Retail news

• Sycamore to take Walgreens private in up to $24bn deal

  06-03-2025 23:25
  
  Buyout of group behind Boots will bring to an end the drugstore chain’s century-long run as a public company
  
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• Poundland owner receives interest from potential buyers

  06-03-2025 16:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Pepco Group boss Stephen Borchert said Poundland had already attracted interest from potential buyers amid news of them “actively exploring” a sale.
  The chief executive told Reuters that there are “definitely interested parties for this business” after the group confirmed it had put the discount chain up for sale.
  The group told shareholders on Thursday that it was “actively evaluating” all strategic options to separate the retailer from the group as it moves
  
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• First Look: Inside Primark’s first standalone homewares store

  06-03-2025 16:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Primark has opened the doors to its first standalone homewares store in Belfast city centre, just over 100 yards from the retailer’s flagship Bank Buildings store.
  It said the 8,700sq ft Primark Home, located in Fountain House, represents a £2m investment in the city centre and the creation of over 40 new retail jobs.
  The new concept stocks the brand’s most popular homeware items, including bedding, towels, ceramics and small furniture.Customers also get exclusive access to the
  
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• Poundland up for sale as budget tax changes drive up costs

  06-03-2025 15:51
  
  Owner Pepco Group considers ‘all strategic options’ amid ‘increasingly challenging UK retail landscape’Business live – latest updatesPoundland is to be put up for sale after the owner of the UK cut-price retail chain said it faced tough competition and increased wage costs from next month under Labour’s tax-raising plans.The Poland-based Pepco Group said it was considering “all strategic options” to spin out the struggling 825-store chain from the
  
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• HMV puts UK expansion on hold because of budget tax rises

  06-03-2025 14:50
  
  Retailer had hoped to open more stores in Britain in coming year but will do so in Ireland and Belgium insteadHMV has put its UK expansion on hold and is to open stores in Ireland and Belgium instead, because of rising wage costs announced in last autumn’s budget that begin next month.Phil Halliday, the managing director of the entertainment retailer, said it had hoped to open up to 10 more stores in the UK in the coming year but had put that plan on hold as it was “peddling pretty h
  
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• Poundland up for sale as owner seeks to change focus

  06-03-2025 13:05
  
  Shops selling fast-moving consumer goods ‘a drag’ on wider Pepco group, company says
  
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• Pandora appoints ex-Nespresso & G-Star exec to lead British Isles

  06-03-2025 13:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Pandora has named Nicole Clayton as its new general manager of British Isles, effective from next month.
  The jewellery giant said Clayton brings “a wealth of experience” from globally recognised consumer goods and fashion brands.
  Most recently, she served as the global chief digital officer for top FMCG brand Nestlé-Nespresso in Switzerland. Clayton will relocate to London for her new role at Pandora.
  Prior to that, she was CEO Americas of premium fashion denim brand G-Star In
  
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• Waitrose brings back Warburtons after two years

  06-03-2025 12:12 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Waitrose is selling a selection of Warburtons products again after more than two years since they were pulled from shelves.
  The upmarket grocer had stopped selling the bakery brand’s ranges following a commercial dispute over the price of crumpets and other goods.
  A Waitrose spokesman told The Telegraph: “We’re very pleased to toast the return of Warburtons crumpets and we know that our customers hole-heartedly welcome the fact that they’re back.” Related StoryWaitr
  
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• THG joins FTSE 250 following Ingenuity split

  06-03-2025 11:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  THG has been promoted to the FTSE 250 in the latest quarterly reshuffle following the demerger of its ecommerce Ingenuity business at the start of the year.
  Founder and chief executive Matthew Moulding said the company’s inclusion “marks an important moment in THG’s evolution”.
  The promotion is expected to attract index funds and active mid-cap investors, which will help increase liquidity and visibility for the stock. Related StoryTHG Ingenuity cuts jobs as it moves out
  
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• THG joins FTSE 250 following Ingentuity split

  06-03-2025 11:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  THG has been promoted to the FTSE 250 in the latest quarterly reshuffle following the demerger of its ecommerce Ingenuity business at the start of the year.
  Founder and chief executive Matthew Moulding said the company’s inclusion “marks an important moment in THG’s evolution”.
  The promotion is expected to attract index funds and active mid-cap investors, which will help increase liquidity and visibility for the stock. Related StoryTHG Ingenuity cuts jobs as it moves out
  
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• Seven & i set to list North American 7-Eleven store business

  06-03-2025 11:17
  
  Japanese group also planning $13bn share buyback and non-core assets sale under new chief as it fights takeover
  
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• Adidas confirms 500 job cuts as it lowers profit forecast

  06-03-2025 09:28 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Adidas will axe up to 500 jobs at its Herzogenaurach headquarters as part of a broader strategy to reduce operational complexity and lower costs.
  The German sportswear giant, which has around 62,000 employees worldwide, said the decision follows a strategic review of its operations.
  According to CEO Björn Gulden, the company identified these roles as “obsolete” during the restructure designed to streamline its headquarters.
  Amid the restructuring, Adidas has lowered its profit f
  
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• Abercrombie & Fitch delivers sales growth but signals a slowdown in 2025

  06-03-2025 08:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Abercrombie & Fitch has reported a 16% increase in net sales for the financial year to 1 February 2025, reaching $4.95bn (£3.85bn).
  The fashion retailer also saw a 15% year-on-year rise in operating income, totalling $740.8m (£575.7m).
  For the EMEA region, which includes the UK, net sales grew by 12% to £770m ($599m), marking it as the second-fastest growing global segment after the Americas. This performance comes amid a competitive retail environment in the UK.
  However, t
  
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• Topshop hints at Oxford Street return with latest teaser video

  06-03-2025 08:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Topshop has sparked fresh excitement among fans by hinting at a potential return to bricks-and-mortar retail on London’s iconic Oxford Street.
  The popular fashion retailer shared a video on Instagram featuring London Mayor Sadiq Khan calling for the brand to make a comeback to the famous shopping destination.
  In the video, Khan reminisces about his own Topshop shopping experiences, sharing fond memories of spending time outside the store and taking his daughters there.
   
  View this pos
  
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• Currys raises hourly pay for skilled store staff across the UK

  06-03-2025 08:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Currys has today announced an increase in its minimum hourly pay for skilled store-based colleagues, with rates rising to £12.51 per hour (£13.51 in London) effective immediately.
  The move will see more than 20,000 colleagues benefit from the increase, including a boost to the retailer’s bonus programme, which will raise the average hourly earnings across the business to £13.47.
  The new rates place the electricals giant ahead of inflation, representing a 6% increase in pa
  
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• Currys pumps millions into pay rises for skilled store staff in UK

  06-03-2025 08:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Currys has today announced an increase in its minimum hourly pay for skilled store-based colleagues, with rates rising to £12.51 per hour (£13.51 in London) effective immediately.
  The move will see more than 20,000 colleagues benefit from the increase, including a boost to the retailer’s bonus programme, which will raise the average hourly earnings across the business to £13.47.
  The new rates place the electricals giant ahead of inflation, representing a 6% increase in pa
  
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• Pepco ‘actively exploring’ Poundland sale as UK retail pressures mount

  06-03-2025 08:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Pepco Group is ‘actively exploring’ a potential sale of Poundland as it moves towards a simpler business model focused on its higher-margin Pepco brand.
  The discount retail group, which owns Pepco and Dealz in Europe and Poundland in the UK, outlined its strategic vision at its Capital Markets Day investor presentation in London today.
  It said group CEO Stephan Borchert will assume responsibility for running Pepco, with Barry Williams permanently appointed MD of Poundland.
  Borchert s
  
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• Q&A: Elliott Clayton, Managing Director, International, Epsilon

  06-03-2025 06:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Elliott Clayton is the commercial lead across all Epsilon products for UK and EMEA; working with direct brands and intermediaries. Through a connected suite of products... View Article
  
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