retailer’s CEO has announced.
  Frasers Group boss Michael Murray said its current strategy is to move away from the traditional department store model in favour of a premium concept model filled with the group’s own suite of brands.
  The chief executive told The Telegraph: “House of Fraser was a broken business when we bought it.
  “We’ve completely changed the oper
  
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• Data: Over 420,000 retail jobs lost since 2010

  09-10-2023 09:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  More than 420,000 retail jobs have been lost since 2010, reigniting calls for more to be done to save the high street.
  New GMB Union data shows that the number of roles have fallen 28.4% to 420,242 since the Conservatives took power.
  It comes as Wilko stores closed their doors for the final time over the weekend following its collapse in August, resulting more than 12,000 redundancies.
  The GMB is urging the Labour Party to propose economic reforms to prevent more retail jobs from being lost.
  It
  
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• End Clothing writes off £12m in costly warehouse overhaul

  09-10-2023 08:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  End Clothing was forced to write off £12m of stock after an overhaul of its warehouse operations stopped it from shipping orders to customers.
  The private equity-backed fashion retailer said a new automated fulfilment system, which was introduced last year, had created logistical problems resulting in “adverse effects on both our operations and customers’ ordering experience”.
  This led to additional costs to support order fulfilment and a one-off provision against stock t
  
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• From frumpy sandal chic to mainstream appeal: will Birkenstock IPO be a perfect fit?

  09-10-2023 07:00
  
  Recent footwear flotations have not fared well but German brand hopes to buck trend with multibillion listing in USIt may be hard to believe but Birkenstocks were once seriously unfashionable, the go-to footwear of hippies willing to sacrifice style for arch support. Now those early adopters of frumpy sandal chic stand to be vindicated as the German shoemaker tries to bank its now mainstream appeal with a multibillion-pound listing.But will this week’s flotation in New York – which i
  
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• Vertiv Launches Energy-Efficient, Scalable UPS for Edge and Mid-sized Applications in EMEA

  09-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The compact Vertiv™ Liebert® APM2 uninterruptible power supply system is compatible with Li-ion and VRLA batteries Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and... View Article
  
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• Pentland Brands appoints senior leaders to elevate product marketing

  09-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Pentland Bands has made three new senior brand leadership appointments to elevate product marketing for its Speedo, Ellesse, Mitre, Kickers and Canterbury brands. Simon Breckon has... View Article
  
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• Nordstrom hires Lisa Price as chief human resources officer

  09-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  US department store Nordstrom has appointed Lisa Price as chief human resources officer. Price previously served as a member of the human resources team at Nordstrom... View Article
  
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• Mamas & Papas announce South East Asia expansion

  09-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Mamas & Papas has announced a series of new partnerships with major retailers in South East Asia as part of its ongoing international expansion. The company... View Article
  
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• John Lewis Oxford Street turns pink and blue in support of Baby Loss Awareness Week 2023

  09-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  [Trigger warning]. In a poignant and heartwarming display of support, John Lewis Oxford Street has lit up in shades of pink and blue, marking the beginning... View Article
  
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• H&M launches new equestrian brand as it collborates with GCL

  09-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  H&M Group has set up a new equestrian sports lab as it looks to offer a contemporary and functional collection of apparel for horse riders this... View Article
  
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• H&M launches new equestrian brand as it collaborates with GCL

  09-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  H&M Group has set up a new equestrian sports lab as it looks to offer a contemporary and functional collection of apparel for horse riders this... View Article
  
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• Greggs opens first café inside Sainsbury’s supermarket at Sheffield store

  09-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The partnership between Greggs and Sainsbury’s has taken another step forward with the launch of the first Greggs café inside a Sainsbury’s store. The new Greggs... View Article
  
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• Empowering Commerce: The Win-Win of Dynamic Currency Conversion

  09-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  How Dynamic Currency Conversion is simplifying international transactions for both customers and retailers. In a world where global commerce is the norm, dealing with multiple currencies... View Article
  
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• Brand Licensing Europe attendance up 19 per cent with record retailer and European visitor numbers

  09-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Record numbers of retailers and visitors from France, Germany, Italy and Spain (FIGS) attended Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) 2023, which took place at ExCeL, London last... View Article
  
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• Another nine Wilko stores to open as Poundland next weekend

  09-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Poundland today confirmed another tranche of former Wilko stores that would begin their Poundland journey this weekend. In addition to the 20 former Wilko stores it... View Article
  
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• Aldi embarks on Christmas recruitment drive

  09-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Aldi is looking to make 3,000 new hires within its stores ahead of the festive period. The supermarket is seeking to recruit both temporary and permanent... View Article
  
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• [ PODCAST ] The rise and rise of sustainability in the UK

  09-10-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Sustainability still matters to UK shoppers – despite economic pressures. In fact, the majority of UK consumers in GfK’s Consumer Life survey agreed that “It is... View Article
  
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