Retail news

• McDonald’s reports sales growth in fourth quarter as Gaza boycott eases

  10-02-2025 13:01
  
  US fast-food chain records like for like improvement in revenue, with business in the Middle East picking up
  
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• Online spending up in January but shoppers defer payments

  10-02-2025 12:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Online spending in the UK nudged up during January, following year on year growth in December, fuelled partly by the use of buy now pay later (BNPL) schemes.
  Online spend hit £8.4bn for the month, according to software firm Adobe Analytics, marking a 2.9% rise on the £8.1bn spent the same time last year.
  The increase follows year-on-year growth of almost 20% in December, partly due to Cyber Monday falling during within the month, as well as growth of 5.9% over the whole holiday perio
  
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• Leveraging AI at Pets at Home

  10-02-2025 12:46 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Pets at Home’s experiment using AI to build a fraud detection tool with Microsoft has been so successful that the company is looking at using the... View Article
  
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• JD Sports earns ‘global leader’ status for environmental efforts

  10-02-2025 12:15 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  JD Sports has earned a place on the CDP Climate A list for 2024 as a result of its environmental efforts.
  CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) is a global non-profit organisation that monitors the environmental performance, and in particular the carbon emissions, of companies.
  The sportswear retailer earned its place on the Climate A list in recognition of its status as a leader in environmental transparency and action. It has worked with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to achieve tangibl
  
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• Why Apprenticeship Levy reform is crucial for industry growth

  10-02-2025 11:26 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Apprenticeships hold the key to addressing the UK’s skills shortage and transforming the retail workforce for the future. But with half of retailers’ £250 million Apprenticeship... View Article
  
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• Shein halts search for UK warehouse amid London IPO headwinds

  10-02-2025 10:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Shein has paused its plans for a warehouse in the UK, as it faces a series of obstacles to its planned £50bn London listing.
  The ecommerce platform has halted its search for a location in the Midlands, and said it now had “no plans” to establish a warehouse in Britain, The Telegraph reported. 
  Last summer, the newspaper reported Shein had sent a team of representatives to visit potential sites across Derby, Daventry, Coventry and Castle Donington. The business was thought
  
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• Amazon to create 1,000 UK new apprenticeships in 2025

  10-02-2025 10:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Amazon is to create more than 1,000 new apprenticeships across the UK this year as it seeks to further expand its reach.
  The ecommerce giant is offering a wide range of opportunities across the country throughout its businesses, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Prime Video, and Amazon Devices and Services.
  Recruitment has begun across more than 40 different programmes, such as data science and cyber security, HR, marketing, engineering, health and safety, and warehouse operations.
  The delive
  
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• Lidl invests in market-leading pay rises for 28,000 UK workers

  10-02-2025 09:25 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Lidl has announced a market-leading pay increase for 28,000 of its hourly-paid colleagues, with the new rates coming into effect in March 2025.
  Entry-level pay at the German discounter will rise to £12.75 nationally, up from £12.40 and increasing to £13.65 with length of service.  Meanwhile, in London, new starters will see pay rates go up to £14.00, increasing to £14.35 over time.These new hourly rates come in ahead of the government’s updated National L
  
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• Lidl announces pay increase for 28,000 hourly paid colleagues

  10-02-2025 09:14 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Lidl is to give its 28,000 hourly-paid colleagues a “market-leading” pay increase. The new rates will come into effect in March 2025, ahead of the government’s... View Article
  
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• Next and Superdry take action as Trump’s tariff overhaul disrupts British retail exports

  10-02-2025 08:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  British fashion retailers are scrambling to adapt to President Trump’s changing tariff policies, with some halting exports and others exploring the option of setting up US subsidiaries.
  In recent weeks, Trump imposed a new 10% tariff on Chinese-made goods, while also reversing the “de minimis” rule, which had previously allowed goods worth less than $800 (£645) to enter the US duty-free.
  The move, which came after a backlog of packages overwhelmed the US Postal Service,
  
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• Ikea’s Oxford Street store attracts record 3,730 applicants for new roles

  10-02-2025 08:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Ikea says it has received 3,730 applications in just six days for its new store on London’s Oxford Street, due to open this spring.
  The Swedish furniture giant said the high level of interest in the 150 available positions marks the biggest-ever response it has seen in the UK, breaking all previous recruitment records.
  Successful applicants will be offered multi-skilled roles working across various departments. The London store is expected to be Ikea’s most innovative location to dat
  
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• IKEA receives over 3,700 applications in six days for jobs at new Oxford Street store

  10-02-2025 08:20 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  IKEA has received 3,730 applications in just six days for its new store in London’s Oxford Street which is due to open this spring. The home... View Article
  
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• John Lewis hires Vikki Kavanagh as chief commercial officer

  10-02-2025 07:41 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  John Lewis has appointed Vikki Kavanagh as chief commercial officer. Due to take up her position in early April, she most recently served as managing director... View Article
  
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• Gucci creative director exits the luxury brand

  10-02-2025 07:30 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Gucci’s parent company Kering has announced the departure of the luxury brand’s creative director Sabato De Sarno. The brand’s autumn/winter 2025 fashion show, which is being... View Article
  
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• From wrapping to returns: Unpacking the retailers’ seasonal returns dilemma

  10-02-2025 07:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Every year, millions of gifts are unwrapped—and millions are sent back. This year alone, UK consumers are expected to return 67 million gifts worth a staggering... View Article
  
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• What retailers need to know about upcoming employment law changes

  10-02-2025 06:06 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Employment Rights Bill (the ‘Bill’) and the regulations which will follow it, will bring about significant transformation in employment law once they are fully in... View Article
  
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