Retail news

• UK shoppers hit by taramasalata shortage due to strike

  11-11-2024 19:43
  
  Workers at food manufacturer Bakkavor have walked out in a dispute over pay
  
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• UK shoppers hit by taramasalata shortage after strike

  11-11-2024 19:43
  
  Workers at food manufacturer Bakkavor have walked out in a dispute over pay
  
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• Kidswear brand Hype acquired by Apparel Brands

  11-11-2024 17:58 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Leicester-based kidswear and streetwear brand Hype has been sold to Apparel Brand for an undisclosed sum.
  The deal comes 18 months after Hype was rescued out of administration, saving 82 jobs.
  By leveraging Hype’s popularity with younger audiences, Apparel Brands plans to expand its reach to offer “stylish, functional and affordable” options for children.
  Under its new owners, the streetwear inspired fashion retailer said it will shift its focus to cater to a broader audie
  
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• Andrew Staniland ditches Asda move for Morrisons

  11-11-2024 17:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Iceland group buying director Andrew Staniland has ditched his impending move to Asda to join Morrisons instead.
  Originally scheduled to start in a VP role at Asda in March, Staniland will now take on the position of group trading director and executive committee member at Morrisons in February.
  He spent four years at Iceland as trading director and previously worked at fellow grocers Waitrose and Aldi.
  Back in July, the news of Staniland’s recruitment was seen as a big win for Asda, where
  
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• Lidl takes on Coca-Cola with own-brand Freeway Christmas truck tour

  11-11-2024 17:46 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Lidl has taken inspiration from Coca Cola’s famous Christmas truck, with its own red vehicle set to tour the UK this winter.
  The discounter’s 20-metre, 15-tonne Christmas truck, donned in its own-brand Freeway cola label, will drive through Dundee, Harrogate, Hull, Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Wrexham, Luton, Bournemouth and Southampton from 14 November to 1 December during its first tour, according to the Independent. 
  Staff are set to give away more than 2,000 present boxes from
  
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• Ocado boosts own-brand range with hundreds of new products

  11-11-2024 17:28 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Ocado is adding hundreds more products to its own-brand range next year, with a focus on seasonal lines.
  The ecommerce giant has added over 100 new items to its selection in 2024 and by the end of the year, there will be over 740 items available to purchase, including new launches such as microfibre cloths and baked beans.
  Next year, the online grocer is set to widen the range once again after sales of its “own range” selection have risen 12%, with these items now making up more than
  
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• Let them eat fakes: France turns to own brand variety as Cadbury Fingers vanish

  11-11-2024 17:09
  
  Disappearance of chocolate-covered treats from shelves prompts anger as well as an outpouring of nostalgiaA famous 1981 French advert for Cadbury Fingers showed a boy hiding a box of the biscuits behind his back while his mother demands to know if he has eaten them all. “Non, non,” he insists, his nose growing, Pinocchio-like, with each denial.The marketing slogan was: “Cadbury, the chocolate biscuit that doesn’t cheat.” Continue reading...
  
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• H&M axes 150 jobs as it closes Edinburgh call centre

  11-11-2024 15:54 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  H&M is set to close its Edinburgh call centre by the end of the year, resulting in 150 jobs losses.
  Workers at the fashion giant’s Waverley Gate office were informed back in August of a proposal to shut the building due to the lease expiring in 2025.
  H&M blamed the closure on rising competition, a shift in customer behaviours and operational costs, The BBC reported.
  Documents seen by BBC Scotland News showed that staff were given two weeks’ notice of their dismissal, alt
  
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• Police called as Le Creuset sale triggers gridlock

  11-11-2024 15:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Police were called to manage traffic chaos at Le Creuset’s warehouse sale in Andover, Hampshire, as hundreds of bargain hunters queued for hours to grab discounted cookware.
  The two-day event, which offered up to 50% off on the cookware giant’s signature items like casserole pots and saucepans, drew such a large crowd that social media videos showed long lines of cars parked along nearby roads, and shoppers waiting up to four hours to get in, The Guardian reported.
  One shopper report
  
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• Coggles to stay online-only under Frasers ownership as Flannels takes over store

  11-11-2024 13:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Coggles is to remain as an online-only retailer after new owner Frasers Group replaced its standalone store with its Flannels fascia.
  The luxury platform, which was snapped up by the retail giant in June, opened a 4,000sq ft flagship in Alderley Edge back in 2017, inside a restored former NatWest bank.
  However, since then the store has since been refurbished and reopened on 31 October as a Flannels boutique store housing a selection of accessories and luxury clothing. Related StoryFrasers snaps
  
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• Police called after Le Creuset warehouse sale brings four-hour queues

  11-11-2024 12:23
  
  Hundreds turn up at Hampshire industrial estate to grab cut-price cast-iron cookwareOne hundred years after two Belgian industrialists first “cracked the code” to enamelling cast-iron and created the first Le Creuset cocotte, the highly covetable cookware brand continues to grace the middle-class kitchen.With prices reflecting its status, however, fans are always on the lookout for bargains for the colourful range, which is still made in the original foundry established in 1925 in th
  
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• HMV expands book offer with dedicated floor at Oxford Street flagship

  11-11-2024 11:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Hmv is expanding its offer of books at its Oxford Street store as it marks its first major foray into literature as a standalone offering within its retail space.
  The entertainment retailer said it is “devoting an entire floor of its flagship store to its newest venture”, adding that its hmv 363 Bookshop will open on 18 November ahead of the busy festive period, featuring a live events stage among a “curated range of hidden gems to excite and delight book enthusiasts”.
  Th
  
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• M&S eyes Gillian Anderson to star in new adverts aimed at younger shoppers

  11-11-2024 11:11 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  M&S has approached British actress Gillian Anderson to star in its new adverts in a bid to attract younger shoppers.
  The food and fashion giant has worked with a number of famous faces in recent years, including Hannah Waddingham, Sienna Miller and Bella Freud.
  The retailer also recently enlisted Britain’s Got Talent star Skylar Blu to appear in its 2024 Christmas advert for its clothing and home campaign which launched last week.
  The festive advert showcases the best of its partywear,
  
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• M&S eyes Gillian Anderson to star in new adverts

  11-11-2024 11:11 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  M&S has approached British actress Gillian Anderson to star in its new adverts in a bid to attract younger shoppers.
  The food and fashion giant has worked with a number of famous faces in recent years, including Hannah Waddingham, Sienna Miller and Bella Freud.
  The retailer also recently enlisted Britain’s Got Talent star Skylar Blu to appear in its 2024 Christmas advert for its clothing and home campaign which launched last week.
  The festive advert showcases the best of its partywear,
  
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• Just Eat partners with Richer Sounds for on demand delivery

  11-11-2024 10:53 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Just Eat is entering the electronics retail space through an exclusive partnership with Richer Sounds. The move will enable the audio and tech retailer to make a... View Article
  
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• Toolstation launches rapid delivery service

  11-11-2024 09:48 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Toolstation has launched a new rapid same-day delivery service from selected stores. The move means that DIYers, plumbers, builders, electricians and decorators can access over 10,000... View Article
  
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• Asda reports third quarter sales decline as it invests £13 million in festive store hours

  11-11-2024 09:46 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Asda has seen its third quarter revenue decline by 2.5% to £5.3 billion as it continues its work to improve the customer experience in its stores.... View Article
  
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• Tesco faces £1 billion extra tax bill following National Insurance hike

  11-11-2024 09:43 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Tesco is set to face a £1 billion increase in its tax bill following the Government’s decision to raise National Insurance Contributions for employers. According to... View Article
  
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• Asda eyes more job cuts after head office redundancies

  11-11-2024 09:16 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda is planning more job losses after it made nearly 500 head office employees redundant without a consultation period.
  The supermarket is thought to be targeting the staff working on its IT overhaul, which is expected to complete early next year, in its next wave of redundancies, The Telegraph reported.
  Asda refused to confirm how many employees would be affected but stated the number would be “meaningful”.
  It follows the grocery chain’s decision to make hundreds of head offi
  
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• Boohoo riles up Frasers by excluding it from shareholder meetings

  11-11-2024 08:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Boohoo Group is set to rile up its largest shareholder Frasers Group once more as new chief executive Dan Finley is to meet with investors, not including the Sports Direct owner, this week.
  Finley is understood to be meeting some of the company’s biggest shareholders over the coming days, The Times reported.
  However, the meeting is not scheduled to include anyone from Frasers Group, who owns a 27% stake in the fashion giant. Related StoryBoohoo slams Frasers for acting in ‘commercial
  
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• Fate of M&S’ Marble Arch flagship to be decided next month

  11-11-2024 08:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  M&S will learn the outcome of its planning proposals to transform its Marble Arch flagship at the start of next month.
  Deputy Prime Minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner is due to block or approve the plans for the store before or on 5 December, This is Money reported.
  The high street giant has been seeking to permission to demolish the three buildings it occupies to make way for a new 10-storey building, which includes a new store and an office block. Related StoryM&S eyes cost-s
  
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• Decision on fate of M&S’ Marble Arch flagship due next month

  11-11-2024 08:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  M&S will learn the outcome of its planning proposals to transform its Marble Arch flagship at the start of next month.
  Deputy Prime Minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner is due to block or approve the plans for the store before or on 5 December, This is Money reported.
  It comes as M&S boss Stuart Machin is looking to open ten more stores as the retailer’s turnaround continues.
  The high street giant has been seeking to permission to demolish the three buildings it occupies to
  
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• The Entertainer halts new store plans due to National Insurance increase

  11-11-2024 08:09 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Entertainer has said it has been forced to abandon plans for the opening of two new stores following the Chancellor’s decision to raise employers’ National... View Article
  
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• The Entertainer halts new store plans due to National Insurance hike

  11-11-2024 08:09 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Entertainer has said it has been forced to abandon plans for the opening of two new stores following the Chancellor’s decision to raise employers’ National... View Article
  
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• The secretive world of Aldi Australia: which aisle makes the most money and two other things we learned

  11-11-2024 07:48
  
  Shoppers got a rare look inside the basket of the discount grocer at the ACCC inquiry into supermarketsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAs a privately owned company, Aldi rarely gets the sort of scrutiny faced by its listed competitors Coles and Woolworths, which are required to provide regular public disclosures including profit updates.But a government-ordered inquiry into the supermarket sector has provided some i
  
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• The secretive world of Aldi Australia: which aisle makes the most money and other things we learned

  11-11-2024 07:48
  
  Shoppers got a rare look inside the basket of the discount grocer at the ACCC inquiry into supermarketsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAs a privately owned company, Aldi rarely gets the sort of scrutiny faced by its listed competitors Coles and Woolworths, which are required to provide regular public disclosures including profit updates.But a government-ordered inquiry into the supermarket sector has provided some i
  
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