Retail news

• Asda strengthens leadership team

  14-01-2025 20:33 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Asda has strengthened its senior leadership team with a series of new appointments. Liz Evans is taking up the role of chief commercial officer for non-food... View Article
  
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• Frasers Group says two-thirds of retail staff are still on zero-hours contracts

  14-01-2025 20:04
  
  MPs examining plans for legislation were told 11,500 staff on the contracts, which do not guarantee weekly shiftsThe owner of Sports Direct has confirmed that two-thirds of its retail workforce remain on zero-hours contracts ahead of new legislation designed to limit their use.Frasers Group told MPs who are examining plans to strengthen protection for employees that 11,500 staff were on the contracts, which do not guarantee any weekly working shifts, and did not receive compensation even if shif
  
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• The Entertainer names John Lewis veteran as chief operating officer

  14-01-2025 19:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Entertainer has appointed John Lewis Partnership veteran Mark Robinson as its new chief operating officer.
  The former group supply chain director will take over the toy specialist’s supply chain, IT and transformation operations from deputy chief executive Jeremy Cobbold, who will leave in the summer after five years at the business.
  Robinson joins The Entertainer in March from his current position as managing director of Wincanton TechCo. Related StoryInterview: How The Entertainer CE
  
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• New year downers are becoming normal at JD Sports | Nils Pratley

  14-01-2025 18:50
  
  For the second January in a row, the sportswear retailer has disappointed shareholders by trimming its forecastsJD Sports cuts profit forecast, blaming big fashion price cutsIt wasn’t a full-on profits warning – more of a 5%-ish trim to forecasts. But JD Sports’ trading update will feel particularly disappointing to its shareholders because this was the second January in a row that the sportswear retailer has delivered a new year downer on profit expectations. The spiel was als
  
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• Boots poaches Asda’s chief retail officer

  14-01-2025 17:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Boots has poached Asda’s retail boss Simon Gregg as its new chief retail, logistics and pharmacy operations director.
  Gregg joins the business on Monday (20 January) from his current position as chief ecommerce and retail officer at Asda, Retail Week reported.
  He spent the last eight years at the UK’s third biggest grocer, responsible for its retail and online shopping channels.
  Gregg started his career at Tesco in 1986, where he held various roles including online director for Tesco
  
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• Warhammer maker Games Workshop plans fourth UK factory as sales boom

  14-01-2025 17:12
  Company thrives as Amazon develops TV series and it gains licensing income from video gamesBusiness live – latest updatesIn Nottingham an army of tiny warriors is on the advance. Space Marines, Weirdboyz, Chaos Knights – and very small paint pots – are grabbing more territory as Games Workshop confirms plans for its fourth factory and buys land for two more to meet demand for its fantasy figurines.It is the latest win for the designer and maker of miniature wargames – inc
  
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• Opinion: Did JD Sports trip itself up this Christmas?

  14-01-2025 17:11 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  As one of the UK’s retail heavyweights, JD Sports has long been a barometer of success in the UK’s sports fashion market.
  But this Christmas, its performance didn’t exactly meet expectations.
  Despite organic revenue growth of 3.4% for the nine weeks to 4 January, JD Sports downgraded its profit forecast due to “challenging and volatile” market conditions and declining like-for-like sales, especially during November.
  While December brought a much-needed boost as like
  
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• ATM withdrawals are on the rise, but can cash retake its crown in the UK?

  14-01-2025 16:00
  
  Cash use rose for the third year running in 2024, as shoppers in places such as Shotton use it to help them budgetAt Shotton Cards, on the town’s high street, Lynne Whitehouse, 75, is stuffing her change back into her purse. “It’ll be the worst thing they ever do if they get rid of cash,” she says.“I pay cash as much as I can,” she adds. “If I can get cash out, I’ll use it. Continue reading...
  
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• Fortnum & Mason delivers strong Christmas as profits rise

  14-01-2025 15:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Fortnum & Mason toasted to another strong Christmas in its stores as it revealed its full-year profits soared to over £9m.
  The luxury retailer reported a 10% increase in like-for-like sales across its estate in the five weeks to 24 December, while trading revenues across all its channels rose 2% year on year.
  Though online sales fell 7%, Christmas food sales rocketed 17% and food hampers rose 10% on last year.
  Fortnums said during the period, it sold 30,000 Christmas puddings, 66,000 b
  
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• Booths posts record Christmas sales driven by ‘exemplary’ service

  14-01-2025 15:42 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Booths celebrated record Christmas sales over the festive period, driven by its service, quality and availability across the business.
  Sales shot up 9.3% in the key three week period ended 4 January, up 8.3% the year prior.
  The upmarket grocer reported record Christmas week revenues, up 6.7%, while it witnessed its biggest ever single day sales on 23 December.
  Booths’ butcher counter sales were up 16% for December, while both fruit and veg categories rose more than 10% in the month.
  Food-t
  
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• Ocado Retail CEO ‘focused on value’ despite price rise concerns amid Budget

  14-01-2025 14:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Ocado Retail boss Hannah Gibson has insisted the grocer is laser focused on value despite price rise concerns following the Budget.
  When asked whether the joint venture between Ocado and M&S could see prices rising following recent tax increases by Labour, Gibson said it will remain “very focussed on the value that we offer”.
  She said: “We’ve made a lot of progress in terms of the value that we’re offering consumers, and therefore our value perception with them
  
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• ‘We have enough products on the planet’: Nobody’s Child boss Jody Plows on the ethics of sustainable fashion

  14-01-2025 14:00
  The chief executive of the clothing label is emphasising traceability and accountability in the supply chain – and looking beyond one season at a timeJody Plows sweeps aside a screen to reveal models, photographers and stylists swishing about the white-walled offices of the Nobody’s Child HQ in Camden.The boss of the fast-growing fashion label, whose clothes have been worn by the likes of Phoebe Dynevor, Poppy Delevingne, Sienna Miller and brand ambassador Fearne Cotton, says she has
  
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• Asda bolsters leadership team with new appointments under value push

  14-01-2025 13:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda has unveiled a host of changes to its leadership team in a bid to “satisfy the daily and weekly shopping needs of ordinary working people and their families who demand value”.
  Liz Evans, who currently leads the George clothing brand, will be taking up the position of chief commercial officer for non-food and retail at the supermarket, leading its large store operations on a permanent basis, alongside her continued leadership of the George clothing brand.
  Additionally, the g
  
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• Aldi promotes buying MD to chief commercial officer in leadership shake-up

  14-01-2025 12:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Aldi has promoted its national buying managing director Julie Ashfield to chief commercial officer as part of a wider shake-up in the structure of its leadership team.
  Ashfield will be responsible for both buying and sustainability in her new role and will be replaced in her current role by the discounter’s MD for customer interaction Stephen Eivers, The Grocer reported.
  The restructure also includes the creation of two other COO roles, which will be taken by Dan Ronald and Ruth Doyle. Rel
  
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• JD Sports downgrades annual profit forecast while Ocado Retail booms

  14-01-2025 12:26 via ft.com
  
  Sportswear chain and online grocer performances indicate diverging fortunes in UK retail sector
  
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• Poundstretcher ‘well positioned’ for growth after sinking to loss

  14-01-2025 10:28 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Poundstretcher said it is now “well positioned” for growth as it sank to a loss before its acquisition by the private equity firm behind Majestic Wine.
  The discount chain swung to a pre-tax loss of £9.8m in the year to 31 March, down from a £5m profit the year before, The Grocer reported.
  Sales dropped £34m to £212m as the business shuttered 10 stores as it continued to restructure its estate following a CVA.
  Poundstretcher reported several one-off except
  
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• JD Sports cuts profit forecast, blaming big fashion price cuts

  14-01-2025 10:11
  
  Stores beat online arm, in contrast to other listed fashion retailers, such as Marks & Spencer and NextBusiness live – latest updatesJD Sports has cut profit expectations for the second time in eight weeks, blaming heavy discounting across the fashion market.The retailer said it did not expect any growth in sales at established stores during the year and warned that annual profits would be no more than £935m, down from previous hopes of between £955m and £1.03bn. Cont
  
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• JD Sports lowers full year profit forecast

  14-01-2025 09:19 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  JD Sports has cut its full year profit forecast following a 1.5% drop in like-for-like revenue in November and December. Organic revenue growth in the period... View Article
  
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• Card Factory hails ‘successful’ Christmas with boost in basket values

  14-01-2025 09:15 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Card Factory has reported a strong performance over the key Christmas trading period, with revenue rising 4.7% in November and December.
  The retailer‘s growth was driven by a higher average basket value, supported by expanded product ranges and strong sales of gift and celebration items.
  Like-for-like store revenue increased by 3%, which it attributed to the success of its seasonal Christmas offerings and the positive impact of its ongoing space optimisation programme.
  Card Factory CEO Dar
  
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• Very sales boosted by strong performance in home and toys

  14-01-2025 09:14 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Very Group has reported a strong Christmas performance at Very UK where retail sales grew by 2.3% in the seven weeks to 27 December. Excluding... View Article
  
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• Ocado Retail posts record Christmas sales as M&S products attract shoppers

  14-01-2025 08:54 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Ocado Retail delivered a strong finish to its financial year, with sales growth accelerating in the fourth quarter as weekly orders reached a milestone of 500,000 for the first time.
  The joint venture between Ocado Group and M&S saw retail revenue rise 17.5% to £715.8m in the 13 weeks to 1 December, versus growth of 15.5% in its previous quarter, as active customers rose 12.1% to 1.12m.
  Volumes on Ocado.com were up 17% on last year at 271.6m items, while average basket value, selling p
  
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• Card Factory delivers “successful” Christmas

  14-01-2025 08:38 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Card Factory has said it performed well over its key Christmas trading period with revenue up 4.7% in November and December. This was driven by a... View Article
  
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• JD Sports lowers profit outlook amid ‘challenging’ market conditions

  14-01-2025 08:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  JD Sports has downgraded its profit forecast, blaming tougher-than-expected market conditions and heightened promotional activity during the peak trading period.
  For the nine weeks to 4 January 2025, the fashion retailer reported organic revenue growth of 3.4%. Like-for-like revenue fell by 1.5% across November and December in what it called a “challenging and volatile market”, though a stronger Christmas saw December LFL revenue rise by 1.5%.
  JD Sports CEO Régis Schultz said
  
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• Very Group Christmas sales boosted by growth in home and toys

  14-01-2025 08:20 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Very Group has reported “strong Christmas trading growth” over the key festive period, driven by its home and toys, gifts & beauty categories.
  In the seven weeks to 27 December 2024, sales at core brand Very rose 2.3% year-on-year, with overall group retail sales up 0.5%.
  Excluding the impact of Nike sales, Very UK sales rose by 4.5%, and group sales grew by 2.8%.
  “Following Nike’s decision to switch to a direct-to-consumer model, we have included results excludin
  
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• Ted Baker owner Authentic Brands appoints new president

  14-01-2025 08:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Authentic Brands Group (ABG), the owner Reebok, Juicy Couture and Ted Baker, has appointed former Wynn Resorts chief executive Matt Maddox as its new president.
  ABG called Maddox a “highly accomplished leader” with over 20 years of experience in global hospitality and gaming, who most recently served as CEO of Wynn Resorts, a developer and operator of luxury hotels and casino resorts.
  Under his leadership, the group said Wynn Resorts consistently outpaced its competitors and became w
  
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• M&S introduces 85 zero or lower emission vehicles to its supply chain

  14-01-2025 07:34 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Marks & Spencer has added 85 zero or lower emission vehicles to its supply chain logistics fleet as it works towards becoming net zero by 2040.... View Article
  
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• Anthropologie launches new Celandine label

  14-01-2025 07:20 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Anthropologie has launched a new resort wear label called Celandine as it looks to offer holiday-ready styles all year round. Designed in-house and exclusive to Anthropologie,... View Article
  
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• Amazon unveils record order of eHGVs under climate pledge

  14-01-2025 01:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Amazon is expanding its zero-exhaust emission deliveries across the UK with its largest-ever order of electric heavy-goods vehicles (eHGVs).
  More than 140 new electric Mercedes-Benz Truck eActros 600 trucks and eight Volvo FM Battery Electric trucks will join Amazon’s transportation network over the next 18 months, a rise from the nine eHGVs currently operating across its network.
  The new eHGVs are expected to transport over 300m packages per year in the UK with no exhaust emissions once f
  
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