Retail news

• DoorDash: gig economy business sees opportunity in sector destruction 

  01-11-2023 23:47
  Group delivers more than half a billion orders per quarter but reported a net loss of $75mn
  
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• How Asos plans to bring itself ‘back into fashion’ – and will it work?

  01-11-2023 21:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asos chief executive José Antonio Ramos Calamonte is confident his turnaround plan will see the struggling fashion giant return to profitability in 2025 – despite, it plunging to an almost £300m full-year loss.
  Despite the eye-watering losses, he remains upbeat and says that the retailer has made “good progress” and, after spending most of the year cost-cutting and driving efficiencies, it is “ending the year smaller, but inherently a more profitable business
  
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• Asos has gone from being an iconic comfort brand to a fast-fashion also-ran. What happened? | Sophie Benson

  01-11-2023 17:30
  
  Asos has an identity crisis – and, with post-pandemic inflation, its product and business model have become unsustainableAsos has warned it is facing a sales slump of 15% in the year ahead, the latest in a long line of bad news from the online retailer. The picture wasn’t always this gloomy. In early 2021, sales were booming, and the company more than tripled its profits as people flocked to online shopping for comfy stay-at-home staples like hoodies, joggers, and leggings. That same
  
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• Kurt Geiger profits soar as international sales jump

  01-11-2023 16:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Kurt Geiger full-year sales and profits soared in its last financial year as its overseas business took flight.
  The retailer’s EBITDA jumped 49% rise to £30m for the 12 months ended 28 January 2023.
  Sales advanced 31% to £329.5m, as the footwear specialist’s US revenue skyrocketed 171%.
  The brand also attributed its strong performance to increasing global demand for affordable luxury, and its flourishing handbag business, which achieved a record £91.6m in sales.Subs
  
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• Dominic Cummings has every right to badmouth Boris Johnson. But please stop picking on shopping trolleys

  01-11-2023 15:19
  
  This blameless piece of equipment has been dragged through the mud at the Covid inquiry. How dare anyone compare it to our former prime minister?The Covid inquiry has so far been a damning spectacle, reinforcing everyone’s worst suspicions about the government response to the pandemic. It has revealed a horrible swirl of bad decisions, relentless infighting and a callous lack of empathy. But, through it all, there has been one true victim of the inquiry. One figure whose name has been need
  
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• Choice shames Coles and Woolworths with Shonky award for ‘cashing in during cost-of-living crisis’

  01-11-2023 15:00
  
  Supermarket duopoly among consumer advocate’s list of 2023’s worst products and services, alongside rental platforms and a mini-fridgeGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s two major supermarkets have been named and shamed for “cashing in during a cost of living crisis” by consumer advocates Choice. Coles and Woolworths were among the recipients of Choice’s Shonky awards, an annual list that recognises the very wor
  
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• M&S Christmas ad goes for glamour to win over budget-conscious shoppers

  01-11-2023 14:46
  
  Retailer says customers want to ‘just relax and switch off’ over the festive season after a tough yearMarks & Spencer has kicked off the Christmas ads season showcasing glamour and featuring celebrities such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Tan France, after focusing on charities for its clothing and home advert last year.Launched with a starry event at a cinema in Leicester Square in London’s West End, the ad features its protagonists taking on festive tasks they might not like
  
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• Temu ads banned in UK for sexualising a child and objectifying women

  01-11-2023 14:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Temu has had five of its adverts banned in the UK for being sexually graphic, for both sexualising a child and objectifying women.
  The ecommerce giant was warned about presenting adults as “stereotypical sexual objects” or portraying those under 18 in a sexual manner in the future, after multiple adverts showed “disembodied images of the women wearing tight and revealing clothing”.
  One advert, which was shown on a regional newspaper website, featured a girl aged between e
  
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• Next upgrades profit forecast again as cool weather helps sales

  01-11-2023 12:23
  
  Retailer expects to make £10m more profit than previously predicted, taking full-year target to £885mNext has upgraded annual profit expectations for the fourth time in five months after the arrival of cooler weather in late October gave a boost to sales.The retailer said it now expected to make £10m more profit than previously forecast, taking its full-year target to £885m, after full-price sales rose by 4% in the three months to the end of October – double the pac
  
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• Pineapple loses its crown: Sainsbury’s sells leafless version to cut waste

  01-11-2023 11:58
  
  Removing leaves will mean they can be replanted or shredded for animal feed and could reduce emissionsThe pineapple has been dethroned: Sainsbury’s has announced it will start selling a crownless version of the tropical fruit from Wednesday.The spiky, green leaves that grow from the top of the plant are a unique feature of the exotic fruit. But, says the supermarket, they are typically thrown away by customers, contributing to up to 700 tonnes of food waste a year. Continue reading...
  
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• Superdrug launches Black Friday sale early for Beautycard members

  01-11-2023 11:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Superdrug has launched its Black Friday promotions two weeks earlier for its Health and Beauty card members.
  The drugstore retailer is offering exclusive early access to its loyalty members to help its customers that are “looking to spread the cost of Christmas this year”.
  From today, card holders will be able to receive up to 70% off on selected health and beauty products, including Revolution Beauty’s vegan make-up starter kit, Tresemme keratin straightener and Oral B Pro 3 P
  
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• Asda promises to lower prices as it completes £2bn acquisition of EG Group’s UK business

  01-11-2023 11:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda has committed to lowering its prices after completing its acquisition of EG Group’s UK business for an enterprise value of £2.07bn.
  The deal will see the supermarket’s Express format rolled out across EG Group’s 356 petrol stations, taking Asda’s convenience store estate up to 478.
  It also accelerates the grocer’s move into the £62bn foodservice market, with the transfer of 462 Greggs, Burger King and Subway outlets as franchise agreements.
  The supe
  
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• Fashion retailer Asos predicts sales dip in 2024 as losses balloon

  01-11-2023 11:24
  Online group reports pre-tax loss of almost £300mn as it seeks to revive fortunes following drop in demand
  
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• Watch: M&S unveils Christmas ad starring Tan France and Sophie Ellis-Bextor

  01-11-2023 10:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  M&S has unveiled its Christmas clothing and home campaign for 2023, titled “Love Thismas, Not Thatmas”.
  The retailer has recruited actresses Hannah Waddingham and Zawe Ashton, singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor and presenter Tan France to star in this year’s festive campaign directed by Black Mirror director Ally Pankiw.
  The ad is set across four different homes belonging to each of the cast members, all making a decision on which Christmas traditions to embrace this year and which
  
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• M&S unveils Christmas ad starring Tan France and Sophie Ellis-Bextor

  01-11-2023 10:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  M&S has unveiled its Christmas clothing and home campaign for 2023, titled “Love Thismas, Not Thatmas”.
  The retailer has recruited actresses Hannah Waddingham and Zawe Ashton, singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor and presenter Tan France to star in this year’s festive campaign directed by Black Mirror director Ally Pankiw.
  The ad is set across four different homes belonging to each of the cast members, all making a decision on which Christmas traditions to embrace this year and which
  
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• Next ups full-year profit forecast as sales beat expectations

  01-11-2023 09:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Next has upped its full-year year profit guidance after a rise in sales in its third quarter.
  The fashion retailer added £10m to its profit forecast, which now stands at £885m for the year, as it revealed sales had rose 4% – ahead of its 2% forecast – in its quarter to 28 October.
  Although Next flagged sales had been volatile over the quarter due to changing weather conditions, it had ended up benefitting from cooler weather over the period.Subscribe to Retail Gazette for
  
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• Watch: Asda reveals first Christmas advert for 2023 starring Michael Bublé

  01-11-2023 09:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda has unveiled its first Christmas advert for 2023, starring singer Michael Bublé.
  The one-minute long film shows the supermarket’s employees finding the pop icon locked away before the festive season.
  While sitting in the break room, three staff members suddenly hear strange noises on the stroke of midnight of 1 November.
  After the workers go looking for the source of the noise, the trio find the Asda warehouse decked out for Christmas, as well as a door labelled “MB insid
  
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• Asos plunges to £300m loss and warns sales slump will continue

  01-11-2023 09:42 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asos plunged to a near-£300m full-year loss and will not return to profit until 2025.
  The retailer said it expected sales to decline between 5% to 15% in its current year as it continues to clear old stock.
  However, by its 2025 financial year, it expects to return to growth and predicts that EBITDA margin will be around pre-Covid levels.
  The online fashion retailer made a pre-tax loss of £296.7m in its year to 3 September, slightly more than last year’s £264.8m, although
  
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• Asos expects sales slump to continue as it is hit by near £300m loss

  01-11-2023 09:04
  
  Analysts fear online fashion retailer will need to raise more cash, possibly through sale of Topshop brandAsos has warned sales will continue to fall in the year ahead – by much as 15% – after delayed results revealed it slumped to a near £300m annual loss.Analysts have expressed fears that the online fashion site will need to raise new cash – potentially through the sale of its Topshop brand – with net debt including leases now at £648.5m, up from £533m
  
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• A fifth of Britons start planning for Christmas in November, John Lewis says

  01-11-2023 06:00
  
  Retailer’s research also says outdoor lights are becoming the norm and a third of homes decorate more than one treeThe 12 days of Christmas have stretched to more like 45, according to research into the nation’s changing festive habits that also suggests outdoor lights are becoming the norm while – for a third of homes – one tree is no longer enough.Unlike the Christmas carol, which describes 12 days of festivities, a fifth of people – mostly women – begin pla
  
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• Watch: Argos debuts 2023 Christmas advert starring Connie and Trevor toys

  01-11-2023 01:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Argos is set to launch its Christmas advert this evening (1 November) starring the retailer’s much-loved toys Connie and Trevor.
  In the clip, the duo showcase the brands that Argos sells, ranging from Shark to Sonos in aims to inspire gift ideas for shoppers.
  At the start of the film, Trevor is seen making the directorial command “lights, camera, coffee machine” before Connie emerges from the shadows wearing a pink Christmas jumpsuit.
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• Watch: Argos debuts 2023 Christmas advert starring Connie and Trevor

  01-11-2023 01:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Argos is set to launch its Christmas advert this evening (1 November) starring the retailer’s much-loved toys Connie and Trevor.
  In the clip, the duo showcase the brands that Argos sells, ranging from Shark to Sonos in aims to inspire gift ideas for shoppers.
  At the start of the film, Trevor is seen making the directorial command “lights, camera, coffee machine” before Connie emerges from the shadows wearing a pink Christmas jumpsuit.
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• ‘Sexual’ Temu online shopping adverts banned by UK authority

  01-11-2023 01:01
  
  One of Chinese e-commerce app’s ads appeared on British news site ‘portraying child in sexual way’Five adverts for the Chinese shopping app Temu have been banned in the UK for their sexualised nature, with one found to have been irresponsible in how it depicted a young girl to sell bikinis.The company has been warned against presenting under-18s in a sexual way in future or portraying adults as “stereotypical sexual objects” after several ads featured “disembo
  
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• Swatch to return to Liverpool ONE

  01-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Swiss watch brand Swatch is to return to Liverpool ONE by launching a 600 square foot shop on Paradise Street. The new store will offer over... View Article
  
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• Sleep.8 expands outside of Europe with new store in Senegal

  01-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Sleep.8 has expanded outside of Europe with the opening of a new store in the city of Dakar in Senegal. Situated within the Sea Plaza shopping... View Article
  
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• Secret Sales expands into Ireland

  01-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Secret Sales has expanded into Ireland as it looks to reach a potential 3.4 million Irish online consumers. The company said shoppers in the country will... View Article
  
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• Retail Trust’s Leaders’ Summit to redefine approach to leadership and wellbeing

  01-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Trust Issues. By Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust. From the repercussions of the pandemic to the escalating cost-of-living, today’s retail leaders need to respond... View Article
  
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• Primark partners with Fujifilm to launch brand new concept in Manchester

  01-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Primark and Fujifilm have today announced a new strategic partnership with the launch of a brand-new Photo by Fujifilm concession in the retailer’s Manchester Market Street... View Article
  
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• Pets at Home appoints non-executive director

  01-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Pets at Home has appointed AI and machine learning expert Angelique Augereau as a non-executive director. When joining the Pets at Home board on 22 January... View Article
  
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• Iceland launches biggest-ever festive recruitment drive

  01-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Iceland has launched its biggest ever Christmas recruitment drive as it looks to fill 1,750 roles. The retailer said the new recruits will help to fulfil... View Article
  
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• How to Create a Customer Loyalty Programme

  01-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Did you know that 65% of a company’s sales are found to come from returning customers? And, also, that increasing customer retention rates by as little... View Article
  
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• ASOS posts widened losses as it continues turnaround strategy

  01-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Online fashion retailer ASOS has reported widened full year losses as it continues to implement its turnaround strategy. In the year to 3 September, revenue was... View Article
  
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