Retail news

• Morrison’s pluck makes for a win despite chicken tax loss 

  16-12-2025 18:19
  In a sector as cut-throat as UK supermarkets, every penny of publicity counts
  
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• The surprising survival of fashion catalogues

  16-12-2025 16:00
  Why brands such as Me+Em and Toast are championing an old-school print format in our online age
  
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• Morrisons loses £17m tax dispute over rotisserie chickens

  16-12-2025 15:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Morrisons has lost a VAT battle following a court ruling that its rotisserie chickens were hot food.
  The grocery giant, which recently set out ambitious net-zero targets, has been hit with a £17m bill after losing a 13-year court fight against HMRC to stop VAT from being charged on its rotisserie chickens.
  The UK high court ruled that whole cooked cool-down chickens should be subject to the standard 20% VAT rate for hot food.
  The battle originates from changes brought in by former chancell
  
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• M&S Charlton workers taken to hospital after suspected ‘carbon monoxide leak’

  16-12-2025 15:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Eleven people have been taken to hospital for suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at M&S’ Charlton store this morning (16 December).
  An additional 19 received treatment from emergency crews and were discharged from the scene outside the supermarket’s south-east London site.
  An M&S spokesperson told Retail Gazette: “Our Charlton store is temporarily closed as we investigate an incident that happened earlier this morning, we hope to reopen as soon as possible.”
  It i
  
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• Retail jobs slump to ‘record low’, says ONS

  16-12-2025 13:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The number of UK retail jobs has hit a record low, the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) latest report has revealed. 
  There were 2.76m retail jobs in September, according to the ONS.
  The four-quarter average, which smooths out the seasonal fluctuations in hiring, showed 2.82m jobs in September, making it 74,000 fewer than last year and 355,000 fewer than in 2015. 
  Using the four-quarter average, there were 1.3m full-time and 1.53m part-time jobs across the industry. 
  The
  
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• Roasted! Morrisons loses £17m VAT battle over rotisserie chickens

  16-12-2025 11:44
  High court rules whole cooked cool-down chickens should be subject to standard 20% tax rate for hot foodBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK supermarket chain Morrisons faces a £17m tax bill after losing a lengthy court battle against HMRC over the charging of value added tax (VAT) on rotisserie chicken.The high court has ruled that whole cooked cool-down chickens should be subject to the standard 20% VAT rate for hot food. Continue reading...
  
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• Temu unveils app for Shopify sellers

  16-12-2025 11:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Temu has rolled out an app for Shopify merchants enabling them to list and manage goods on its platform directly from their Shopify accounts. 
  The app, which is available on the Shopify app store, allows merchants to access Temu’s local seller program across over 30 markets where it operates, such as the UK, US, Canada, Germany, Spain, and Australia.
  Via the app, the ecommerce firm’s sellers can manage their product listings, inventory, and fulfillment from one place, leading to
  
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• Vision Express names TV presenter Emma Willis as new brand ambassador

  16-12-2025 10:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Optical retailer Vision Express has appointed television presenter Emma Willis as its new brand ambassador to front a campaign focused on confidence, eye health and the role of eyewear in everyday life.
  Announced today (16 December), the partnership forms part of Vision Express’s new Step Out With Confidence campaign, which is underpinned by consumer research highlighting the emotional impact of poor vision.
  Willis, who is a long-time glasses wearer, will work with Vision Express to promot
  
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• Boots scales rapid delivery to 500 UK stores ahead of Christmas peak

  16-12-2025 10:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Boots has expanded its on-demand delivery proposition to 500 stores nationwide, significantly increasing last-minute fulfilment capacity as Christmas approaches, the business said.
  The health and beauty retailer now offers rapid delivery on more than 10,000 products, including over 1,600 gift lines, with some orders arriving in as little as 30 minutes.
  In a further move aimed at capturing late demand, selected stores will extend delivery availability until midnight on Christmas Eve, traditionall
  
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• Greggs welcomes ex-Tesco finance chief as non-executive director

  16-12-2025 10:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Greggs has appointed former Tesco finance boss Richard Smothers as a new independent non-executive director, effective 1 February 2026.
  Smothers is set to assume the position of chair of the audit committee from 6 March. He will join the audit, nominations and remuneration committees upon appointment.
  The food to go retailer’s non-executive director and current chair of the audit committee, Kate Ferry, will step down from the board on 6 March. 
  Smothers worked as chief financial offic
  
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• Greggs opens ‘Bitesize Greggs’ at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet

  16-12-2025 09:01 via theretailbulletin.com
  Greggs has opened one of its new ‘Bitesize Greggs’ stores at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet. The smaller format was launched at Sevenoaks Railway Station in November... View Article
  
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• Pandora completes chief executive transition

  16-12-2025 08:23 via theretailbulletin.com
  Pandora has announced that its chief marketing officer Berta de Pablos-Barbier will become its new chief executive on 1 January. As confirmed back in September, de... View Article
  
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• Retail under siege: the rise of AI-driven cybercrime

  16-12-2025 07:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  This is the first in a series of articles, featuring exclusive insight from Richard Meeus, EMEA director of security technology and strategy at Akamai and Stephen Faulkner, chief technologist for security at CDW UK.
  Richard Meeus
  There’s no time in the retail calendar as vital as the Golden Quarter. According to Adobe data, UK consumers spent an eye-watering £1.12 billion on Black Friday alone in 2024. Needless to say, getting your strategy in place for another record-breaking year i
  
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• Morrisons loses £17mn VAT fight as court rules rotisserie chickens are hot food

  16-12-2025 06:00
  High court rules product should be subject to the 20 per cent tax rate after 13-year case
  
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• Morrisons loses £17mn food fight as chicken tax comes home to roost

  16-12-2025 06:00
  High court rules rotisserie product should be subject to the 20 per cent VAT rate for hot food
  
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