Retail news

• Southern Co-op leader to step down after long career in retail

  05-03-2025 20:34 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Southern Co-op has announced that Mark Smith is to step down as chief executive to focus on non-executive roles. Due to leave the organisation on 13 June,... View Article
  
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• B&Q launches campaign to help tackle gender imbalance in trade sector

  05-03-2025 19:14 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  TradePoint, the trade brand of home improvement retailer B&Q, has launched ‘Do The Lift Thing’ campaign to shine a spotlight on tradeswomen who are breaking down... View Article
  
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• Co-op admits blocking rivals from setting up nearby shops

  05-03-2025 15:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Supermarket broke rules more than 100 times across its property portfolio, competition regulator saysBusiness live – latest updatesThe Co-op has admitted to more than 100 breaches of a rule that prevents supermarkets blocking rivals from opening competing shops nearby.The UK competition watchdog said the substantial number of breaches by the mutual, which has nearly 2,400 stores, represented “a significant failure of compliance for a business of Co-op’s size”. Continue re
  
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• M&S is the ‘largest offender’ for UK clothing waste, says AllSaints founder

  05-03-2025 14:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  AllSaints founder Stuart Trevor has accused M&S of being the “largest offender” when it comes to producing clothes that end up in landfills.
  In an industry panel discussion this morning (5 March), Trevor said M&S produces the most clothes that go into landfills, particularly in markets like Ghana.
  “They’re the largest, they produce more clothes going into landfill than any other company in the world,” Trevor said.
  He added that the high street giant is
  
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• Aldi names new UK & Ireland chief financial officer

  05-03-2025 14:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Aldi UK & Ireland has named Hayleigh Lupino as its new chief financial officer.
  Lupino, who will take up the position with the discounter later this year, joins from pub group Marston’s where she worked for more than 20 years and most recently as its CFO.
  Her appointment comes as Aldi is investing £650m this year in new store openings, upgrades to existing sites, and improvements to its distribution network and infrastructure. Related StoryAldi to restructure head office, with 35
  
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• Co-op unlawfully blocked 107 rival store openings, CMA finds

  05-03-2025 13:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Co-op has admitted to unlawfully blocking over 100 rival supermarkets from opening near its stores.
  The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that the convenience store chain had breached an order which limits retailers’ ability to prevent nearby land being used by its competition.
  The watchdog said that blocking other supermarkets from opening nearby limits competition and gives shoppers less choice when trying to get cheaper prices.
  The CMA raised concerns that the 107 breach
  
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• M&S makes biggest ever investment in retail pay

  05-03-2025 12:08 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Marks & Spencer is investing £95 million in its retail pay by raising the rate for customer assistants from £12 to £12.60 per hour. For staff... View Article
  
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• How leadership styles impact retail employee and customer engagement

  05-03-2025 11:21 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Explore the effects of leadership styles on retail employees and customers, using real examples from UK retailers to give you an insight into how they work... View Article
  
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• M&S invests £95m in staff pay despite cost ‘headwinds’

  05-03-2025 10:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  M&S is investing £95m in increasing pay for over 50,000 of its retail employees.
  From 1 April, the rate of pay for UK customer assistants will rise from £12 to £12.60 per hour. This represents a 5% increase on last year and 22% jump since 2022, when Stuart Machin was named CEO.
  Customer assistants working in London will see their hourly rate increase from £13.15 to £13.85, representing a 5.3% increase on last year.
  For UK team support managers, their pay will in
  
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• Burberry ecommerce boss exits

  05-03-2025 10:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Burberry’s senior vice president of digital ecommerce Suzanne Egleton has left the luxury brand after almost three years.
  Egleton joined the British label in May 2022 and was responsible for its global digital business, including its website and third-party partnerships, Drapers reported.
  Prior to Burberry, she worked at Cath Kidston as its chief commercial officer from 2021 to 2022, and AllSaints’ global digital and marketing director between 2018 to 2021. Related StoryBurberry poac
  
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• Adidas hits hurdle as sales growth forecast weakens

  05-03-2025 09:52
  German sportswear group still pushing to be leading brand in most markets worldwide
  
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• Adidas hits a hurdle as growth forecast weakens

  05-03-2025 09:52
  German sportswear group still pushing to be leading brand in most markets worldwide
  
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• Adidas expects sales growth to weaken this year

  05-03-2025 09:52
  
  German sportswear group still pushing to be leading brand in most markets worldwide
  
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• Data: M&S sales surge as shoppers spent almost £1bn on Valentine’s Day

  05-03-2025 09:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  M&S was among one of the winners last month as shoppers spent £962m on Valentine’s Day.
  NIQ reported that spending on cut flowers was up 6.6% to £100m, perfume sales were up 11% to £19m and £137m was spent on fresh ready meals.
  It found retailers had embraced the occasion, with promotional spend contributing to 24% of sales in the week ending 15 February driven by price cuts and Dine-In offers.
  Store sales were up 4.3%, while online orders were flat at 0.7%. Rel
  
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• Data: M&S sales surge as shoppers spend almost £1bn on Valentine’s Day

  05-03-2025 09:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  M&S was among one of the winners last month as shoppers spent £962m on Valentine’s Day.
  NIQ reported that spending on cut flowers was up 6.6% to £100m, perfume sales were up 11% to £19m and £137m was spent on fresh ready meals.
  It found retailers had embraced the occasion, with promotional spend contributing to 24% of sales in the week ending 15 February driven by price cuts and Dine-In offers.
  Store sales were up 4.3%, while online orders were flat at 0.7%. Rel
  
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• Iceland’s Richard Walker: EV rollout not ‘happening fast enough’

  05-03-2025 09:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Iceland Foods boss Richard Walker admitted that the retailer missed its internal targets to transition its fleet to electric vehicles (EVs).
  The executive chairman said supermarkets and the environment risked “costly penalties” as he called on the government to “simplify the legislative and operational burdens” currently in place for EVs.
  Walker’s comments on LinkedIn came in response to a consultation on bringing forward a ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol c
  
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• Comment: Greengrocers showing shoots of growth

  05-03-2025 09:09 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Think of greengrocers and images of old-school stores and market stalls spring to mind, which have largely been usurped over the years by the major supermarkets,... View Article
  
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• Virgin Wines chief financial officer to retire

  05-03-2025 09:06 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Virgin Wines has announced that Graeme Weir is retiring from his role as chief financial officer and company secretary after 22 years with the group,  The... View Article
  
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• Virgin Wines promotes from within as CFO retires

  05-03-2025 09:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Virgin Wines chief financial officer and company secretary Graeme Weir is retiring from the company after 22 years.
  The direct-to-consumer online wine retailer said Weir played a “huge role” in the growth of the business, including leading it to a private equity-backed buyout in 2013 and its flotation in 2021.
  Weir, who will step down on 4 April, is succeeded by Virgin Wines’ head of group finance Amanda Cherry.
  Cherry, who has been at the retailer for 16 years, is a qualified
  
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• ASOS launches new premium brand

  05-03-2025 08:45 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  ASOS has launched a new premium brand called Arrange. The fashion retailer said the new offering blends directional design with a feminine edge as the retailer... View Article
  
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• Boots owner Walgreens inches closer to $10bn takeover

  05-03-2025 08:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Boots owner Walgreens is nearing closer to deal with private equity firm Sycamore Partners that would take itself off the public market.
  It is understood that an agreement between Walgreens Boots Alliance and the New York-based firm could be reached as soon as Thursday (6 March), The Wall Street Journal reported.
  Walgreens is thought to have been in talks to sell itself to private equity firm Sycamore since December.
  While a deal price has yet to be agreed on, it is understood that the tran
  
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• B&Q increases hourly rate of pay to £12.71 per hour

  05-03-2025 07:38 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  B&Q will be increasing its UK minimum hourly rate of pay for store staff to £12.71 per hour and its London rate to up to £14.05... View Article
  
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• Louis Vuitton to launch make-up

  05-03-2025 07:00
  Luxury’s biggest brand has tapped Pat McGrath to develop lip products, eye shadows and vanity cases
  
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