Retail news

• Breaking news: Farfetch CEO steps down amid Coupang acquisition fallout

  15-02-2024 18:23 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  In a significant shakeup following the acquisition of luxury marketplace Farfetch by South Korea’s Coupang for $500 million, CEO José Neves has announced his departure from... View Article
  
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• Retail Renaissance: QR codes redefining customer experience and growth strategies

  15-02-2024 17:41 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Meet Jenny Stanley, the visionary Founder and MD of Appetite Creative, leading the charge in innovative B2C marketing and connected packaging solutions. With over two decades... View Article
  
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• Asda: Staff to vote on strike at three more stores

  15-02-2024 16:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda staff are set to vote on whether to strike at three more stores, GMB Union has revealed today.
  Almost 400 of the union’s members at its Wisbech, Brighton Hollingbury, and Brighton Marina shops are set to vote on whether to take industrial action, with the ballots set to run from 16 February to 5 March.
  The votes come after the first strike at the supermarket’s Gosport store, where nearly 100 of the trade union’s members protested against the “toxic” working env
  
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• John Lewis bolsters board with ex-National Lottery and Tesco exec

  15-02-2024 15:28 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  John Lewis Partnership has boosted its board as it hires Clare Swindell, who until last month was co-chief executive for National Lottery operator Camelot.
  Swindell, who will also chair the company’s audit and risk committee, replaces ex-Hobbs boss Nicky Dulieu who stepped down from the board in December after seven months.
  Prior to that she was the group CFO at Tesco’s customer data analytics company Dunnhumby after spending over 17 years at the grocery giant in it’s finance d
  
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• Geek Retreat launches new loyalty app to reward customers

  15-02-2024 15:27 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Geek Retreat, the geek culture retailer, gaming café, community hub and events venue, has launched a new app to reward its loyal customer base. Customers using... View Article
  
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• Tourists’ golden quarter spending gap sparks calls for return of tax-free shopping

  15-02-2024 13:46 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The gap between the number of international visitors in London and the spending associated with them widened in the final quarter of last year, sparking calls for the government to reinstate tax-free shopping.
  Visitor numbers in the capital in the last three months of 2023 were level with that in 2019, however, spending was down by 15%, according to data by the New West End Company (NWEC).
  Last year, spending plunged 19%, while visitors were down 4% from the pre-pandemic levels.
  NWEC said the da
  
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• Poundland and Dealz kick off major makeover of 150 stores

  15-02-2024 13:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Poundland has unveiled plans to give 150 stores in the UK and Ireland a major makeover by the end of August 2024, following parent company Pepco’s investment in clothing, homewares and chilled and frozen food.
  Dubbed Project Evo, the transformations will include a top-to-bottom refresh of each store, marking the first significant investment in the majority of these stores for over five years.
  New signage, flooring and lighting will be included in the renovations with back office colleague
  
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• White Stuff mulls sale following takeover approach

  15-02-2024 13:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The founders of White Stuff are exploring into a possible sale of the company as they hire investment bank Rothschild to manage the process.
  George Treves and Sean Thomas received an unsolicited offer for the chain, which led them to hire Rothschild, according to Sky News, however, the decision to push ahead with a sale will be based on the value it attracats, according to City sources.
  One analyst indicated White Stuff could be worth around £50m.
  In November, the retailer posted a rise in
  
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• Marks & Spencer adds Puma and Reebok to its outside brand offering

  15-02-2024 13:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  M&S has unveiled a partnership with Puma and Reebok, as it looks to develop its third-party sportswear offer.
  In a move to expand and drive online growth, the fashion and food retailer will launch over 140 products from the two sports giants on its Sports Edit platform.
  M&S bought a stake in Sports Edit in March 2022 and, in February 2023, added a dedicated section on its website for sports attire.
  In the year since its debut on M&S.com, searches for sportswear on the website have in
  
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• Lidl rolls out electronic shelf labels nationwide

  15-02-2024 10:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Lidl is replacing its paper pricing tags with electronic shelf labels in all its UK stores.
  The discounter said the new technology will help to drive efficiency in its supermarkets, with colleagues spending less time manually updating price tags.
  It claims the change will save over 206 tonnes of carbon annually through paper and packaging reductions.
  The switch follows a successful trial in 35 Lidl stores and will be rolled out across the rest of the estate over the coming months.Subscribe to Re
  
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• AO dials up mobile phone growth with acquisition

  15-02-2024 10:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  AO has rescued several specialist online retailers from administration as it looks to expand its mobile phone proposition.
  The electricals retailer has acquired the intellectual property rights to the websites for Affordable Mobiles, Buy Mobiles and Mobile Shop for £2.2m.
  Ao.com, which currently owns Mobile Phones Direct, said the rescue deal also included 73 jobs.Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
  Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning I
  
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• [GfK Podcast] UK Consumer Confidence Uncut January 2024

  15-02-2024 09:56 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  In this Thinking Ahead podcast, GfK’s Neil Bellamy and moderator Lucy Green, discuss the January 2024 results of UK Consumer Confidence Barometer. With the main Index... View Article
  
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• A day in the life of … Jonathan Clark, Creative Director of Shelved

  15-02-2024 09:55 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  In 2022 whilst working at Rack Systems Engineering, Jonathan Clark noticed a gap in the market for a consumer-facing modular furniture system that could be adapted... View Article
  
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• AO World acquires IP rights of mobile phone firm A1 Comms

  15-02-2024 09:53 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  AO World has acquired the intellectual property rights of mobile phone business A1 Comms following the company’s fall into administration. The purchase price was £2.2 million... View Article
  
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• Poundland invests in major makeovers at 150 stores

  15-02-2024 09:51 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Poundland will be giving 150 stores in the UK and Ireland major makeovers by the end of August. The ‘Project Evo’ transformations will mark the first... View Article
  
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• Amazon founder sells £3.2bn in stock following share price hike

  15-02-2024 09:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has sold more of his shares in the company, bringing the total value of sales disposed of during recent days to over £3.2bn.
  Bezos offloaded shares in two tranches worth £1.59bn each, following Amazon’s share price nearly hitting an all-time high.
  The share sales are the CEO’s first since 2021 and are likely to be considered a capital gain as he has owned them since founding the brand in 1994, according to The Telegraph.Subscribe to Retail Gazett
  
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• Dunelm plots London store expansion following sales growth

  15-02-2024 08:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Dunelm is planning to launch its first stores within the inner boroughs of London, after it saw its highest sales growth rate last year in the capital.
  The home furnishings retailer reported sales were up 4.5% to £872.5m during the 26 weeks to 30 December.
  Dunelm said it saw growth in shopper numbers across all geographical regions, age groups and income groups up to £100,000 per year.
  The brand noted its highest rates of growth were seen in London and in the 16-24 age bracket.
  Dunel
  
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• Lidl switches to electronic shelf labelling

  15-02-2024 08:52 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Lidl is changing how it displays its prices following a successful trial of electronic shelf labelling in over 35 stores. The supermarket said the move is... View Article
  
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• Tesco launches apprenticeship scheme aimed at young people from deprived areas,

  15-02-2024 08:51 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Tesco has launched a new retail apprenticeship aimed at young people from deprived areas. The supermarket is working with Lifetime Training and The Prince’s Trust to... View Article
  
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• VF Corporation appoints Caroline Brown to board

  15-02-2024 08:48 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  VF Corporation, the parent company of The North Face and Timberland, has appointed former Donna Karan chief executive Caroline Brown to its board. With more than 30... View Article
  
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• Kingfisher sets major new colleague learning target

  15-02-2024 08:08 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Kingfisher, the parent company of B&Q and Screwfix. has set a new target for 20,000 colleagues to have completed an apprenticeship, traineeship or formal qualification by... View Article
  
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• Intimissimi launches Kensington store

  15-02-2024 08:08 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Oniverse Group, which was previously known as Calzedonia, is continuing its UK expansion of the Intimissimi lingerie brand with the launch of a new store in... View Article
  
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• The Body Shop staff fear company will be broken up, risking 2,200 jobs

  15-02-2024 06:00
  
  Aurelius, the German restructuring specialist, has broken up two other UK retailersAurelius, the German restructuring specialist which bought The Body Shop last year and has now put it into administration, had previously broken up two other UK retailers. Staff at the ethical cosmetics group fear it will be next, with more than 2,200 jobs and 200 stores at risk.Aurelius, a specialist in distressed companies, has been active in the UK for some time. It bought the parent of the Lloyds Pharmacy chai
  
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