Retail news

• In pictures: Miniso unveils Oxford Street flagship amid rapid UK expansion

  09-11-2023 17:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Miniso will open the doors to its biggest ever store in the UK along London’s Oxford Street on Friday.
  The 2,700sq ft flagship is one of three new stores the Chinese giant is set to unveil before the end of this year.
  Located at 100 Oxford Street, the store showcases the retailer’s new beauty and fragrance collection alongside its range of plushies, home furnishings and toys.
  The tickled-pink outlet also stocks the brand’s TikTok-favourite Blind Boxes, a curated collection
  
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• Uniqlo reveals Edinburgh and Oxford Street store openings

  09-11-2023 17:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Uniqlo is launching its first store in Scotland as it continues its London expansion next year.
  The new Edinburgh shop on Princes Street will have a sales floor of around 1,430 sq meters across 2 floors.
  The fashion retailer’s London store will open within the One Oxford Street development next to Tottenham Court tube station, with a sales floor of roughly 1,533 sq meters.
  Both locations will feature LifeWear for all genders, kids and babies.Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
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• Britney Spears memoir helping drive UK book market growth, says WH Smith

  09-11-2023 16:43
  
  Singer’s tell-all book and Richard Osman’s latest crime novel boosting pre-Christmas sales, says retailerBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK’s book market is on track for growth this year, according to the boss of WH Smith, one of the country’s biggest booksellers, as Britney Spears’ memoir and Richard Osman’s latest crime novel boost sales ahead of Christmas.Robust book sales and a rebound in travel that lifted sales at its outlets in airports and trai
  
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• Amazon Fresh unveils 20th store in Notting Hill

  09-11-2023 15:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Amazon Fresh has revealed it will open its 20th physical store in Notting Hill Gate later this month.
  The shop will open on 29th November and offer customers freshly baked goods each morning, lunch time meal deals and other everyday staples.
  Shoppers will find more ways to pay, such as self-checkout tills, according to the retailer.Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
  Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning Leading up to the festive season, the st
  
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• Amazon Fresh to open 20th store in Notting Hill

  09-11-2023 15:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Amazon Fresh has revealed it will open its 20th physical store in Notting Hill Gate later this month.
  The shop will open on 29th November and offer customers freshly baked goods each morning, lunch time meal deals and other everyday staples.
  Shoppers will find more ways to pay, such as self-checkout tills, according to the retailer.Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
  Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning Leading up to the festive season, the st
  
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• Shop like a billionaire? I bought six items from Temu – the app that’s sweeping the world

  09-11-2023 11:00
  
  Amid the cost of living crisis, China’s answer to Amazon is proving wildly popular, with more than 100m app downloads this year. But are the items any good?The adverts may be following you around the internet. Some are for practical things: reusable sandwich wrappers, rechargeable torches, T-shirts. The rest are far less practical: plush toys shaped like cups of bubble tea, teaspoons shaped like shovels, plastic covers for TV remote controls. What unites them all is that, on the face of it
  
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• Data: Just a quarter of consumers will shop in Black Friday sales

  09-11-2023 09:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Only a quarter of shoppers are planning to shop in the Black Friday sales this year, according to rewards company Airtime Rewards.
  A poll of the business’s customers in October revealed 26% of them were actively planning to shop in the sales, down from the 39% who made a purchase last year.
  However, despite not intending to shop, 50% admitted they would buy something they liked if they saw it at a good price.Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
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• The Works lowers guidance despite sales growth amid ‘challenging’ conditions

  09-11-2023 09:28 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Works has dropped its profit guidance by £4m as it warned on challenging and uncertain market conditions, citing high inflation and low consumer confidence. 
  In the first half of FY24, the value retailer delivered total sales growth of 3.4% as a total like-for-like sales rose 1.6%.
  Store like-for-like sales also increased by 3.5%, but online sales slipped 12.2%.
  The business anticipates that trading conditions during the second half of the year” will remain challenging
  
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• B&M store expansion plans boosted as it raises profit outlook

  09-11-2023 09:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  B&M has raised its full-year profit guidance after posting a 16.1% rise in first half core earnings, on the back of strong trading momentum.
  For the six months to 23 September, the discount retailer saw group revenue rise 10.4% to £2.549bn on the year prior to £2.55bn, driven by an increase in customer transactions.
  Pre-tax profits hit £222m, up from £201m the previous year with the group set to open at least 125 new stores in the UK over the next three years, boostin
  
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• Snapper the Venus flytrap: watch the 2023 John Lewis Christmas advert – video

  09-11-2023 08:53
  
  John Lewis has turned to a cheeky carnivorous plant – and an operatic superstar – for its Christmas advertising campaign. After last year’s low-key charity-linked clip featuring a skateboarding foster dad, the department store chain has returned to its tried and tested formula of a heartwarming story featuring a child and an unusual friend – with a twist from some catchy Italian rock opera sung by the tenor Andrea Bocelli. The John Lewis Christmas ad, the 2023 version of
  
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• What makes the optimal online checkout experience?

  09-11-2023 08:46 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  For the second report in our three-part series, ‘The online retail rule book: unlocking opportunities in a challenging economic environment’, we look at the components of the optimal online checkout experience.
  From both a consumer perspective and a leading retailer point of view, we highlight the dos and don’ts of digital UX and functionality – against the backdrop of what is a challenging economic environment for retailers and brands.
  Every poor experience that leads t
  
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• WHSmith sales and profits soar as travel business takes flight

  09-11-2023 08:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  WHSmith has posted soaring sales and profits off the back of increased footfall at its stores as travel rebounded from pandemic lows.
  Beating analyst expectations, the group reported headline profit before tax of £143m for the year ended August 31, up 96% from last year while group revenue rose 28% to £1,793m.
  In what the high street retailer called “significant progress”, its travel divisions all saw strong growth with UK trave total revenue up 36%, North America rising
  
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• Watch: John Lewis unveils Christmas 2023 advert

  09-11-2023 08:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  John Lewis has released its much-awaited Christmas 2023 advert featuring a mischievious Venus flytrap.
  A young boy finds a box labelled ‘Snapper, the perfect tree’ – with the strapline ‘Let Your Traditions Grow’. He nurtures the plant from seed in the belief he is cultivating a perfect Christmas tree.
  The fast-growing plant becomes a life force of its own with a playful personality and wants to join in all the fun of Christmas.After a tear-jerking moment, where Snap
  
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• John Lewis Christmas ad snaps back on track with a Venus flytrap

  09-11-2023 01:01
  
  Retailer reboots ‘child-makes-unusual-friend’ formula but drops the usual pop cover – bringing in tenor Andrea Bocelli insteadJohn Lewis has turned to a cheeky carnivorous plant – and an operatic superstar – for its Christmas advertising campaign.After last year’s low-key charity-linked clip featuring a skateboarding foster dad, the department store chain has returned to its tried and tested formula of a heartwarming story featuring a child and an unusual frie
  
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• WH Smith posts strong sales and profit growth

  09-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  WH Smith has posted a 28% increase in full year revenue to £1.7 billion following a strong performance in its travel division. It also delivered a... View Article
  
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• Vinted launches Item Verification service

  09-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Online C2C marketplace Vinted is launching its Item Verification service in the UK to increase trust in the authenticity of higher-priced  second-hand items and combat counterfeiting.... View Article
  
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• Trouva launches community-led shoppable video feed

  09-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Trouva, the online marketplace for independent boutiques and brands, has launched its first social commerce feature. Explore on Trouva is a shoppable short video feed that... View Article
  
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• Søstrene Grene announces opening day for first central London store

  09-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Danish homewares brand Søstrene Grene has announced that its first central London store will open on 1 December. The flagship shop on Tottenham Court Road will... View Article
  
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• Lidl to roll out body cams for UK store staff

  09-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Lidl is to roll out body-worn cameras across its UK store estate as it looks to ensure the safety and security of both staff and customers.... View Article
  
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• Halfords sells stake in Avayler software business to Bridgestone

  09-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Halfords has announced that global mobility company Bridgestone has acquired a 5% stake in its Avayler automotive software business for $3 million. Launched in July 2021, ... View Article
  
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• Aldi launches partnership with Age Scotland to combat loneliness this winter

  09-11-2023 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Young Scots are being encouraged to send a poem or joke to an older person this festive season, through ‘Festive Friends’ post-boxes launching in Aldi Scotland... View Article
  
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