Retail news

• Shoplifting offences in UK reach highest level on record, figures reveal

  24-04-2025 19:49
  
  Number of recorded offences rose to 516,971 last year, though retailers fear data ‘severely underestimates’ scale of problemThe number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales has risen to the highest level on record, according to official figures, surpassing half a million offences for the first time in 2024.A total of 516,971 shoplifting offences were recorded last year, a 20% increase on the 429,873 recorded in 2023, according to the Office for National Stat
  
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• Shoplifting offences in England and Wales at highest level ever recorded

  24-04-2025 19:49
  
  Total increased to 516,971 last year, official figures show, but retailers fear data ‘severely underestimates’ problemThe number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales has risen to the highest level on record, according to official figures, surpassing half a million offences for the first time in 2024.A total of 516,971 shoplifting offences were recorded last year, a 20% increase on the 429,873 in 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics. Continu
  
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• The Original Factory Shop puts 1,000 jobs at risk under survival plan

  24-04-2025 18:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Original Factory Shop owner Modella Capital is planning to impose steep rent cuts across half the retailer’s store estate, putting nearly 1,000 jobs at risk.
  According to Sky News, the private equity owner is planning to renegotiate rents at 88 of the discount chain’s 178 stores as part of a company voluntary arrangement (CVA).
  TOFS, which employs about 2,000 people, said it has informed staff about the restructuring plans and has launched a consultation with impacted shop staff
  
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• John Lewis Partnership appoints chief financial officer

  24-04-2025 17:38 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The John Lewis Partnership has appointed Andy Mounsey as chief financial officer on a permanent basis. Mounsey has been serving as interim chief financial officer since... View Article
  
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• Asda denies claims ‘thousands’ of complaints were made over facial recognition pilot

  24-04-2025 16:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda has denied claims about being sent “thousands” of complaints about its facial recognition trial, saying it has only received 89.
  The supermarket chain came under fire from privacy campaigning organisation Big Brother Watch, which claimed Asda’s facial recognition trial at five of its Greater Manchester Stores had amassed over 5,000 complaints from shoppers.
  The two-month trial went live in March and is designed to scan facial images and compare the results to a list of kno
  
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• Data: Seven out of ten retail staff trust AI to keep them safe at work

  24-04-2025 15:46 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Seven out of ten UK frontline retail workers trust AI and automation to keep them safe at work, amid wider concerns over potential job losses, according to new research.
  When it comes to tech on the frontline, 29% of retail workers believe AI will make work safer by taking on dangerous tasks instead of humans,  27% think it will spot risks humans might miss, and 25% think it will help with predicting and preventing accidents, according to workplace operations and improvement platform Safety
  
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• Topshop to make high street return through wholesale retail partners

  24-04-2025 15:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Topshop is preparing to make a comeback on the high street through new wholesale partnerships with brick-and-mortar retailers.
  Owner Asos said it had signed agreements with select wholesale partners to bring the brand back into physical retail, but that it was first focused on relaunching a standalone website for Topshop.
  The online fashion giant’s chief executive José Antonio Ramos Calamonte said the retailer had spent “two years rebuilding the product assortment of Topshop&r
  
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• Topshop to return to high street with outlets in other retailers’ stores

  24-04-2025 14:29
  Fashion brand also relaunching stand-alone website as owner Asos reveals sales continue to slideTopshop is to return to the high street via other retailers’ stores, its owner Asos has announced as it played down the impact of rapidly changing tariffs and tax rules on its US sales.The UK online fashion specialist said it had already signed deals to sell Topshop clothing to a number of retail partners and was looking for more, but the first step to a more independent image for the brand woul
  
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• Topshop to return to high street via other retailers’ stores

  24-04-2025 14:29
  Fashion brand also relaunching stand-alone website as owner Asos reveals sales continue to slideTopshop is to return to the high street via other retailers’ stores, its owner Asos has announced as it played down the impact of rapidly changing tariffs and tax rules on its US sales.The UK online fashion specialist said it had already signed deals to sell Topshop clothing to a number of retail partners and was looking for more, but the first step to a more independent image for the brand woul
  
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• Data: Shoplifting soars to highest levels since police records began

  24-04-2025 13:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Shoplifting in England and Wales is now at its highest level since police records began, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
  Shoplifting offences surged 20% to 516,971 cases in the year ending December 2024, up from 429,873 the year before. This is the highest since current police recording practices began in March 2003.
  However, British Retail Consortium director of business and regulation Tom Ironside said the ONS figures “severely underestimate the pr
  
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• Freemans expands menswear range to offer ‘same quality and choice for chaps’

  24-04-2025 13:20 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Freemans is launching an expansion of its menswear range in a bid to offer the same quality and choice of clothing to men as women.
  Launching for the spring and summer, the online retailer, which saw a 13% sales boost over its last quarter, is expanding its existing selection including Superdry, North Face, and Joe Browns, and bringing in a host of new third-party brands.
  Freemans is rolling out four key changes set to provide shoppers with its best-ever menswear offering.
  The retailer is focusi
  
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• Screwfix updates Sprint service to deliver in 20 minutes

  24-04-2025 12:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Screwfix has updated its Sprint service to deliver thousands of products in as little as 20 minutes.
  The move means customers can order from the 8,500 products on the retailer’s app and have them delivered in just over a quarter of an hour – less than the 60 minutes timeframe it had previously.
  Screwfix Sprint, which launched in 2021 now serves 58% of the UK, with almost 80,000 customers using the delivery service, the retailer said.
  It added that its most popular store locations for
  
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• Harrods’ H Beauty returns with circus-themed pop-up tour across UK cities

  24-04-2025 12:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Harrods’ beauty concept H beauty is going on tour over the spring, with circus themed pop-ups across towns including London, Edinburgh, Chester and Glasgow.
  The retailer will first launch with a pink circus tent at Covent Garden from 2 May to 5 May before moving to its other UK sites.
  Inside the tent, shoppers will be able to find a beauty wonderland filled with shopping opportunities, surprises and treats.
  Visitors can enjoy a facial from skincare brand Elemis, a mini makeover from Charlo
  
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• John Lewis Partnership confirms Andy Mounsey as permanent CFO

  24-04-2025 10:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  John Lewis Partnership has appointed Andy Mounsey as its chief financial officer on a permanent basis, following a successful interim period in the role since autumn 2024.
  Mounsey, who has been with the Waitrose owner for 13 years, has held multiple roles in the finance department including most recently as group finance and strategy director.
  Mounsey said: “I’m honored and excited to take on the role of chief financial officer at such a transformative time for the Partnership.
  
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• Topps Tiles’ £9m CTD Tiles takeover gets green light

  24-04-2025 10:54 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Topps Tiles has received approval from the Competition and Markets Authority for its £9m takeover of CTD Tiles.
  The group reported that the watchdog “did not identify any competition concerns in 26 out of 30 CTD retail store locations or in either the CTD Architectural or Housebuilder businesses, which operate on a national basis”.
  The retailer has agreed to sell the four remaining stores in Dorking, Edinburgh, Inverness, and Aberdeen that the CMA had initally raised competitio
  
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• Asos CEO unfazed by US tariff challenges: ‘We’re prepared for whatever comes’

  24-04-2025 10:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asos has said it is well placed to navigate upcoming changes to US trade tariffs, with CEO José Antonio Ramos Calamonte stating: “We’re prepared for whatever that might come.”
  Calamonte noted that less than 5% of the retailer’s US sales come from Chinese-origin products, reducing the risk of potential disruptions as the US moves to tighten de minimis trade rules.
  At the start of the year, the business implemented a hybrid shipping model that includes fulfilment fro
  
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• Asos improves profitability despite sales fall

  24-04-2025 09:55 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Asos has seen a significant improvement in first half adjusted EBIDTA which swung to £42.5 million from £16.3 million a year earlier as its new commercial... View Article
  
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• Waitrose teams up with Who Gives A Crap on its first FMCG branded Bag for Life

  24-04-2025 09:18 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Waitrose has teamed up with eco-friendly toilet paper brand Who Gives A Crap to launch its first ever Bag for Life created in collaboration with an... View Article
  
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• Clean up on aisle four: the Toys R Us movie shows shopping and cinema are now interchangeable

  24-04-2025 09:16
  
  The retail chain that filed for bankruptcy in 2017 believes a film starring mass produced kids’ merch will be a good way to refresh its brand relevance. Let’s all blame Barbie …Seth Rogen’s Apple TV+ show The Studio has a compelling character at the centre; a studio executive who loves cinema but is forced to churn out endless soulless dreck based on increasingly miserable IP. In real life, however, it would be silly to assume that someone would be creatively barren enou
  
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• Crew Clothing returns to Cheltenham

  24-04-2025 09:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Crew Clothing will return to Cheltenham this month with the opening of a new store on the Promenade. The move forms part of the lifestyle fashion... View Article
  
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