Retail news

• Frasers Group withdraws takeover bid for Norwegian sports giant

  20-02-2025 17:53 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Frasers Group has dropped its takeover offer for Norwegian sporting goods chain XXL Sports & Villmark.
  The Sports Direct owner, which is the chain’s second largest shareholder, holding a 25.8% stake, said in December that it was planning to submit a bid for 10 kroner for every share of equity that it does not own.
  In an update on Thursday (20 February), Frasers said it would not proceed with the bid, that would value the retailer at around £17.45m.
  “Through correspondence w
  
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• The Perfume Shop to expand Deliveroo partnership

  20-02-2025 17:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Perfume Shop is set to expand its partnership with Deliveroo after more than 1,000 bottles of fragrance were delivered over the golden quarter.
  The retailer said it was extending the service to further locations over 2025, following the success of its initial tie-up.
  The partnership currently covers 21 locations across London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Perfume Shop added its Milton Keynes store to the platform at the end of January.
  Managing director
  
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• Walmart points to ‘uncertain time’ with warning of weaker sales growth

  20-02-2025 17:30
  
  Shares of world’s biggest retailer slide after full-year revenue growth forecast fails to meet Wall Street’s expectations
  
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• Primark reveals opening date for first standalone homewares store

  20-02-2025 16:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Primark is set to open its first standalone homewares store in Belfast city centre on 6 March.
  The 8,700sq ft Primark Home will be located in Fountain House, just over 100 yards from the retailer’s flagship Bank Buildings store.
  It will stock some of the high street giant’s most popular homeware items, including bedding, towels, ceramics and small furniture.
  With the launch of a separate store for its Home concept, the retailer said it will expand the kids section at the Bank Buildin
  
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• New Look to exit Republic of Ireland with 347 jobs axed

  20-02-2025 13:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  New Look is closing all 26 of its stores in the Republic of Ireland and making its 347 shop employees redundant as it winds down its Irish operations.
  The fashion retailer said it was exiting the market after 22 years following “several years of sustained losses and challenging market conditions”.
  It has appointed Shane McCarthy and Cormac O’Connor of KPMG Ireland as provisional liquidators over the business and its assets.
  New Look said all 347 of its store employees have been
  
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• New Look to exit Ireland with 347 jobs axed

  20-02-2025 13:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  New Look is closing all 26 of its stores in the Republic of Ireland and making its 347 shop employees redundant as it winds down its Irish operations.
  The fashion retailer said it was exiting the market after 22 years following “several years of sustained losses and challenging market conditions”.
  It has appointed Shane McCarthy and Cormac O’Connor of KPMG Ireland as provisional liquidators over the business and its assets.
  New Look said all 347 of its store employees have been
  
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• Alibaba to ‘aggressively’ invest in AI over next three years

  20-02-2025 13:39
  
  Tech company’s share price up more than 50% since start of year on DeepSeek-led AI rally
  
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• Alibaba boosted by China’s AI spending boom

  20-02-2025 13:39
  
  Tech giant’s share price has risen over 50 per cent since start of year on DeepSeek-led AI rally
  
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• Walmart shares slide as retail behemoth warns of slower sales growth

  20-02-2025 13:30
  
  Group posts forecast-beating results but quarterly revenue slips behind Amazon’s for first time
  
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• Walmart shares sink as group warns of slower sales growth

  20-02-2025 13:30
  
  World’s largest retailer posts forecast-beating results but quarterly revenue slips behind Amazon’s for first time
  
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• Aldi to invest £67m in existing stores in 2025

  20-02-2025 13:24 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Aldi is investing £67m into upgrading its existing store estate this year.
  The discounter said it has spent almost £600m on improvements since 2017 and is moving on to the second stage of its store enhancement programme.
  The initial upgrades focus on creating a better shopping experience for customers by providing more space for fresh, chilled, and food-to-go ranges, alongside simpler layouts, improved fixtures and energy efficient LED lighting. Related StorySainsbury’s scales
  
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• The future of retail? More chairs, more kindness, more connection

  20-02-2025 13:01 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  A Conversation with … Liz Warner The heart of Different Kind At the heart of every successful business is its people. Not just in boardrooms and... View Article
  
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• Quiz appoints administrators

  20-02-2025 12:10 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Quiz has called in administrators in a move that has put around 200 jobs at risk. The news comes just days after the high street fashion... View Article
  
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• Sainsbury’s transforms food waste into fuel for HGVs

  20-02-2025 10:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Sainsbury’s is turning its food waste into fuel for a number of its HGV trucks.
  From March, the grocery giant’s initiative will see biofuel produced directly from its food waste power 30 trucks at its Emerald Park distribution centre in Bristol, comprising half of the site’s fleet.
  The move will save more than 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 1,950 households.
  Waste processor RenECO currently works with the supermarket
  
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• Quiz calls in administrators, 200 jobs lost

  20-02-2025 09:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Quiz has entered administration, resulting in the closure of 23 stores and the loss of approximately 200 jobs.
  The embattled fashion retailer, which delisted from the London stock exchange earlier this year, appointed Teneo as administrator after ongoing financial struggles.
  A pre-pack administration deal is set to see the remaining assets acquired by Orion Retail, a subsidiary controlled by the founding Ramzan family.
  Despite the store closures and redundancies, a significant portion of the wor
  
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• Tesco resolves website glitch affecting online shoppers

  20-02-2025 09:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Tesco has resolved a website glitch that caused disruptions for hundreds of customers attempting to place online grocery orders.
  Shoppers took to social media yesterday (19 February) to express frustration as they encountered issues with completing their online orders, with basic grocery items such as bread and milk marked as unavailable.
  According to The Guardian, the problems began around 9:30 AM, with Downdetector.com reporting over 200 faults logged by 2:00 PM. Outages affected customers fro
  
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• M&S teams up with Sir Chris Hoy to encourage more men to take a check for prostrate cancer

  20-02-2025 08:36 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Marks & Spencer has partnered with Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy and Prostate Cancer UK to launch a campaign encouraging men to take “a brief check”... View Article
  
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• In pictures: Dolce & Gabbana opens first beauty boutique in Covent Garden

  20-02-2025 08:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Dolce & Gabbana has opened the doors to its first ever beauty and accessories boutique in London’s Covent Garden.
  The luxury brand’s 850sq ft store, located in the area’s Market Building, sells a curated selection of cosmetics and signature fragrance collections, as well as offers a make-up consultation service.
  Consumers will also be able to shop from an edit of branded accessories, including Dolce&Gabbana’s range of eyewear.
  The store itself features gold panell
  
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• Club L London reports surge in turnover for 2024

  20-02-2025 07:03 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Club L London has announced that its turnover surged to £44 million in 2024. The luxury womenswear brand said its expansion into key global markets, particularly... View Article
  
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• Club L London doubled its turnover in 2024

  20-02-2025 07:03 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Club L London has announced that it doubled its turnover to £44 million in 2024. The luxury womenswear brand said its expansion into key global markets,... View Article
  
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• Selfridges to reward customers for time spent in-store

  20-02-2025 07:01 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Selfridges is enhancing its Selfridges Unlocked membership programme by rewarding customers not only for their spending but also for the time they spend in-store Launched in... View Article
  
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• The power of gamification in online shopping

  20-02-2025 07:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  E-commerce has evolved beyond simple transactions. Today, businesses compete for attention in an oversaturated digital market, and one of the most effective ways to stand out... View Article
  
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• How tokenised rewards is changing the retail world

  20-02-2025 07:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  Recent figures from the National Retail Federation (NRF) show that more than 90% of retailers see loyalty programs as an essential part of their growth strategy.... View Article
  
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• Currys teams up with Deloitte to encourage tech recycling

  20-02-2025 06:41 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Currys has partnered with Deloitte on the firm’s new ‘Recycle for Good’ scheme, which encourages Deloitte’s 25,000 UK staff to recycle their old tech and electricals... View Article
  
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• M&S partners with Sir Chris Hoy to raise awareness of prostate cancer

  20-02-2025 01:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  M&S has teamed up with Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy and Prostate Cancer UK to encourage men to take “a brief check” for prostate cancer.
  Under the campaign, the food and fashion giant is seeking to spark a nationwide conversation on prostate cancer.
  M&S and Hoy will encourage men to use Prostate Cancer UK’s online risk checker, a tool which allows men to find out their risk in 30 seconds and learn what they can do about it.
  The retailer will use its stores, website an
  
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