Retail news

• Finding dark patterns online: Chips with Everything podcast

  15-07-2019 07:00
  Jordan Erica Webber teams up with Science Weekly host Ian Sample to find out more about how companies use various techniques to trick us into buying something we may never have needed, or wanted Continue reading...
  
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• Walmart loses sales crown to Amazon despite record revenues

  19-02-2026 16:13
  Retailer eclipsed by ecommerce and cloud computing titan for first time even with 5.6% jump in fourth quarter
  
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• Why asset data is the foundation of HFC phase-out

  19-02-2026 13:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  A Conversation with Andrew Williams, data & innovation director, LoweConex
  The phase-out of HFCs is no longer something organisations can simply monitor from a distance. It is not just a regulatory requirement. It is becoming an operational and commercial reality.
  Retailers, facilities teams and procurement leaders are already feeling the pressure. Regulation is tightening. Supply is shrinking. Prices are rising. And yet many organisations are still asking the same question: Where do we begi
  
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• UK retailers are seeing higher conversion rates when using conversational AI search

  19-02-2026 13:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  According to new research from website solutions firm Firney, UK retailers working with conversational AI search are seeing conversion rates up to three times higher when compared to traditional keyword-based search.
  The study, titled The £4 Trillion Conversation, has highlighted that users using AI-powered search convert at rates between 200 per cent to 300 per cent higher than those browsing using standard filters and category pages.
  It found that consumers who use site search spend 2.6
  
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• Firney: UK retailers are seeing higher conversion rates when using conversational AI search

  19-02-2026 13:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  According to new research from website solutions firm Firney, UK retailers working with conversational AI search are seeing conversion rates up to three times higher when compared to traditional keyword-based search.
  The study, titled The £4 Trillion Conversation, has highlighted that users using AI-powered search convert at rates between 200 per cent to 300 per cent higher than those browsing using standard filters and category pages.
  It found that consumers who use site search spend 2.6
  
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• Walmart sales boosted by wealthy online shoppers

  19-02-2026 13:02
  Retailer’s annual revenues eclipsed for first time by ecommerce and cloud computing giant Amazon
  
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• Ebay buys Depop for $1.2bn in effort to lure younger shoppers

  19-02-2026 10:35
  Deal agreed to acquire British secondhand fashion resale app from Etsy as eBay attempts to fend off AmazonThe online retailer eBay has agreed to buy the British secondhand fashion resale app Depop from Etsy for about $1.2bn (£890m) in cash, as eBay targets younger fashion-loving consumers.The deal comes at a time when secondhand marketplaces continue to soar in popularity, especially among gen Z shoppers – born between 1997 and 2012 – amid a squeeze on household incomes and con
  
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• Staffing cull on the horizon for retail due to rising costs, says BRC

  19-02-2026 09:29 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Retailers are preparing to cut staff hours and freeze recruitment, as rising government-imposed employment costs intensify pressure on an already fragile sector.
  A survey released today by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) of retail CFOs and finance directors found that 61 per cent plan to reduce staff hours and overtime over the next 12 months, while 45 per cent expect to freeze recruitment.
  More than half (55 per cent) are looking to cut head office headcount and 42 per cent are considering
  
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• Debenhams Group increases fundraise to £40 million

  19-02-2026 09:29 via theretailbulletin.com
  Debenhams Group has increased its fundraising from £35 million to £40 million in response to investor demand. In a statement, the group said the planned fundraise... View Article
  
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• nShift announces AI-ready foundation for the future of digital commerce

  19-02-2026 09:11 via theretailbulletin.com
  Built on mature, API-first e-commerce delivery infrastructure designed to enable AI-driven execution at scale  nShift today announced that its delivery platform is ready for the next generation... View Article
  
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• Retailers need to bump up the friction

  19-02-2026 09:09 via theretailbulletin.com
  Have we all been sucked into praying at the temple of convenience? Technology has certainly fuelled solutions that take away much of the effort that was... View Article
  
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• Knoops to make regional debut at Centre:mk

  19-02-2026 09:03 via theretailbulletin.com
  Knoops is to open a new site at Centre:mk in Milton Keynes as it continues to execute its growth plan. The customisable chocolate drinks brand will... View Article
  
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• BRC survey reveals UK retailers’ labour cost fears

  19-02-2026 09:03 via theretailbulletin.com
  A survey by the British Retail Consortium of retail chief financial officers and finance directors has revealed a sharp increase in anxiety about labour costs over... View Article
  
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• The scent of success? Why perfume is thriving while luxury slows

  19-02-2026 08:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Luxury retail may be entering a period of recalibration, but one category continues to outperform expectations – fragrance.
  According to 2026 McKinsey & Company data, the luxury sector is experiencing its steepest slowdown since 2008, with UK sales projected to fall by 1.5 per cent this year, and global growth expected to remain in the low single digits.
  Economic headwinds, softer consumer confidence and a post-pandemic normalisation in spending are weighing heavy on high-ticket purcha
  
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• AI adoption is rising in retail, but efficiencies remain surprisingly underwhelming

  19-02-2026 08:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  AI continues to dominate retail boardroom conversations. Investment is (for now) rising, strategies are being rewritten, and few executive presentations now pass without at least a passing reference to AI’s ‘transformative potential’.
  Yet new international research suggests that, behind the enthusiasm, the technology’s real-world impact on business performance remains far more limited than the industry narrative might suggest.
  Despite widespread adoption and sustained cor
  
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• eBay buys Depop from Etsy in huge $1.2bn cash deal

  19-02-2026 08:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  eBay has agreed to acquire London-founded resale platform Depop from Etsy for $1.2bn (£890m) in cash, marking a move to strengthen its position in the fast-growing secondhand fashion market and accelerate its appeal among younger consumers.
  The transaction, unanimously approved by both boards, is expected to close in the second quarter of this year.
  The deal comes five years after Etsy acquired Depop for $1.6bn (£1.18bn) as part of an ambitious ‘House of Brands’ strategy
  
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• The Perfume Shop celebrates strong Valentine’s trading with new perfume sales up 115%

  19-02-2026 07:46 via theretailbulletin.com
  The Perfume Shop has been celebrating strong Valentine’s sales with over 238,000 bottles sold from 1 to 14 February. The performance was driven by a 115% increase... View Article
  
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• Late payments leave retail SMEs waiting almost a full year for income

  19-02-2026 07:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  UK SMEs operating across the retail sector are spending the equivalent of almost a full year waiting to be paid, as late payments continue to place mounting pressure on cash flow across supply chains and the wider small business economy.
  New research from Hiscox surveying 1,000 sole traders, small business owners and directors, found that SMEs are chasing an average of 14 late payments each year, equating to 331 days of cumulative waiting time.
  Almost a quarter of payments arrive late, reinforci
  
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• Retailers in UK plan to cut staff hours and jobs amid rising employment costs

  19-02-2026 06:00
  BRC survey finds finance bosses expect technology to improve productivity, with 69% pessimistic about the economyUK retailers are planning to cut staff hours and jobs amid rising employment costs and pessimism about the economy.Almost two-thirds (61%) of finance bosses at retail companies said they planned to reduce working hours or cut overtime, according to the latest survey from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the trade body that represents most big retailers. More than half (55%) said t
  
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• Ebay buys Depop for $1.2bn in bid to capture younger shoppers

  19-02-2026 03:43
  Depop, which is owned by Etsy, has 7 million active buyers on its marketplace, nearly 90% of whom are under the age of 34The online seller eBay has agreed to purchase the secondhand fashion marketplace Depop from Etsy for about $1.2bn in cash, the companies announced on Wednesday, with eBay hoping the acquisition will help it capture a younger demographic.Used clothing has become increasingly popular, with Gen Z shoppers searching for unique items that cost less than new ones, and who want to ke
  
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• When China is chic, European luxury brands should worry

  18-02-2026 23:00
  Country is no longer seen as a factory pumping out cheap copycat goods
  
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• ‘By the end of the day we’re just knackered’: business booms for UK’s south Asian jewellers as gold prices soar

  18-02-2026 17:00
  Economic uncertainty drives customers to snap up 22-carat gold bars and coins or sell off unworn jewellery“With everything that’s going on in the economy and Donald Trump banging his chest against the world, we’re finding there’s no trust in the banks because we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Sandeep Kanda says.Kanda is the owner of Sunny Jewellers, situated along a stretch of Leicester known as the Golden Mile, and is a beneficiary of consumers see
  
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• John Lewis issues above inflation pay hike to staff

  18-02-2026 16:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  John Lewis is granting its staff an above inflation pay rise this year, following bonus freezes at the retailer.
  The partnership will set aside £108m to fund pay rises for the majority of its 69,000 partners.
  From 1 April, shop floor staff at John Lewis and Waitrose will receive a 6.9 per cent salary boost, increasing the minimum hourly rate to £13.25 for workers throughout the UK.
  The minimum rate for workers within the M25 will jump to £14.80.
  Additionally, the company said i
  
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• LISTEN: How EuroShop shapes global retail leadership

  18-02-2026 16:25 via retailgazette.co.uk
  EuroShop is just around the corner. As in previous years, Euroshop 2026 is the go-to event where retailers from across Europe and around the world come together to define the global direction of retail.
  More than an simply an exhibition, Euroshop has become a strategic platform for market leadership.In this episode of the Retail Gazette Unpacked podcast, we speak with Taras Pylypyuk, CEO of Modern Expo Europe, to explore how events like EuroShop are evolving into powerful instruments of brand le
  
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• John Lewis Partnership to invest £180 million in pay

  18-02-2026 15:17 via theretailbulletin.com
  The John Lewis Partnership is investing £180 million in shop floor workers’ pay to take the rate “above and beyond the requirements of the National Minimum... View Article
  
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• Beauty Bay files notice to take on administrators

  18-02-2026 14:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Beauty Bay has filed a notice to appoint administrators to “protect the position” of the company.
  The cosmetics retailer has taken down its website, which currently displays the message: “We’ll be back soon. Beauty Bay is offline right now, we’ll be back shortly”.
  It comes after the business has been seeking a sale or investment during recent weeks with restructuring firm Interpath.
  Beauty Bay owners Arron and David Gabbie launched a sale process in 2022 which
  
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• The great mass-market migration by big-name designers

  18-02-2026 13:00
  One-time luxury fashion darlings such as Clare Waight Keller, Jonathan Saunders and Kim Jones have all taken top gigs with retail giants lately. Why?
  
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• Why audience-led events triumph over flashy ones

  18-02-2026 11:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Retail marketers – and those operating beyond the sector – often fall into the trap of thinking too transactionally when using events to drive brand awareness or lead generation.
  “At the end of the day, it’s really about building a community around your brand and creating engaged audiences,” says Elinor Honigstein. In a post-Covid landscape crowded with channels competing for attention, getting in-person events right matters more than ever. As Honigstein puts it, &l
  
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• Why audience-led events triumph flashy ones?

  18-02-2026 11:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Retail marketers – and those operating beyond the sector – often fall into the trap of thinking too transactionally when using events to drive brand awareness or lead generation.
  “At the end of the day, it’s really about building a community around your brand and creating engaged audiences,” says Elinor Honigstein. In a post-Covid landscape crowded with channels competing for attention, getting in-person events right matters more than ever. As Honigstein puts it, &l
  
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• Amazon starts construction on first zero carbon-certified building

  18-02-2026 11:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Amazon has begun construction on its first delivery station designed to achieve Living Future’s Zero Carbon certification in the UK and Europe. 
  The 10,800m² delivery station, which is based in Stockton-on-Tees, will incorporate advanced building techniques to help reduce its environmental impact, according to Amazon. 
  The delivery station, where packages will be sorted for delivery to shoppers throughout North Yorkshire and parts of County Durham, is set to open in autumn 2
  
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