Retail news

• Comet administrator Deloitte faces £1m fine

  30-01-2020 09:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  // Comet administrator Deloitte has been hit with a fine of £1m
  // The firm and two of its partners have agreed to pay the fine
  // Comet fell into administration in the run-up to the Christmas trading period in 2012The administrators to Comet, Deloitte has reportedly been hit with a fine of £1 million by the accountancy watchdog.
  The Big 4 accountancy firm and two of its partners who oversaw Comet’s administration in 2012, have agreed to pay the fine, Sky News reported.
  Th
  
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• Freemans celebrates sixth consecutive year of Christmas growth

  06-02-2026 16:19 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Online department store Freemans has reported its sixth consecutive year of growth over Christmas.
  The retailer, which ditched its print catalogue in 2023, saw revenues grow 12% over the four weeks to Christmas, while sales also increased 9% over the 12 weeks to 2 January.
  The company’s new shopper numbers jumped 9%, website visits rose 10%, home category revenues climbed 16%, and fashion sales grew 3%.
  The figures come as the broader UK retail market witnessed a 0.3% decline over Q4.Relat
  
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• Freemans hails ‘exceptional’ growth over Golden Quarter

  06-02-2026 16:17 via theretailbulletin.com
  Digital department store Freemans saw “exceptional” sales growth of 12% in the four weeks to Christmas. The retailer said festive sales were boosted by the launch... View Article
  
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• John Lewis partners with Benugo to revamp in-store restaurants

  06-02-2026 14:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Department store chain John Lewis has teamed up with catering company Benugo to revamp 32 of its restaurants.
  The cafe brand secured the partnership with John Lewis after a two-year process, The Caterer reported.
  All of the new restaurants are set to be redesigned with a focus on fresh, high-quality food and welcoming spaces.
  Menus will feature deli, bakery and handmade pizza options, which all use locally-sourced ingredients.
  The in-store restaurants will run under a new brand and name, that wi
  
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• British shoppers ‘most sceptical’ of marketing communications, according to Intuit report

  06-02-2026 11:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  British consumers are most likely to opt in to email communications, according to a new report from Intuit, the company behind Mailchimp and QuickBooks.
  However, it found British shoppers were also the “most sceptical”, with 40% of respondents highlighting that they do not trust brands with their personal data and 55% reporting they unsubscribed if they found the content was irrelevant.
  The report, titled ‘The Art of the Opt-In: Why List Building is Only the Beginning’, s
  
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• Facial recognition: Sainsbury’s removes innocent shopper misidentified as offender

  06-02-2026 11:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Sainsbury’s has apologised to a shopper after they were ejected from a store due to a mix-up with workers and the shop’s facial recognition system.
  Warren Rajah was visiting the retailer’s Elephant and Castle store, in south London, when he was confronted by employees and told he had been flagged by the shop’s facial recognition system, reported the BBC.
  The 42-year-old tech worker claimed that he was then escorted from the store by staff.
  When Rajah asked why, he wa
  
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• Retailers unveil Valentine’s Day dining deals

  06-02-2026 10:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  It’s February, and that means love is in the air.
  On Saturday 14 February, couples across the country will celebrate St Valentine’s Day, offering each other gifts as an act of love.
  As we approach the most romantic day of the year, major retailers have already unveiled various dine-at-home deals.
  Here, Grocery Gazette looks at some of the top offers at supermarkets nationwide.Related Story Lidl unveils seventh pay rise since 202306/02/2026 x 6:00 AMClick here to sign up to Retail Gaz
  
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• K-Way to make West End debut on Carnaby Street

  06-02-2026 09:39 via theretailbulletin.com
  The K-Way French outerwear brand is to open its first store in London’s West End in Carnaby Street. The brand’s 1,400 square foot flagship will offer a... View Article
  
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• Retail Trust appoints Tracey Clements and Matt Birch to trustee board

  06-02-2026 08:40 via theretailbulletin.com
  Retail Trust has appointed Tracey Clements and Matt Birch as new trustees of the retail charity. Clements is currently chief retail, logistics and supply chain officer at... View Article
  
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• Waitrose acquires Surrey shopping centre to secure future of store

  06-02-2026 07:57 via theretailbulletin.com
  Waitrose has acquired the freehold of the 54,000 square foot Hersham Green Shopping Centre in Surrey. In a statement, the retailer said the purchase will secure... View Article
  
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• Pandora appoints Philippa Newman as chief product officer

  06-02-2026 07:54 via theretailbulletin.com
  Pandora has appointed Philippa Newman as its new chief product officer. Due to take up her role in March, Newman will lead the jewellery brand’s product... View Article
  
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• Frasers Group takes majority stake in Italy’s Maxi Sport

  06-02-2026 07:18 via theretailbulletin.com
  Sports Direct owner Frasers Group is to acquire a majority stake in Maxi Sport SpA. The premium multi-sport retailer operates 18 stores across Italy. The move... View Article
  
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• Lidl unveils seventh pay rise since 2023

  06-02-2026 07:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Lidl GB has unveiled a £29m investment in staff pay, which it says will “once again” make it the highest paying UK supermarket. 
  From 1 March, the business’s entry-level hourly pay will rise to £13.45 nationally, increasing to £14.45 with length of service. 
  In London, hourly pay will grow from £14.35 to £14.80, rising further to £15.30 with length of service.
  The changes are set to benefit all 35,000 of the supermarket’s work
  
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• Amazon shares sink as it prepares $200bn AI spending blitz

  05-02-2026 23:03
  Capital expenditure forecasts for 2026 were a third higher than Wall Street’s expectations
  
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• Puma’s new Chinese backer will give Nike a run for its money

  05-02-2026 23:00
  Anta’s sales have grown on average 17 per cent a year for the past five years, with the US maker of the famous swoosh managing 4 per cent
  
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• WHSmith opens new sites in Manchester and Liverpool airports

  05-02-2026 21:43 via theretailbulletin.com
  WHSmith has officially opened three new spaces across Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon airports as it invests in travel hubs in the north of the UK.... View Article
  
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• Quiz enters administration after challenging trading

  05-02-2026 21:06 via theretailbulletin.com
  Quiz Clothing has entered administration after experiencing challenging trading over the last 12 months. Alistair McAlinden and Geoff Jacobs from Interpath have been appointed joint administrators... View Article
  
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• Quiz Clothing collapses into administration as online store closes

  05-02-2026 16:15 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Quiz Clothing has entered administration, with its online store closing and more than 100 redundancies confirmed following a tough Christmas trading period.
  Administrators have been appointed to the fashion retailer after the business was hit by weaker-than-expected festive sales and rising cost pressures.
  Alistair McAlinden and Geoff Jacobs of Interpath were today (5 February) appointed joint administrators to Orion Retail Limited, Tarak International Limited and Zandra Systems Limited, which t
  
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• WHSmith launches new sites at Manchester and Liverpool airports

  05-02-2026 16:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  WHSmith opened three new sites in Manchester Airport and Liverpool John Lennon Airport this week, marking its continued investment in travel hubs across the North of the UK.
  At Manchester Airport Terminal 2, the business, which sold its UK high street retail operation last year, has launched its first artisan coffee shop, Grindsmith, in partnership with the Manchester coffee brand.
  Next door, the company has also unveiled a new travel essentials store, inspired by the city’s industrial her
  
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• Frasers Group to snap up majority shareholding in Maxi Sport

  05-02-2026 15:58 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Frasers Group is set to acquire a majority shareholding in Italian retailer Maxi Sport SpA.
  The activewear brand’s owners, Emanuele Sala, Giovanni Sala, Ester Sala and Giulia Sala, will retain a shareholding and stay on the business’s leadership team for its “next chapter of growth,” according to Frasers.
  Maxi Sport operates 18 stores across Italy, including six flagship locations. 
  The business offers “an extensive range of products spanning extreme sports and
  
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• Joules appoints former Asos exec as buying and sourcing director

  05-02-2026 13:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Fashion brand Joules has named former Asos exec Katie Coates as its new director of buying and sourcing, Drapers reported.
  Coates previously served as Asos interim director of responsible sourcing and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) from September 2023 to April 2025, after joining the company in January 2021 as its head of sourcing. 
  She worked as director of sales – Collective Apparel for clothes manufacturer CherryField from October 2018 to December 2022.
  Additionally, C
  
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• UK shoppers are more ready for AI than retailers think

  05-02-2026 12:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Retail’s AI conversation is starting to feel oddly familiar. Consumers and retailers are moving at different speeds. This time, though, it’s the inverse of what typically happens. In the case of AI, consumers are demonstrating a readiness for technology that retailers haven’t been able to match.
  That’s the core tension running through an extremely insightful new piece of research conducted by global AI and tech acceleration partner CI&T, called the ‘Retail
  
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• Combining heritage with contemporary at Pashley Cycles

  05-02-2026 11:59 via theretailbulletin.com
  Walking into the workshop of Pashley Cycles in Stratford-upon-Avon amid craftsmen brazing and welding bike frames was sufficiently exciting to the potential new CEO visiting the... View Article
  
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• M&S launches new flagship in Bath

  05-02-2026 10:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  M&S has opened a new flagship store in SouthGate, Bath.
  The 83,000 sq ft store, which comprises four floors, has been relocated from the retailer’s previous Stall Street location.
  On the ground floor, the store features a 14,000 sq ft fresh market-style foodhall, including a flower shop, a line up of fresh market specials from M&S Select Farms and its latest product launches.
  There is also a new bakery and coffee counter offers takeaway barista-made hot and cold drinks, alongside a
  
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• Sainsbury’s and Amazon bosses join Retail Trust’s board of trustees

  05-02-2026 10:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Sainsbury’s chief retail, logistics and supply chain officer Tracey Clements, and Amazon’s director for EU Fresh Matt Birch have been appointed as new trustees of retail industry charity the Retail Trust.
  The pair will join other retail leaders on the charity’s board of trustees including Landsec’s managing director for retail Bruce Findlay, New Look’s former executive chairman Alistair George, and Matalan’s former chief customer and omni-c
  
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• Retailers ready for trade show Scoop

  05-02-2026 10:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Fashion and lifestyle trade show Scoop will open at London’s Olympia National on Sunday (8 February), marking 15 years of the annual buying extravaganza.
  Bringing together international designers from fashion, accessories, lifestyle and home, the three-day event will welcome buyers, press and industry leaders to celebrate “creativity, craftsmanship and thoughtful discovery at the heart of modern buying”.
  This year’s highlights include leading department stores and retaile
  
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• Gymshark appoints Carly Natalizia as chief commercial officer

  05-02-2026 09:10 via theretailbulletin.com
  Gymshark has appointed Carly Natalizia to the position of chief commercial officer. Having joined the fitness clothing brand four years ago as vice president of marketing,... View Article
  
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• M&S unveils new flagship store in Bath

  05-02-2026 08:46 via theretailbulletin.com
  M&S has unveiled a new flagship store in Bath’s SouthGate following a relocation of its former store in the city. Spanning four floors, the 83,000 square... View Article
  
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• How hybrid in-store media networks are bridging the ‘build or buy’ divide

  05-02-2026 07:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Stores are rapidly evolving into full-fledged media channels, as retailers double down on retail media network (RMN) investments. The transformation is being fuelled by growing demand for the ad channel, with 65 per cent of global marketers projected to incorporate retail media into their planning mix in the next year.
  But as excitement for the medium builds, so does the complexity of the infrastructure behind it. Connecting in-store screens, smart shelves and data-driven advertising to bro
  
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• Tesco sorry for putting up Welsh bilingual signs in Cornwall

  04-02-2026 20:12
  Campaigners say they appreciate attempt to use Cornish but mistake points to need for more access to languageShoppers in Cornwall could have been forgiven for feeling bemused after a supermarket put up bilingual signs – in Welsh.A branch of Tesco in Helston – about 200 miles from south Wales by road – pointed shoppers towards pysgod, which is Welsh, not Cornish, for fish. It also labelled sweet potato as tatws melys – again Welsh instead of Cornish. Continue reading...
  
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