Retail news

• Asos shakes-up returns policy with transparency tool launch

  02-01-2026 15:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Asos has updated its returns policy in the UK, as it launches a new transparency tool for shoppers.
  From 6 January, shoppers whose historical returns surpass 70% of the total value of their past orders will be exempt from paying the fashion retailer’s £3.95 charge if they return less than £40 worth of products from an order. 
  The policy is intended to give more flexibility to frequent returners who keep most of the products they purchase.
  Customers will be able to view the
  
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• ‘The consumers are still out there’: why a bankruptcy for Saks Global may not spell the end

  15-01-2026 11:00
  Just more than a year after the new luxury behemoth was formed, it announcedit had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcyEvery year, the stores down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue dress up their windows at Christmastime. Tourists from all over the world come to gawk at all the glitter, lace, ruffles and bows.Saks’s Fifth Avenue location, so iconic that it’s embedded in the brand’s name, is usually dressed top to bottom during the holidays. In 2023, the store partnered with Christian D
  
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• Amazon to shut first UK fulfilment centre

  15-01-2026 10:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Amazon has unveiled plans to shut its Milton Keynes warehouse, impacting hundreds of staff.
  The ecommerce giant said it had begun a consultation to close the fulfilment centre, which was its first to open in the UK in 1998.
  Amazon said its 590 impacted employees would be transferred to other sites or a new £500m Northampton site, which is due to open in May.
  The business confirmed that its sortation centre, which is also located in Milton Keynes and employs 1,100 workers, would be unaffect
  
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• Pepco Group posts solid Q1 growth

  15-01-2026 10:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Former Poundland owner Pepco Group has reported a solid start to FY26, with like-for-like growth at its core Pepco fascia helping to offset disruption at Dealz, while full-year guidance remains unchanged.
  In a trading update for the first quarter to 31 December 2025, the pan-European discount retailer said group revenues rose 4.3% year on year on a constant currency basis to €1.4bn (£1.21). Like-for-like revenues excluding FMCG increased by 3.3% across the group.Related Story Former P
  
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• Very UK recorded strong Christmas performance

  15-01-2026 10:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Online retailer and financial services provider The Very Group reported resilient Christmas and Black Friday trading periods, with growth in its flagship Very UK brand supported by strong sales in higher-margin categories including Home, Toys and Beauty.
  For the six weeks to 27 December 2025, Very UK delivered retail sales growth of 1.9% year on year.
  Home was a standout performer, growing 7.9%, while Toys and Beauty increased 6.4%, reflecting continued consumer demand for gifting and lifes
  
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• Furniture maker Dunelm sinks 17% on subdued Christmas trading

  15-01-2026 10:00
  Shares fall as group says downbeat consumer confidence and discounting by rivals will curb profitability
  
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• Dunelm posts ‘solid’ Christmas as profits outlook trimmed

  15-01-2026 09:46 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Homeware retailer Dunelm has reported a “solid” first-half performance but warned that tougher trading in the run-up to Christmas has weighed on expectations for the full year.
  The business said total sales rose 3.6% to £926m in the first half, while second-quarter sales increased by a more modest 1.6% to £498m.
  Trading was strongest in the first quarter, with conditions becoming more challenging around Black Friday and into December.
  Digital sales continued to grow,
  
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• Very Group reports ‘resilient’ Christmas trading

  15-01-2026 09:30 via theretailbulletin.com
  The Very Group has reported “resilient” Christmas and Black Friday trading, with sales at the Very brand rising by 1.9%. The group said the performance in... View Article
  
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• Pepco Group reports 4.3% Q1 revenue growth

  15-01-2026 08:21 via theretailbulletin.com
  Former Poundland owner Pepco Group has reported a 4.3% increase in revenue on a constant currency basis to €1.4 billion in its first quarter. In the... View Article
  
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• Diesel names new chief executive

  15-01-2026 08:19 via theretailbulletin.com
  The Diesel fashion brand has appointed Andrea Rigogliosi as its new chief executive. Rigogliosi previously served as global head of retail and commercial at Prada Group’s... View Article
  
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• Cartier owner Richemont’s sales driven higher by demand for high-end jewellery

  15-01-2026 07:58
  Group also supported by improving China conditions as it sees 11% quarterly sales increase
  
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• The UK’s online retail habit is bigger than we thought

  15-01-2026 07:30
  Second to none, or maybe two
  
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• Lidl appoints chief customer officer

  15-01-2026 07:26 via theretailbulletin.com
  Lidl has appointed Louise Weise as chief customer officer. Weise has worked with the supermarket since 2010, initially as a graduate trainee. She then moved up... View Article
  
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• Asda hit by debt sell-off after Christmas sales slump

  15-01-2026 06:00
  Traders offload Asda’s bonds and loans in a sign that confidence in retailer’s turnaround is weakening
  
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• Lucy & Yak unveils membership with Fair Wear

  14-01-2026 15:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Lucy & Yak has partnered with Fair Wear, an organisation that advances workers’ rights across global supply chains and supports responsible business practices.
  The membership marks an “important milestone” in Lucy & Yak’s “ongoing approach to ethical and transparent production,” according to the clothes retailer.
  The scheme is set to begin this month, with Fair Wear’s code of labour practices being incorporated into Lucy & Yak’s existin
  
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• ProCook Q3 revenues climb in record peak season trading

  14-01-2026 13:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Homeware retailer ProCook saw sales rise in its latest third quarter, as it saw “record peak season trading and significant market share gains”.
  Total revenues jumped 28% to £32.8m for the 12 weeks ended 4 January, while like for like sales increased 17.2%.
  Retail revenue grew 26.8%, benefitting from the tenth consecutive quarter of like for like growth (9.1%) and the impact of new store openings.
  Additionally, ecommerce sales increased 30%, which the business said reflect
  
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• Specsavers opens new flagship store on Tottenham Court Road

  14-01-2026 12:34 via theretailbulletin.com
  Specsavers has opened a new flagship store on London’s Tottenham Court Road following a £1.2 million investment. The site is a relocation as Specsavers’ previous store... View Article
  
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• Lidl names new CCO

  14-01-2026 12:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Lidl GB has named its customer director Louise Weise as its new chief customer officer (CCO).
  The new role sees her join the company’s board of directors to lead its customer function.
  She will primarily be responsible for the discounter’s brand and marketing, loyalty and customer insight, in-store customer experience and customer care.Related Story N Brown appoints new COO14/01/2026 x 10:55 AM“I am thrilled and honoured to step into this role at such a pivotal stage in Li
  
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• N Brown Group appoints Natalie Rogers as chief operating officer

  14-01-2026 11:58 via theretailbulletin.com
  N Brown Group has appointed Natalie Rogers to the newly created role of chief operating officer as it looks to accelerate its business transformation.  Rogers has... View Article
  
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• N Brown appoints new COO

  14-01-2026 11:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Fashion and homeware platform N Brown Group has appointed Natalie Rogers to the newly-created role of chief operating officer (COO).
  The move strengthens N Brown’s leadership team “as the Group enters the next phase of growth driven by operational efficiency and disciplined execution”, said the business.
  “I’m very pleased to be taking on this new role at an exciting time for N Brown, as we look to accelerate our business transformation,” she said.
  “Over
  
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• Booths posts another year of record-breaking Christmas sales

  14-01-2026 11:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Booths has delivered a record-breaking Christmas, posting strong sales growth across December and the key festive trading period.
  The family-owned independent retailer, which has more than 20 stores in the northwest of England, reported that in December, like-for-like retail sales rose by 4.9%, while sales during the three-week period ending 3 January increased by 3.8%.
  It marks the third consecutive year of record Christmas sales for Booths and represents a total sales increase of 24% over the
  
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• Shoe Zone profits slump amid tough trading conditions

  14-01-2026 10:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Profits and sales fell at Shoe Zone during its latest financial year, as the footwear retailer faced weaker consumer demand and rising costs across the UK.
  According to audited results for the 52 weeks ending 27 September 2025, the footwear retailer’s pre-tax profit dropped sharply to £3.3m, compared with £10.1m a year earlier.
  Revenue declined to £149.1m, down from £161.3m the previous year. While store revenue fell to £113.1m from £126.1m, while digita
  
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• Mulberry Q3 revenues grow amid delivery of new strategy

  14-01-2026 10:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Lifestyle brand Mulberry saw sales rise across all of its markets in its third quarter results.
  The luxury retailer’s group LFL sales in digital and ecommerce grew 11% for the 13 weeks to 27 December, while retail full-price revenues increased 19%.
  Mulberry said the strength of its performance reflected the group’s ongoing delivery of its new strategy, which was “focused on simplifying the business, refreshing the brand, and more fully leveraging customer insights”.
  Also,
  
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• Four reasons why Dry January can be a year-round opportunity

  14-01-2026 10:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  At a time when businesses are contending with an unprecedented mix of challenges – from rate hikes and national insurance changes to rising wage costs – the arrival of Dry January might, at first glance, feel like yet another obstacle to overcome, writes Simon Rolfe, director of eco-friendly drinks brand Sea Change Wine.
  Its popularity is undeniable; Alcohol Change UK, the charity behind the campaign, estimates a record 17.5 million people intend to take part this year.
  But Dry Janua
  
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• Mulberry grows festive sales as new strategy gains traction

  14-01-2026 08:49 via theretailbulletin.com
  Mulberry has increased its third quarter total sales by 5.1% and its like-for-like sales by 11% as its new strategy gains traction. In the 13 weeks... View Article
  
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• Conversation with… People in Retail Awards Judge Shane Ashby-Roche

  14-01-2026 08:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  Here we speak with Shane Ashby-Roche, Head of Organisational Development and Culture at The White Company, about his career to date and why he has chosen... View Article
  
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• Saks Global files for bankruptcy after takeover leads to financial collapse

  14-01-2026 07:53
  Debt-riddled retail giant’s demise has cast uncertainty over the future of US luxury fashionThe high-end department store conglomerate Saks Global filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday in one of the largest retail collapses since the pandemic, barely a year after a deal that brought Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus under the same roof.The move cast uncertainty over the future of US luxury fashion, though the retailer said early on Wednesday its stores would remain
  
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• ProCook hails strong peak season trading

  14-01-2026 07:50 via theretailbulletin.com
  ProCook has grown its like-for-like revenue by 17.2% in its third quarter following a strong performance in its stores and online. In the 12 weeks to... View Article
  
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• Luxury department store chain Saks files for bankruptcy

  14-01-2026 07:19
  Retailer has struggled with high debt after acquiring rival Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman
  
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• Saks Global files for bankruptcy

  14-01-2026 06:44
  Luxury department store chain struggled with high debt after acquiring rival Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman
  
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