Retail news

• Chinese authorities summon Walmart executives over Trump’s tariffs

  12-03-2025 20:19 via ft.com
  Move comes after reports that retailer asked its suppliers to cut prices in response to US levies
  
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• Poor results at Puma and Zara owner fuel fears of slowing US consumer demand

  12-03-2025 19:17
  
  Inditex shares plunge as some analysts say data suggests falling demand across Americas amid tariff uncertaintyBusiness live – latest updatesUnexpectedly poor results from the sports brand Puma and the fashion group Inditex, which owns Zara, have fuelled fears about slowing consumer appetite in the US amid uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.Shares in Puma dived by more than a fifth as the company warned that sales growth this year would be slower than hoped as “geopolitica
  
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• Retailers improve colleague and customer safety: Interview with Mike Jennings, Head of Retail at Reveal Media

  12-03-2025 16:56 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Delegates at Retail HR North on the 6thFebruary were impressed by your passion for the safety and well-being of staff, as well as customers. It was... View Article
  
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• Asda cuts more than 200 jobs following botched IT upgrade

  12-03-2025 16:53 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda has axed hundreds of jobs connected to its botched £800m IT upgrade.
  More than 200 employees have been sacked without consultation in the latest round of job cuts from the supermarket chain, The Telegraph reported.
  It comes as the retailer has spent much of the past year busy untangling thousands of programmes responsible for its checkouts, administration and payroll from those of former owner Walmart.
  Asda had hired hundreds of workers to carry out the changeover, dubbed Project Futu
  
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• Asda cuts more than 200 jobs behind IT upgrade

  12-03-2025 16:53 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda has axed hundreds of jobs connected to its botched £800m IT upgrade.
  More than 200 employees that were contracted to work on the transformation and separation of the supermarket’s IT system from former owner Walmart have been dismissed this week.
  It is understood that more staff will be leaving in the coming weeks and months as they complete their roles on the Project Future changeover.
  The retailer has spent much of the past year busy untangling thousands of programmes responsi
  
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• Asda axes over 200 jobs amid beleaguered IT upgrade

  12-03-2025 16:53 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Asda has axed hundreds of jobs connected to its botched £800m IT upgrade.
  More than 200 employees that were contracted to work on the transformation and separation of the supermarket’s IT system from former owner Walmart have been dismissed this week.
  It is understood that more staff will be leaving in the coming weeks and months as they complete their roles on the Project Future changeover.
  The retailer has spent much of the past year untangling thousands of programmes responsible f
  
  Read more

• Primark ups pay for thousands of store colleagues

  12-03-2025 16:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Primark has become the latest retailer to unveil new pay rates for store colleagues.
  Retail assistants across England, Scotland and Wales will see their hourly pay rise 4% from £12 to £12.48, while those based in London will see their rates increase from £12.56 to £13.06 per hour.
  The pay rise is effective from 1 April and will apply to 28,000 Primark employees. Related StoryInterview: Pinterest MD on turning home trends into reality with its Primark collab12/03/2025 x 1:
  
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• Poor sales at Puma and Zara owner fuel fears of slowing US consumer demand

  12-03-2025 14:50
  Inditex shares plunge as some analysts say data suggests falling demand across Americas amid tariff uncertaintyBusiness live – latest updatesUnexpectedly poor results from the sports brand Puma and the fashion group Inditex, which owns Zara, have fuelled fears about slowing consumer appetite in the US amid uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.Shares in Puma dived by more than a fifth as the company warned that sales growth this year would be slower than hoped as “geopolitica
  
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• Poundland owner appoints advisors to handle sale

  12-03-2025 14:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Poundland owner Pepco has formally appointed advisors at Teneo to handle the sale of the discount chain.
  The group revealed it was “actively exploring” a sale of the business last week as it claimed the UK retail market remains “increasingly challenging” and additional tax changes from next month will impact the retailer’s cost base.
  Pepco said Poundland had continued to experience a negative like-for-like sales performance for the first two months of the year, with
  
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• Seasalt warns of redundancies following ‘unprecedented’ cost pressures

  12-03-2025 14:14 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Seasalt has warned of “a number” of redundancies across its operations as the business deals with “increased tax burdens following the budget”.
  The fashion retailer has put an unspecified number of roles across its business into consultation after “thoroughly reviewing” its cost base.
  The retailer, which operates more than 60 stores across the UK and Ireland, said the measures will enable the business to “continue investing in our growth plans” whi
  
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• Interview: Pinterest MD on turning home trends into reality with its Primark collab

  12-03-2025 14:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Primark has long been a leader in providing affordable, on-trend home décor, but its latest collaboration with Pinterest brings a new level of innovation.
  By tapping into Pinterest’s real-time trend data, the high street retailer has launched three new collections—Cosy Cottage, Minamaluxe, and Dainty Décor— inspired by trending homeware searches on the platform.These collections can now be found more than 100 stores, as well as across 70 store windows, with Pinter
  
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• Debenhams is back, but it is still boo hoo to UK homegrown fast fashion

  12-03-2025 14:06 via ft.com
  
  Group is right to pin its fortunes to the storied British brand
  
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• Lidl links users loyalty app data to Meta and Google

  12-03-2025 13:58 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Lidl has launched cross-platform advert targeting, allowing its loyalty scheme members to receive personalised ads across Google and Meta.
  Lidl Plus users this week received a notification asking for permission for the supermarket chain to share their data with Google and Meta, The Grocer reported.
  The statement read: “We use Lidl data to tailor the marketing you see on Google, Meta and The Trade Desk partner platforms. We also transfer your device identifiers based on in-app actions to th
  
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• Vinted to open pre-loved luxury fashion London pop-up

  12-03-2025 13:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Vinted is opening its first ever second-hand luxury fashion pop-up in London later this month.
  House of Vinted will be located in the city’s The Adria hotel and is open to the platform’s members by invitation only from 22 March.
  Guests will be able to explore themed rooms with curated wardrobes from luxury style creators like Victoria Magrath, Susia Lau and Simran Randhawa.
  Each space will showcase clothing and accessories that have been sourced through Vinted, its archives or from t
  
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• CXA announces its latest partner with CX market leader, Medallia

  12-03-2025 09:42 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Customer Experience Alliance (CXA) has officially announced its partnership with Medallia, a leading innovator in customer and employee experience management. This collaboration marks a significant... View Article
  
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• Cake Box to acquire Ambala Foods

  12-03-2025 09:24 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Cake Box, the retailer of egg-free celebration cakes, has agreed to acquire Ambala Foods in a £22 million deal. This consists of £16 million for Ambala... View Article
  
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• Superdry relaunches Cult sub-brand

  12-03-2025 09:19 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Superdry has relaunched its Cult sub-brand with a dedicated website and rebrands at its Oxford Street and White City stores.
  The fashion retailer described the relaunch as “our fresh, trend-driven, sub-brand designed for the next generation”.
  It said the collection “champions effortless style, featuring premium cotton collegiate looks, relaxed-fit denim, statement knitwear and must-have accessories”. Related StorySuperdry extends Australian licensing deal14/02/2025 x 3:49
  
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• Freemans enjoys sales boost thanks to Sophie Ellis Baxtor

  12-03-2025 09:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Freemans reported a 13% sales increase during its last quarter of 2024 as its strategy to target the 40-plus female shopper with a Sophie Ellis-Bextor campaign paid off.
  The online department store, which launched its Christmas campaign with the Murder on the Dancefloor singer at the end of October, said it had extended its contract with Ellis-Bextor for 2025 to include its autumn winter collection.
  It comes as fashion sales rose 5% in the 14 weeks to 20 December, while home and living surged 18
  
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• Zara owner Inditex profits and sales jump

  12-03-2025 08:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Zara owner Inditex enjoyed a strong FY24 as it posted a 10% increase in pre-tax profit to £6.39bn (€7.6bn) in the year to 31 January, up from £5.79bn (€6.9bn).
  Sales for the Spanish fashion giant jumped 10.5% in currency-neutral terms to £32.5bn (€38.6bn), which it attributed to a positive performance across all its fashion brands.
  The group, which owns Massimo Dutti, Stradivarius and Bershka, said its collections had been well received by customers, helping to p
  
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• TRB Event: The Future of the High Street

  12-03-2025 08:50 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Building on the success of last year’s inaugural conference, we’re thrilled to announce that The Retail Bulletin’s Future of the High Street will return to London... View Article
  
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• M&S donates over 100 million meals though Neighbourly partnership

  12-03-2025 08:48 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Marks & Spencer has donated the equivalent of over 100 million meals to good causes since teaming up with food redistribution partner Neighbourly in 2015. The... View Article
  
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• Stila appoints chief financial officer and chief operating officer

  12-03-2025 08:01 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Stila Cosmetics has appointed Steve Rosen as chief financial officer and David Reece as chief operating officer. With over 30 years’ experience in the cosmetics industry,... View Article
  
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• Waitrose launches net zero fund for British farmers

  12-03-2025 07:45 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Waitrose has launched a £500,000 fund to support its British farmers and producers in their transition to net zero emissions. Part of of the supermarket’s Farming... View Article
  
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• The US CEO thrust into Japan’s biggest takeover battle

  12-03-2025 06:00 via ft.com
  
  Incoming Seven & i chief Stephen Dacus faces challenges over raising shareholder value and $47bn bid for Japanese chain
  
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