Retail news

• Shein’s silence is farcical. It must answer fair questions if it wants a London listing | Nils Pratley

  08-01-2025 19:25
  The fast-fashion retailer’s reluctance to disclose information about its supply chain in China won’t washIt is “not unusual” for UK-listed companies to carry legal risks around the world, Nikhil Rathi, the chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, told the FT last month. The boss of the regulatory body that ultimately decides which companies can list their shares in London added: “What’s important is that they disclose it, the investors understand it
  
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• Sales at toymaker Hornby up 7% after bumper Black Friday and Christmas

  08-01-2025 18:29
  
  Profits increased 10% in December at Kent-based company, which had struggled after end of Covid hobby boomThe toy-train maker Hornby enjoyed bumper trading in the final three months of last year, marking a turnaround for the Kent-based company, which has struggled since a hobby boom during the Covid pandemic.Sales at the model train firm, which also sells toy planes and cars under the Airfix, Scalextric and Corgi brands, rose 7% in the key “golden quarter” compared with the same peri
  
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• Boxed video game sales collapse in UK as digital revenues flatten

  08-01-2025 17:15
  
  Data from the Entertainment and Retail Association shows more and more players leaving physical games behind for digital downloads and subscriptionsAs music sales and streaming revenue reaches a high of £2.4bn – the highest since 2001, not accounting for significant inflation – the UK video game market, which has grown almost continually for decades, has shrunk by 4.4%. The most significant decline was in boxed video game sales, down 35%.Data from Digital Entertainment and Reta
  
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• Quiz shareholders approve AIM delisting amid financial woes

  08-01-2025 16:19 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Quiz’s shareholders have voted in favour of delisting the struggling fashion retailer from AIM as it reverts to private ownership.
  Over 98% of shareholders backed the resolutions to delist and re-register as a private limited company, with the fashion retailer’s shares set to cease trading at 7am on 23 January 2025.
  It will formally re-register as a private limited company in the week commencing 27 January.
  The move comes amid ongoing financial pressures, with the business warning la
  
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• Tesco: UK risks becoming ‘dumping ground’ for products as it lags behind EU on employment rights

  08-01-2025 13:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Tesco group quality, technical and sustainability director Claire Lorains has warned the UK is at risk of “becoming a dumping ground for products that can’t enter the EU”.
  Speaking before the Business and Trade Committee on Tuesday, she said that the UK should be aligned to some of the more “progressive” steps forward happening in the EU to remain competitive.
  Lorains referenced “essential” incoming EU legislation, which will require large companies to c
  
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• Grocery sales surpass £14bn as Christmas promotions hit three-year high

  08-01-2025 13:47 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  UK grocery sales hit a record £14.6bn over the final three weeks before Christmas, aided by intense discounts and increased promotional activity.
  Grocery sales were bolstered by the highest level of promotions seen in three years, according to NIQ, with 27% of all FMCG sales being purchased on promotions.
  Total till sales rose 3.2% in the last four weeks ended 28th December.
  In-store visits were up 8% according to the marketing research firm, as in-store sales registered a 3.6% uptick year
  
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• Carhartt WIP flagship leads trio of new fashion openings in Soho

  08-01-2025 13:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Shaftesbury Capital has unveiled a trio of new fashion openings in Soho, including a new flagship from Carhartt WIP, menswear retailer Ronning, and craft jean maker Blackhorse Lane Ateliers.
  Carhartt WIP has relocated from 72-74 Brewer Street to a larger 4,000sq ft unit at 33-35 Brewer Street.
  The flagship store features a minimalist interior which carries an extensive range of seasonal men’s and women’s collections, along with accessories, gadgets, and special collaborative projects
  
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• Seasalt defies UK retail slowdown with ‘impressive’ Christmas sales growth

  08-01-2025 10:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Cornish clothing retailer Seasalt hailed “impressive sales” during the festive trading period as total sales climbed 10% year-on-year in the five weeks to 28 December 2024.
  The business said the results mark record performance across all sales channels.
  Store revenue increased by 3% year-on-year against a broader slowdown in non-food sales over the Christmas period.The retailer, which operates 76 UK stores, also recorded a 6% increase in online sales, achieving its most successful da
  
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• ProCook sales boosted by Black Friday and Christmas campaigns

  08-01-2025 10:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  ProCook reported a “strong trading performance” over the golden quarter. Sales for the kitchen specialist jumped 11.2% to £25.6m in the 12 weeks to 5 January, driven by a 12.4% rise in retail revenue to £16m.
  Online sales increased 9.2% to £9.6m, up 7.1% in like-for-like terms, which it attributed in part to sales from its relaunched Amazon UK marketplace.
  The retailer opened five new stores during the quarter and will open three more over the next couple of months.
  
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• Mamas & Papas plans global expansion after record festive sales

  08-01-2025 09:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Mamas & Papas reported record sales over the Black Friday and Christmas trading period, as group sales rose 5% year-on-year during the 13 weeks to 29 December 2024.
  The nursery retailer recorded an 8% increase in group profit during the same period, driven by strong performances across both UK and international markets.
  Retail increased grew 8% overall, bolstered by a 13% uplift during Black Friday due to strong demand for travel systems, nursery furniture, toys, and baby clothes.
  The retail
  
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• Unwrapping trouble: £1.5 billion in Christmas gifts to be returned by Brits this year

  08-01-2025 09:54 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Manhattan Associates Inc. today announced its findings from a new study revealing that British consumers are expected to return £1.5 billion worth of unwanted Christmas gifts... View Article
  
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• Home Bargains owner pays himself £1bn as profits surge

  08-01-2025 09:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Home Bargains’ billionaire owner has paid himself more than £1bn as the discount chain’s sales topped £4.2bn.
  Tom Morris, who owns 98% of TJ Morris, the firm behind the retailer, received the majority of the £1.22bn in dividends and asset distributions last year, CityAM reported.
  The payout came as pre-tax profits for Home Bargains surged 35% to £454.8m in the year to 30 June, up from £336.5m. Related StoryFamily behind Primark retain top 10 spot in Sund
  
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• ProCook reports strong peak trading performance

  08-01-2025 09:33 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Kitchenware brand ProCook has reported strong festive trading with revenue up 11.2% to £25.6 million and like-for-like sales up 3.4% in its third quarter. In the... View Article
  
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• Topps Tiles returns to sales growth as CEO announces retirement

  08-01-2025 09:02 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Topps Tiles has reported improved trading in the run-up to Christmas as it announced that its chief executive is to retire. In the 13 weeks to... View Article
  
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• Topps Tiles CEO retires as sales return to growth

  08-01-2025 08:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Topps Tiles chief executive Rob Parker is to retire from the business after 18 years followings its return to sales growth.
  Parker, who joined in 2007 as its CFO, will remain in post until a successor has been appointed.
  Group chair Paul Forman thanked Parker for his “enormous contribution to the development and success of the business over the last 18 years”.
  He added: “During his time as CEO, he has overseen a period of significant diversification and growth of the business,
  
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• Shein accused of ‘wilful ignorance’ in row over workers’ rights

  08-01-2025 08:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Shein has been accused of “wilful ignorance” after MPs were left “horrified” when the fast fashion giant failed to answer questions on whether forced labour exists in its supply chain.
  In a hearing before the business and trade committee, MPs said they had “almost zero confidence in the integrity” of the online giant’s supply chain after it failed to comment on whether it sources cotton from China, and more specifically, the region of Xinjiang.
  The unsuc
  
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• The Cotswold Company hails successful Christmas

  08-01-2025 08:05 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Cotswold Company has posted a 22% increase in sales in its busy Christmas trading period. In the nine weeks  to 29 December 2024, ecommerce sales... View Article
  
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• As brands move towards flagships, is there still life in a local store?

  08-01-2025 08:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  New Look warned this week that its high street presence was at risk as the retailer plans to speed up its store closures programme ahead of tax increases this April.
  Its another blow to the local high street, which has taken a beating in the last couple of years as consumers head to shopping centres and retail parks to hit the shops.
  Data from the British Retail Consortium found that retail parks remained the most resilient when it came to footfall across the UK last year, enjoying as much as a
  
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• Shoplifters, scams and supersoft toys: how the Jellycat craze inspired a crime wave

  08-01-2025 07:52
  
  With the booming resale market for Jellycat rarities, retailers across the UK are reporting a surge in ‘stealing to sell’ shoplifting, with some going to extreme lengths to protect their ‘Jellies’The Jellycat section of Scotsdales in Great Shelford is 216 cubic feet of sensory overload. The brightly coloured, charmingly quirky toys fill floor-to-ceiling shelves in this Cambridgeshire garden centre, plastic eyes staring, stitched smiles beaming. There are plushly soft tedd
  
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• John Lewis Partnership chief customer officer steps down after three years

  08-01-2025 07:18 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  John Lewis Partnership’s chief customer officer has stepped down after nearly three years in the role. Charlotte Lock joined the retailer in March 2022 from Co-op... View Article
  
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• Castore strengthens presence in F1 with BWT Alpine Formula One Team partnership

  08-01-2025 07:17 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Castore performance sportswear brand has expanded its presence in the motorsport sector through a landmark partnership with the BWT Alpine Formula One Team. The multi-year... View Article
  
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• Crypto about to facelift retail, E-commerce in 2025

  08-01-2025 07:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Cryptocurrency is gaining increased adoption. It is likely to be introduced as a government strategic reserve in 2025: an initiative led by incoming President Donal Trump... View Article
  
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• Britain’s retail ‘boomer’ chains are making a comeback

  08-01-2025 06:00 via ft.com
  
  Youth is wasted on the young with 160-year-old Next showing a steady cash flow despite rising costs
  
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