Retail news

• Asda moves into wholesale with new convenience store format

  14-08-2026 11:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda has launched a new wholesale convenience model, with initial rollouts covering three stores in Glasgow.
  The company has invested £1 million in the launch of Asda Convenience, which will initially be trialled with Scottish independent operator One-O-One.
  The three stores will operate under the new Asda Convenience fascia and stock around 3,500 products, including Asda own-label lines, fresh and chilled groceries and food-to-go.
  Asda said the trial would allow it to refine the model bef
  
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• Aldi joins forces with Freedom4Girls to urge all UK supermarkets to offer free period products

  14-08-2026 16:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Aldi has joined its charity partner Freedom4Girls in urging more supermarkets to provide free period products in store toilets.
  Julia Ashfield, chief commercial officer at the retailer and Tina Leslie MBE, founder of Freedom4Girls have written an joint letter to the chief executives of major UK supermarkets, asking them to make free period products available.
  This comes as research, commissioned by the retailer, found that 67 per cent of UK shoppers believe supermarkets should provide free tampo
  
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• Screwfix names agency for PPC account

  14-08-2026 16:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Screwfix has named Incubeta to its Pay per Click (PPC) account for the UK and Ireland, following a competitive multi-stage pitch process.
  The agency will be responsible for fully handling strategic consultancy and account management. The agency will also be tasked with the development of an AI-driven performance engine to manage the retailer’s SKU’s.
  As part of those plans, Incubeta will implement its ‘Seamless Shopping AI’ powered feed enhancement.
  Sue Harries, digital &
  
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• KFC and ‘Chicken Wine’ bring ‘Coq au Vin’ pop up to Shoreditch

  14-08-2026 14:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Fast food chain KFC has partnered with La Viellie Ferme, more commonly known as the ‘Chicken Wine’ brand, to launch a wine bar over the bank holiday weekend.
  Only open 28 August to August 31, the pop-up, Coq au Vin is located at Katchette Amex in Shoreditch, London. The pop-up will be open from 12pm to 9pm on Friday through to Sunday and 12pm to 5pm on Monday.
  La Viellie Ferme will bring back its ‘Chicken Wine’ label especially for the event.
  .
  The menu includes popcorn c
  
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• Oxfam’s retail director on why shop-floor expertise remains central to digital growth

  14-08-2026 13:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  As Oxfam expands into rental and livestream shopping, retail director Rachel Cosgrove-Pearce explains why its stores and volunteers remain the engine behind its digital growth.
  For Oxfam, digital innovation is not about replacing the charity shop experience. It is about amplifying it. As second-hand fashion becomes increasingly mainstream, the charity is leaning into ecommerce, rental and livestream selling.
  However, its retail director Rachel Cosgrove-Pearce is clear that the organisation&rsquo
  
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• French Connection launches new store at Frasers Plus Designer Outlet Leeds

  14-08-2026 12:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  French Connection has launched a new store at Frasers Plus Designer Outlet in Leeds.
  The new 2,257 sq ft shop provides shoppers with a “contemporary shopping environment” with “statement visual merchandising and modern design” as part of the brand’s latest retail concept.
  The launch comes after the shopping outlet recently opened new Belstaff and White Stuff stores. Related StoryFrench Connection launches new store at Frasers Plus Designer Outlet Leeds 14/08/2026 x
  
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• Disney extends F1 partnership into 2028

  14-08-2026 11:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Disney has extended its Formula One partnership, which was originally launched in 2025, until 2028. The partnership will also now feature Pixar’s Cars alongside the original Mickey & Friends line up.
  Lightening McQueen will appear at the Formula 1 Pirelli Grand Premio D’Italia 2026, with an all new look.
  Titled ‘Fuel the Magic’, the collaboration features immersive experiences, social media content and bespoke merchandise.
  So far Disney’s F1 partnership has appe
  
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• Boux Avenue to relaunch Guildford and Belfast stores

  14-08-2026 11:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Boux Avenue is revamping its Guildford and Belfast shops under its new retail concept launch.
  The lingerie retailer’s Guildford shop will reopen on 28 August and its Belfast site will relaunch on 5 September, as it pushes ahead with its programme of store launches and refurbishments, Drapers reported.
  Boux Avenue previously refurbished its Manchester Trafford site in November 2025 and revamped its Bluewater, Kent store in March 2025.
  The brand launched a store in Manchester’s Arndale
  
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• Should retailers ban smart glasses from their stores?

  14-08-2026 11:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  In 2021, Ray-Ban and Meta joined forces to release the latest evolution in wearable technology – the ‘smart glasses’.  In the intervening years, smart glasses have transformed from a seemingly harmless tech novelty to true privacy headache for businesses, with pubs, restaurants and even the courts cracking down on their use. As concerns grow over covert filming, should retailers be next to show them the door?
  Retailers have spent years wrestling with customers filming TikT
  
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• Russell & Bromley plots high street comeback months after collapse

  14-08-2026 10:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Russell & Bromley is returning to the high street just months after falling into administration, as owner Next begins rebuilding the 147-year-old footwear brand.
  The brand will open a store at Westgate Oxford on 3 September, marking the beginning of its physical retail comeback following the closure of its former store estate.
  Westgate Oxford centre director Clare Martin said the shopping destination was “delighted” to have been selected as one of the first locations for the bran
  
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• The rise of alternative payment verification across UK retail checkouts

  14-08-2026 09:53 via theretailbulletin.com
  Checkout friction has quietly become one of the biggest threats to conversion rates across UK retail. Every extra field, every unnecessary confirmation step, gives a shopper…
  
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• Mulberry appoints Kenny Wilson and Sara Dickinson as non-executive directors

  14-08-2026 09:53 via theretailbulletin.com
  Mulberry has appointed Kenny Wilson and Sara Dickinson as non-executive directors, with effect from 9 September. Wilson served as chief executive of Dr. Martens between 2018…
  
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• Frasers Group acquires Harvey Nichols in pre-pack deal

  14-08-2026 09:53 via theretailbulletin.com
  Frasers Group has acquired the Harvey Nichols department store from administrators FTI Consulting in a pre-pack deal. The acquisition includes the retailer’s six stores in Knightsbridge,…
  
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• Shein loses UK copyright battle against Temu in landmark ruling

  14-08-2026 09:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Shein has lost its High Court copyright case against rival Temu over the alleged use of its product photographs.
  It had accused Temu of infringing its copyright “on an industrial scale”, claiming merchants on the marketplace had used photographs of Shein’s own-brand clothing to help sell competing products.
  However, Mrs Justice Kelyn Bacon rejected Shein’s argument that Temu was liable for the alleged infringements and ruled that the PDD Holdings-owned marketplace had not
  
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• The Works boardroom battle escalates as activist Kelso brands claims ‘absurd’

  14-08-2026 09:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Works has become embroiled in a boardroom battle with activist investor Kelso Group after it hit back at the retailer’s attempts to block its proposed new director.
  Kelso, which owns 10 per cent of The Works, is pushing for former private equity executive Graeme Coulthard to join the retailer’s board and has urged shareholders to back his appointment at its AGM on 7 September. Coulthard separately owns an eight per cent stake in the retailer.
  The Works yesterday unanimously urged
  
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• Virgin Atlantic Holidays to open London flagship at Battersea Power Station

  14-08-2026 09:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Virgin Atlantic Holidays has confirmed the opening of a new flagship store at Battersea Power Station later this year.
  The new location will mark its first London flagship and form a key part of its push to become ‘the premium long-haul holiday provider of choice’.
  The store, which will be based inside the Grade II* listed landmark, will offer customers personalised advice from travel specialists across holidays including luxury breaks, family trips, multi-centre itineraries and long
  
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• Karen Millen makes high street comeback after seven year absence

  14-08-2026 09:27 via theretailbulletin.com
  Karen Millen is returning to the high street after a seven year absence, with a rollout of concessions throughout the UK. The Debenhams-owned fashion brand has…
  
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• Joybuy owner JD.com suffers first sales fall in over a decade while shares tumble

  14-08-2026 09:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  JD.com has posted its first quarterly revenue decline since its 2014 stock market debut, sending shares in the Chinese ecommerce company tumbling.
  The owner of fledgling UK marketplace Joybuy saw second-quarter revenue fall 2.9 per cent year on year to £38bn, although sales still came in ahead of analyst expectations.
  JD.com’s Hong Kong-listed shares dropped more than 10 per cent on Friday following the update, after its Nasdaq-listed stock fell seven per cent on Thursday.
  The slowdo
  
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• Spar UK names former Co-op boss as new MD as Michael Fletcher steps down

  14-08-2026 09:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Spar UK has appointed former Co-op executive Jerome Saint-Marc as managing director, as Michael Fletcher prepares to exit the company.
  Fletcher is stepping down after less than two years in the role, having joined Spar UK in November 2024 and led its central office team through what the business described as a “significant period of change”.
  He will step away from his day-to-day responsibilities this month before leaving the business at the end of November.
  Saint-Marc, who takes over
  
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• Inside Frasers’ £40m Harvey Nichols bet, can Mike Ashley finally crack luxury?

  14-08-2026 09:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Frasers Group has landed one of British retail’s most famous names for around £40m. But buying Harvey Nichols may prove the easy part. From repairing supplier relationships to deciding which stores survive, the deal could become the biggest test yet of Mike Ashley and Michael Murray’s luxury ambitions.
  The entrepreneur, who built his fortune selling discounted trainers and tracksuits through Sports Direct, now finds himself controlling Harvey Nichols, the 195-year-old departmen
  
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• Why convenience has become retail’s new competitive advantage

  14-08-2026 07:57 via theretailbulletin.com
  Retail has always been competitive, but what sets retailers apart is changing. For years, retailers have fought to offer the lowest prices, the widest range of…
  
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• Virgin Atlantic Holidays to open first London flagship at Battersea Power Station

  14-08-2026 07:57 via theretailbulletin.com
  Virgin Atlantic Holidays is to open a new flagship store at Battersea Power Station as it expands its retail network into London. Due to launch later…
  
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• SPAR UK announces leadership change as Michael Fletcher steps down

  14-08-2026 07:57 via theretailbulletin.com
  SPAR UK has announced a change to its leadership following Michael Fletcher’s decision to step down from his role as managing director. Having joined the business…
  
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• Suitsupply set to open 5,000 sq ft store at Trafford Centre

  14-08-2026 07:50 via theretailbulletin.com
  Dutch menswear retailer Suitsupply is to open a 5,000 square foot store at Trafford Centre in spring/summer 2027. Founded in Amsterdam in 2000, Suitsupply operates more…
  
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• Shares of China’s JD.com slide after rare revenue plunge

  14-08-2026 07:04 via ft.com
  Ecommerce platform suffered first sales decline in more than a decade after end of government subsidy programme
  
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• Chinese retailer JD.com’s shares slide 10% after first revenue drop in over a decade

  14-08-2026 07:04 via ft.com
  Ecommerce platform suffered sales decline after end of government subsidy programme
  
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• Mike Ashley promises ‘Dunkirk spirit’ as he barrels into the luxury industry

  14-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  High street billionaire claims Frasers has moved on from its discounting ways as it swoops on Harvey Nichols
  
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• Karen Millen to return to bricks-and-mortar after seven years

  13-08-2026 17:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Karen Millen is returning to the UK high street after seven years, with a rollout across concession stores throughout the UK. 
  The fashion retailer said the come-back was in response to customer demand, with its collections set to be stocked in The Foschini Group (TFG) stores.
  The brand’s return will commence on 14 August, with the first opening at Fosse Park, Leicester.
  This will be followed by two more openings on 17 August in Aberdeen Union Square and Liverpool One, with more conce
  
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• Retail parks are the real threat to the British high street

  13-08-2026 17:37 via ft.com
  Outdoor commercial complexes are hot property, with supermarkets, stores and discount chains elbowing for room
  
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• Tommee Tippee’s Sally Crossley on its first ever brand collaboration

  13-08-2026 17:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Earlier this year, Tommee Tippee launched its very first collaboration with baby brand Binibamba, which was followed up by a second collaboration with British design firm Morris and Co.
  The Morris and Co collaboration took two of Morris’ most famous prints Strawberry Thief and Acanthus and reimagines them as baby essentials.
  Sarah Crossley, senior global brand communications manager at Tommee Tippee explains that both its collaborations reinforce its strategy of partnering with brands that
  
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