Retail news

• The Cotswold Company opens 13th showroom after record sales

  20-03-2025 18:55 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The Cotswold Company, the digitally-led premium handcrafted furniture and homeware brand, is set to launch its 13th UK showroom in Knutsford this summer, creating at least... View Article
  
  Read more

• The Body Shop: Suppliers to be given no more than a quarter of debts owed

  20-03-2025 16:42 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Body Shop’s suppliers are due to receive no more than around a quarter of the £219m owed to them when the chain collapsed into administration.
  The cosmetics chain was rescued from administration last September by a consortium led by Aurea Group co-founder Mike Jatania.
  In its latest progress update, administrators at FRP said Aurea Group paid at least £44.3m for the brand, The Guardian reported.
  The administrators said UK tax authorities would be paid in full from the admin
  
  Read more

• ACCC urges reform as Coles and Woolworths named among ‘most profitable’ supermarkets in world

  20-03-2025 15:00
  
  A 441-page report calls for 20 recommendations, including greater transparency around prices, special offers and ‘shrinkflation’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastColes and Woolworths increased prices during a cost-of-living crisis to boost profits and used promotions that made it hard to judge a good shopping deal, the competition regulator concluded in a major report investigating the sector.The Australia
  
  Read more

• The Body Shop’s suppliers to receive no more than a quarter of £219m owed

  20-03-2025 14:36
  Administrators say unsecured creditors also including landlords and charities will get only between 16% and 27%Business live latest updatesThe Body Shop’s suppliers, including small charities, local councils and cosmetics manufacturers, are to receive no more than about a quarter of the £219m owed to them when the ethical beauty retailer fell into administration, a report has said.The retailer, founded by Anita Roddick in 1976, now operates about 113 UK stores after it was rescued fr
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Uniqlo launches pop-up shop in Tate Modern

  20-03-2025 14:25 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Uniqlo has teamed up with the Tate Modern to celebrate the gallery’s 25th birthday.
  To celebrate the milestone, Tate Modern will hold a birthday weekender event in partnership with the clothing brand, while a new Uniqlo Tate Shop, art for all, will be open in the gallery during the summer.
  The birthday weekender will comprise of a free festival of music, making and performance, running from 9 May to 12 May.
  Visitors will see headline music acts, performances, talks, workshops, tours, and a
  
  Read more

• The White Company snaps up Charles Tyrwhitt exec as new CFO

  20-03-2025 14:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The White Company has poached Charles Tyrwhitt exec Alan Martin as its new chief financial officer.
  Martin succeeds Robert Miller, who steps down next month after a decade in the role, Drapers reported.
  Miller joined The White Company in 2015, after sitting in various finance positions across John Lewis, Debenhams and House of Fraser.
  Incoming CFO Martin joins from Charles Tyrwhitt, where he has spent the last eight years as its finance boss. He previously served as global finance director
  
  Read more

• Norway’s sovereign wealth fund buys a quarter of London’s Covent Garden

  20-03-2025 12:24
  
  Shaftesbury Capital sells stake in estate, which includes shops, market and transport museum siteBusiness live latest updatesNorway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s biggest, has made a fresh bet on the future success of central London as the country’s investment vehicle struck a £570m deal to buy a quarter of the Covent Garden estate.Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which manages $1.8tn (£1.4tn) and invests government money from the oil industry, announ
  
  Read more

• Footasylum hails record year

  20-03-2025 10:59 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Footasylum has reported a record year of growth following strong performances in its retail and wholesale channels. In the year to 25 January, total revenue climbed... View Article
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Stepping up security in retail – How SMEs can leverage cost-effective IoT solutions

  20-03-2025 10:46 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Last year, Tesco made headlines with its use of security robots to combat theft and property damage. But what about smaller retailers – how can they stay... View Article
  
  Read more

• In The Style rescued from administration

  20-03-2025 10:19 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  UK-based fast fashion retailer In The Style is understood to have been bought out of administration.
  Accounting firm FTS Recovery was taken on as administrator of the struggling fashion brand on 10 March.
  Despite no official release from its administrators, FTS Recovery owner, director and head of recovery Marco Piacquadio posted on LinkedIn yesterday that they had “saved” more than three hundred jobs at the retailer.
  The post read: “Pleased to have saved over three hundred job
  
  Read more

• Comment: Boohoo losing its youth

  20-03-2025 09:35 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  You cannot read everything from a share price of course but it is among the solid indicators of a company’s health and future prospects. Boohoo has... View Article
  
  Read more

• Wickes hit by reduced demand for big ticket home improvements

  20-03-2025 09:33 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Wickes has posted a decline in annual revenue and profit following reduced demand from customers for big ticket home improvement products. In the 52 weeks to... View Article
  
  Read more

• Empowering the Gen Z workforce to lead social commerce

  20-03-2025 09:26 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  By Mark Williams, Managing Director EMEA, WorkJam.    Social commerce is booming, and Generation Z (Gen Z) is at the forefront of this trend. Research shows... View Article
  
  Read more

• xTool launches apparel printer and presents its instore personalized solutions at London’s Retail Technology Show

  20-03-2025 09:19 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  xToola leading innovator in the DIY laser engraving industry, will showcase its xTool Apparel Printer at the Retail Technology Show in London on 2-3 April (Booth... View Article
  
  Read more

• JYSK to open tech hub in Portugal

  20-03-2025 09:14 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  JYSK, the Danish home and furniture retailer, is to open a new tech hub in Portugal as it looks to develop more IT solutions to enhance... View Article
  
  Read more

• Footasylum profits surge to ‘record’ highs, powered by new store openings

  20-03-2025 09:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Footasylum has reported another year of record sales and profits for the financial year ending 25 January 2025, driven by significant growth across both wholesale and retail channels.
  The footwear and sportswear retailer posted a 9.4% increase in total revenue, reaching £349.5m, compared to £319.5m in FY24. Operating profit surged 123% to £23.3m, up from £10.4m last year.
  The retailer said the growth was driven by a 101% rise in wholesale sales and a 4.3% increase in tota
  
  Read more

• Data: Quarter of a million retail jobs lost in five years

  20-03-2025 08:54 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The UK retail sector has shed nearly a quarter of a million jobs over the past five years, with the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealing a significant decline in employment.
  As of December 2024, there were 2.88 million retail jobs in the UK, traditionally the highest point of the year due to seasonal increases during the Christmas period.
  However, the four-quarter average showed a drop to 2.84 million jobs, marking a decline of 70,000 from the previous year and 249
  
  Read more

• Wickes targets long-term growth despite profit and revenue dip in FY24

  20-03-2025 08:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Wickes is targeting a “significant opportunity for long-term growth” after delivering “strong market outperformance in FY24” despite a challenging trading environment.
  The home improvement retailer reported a 1.8% increase in total group sales to £738.9m in the 26 weeks to 28 December, with retail sales up 3% to £579.1m, driven by strong demand for interior paint, decorative accessories, and garden projects.
  Like-for-like sales in its design & installation
  
  Read more

• Wickes profits slip as cautious consumer spending hits FY24 performance

  20-03-2025 08:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Wickes is targeting a “significant opportunity for long-term growth” after delivering “strong market outperformance in FY24” despite a challenging trading environment.
  The home improvement retailer reported a 1.8% increase in total group sales to £738.9m in the 26 weeks to 28 December, with retail sales up 3% to £579.1m, driven by strong demand for interior paint, decorative accessories, and garden projects.
  Like-for-like sales in its design & installation
  
  Read more

• Space NK to open largest store outside of London

  20-03-2025 08:04 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Space NK has committed to opening its largest store outside of London at Birmingham’s Bullring. The beauty and cosmetics retailer has signed for a 5,500 square... View Article
  
  Read more

• Panerai appoints new chief executive

  20-03-2025 07:41 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Panerai has appointed Emmanuel Perrin as its new chief executive. Currently serving as head of specialist watchmakers distribution at the luxury brand, he will take up... View Article
  
  Read more

• Rate of UK shop closures expected to rise after budget tax changes – report

  20-03-2025 07:00
  
  More than 12,800 stores shut in 2024, down on 2023, but extra costs expected to take toll this year, study suggestsThe UK’s high streets are expected to empty out at a faster pace this year as extra costs imposed on businesses by Rachel Reeves are blamed for shops closing and a slowdown in chain store openings.The rate of store closures is forecast to rise again as a result of the chancellor’s tax-raising budget last October, after a slowdown to 10 a day last year from 13 a day in 20
  
  Read more

• Can consumers keep their data secure while shopping online?

  20-03-2025 07:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  In the digital age, online shopping has become an integral part of our lives. From clothing to electronics, almost anything can be bought with just a... View Article
  
  Read more

• Data: 2024 store closures hit second-lowest level in a decade

  20-03-2025 01:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Net shop closures across the UK stabilised in 2024 as openings across retail parks accelerated and the rate of closures across high streets and shopping centres slowed.
  Last year, closures across chain retail stores, leisure venues and service outlets fell 13.5% year-on-year to 12,804, according to data from PwC and Green Street.
  These closures, which equated 35 per day, were the second lowest recorded level over the last decade, behind 2022, and stood at 3802 in net terms.
  Store openings over 2
  
  Read more

• Consumer confidence stabilises as Gen Z gears up to spend

  20-03-2025 01:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Consumer confidence stabilised in March following a record low last month, as Gen Z geared up spend.
  Expectations around personal spending on retail over the next three months rose from -5 last month to 0, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), while expectations around personal spending overall climbed from +4 in February to +11 in March.
  Consumer expectations for the broader economy over the next three months edged up to -35 in March from -37 in February.
  The BRC’s CEO Helen D
  
  Read more

Follow @retailuknws on Twitter!