Retail news

• Harrods is latest UK retailer to suffer cyber attack

  01-05-2025 20:18 via ft.com
  Trio of incidents shows heightened security risks for groups with large customer databases
  
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• Harrods is latest retailer to be hit by cyber-attack

  01-05-2025 20:08
  Luxury department store is forced to shut some systems but website and shops continue to operateHarrods has been hit by a cyber-attack, just days after Marks & Spencer and the Co-op were targeted.The luxury department store is understood to have been forced to shut down some systems, but said its website and all its stores, including the Knightsbridge flagship, H beauty and airport outlets, continued to operate. It is understood the retailer first realised it was being targeted earlier this
  
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• Reduce clothing waste by buying less, but better | Letters

  01-05-2025 19:00
  Readers respond to an article on consumer frustrations with recycling used clothingRe your article (‘You sold it – now recycle it’: the protesters mailing worn-out clothes to the shops they bought them from, 29 April), a significant percentage of the used-clothing waste stream consists of plastic zips and buttons, nylon ribbons and mile upon mile of polyester sewing thread, which will still be plastic even when it breaks up into microfibre. This is all devastating to wildlife,
  
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• McDonald’s US sales drop by most since height of pandemic

  01-05-2025 17:26 via ft.com
  Economic ‘pressures’ and consumer uncertainty over tariffs reduce traffic at burger chain’s restaurants
  
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• M&S pauses recruitment following cyberattack

  01-05-2025 15:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  M&S has paused recruitment as it grapples with the impacts of an ongoing cyberattack.
  The food and fashion giant has taken down all of its online job adverts and paused recruitment following the ransomware attack, The Telegraph reported.
  The M&S website said that it was hiring for 232 positions throughout its warehouses, stores and offices as of 22 April. However, the retailer now says it has no open roles.
  A banner on its job website reads: “Sorry, you can’t search for or ap
  
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• Space NK owner puts beauty chain up for sale

  01-05-2025 15:42 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Space NK owner Manzanita Capital has launched a formal sale process of the beauty chain, more than a year since it appointed bankers to handle the sale.
  According to Sky News, prospective bidders have been approached in recent weeks.
  Manzanita Capital drafted in bankers at Raymond James last April to oversee an auction that could see the retailer fetch between £300m and £400m. Related StorySpace NK to open largest store outside of London in Birmingham19/03/2025 x 1:11 PMThe private e
  
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• M&S unable to take on new workers as disruptions continue after cyber-attack

  01-05-2025 15:18
  Retailer pulls all job postings from its website after attack as experts try to restore servicesBusiness live – latest updatesMarks & Spencer is unable to hire new workers as the retailer continues to suffer disruption to its operations caused by a cyber-attack.The company confirmed on Thursday that it had pulled all online job postings from its website as tech experts tried to resolve problems on its platforms. Continue reading...
  
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• Morrisons tests aisle roaming bots to check products

  01-05-2025 13:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Morrisons is testing out aisle-roaming “tally” robots in its stores to monitor how goods are being displayed on shelves.
  The supermarket chain is trialling the robots, which are said to be the world’s first autonomous inventory bot, across its Wetherby, Redcar and Stockton stores, The Grocer reported.
  The bots use computer vision and AI to independently move through supermarket aisles multiple times per day to collect data.
  They can capture 15,000 to 30,000 items per hour and s
  
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• Co-op staff told to keep cameras on in meetings after hack attempt

  01-05-2025 13:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Co-op has informed employees to keep their cameras on during remote work meetings as the company deals with an ongoing cyberattack.
  The convenience store chain urged its 70,000 workforce to remain vigilant as its IT teams work to protect their systems.
  Co-op also told staff not to record or transcribe calls, or post any sensitive information into Teams chats, the BBC reported.
  It comes after the retailer confirmed it had to shut down parts of its IT systems in response to hackers trying to gain
  
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• Next-level CX: 5 must-have strategies for online retail in 2025

  01-05-2025 11:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Online retail in 2025 is shaping up to be a challenging arena. Among the quagmire of noise within the space, the brands that are cutting through aren’t just keeping up with change – they’re driving it. With consumers expecting instant gratification, deeper personalisation, and seamless interactions across every touchpoint, it’s vital that retailers evolve beyond transactions and create experiences that feel intuitive, engaging and frictionless.
  Rupert Firmstone, Global He
  
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• Greggs saves five million meals from going to waste across the UK

  01-05-2025 10:51 via theretailbulletin.com
  Greggs has prevented more than five million meals from going to waste across the UK through its partnership with Too Good To Go. The food-to-go retailer... View Article
  
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• B&M appoints interim chief executive

  01-05-2025 10:14 via theretailbulletin.com
  B&M has appointed Mike Schmidt as its interim chief executive following the retirement of Alex Russo. The variety retailer announced back in February that Russo would... View Article
  
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• Deliveroo launches virtual store concept with Ann Summers and Maplin

  01-05-2025 09:30 via theretailbulletin.com
  Deliveroo has launched a new virtual store concept for retailers which has included Ann Summers and Maplin Electronics taking fully branded storefronts. Both brands’ virtual stores... View Article
  
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• Tapi set to open next tranche of ex-Carpetright stores

  01-05-2025 09:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Tapi has confirmed the opening dates for its next set of stores located in the former Carpetright units as it ploughs investment into its store network.
  The flooring specialist will open another four locations this month in Basildon, Coventry, Crawley and Leeds Birstall after unveiling 21 new shops so far this spring.
  It comes after Tapi, which has more than 170 stores across the UK, acquired Carpetright’s brand, two of its warehouses and 54 retail units out of administration last July. Re
  
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• Aldi doubles apprenticeship funding for small businesses

  01-05-2025 09:06 via theretailbulletin.com
  Aldi has announced that it will gift £2 million to small and medium-sized businesses over the next two years to help them fund a range of... View Article
  
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• Puma relocates UK head office from London to Manchester

  01-05-2025 09:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Puma is set to relocate its UK head office from London to the new Circle Square development in Manchester.
  The sportswear brand has signed a 20,000sq ft workspace at the £87m development located on the Oxford Road Corridor.
  Puma said its new base in Manchester “is already home to a growing community of retail tech and digital-first businesses, making it a future-facing base for Puma’s UK operations and a strategic step in its ongoing transformation”.
  The relocation comes
  
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• In pictures: Sports Direct opens new Westfield Stratford store

  01-05-2025 08:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Sports Direct has expanded its footprint in London with the opening of a new 20,000sq ft store at Westfield Stratford City.
  The retailer said the two-storey site brings “a next-generation sports and lifestyle experience to East London”.The new store features a range of sports and leisurewear from global brands including Nike, Adidas, Puma, Under Armour and New Balance.
   Sports Direct Westfield Stratford houses the retailer’s Running and Outdoor concepts, as well as dedicat
  
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• Puma to relocate UK headquarters to Manchester

  01-05-2025 08:52 via theretailbulletin.com
  The Puma sportswear brand is to move its UK headquarters from London to Manchester after signing for 20,000 square feet of workspace at Circle Square, the... View Article
  
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• Frasers plots members-only Matches relaunch

  01-05-2025 08:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Frasers Group is considering relaunching Matches Fashion as an exclusive members’ club almost a year after it put the luxury fashion platform into administration.
  The Sports Direct owner, which bought the brand back in a pre-pack deal, has put together proposals to turn the brand into the “Soho House of retail”, The Times reported.
  The retail giant acquired the Matches brand and intellectual property out of administration last April for £19m. The pre-pack deal did no
  
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• How similar are margins in online sports platforms and retail?

  01-05-2025 08:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  A common term thrown around when talking about the retail industry is “margins”, which is something that all companies live or fall by. In simple terms,... View Article
  
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• How ‘native English’ Scattered Spider group linked to M&S attack operate

  01-05-2025 07:00
  Cybersecurity expert says group are ‘unusual but potently threatening’ coalition of ransomware hackersIf there is one noticeable difference between some members of the Scattered Spider hacking community and their ransomware peers, it will be the accent.Scattered Spider has been linked to a cyber-attack on UK retailer Marks & Spencer. But unlike other ransomware assailants, its constituents appear to be native English speakers and are not from Russia or former Soviet states. Conti
  
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• [ LEARNING ] AI for Organizational Leaders by Microsoft and LinkedIn

  01-05-2025 03:10 via theretailbulletin.com
  In this learning path, you’ll learn how to make informed decisions about AI adoption and application as an organizational leader. You’ll evaluate the business implications of... View Article
  
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