Retail news

• Comment: Circular economy will be driven by consumers

  01-09-2023 02:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  The circular economy sounds great, with its focus on reuse, resale and the refurbishing of clothing as an alternative to the manufacturing of yet more new... View Article
  
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• Waitrose reopens Haslemere store after multi-million pound revamp

  05-03-2026 17:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Waitrose Haslemere has reopened its West Street store after a multi-million pound refurbishment designed to deliver a better experience for shoppers.
  The seven week transformation brings a host of new concepts and improvements to the 10,000 sq ft shop, which will celebrate its 17th anniversary in May. 
  The store, which reopened today (5 March) at 8am, is set to provide customers with “an expanded range of high-quality produce and an enhanced shopping experience,” according to th
  
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• Conversation with… Jodie Sanders of Pooky Lighting

  05-03-2026 16:36 via theretailbulletin.com
  Here we chat to Jodie Sanders, chief marketing officer of Pooky Lighting, about finding her dream role, the power of personalisation, and why the brands we... View Article
  
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• Mango reports €3.8 billion in full year sales

  05-03-2026 16:24 via theretailbulletin.com
  Mango grew its turnover by 13% to €3.8 billion in 2025 as it made a record investment in its business model.  EBITDA also rose by 13%... View Article
  
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• M&S Food deploys RELEX tech to boost availability and cut waste

  05-03-2026 15:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Marks & Spencer (M&S) Food is partnering with RELEX Solutions in a bid to improve product availability and reduce waste.
  The grocery retailer has deployed the retail and supply chain platform’s forecasting and replenishment technology across its food business to better manage stock levels and demand across 1,050 stores and 13 distribution centres in the UK and Ireland.
  The system, first implemented in March 2021, supports M&S Food’s complex supply chain, particularly acro
  
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• Retailers want ‘delightfully human’ AI to do your shopping, but will the chatbots go rogue?

  05-03-2026 15:00
  Plans for agentic shopping assistants are under way at Australia’s major companies. Guardian Australia tested the technology after a string of mishapsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMajor retailers say it won’t be long before sophisticated AI “assistants” plan your meals, organise your parties and do your shopping.But companies, many that are already struggling with their more primitive AI chatbots, will have to balance making the newer, “
  
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• InPost’s Paul Selvey on the hidden cost of ‘cheap’ home delivery

  05-03-2026 14:58 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Missed deliveries are becoming a routine frustration for UK shoppers and a growing cost for retailers.
  That is the warning from parcel locker giant InPost, which argues that the ecommerce sector has spent years optimising delivery for speed and cost while overlooking the wider impact on customers and retail operations.
  Retail Gazette sat down with InPost network director Paul Selvey to talk about the hidden costs of inefficient home deliveries and how both consumers and retailers can benefit fro
  
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• Lewis Capaldi celebrates “laid-back” living in Heydude’s latest campaign

  05-03-2026 13:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Global footwear brand Heydude has unveiled a new campaign fronted by singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi, celebrating “laid-back” living.
  The hero spot follows Capaldi as he escapes everyday chaos by visiting “Heydude Country”.  According to the brand, Capaldi leans into the “irony of modern comfort culture”.
  Heydude’s newest campaign spotlights the company’s ‘Stretch Sox’ style. Related Story ISBA responds to consultation on protectin
  
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• Morrisons convenience and GM reshuffle places 100 jobs at risk

  05-03-2026 13:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Roughly 100 positions are at risk at Morrisons’ head office, under a restructure of its convenience and general merchandise teams. 
  The plans will see the retailer’s Morrisons Daily commercial and support functions, which are currently separate from its supermarket trading team, combined into one single division, The Grocer understands. The move will effectively axe the business’s convenience buying team.
  Morrisons’ convenience stores will now form part of its retail
  
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• WHSmith travel business bucks highstreet uncertainty as TGJones struggles

  05-03-2026 13:42 via retailgazette.co.uk
  WHSmith has reported a “solid” first-half trading performance, with growth driven largely by its international travel arm, as the retailer continues to distance itself from the struggling UK high street business now operating under the TGJones name.
  From September to the end of February 2026, total WHSmith group revenue rose 5 per cent.
  The headline growth emphasises a widening divide between WHSmith’s expanding global travel retail operations and the former high street es
  
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• Abercrombie & Fitch profit drops despite ‘record’ Q4 sales

  05-03-2026 13:23 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Abercrombie & Fitch saw profit decline in its annual results, despite witnessing record sales in Q4.
  The fashion retailer’s operating income fell 6 per cent year on year to £524m from January 2025 to the end of January 2026.
  Net sales climbed 6 per cent to £3.95bn over the year. 
  Operating income dropped 8 per cent to £177m for the fourth quarter, despite net sales rising 5 per cent to a “record” £1.25bn.
  The Americas recorded the highest annual
  
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• Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group builds stake in Puma

  05-03-2026 11:49 via ft.com
  Purchase of 5.77% stake via derivatives adds to billionaire’s investments in retail industry
  
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• Facial recognition technology comes to Britain’s supermarket aisles

  05-03-2026 11:39 via ft.com
  Theft and threats against shop floor workers have risen sharply since the Covid-19 pandemic
  
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• Primark announces leadership restructure with new CFO and chief executive

  05-03-2026 11:25 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Associated British Foods (ABF) has announced two senior leadership appointments, confirming Joana Edwards as group chief financial officer while formally appointing Eoin Tonge as chief executive of Primark.
  Edwards takes on the CFO role with immediate effect after serving as ABF’s interim finance director since March 2025. She will also join the ABF board as an executive director.
  The appointment formalises Edwards’ leadership of the group’s finance function following a year in
  
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• EE opens latest experiential store in London’s Oxford Street

  05-03-2026 10:48 via theretailbulletin.com
  EE is bringing its latest experiential store  format to London’s West End today. The opening of EE’s Oxford Street Experience Store will be marked by a... View Article
  
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• EE retail director Asif Aziz on leadership, purpose and what it means to be an exemplar

  05-03-2026 10:46 via retailgazette.co.uk
  It’s safe to say that Asif Aziz is one of the most recognisable and respected retail leaders within the industry. And for good reason. Since joining EE as retail director at the beginning of 2023, he’s overseen a decisive shift in how the brand approaches physical retail.
  The opening of the hugely successful EE Studio in Westfield London and the rollout of Experience stores across the UK are just a few examples of the innovation happening within EE under his stewardship.
  They mark a
  
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• Businesses cleared for Trump’s tariff turmoil refunds after court ruling

  05-03-2026 10:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  A US federal judge has ruled that thousands of businesses are entitled to refunds for tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump last year, marking a significant development in an ongoing trade dispute that has implications for global retailers and suppliers.
  The decision follows a recent ruling by the US Supreme Court, which struck down a series of import tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
  On Wednesday, the US Court of International T
  
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• REHAB founders on new Selfridges residency and building a scalable supply chain

  05-03-2026 10:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Three years ago, REHAB was packing orders from kitchen tables and garages. Last month, the self-funded beauty brand opened its Prescription Bar at Selfridges, taking residence inside The Beauty Spot.
  The move marks both its retail debut and the next phase of a business that says it has grown 5,030 per cent since launch, remained profitable year on year and built a 70 per cent repeat purchase rate, all while expanding from haircare into bodycare and now skincare.
  For co-founders Vicky Ellis and A
  
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• Tesco Media appoints former Walmart executive to newly created role

  05-03-2026 09:51 via theretailbulletin.com
  Tesco’s media business has appointed Lauren Bolles to the newly created role of chief operations officer as it looks ahead to its next phase of growth.... View Article
  
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• Will 2026 be the year that the gig economy booms on shop floors?

  05-03-2026 09:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The gig economy has already transformed how goods reach customers. The likes of Deliveroo and Uber Eats have already transformed the fundamental employment of delivery riders, and on-demand couriers are now simply a familiar part of the modern retail ecosystem. But a new phase of gig work is moving to the shop floor.
  Across the UK, retailers are beginning to experiment with platforms that connect businesses with freelance workers. Rather than employing workers for fixed shifts, retailers can inc
  
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• Floral Street: Exploring the brand’s Bridgerton perfume sampling campaign

  05-03-2026 09:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  British perfumery brand Floral Street was tasked by Shondaland and Netflix to create an exclusive scent for Bridgerton.
  The female-owned business worked on the project for two years.
  The scent the brand came up with for the collaboration was titled ‘Enchanted Masquerade’ (the name was possibly inspired by the masquerade ball the main characters attend at the start of season four).
  And it embodies the show’s Britishness, containing notes from flowers that one might find in any g
  
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• WH Smith reports ‘solid’ first half but warns of Middle East disruption

  05-03-2026 09:09 via theretailbulletin.com
  WH Smith has reported a “solid” first half performance, with revenue up 5% year-on-year on a constant currency basis. However, the retailer has warned of potential... View Article
  
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• Boots chooses Bristol for second beauty‑only store

  05-03-2026 08:10 via theretailbulletin.com
  Boots has chosen Bristol for the opening of its second beauty-only concept store this spring. The move follows a debut store opening in London’s Battersea Power... View Article
  
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• Lidl GB appoints Roberto Eretta as chief operating officer

  05-03-2026 07:43 via theretailbulletin.com
  Lidl GB is to appoint Roberto Eretta as chief operating officer. He will succeed Maciej Tylkowski when he takes up an international position this summer. Eretta... View Article
  
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• Logistics UK’s head of trade policy on supply chain resilience in the Middle East conflict

  05-03-2026 00:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The UK retail supply chain is prepared for the Middle East conflict. But resilience isn’t cost-free, says Logistics UK head of trade policy. 
  This week, escalating tensions in the Middle East following the US strikes on Iran have renewed instability around the Strait of Hormuz, sent oil markets reacting sharply, shipping lines reassessing risk and once again placed global supply chains under scrutiny.
  But for UK retail, still recalibrating after Covid and Red Sea disruption, the quest
  
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• Boots to open first beauty-only store outside London

  04-03-2026 15:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Boots is set to open its second beauty-only concept store in Bristol this spring, bringing its “most innovative beauty retail experience” outside of London for the first time. 
  The store will offer an “elevated and experiential way” to discover the latest in beauty, according to the retailer.  
  The 11,000 sq ft shop will open in the centre of the Bristol Shopping Quarter at the Cabot Circus Shopping Centre.
  It comes after Boots opened its first standalone b
  
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• ‘Heartbroken’ BrewDog founder James Watt speaks out after £33m sale

  04-03-2026 13:54 via retailgazette.co.uk
  BrewDog co-founder James Watt has said he is “heartbroken” following the sale of the craft beer brand he launched in 2007, after Tilray Brands acquired the business in a £33m deal earlier this week.
  Writing on LinkedIn, Watt reflected on the end of his 17-year tenure building BrewDog from a startup into one of the world’s most recognisable craft beer brands, while acknowledging the business’s recent struggles and the disappointment felt by staff and investors.
  &ldqu
  
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• UK supermarket chain Iceland drops trademark dispute with Iceland

  04-03-2026 13:11
  Company promises ‘rapprochement discount’ for shoppers from country after decade-long action in EU courtThe UK supermarket chain Iceland has abandoned its decade-long trademark battle with Iceland and instead promised a “rapprochement discount” for shoppers in the country.After the budget grocery chain suffered its third legal loss last year, its executive chair, Richard Walker, said on Wednesday that it would draw a line under the dispute. Continue reading...
  
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• Greenwashing has just become a much more serious issue – are you ready?

  04-03-2026 11:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  For retail brands, 2026 looks to be a continuation of the regulatory scrutiny of greenwashing that we have seen in recent years, writes Katrina Anderson, principal associate, and Rachel McDonnell, partner at national law firm Mills & Reeve.Rachel McDonnell
  Regulators now have unprecedented and enhanced powers to investigate and penalise misleading environmental claims – and beyond that, greenwashing could also be prosecuted under a new a criminal offence of failure to prevent fraud.
  Th
  
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• Iceland ditches decade-long trademark battle with Iceland and promises “rapprochement discount”

  04-03-2026 11:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  UK frozen food retailer Iceland has ended its decade-long trademark dispute with the country of Iceland, with executive chair Richard Walker pledging a “rapprochement discount” for Icelandic shoppers instead of pursuing further legal action.
  The move comes after the retailer suffered its third legal defeat in the courts last year in its long-running effort to maintain exclusive EU trademark rights to the name “Iceland”.
  Speaking to the Financial Times, Walker said the com
  
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