Retail news

• Friday Fun One: Ivy Park or Sainsburys uniform?

  24-01-2020 17:08
  
  Beyonce’s latest Ivy Park collection may have sold out in minutes but following the reveal of the line, many noticed it looked incredibly familiar.
  Made in collaboration with Adidas, the new Ivy Park collection’s main colours were orange and burgundy – eerily similar to a Sainsbury’s uniform.Beyoncé X Sainsburys pic.twitter.com/IaCbGWcIVk
  — Caitlin Robinson (@Caitlin86682767) January 17, 2020Swarms of fans took to twitter to roast the singer for the design si
  
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• Closing the loyalty gap: how quick-commerce is also earning points

  03-08-2026 16:34
  
  As supermarkets battle to keep shoppers loyal beyond the big shop, their points schemes are expanding into the world of quick-commerce and onto delivery platforms.
  Last week, it was announced that Uber Eats customers can earn Nectar points when ordering groceries from Sainsbury’s, as the three businesses grew their rewards partnership.
  Customers just need to link their Nectar card to their Uber Eats account before placing an order, after which points will be added automatically on eligible
  
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• Aldi and Arla trial smart milk bottles to track recycling

  03-08-2026 15:22
  
  Aldi and Arla are piloting new technology that will track milk bottles through the recycling process, in a bid to better understand what happens to packaging after it is thrown away.
  The grocery retailer’s eight-week trial is being carried out with recycling technology company Polytag and will use invisible UV tags printed onto labels on Arla milk bottles.
  It is understood the technology will allow the companies to collect data on where the bottles go after they enter the recycling system
  
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• Urban Outfitters partners with InPost to expand delivery options

  03-08-2026 15:07
  
  Urban Outfitters has partnered with InPost to give UK shoppers a new option for collecting online orders.
  Customers will be able to choose InPost Lockers at the fashion retailer’s checkout for the first time, allowing them to collect their parcels from InPost’s network rather than having them delivered to their homes.
  The partnership gives Urban Outfitters customers access to more than 15,000 InPost lockers across the UK, with the lockers available around the clock.Related StoryUrban
  
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• Waitrose to extend midnight and 24-hour grocery delivery

  03-08-2026 15:03
  
  Waitrose is permanently extending its quick-commerce delivery hours at 35 stores across the UK, following strong demand for late-night and early morning grocery deliveries.
  The grocery retailer initially extended delivery hours at more than 50 stores last month during the World Cup. Customers continued ordering later in the day at most of the participating locations, prompting Waitrose to make the longer hours permanent.
  Most of the 35 stores will now offer deliveries until midnight, while selec
  
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• Morrisons launches month-long fundraising campaign for Marie Curie

  03-08-2026 15:02
  
  For August, Morrisons has launched its Every Pack Gives Back fundraising campaign as part of its efforts to raise £15 million for end-of-life charity Marie Curie before October 2027.
  As part of the event, the retailer has renamed its Coburg Cob to ‘Cob for Care’. The cobs have been given a packaging refresh, featuring bright yellow stickers on the wrapper to pay tribute to the brand’s daffodil emblem.
  As part of its Paint it Yellow campaign, which is run by colleagues and
  
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• Co-op head of partnerships and events on the future of its pop-up stores

  03-08-2026 13:43
  
  If you’ve been to a UK music festival in the last few years, there’s a chance you’ve come across one of Co-op’s pop-up c-stores at the event.
  The stores are part of Co-op’s partnership with Live Nation UK, who the convenience retailer began working with in 2018.
  The business has run more than 55 pop-up stores at festival events since 2014, and has operated more than 40 stores at Live Nation UK festivals and has partnered with Glastonbury Festival since 2022.
  In July
  
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• Currys Business director on the expansion of its business hubs

  03-08-2026 13:41
  
  In July, Currys Business revealed that it was developing its business hub network following 20 per cent year-on-year growth.
  The technology giant made the move as it claimed that UK SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) were continuing “to balance rising costs with an increasing reliance on technology”.
  The rollout also comes as UK businesses “face increasingly complex decisions around technology investment, cashflow management and operational efficiency,” according t
  
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• New Look appoints Lynda Petherick as new CEO

  03-08-2026 13:29 via theretailbulletin.com
  New Look has appointed Lynda Petherick as its new chief executive, succeeding Helen Connolly. Petherick has worked at the fashion retailer since 2024, when she joined…
  
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• M&S u-turns ‘ban’ on bra fittings with tape measures

  03-08-2026 12:49
  
  M&S has reversed its decision to carry out bra fittings “by eye” as it returns to using tape measures, according to reports.
  The “by-eye” fittings were set to be launched following a trial of the service across 23 shops. 
  However, the “ban” on using tape measures has reportedly now been abandoned, according to The Telegraph, after workers and shoppers found the procedure “time consuming”.
  An M&S spokesperson told the publication that i
  
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• Ocean Outdoor retains Canary Wharf Group DOOH portfolio

  03-08-2026 12:44
  
  Canary Wharf Group’s digital-out-of-home network in London will still be managed by Ocean Outdoor UK, after the firm won a competitive tender.
  The pair have worked together for 15 years and under the contracts new terms, Ocean will be responsible for enhancing and widening its existing digital-out-of-home offering.
  Canary Wharf Group’s network is currently made up of 45 digital-out-of-home formats which cover retail, pedestrian, roadside and transport areas. The network includes the
  
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• JD Sports expands Meadowhall shopping centre flagship

  03-08-2026 11:53
  JD Sports has expanded its flagship store at Meadowhall shopping centre, marking a “major investment” from the sports fashion retailer. 
  The opening signals “strong retailer confidence” in the shopping centre’s commercial performance and catchment, according to the business.
  The new 29,225 sq ft store, which is located on Meadowhall’s lower high street, is three times the size of the sportswear retailer’s former space at the destination. 
  Havin
  
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• Vinted reports jump in second-hand bridesmaid dresses searches

  03-08-2026 11:50
  Searches for second-hand bridesmaid dresses have risen 17 per cent year-on-year as shoppers look to cut the cost of taking part in weddings, according to figures from resale marketplace Vinted.
  A survey for the pre-loved platform found that almost a quarter of women who have been a bridesmaid have considered turning down the role because of the cost, rising to 35 per cent among those aged 25 to 34.
  Almost six in 10 former bridesmaids said the role cost more than they had expected, while a third
  
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• Abercrombie & Fitch explores what it ‘means to be iconic’ in new campaign

  03-08-2026 11:47
  
  Abercrombie & Fitch has unveiled its Autumn 2026 denim campaign starring models Emily Ratajkowski and Paloma Elsesser, as well as New York Giants players Jaxson Dart and Malik Nabers.
  The campaign was inspired by the “energy of New York City” and explores “what it means to be iconic”.
  It features denim items from the retailer’s autumn range including its women’s High Rise Wide leg Jean, Low Ruse Ultra Loose Jean and High Rise Relaxed Jean. It also spotligh
  
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• Abercrombie & Fitch explore what it ‘means to be iconic’ in new campaign

  03-08-2026 11:47
  Abercrombie & Fitch has unveiled its Autumn 2026 denim campaign starring models Emily Ratajkowski and Paloma Elsesser, as well as New York Giants players Jaxson Dart and Malik Nabers.
  The campaign was inspired by the “energy of New York City” and explores “what it means to be iconic”.
  It features denim items from the retailer’s autumn range including its women’s High Rise Wide leg Jean, Low Ruse Ultra Loose Jean and High Rise Relaxed Jean. It also spotligh
  
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• Retailers hit back at Chancellor John Healey over cost of living comments

  03-08-2026 10:41 via theretailbulletin.com
  Retailers have hit back following the new Chancellor of the Exchequer’s comments on the cost of living over the weekend, in which he said the Government…
  
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• Innovators and standout brands revealed in Retail Excellence Awards shortlists

  03-08-2026 10:00
  The latest finalists have been announced for the RG Retail Excellence Awards 2026, celebrating exceptional store openings and leading names across homeware, own-brand retail and beauty…
  Retailers and brands spanning fashion, grocery, home improvement, health and beauty have secured places on four new shortlists for this year’s RG Retail Excellence Awards.
  The finalists have been revealed for New Store of the Year, Homeware Retailer of the Year, Own Brand of the Year and Beauty Retai
  
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• Inside M&S’ revamped Oxford Street Pantheon flagship

  03-08-2026 09:58
  Marks & Spencer has completed the transformation of its Pantheon flagship on London’s Oxford Street, which will reportedly serve as a testing ground for new store concepts before they are rolled out across its wider estate.
  M&S has refurbished almost 100,000sq ft of shopping space across four floors, bringing together its food, fashion, beauty and home divisions under a revamped format.
  The final phase of the project has opened the upper floors housing menswear, kidswear, lingerie
  
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• Scotmid CEO Karen Scott appointed chair of Scottish Retail Consortium

  03-08-2026 09:33 via theretailbulletin.com
  The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has appointed Scotmid Coop chief executive Karen Scott as its new chair, effective 1 August 2026. Scott succeeds Debbie Harding, who…
  
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• Shein weighs investor payouts ahead of Hong Kong IPO

  03-08-2026 09:31
  Shein is reportedly considering compensating some of its late-stage investors, before pursuing a Hong Kong flotation at a substantially reduced valuation.
  It could offer investors a combination of cash payments and additional Class B shares, according to Bloomberg News, as it aims to lower their effective investment costs ahead of the proposed listing.
  The measures would apply to backers that participated in Shein’s pre-Series D, Series D and Series D+ funding rounds.
  The reset would align
  
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• Amazon slapped with lawsuit over seafood sustainability claims

  03-08-2026 09:14
  Amazon is facing a proposed class action accusing the retail giant of misleading shoppers about the environmental credentials of seafood sold through its platform.
  The lawsuit, filed in a Seattle federal court on 31 July, alleges that product descriptions using terms such as “dolphin safe”, “responsibly sourced”, “sustainable” and “wild caught” led consumers to believe the products caused minimal harm to oceans and the wider environment.
  Claimants
  
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• Boots future in doubt after Weston family slashes £7bn offer

  03-08-2026 09:09
  The proposed £7bn sale of Boots to the billionaire Weston family has reportedly stalled after the prospective buyer reportedly reduced its offer.
  Boots owner Sycamore Partners is understood to have rejected the revised bid, leaving negotiations over a possible takeover at a standstill, according to The Times.
  The Weston family is said to have lowered its offer after a rival suitor withdrew from the sale process. Sycamore had previously held discussions with several prospective buyers, incl
  
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• TG Jones to scupper Southend store as restructuring continues

  03-08-2026 09:01
  Embattled retailer TG Jones is set to close its Southend High Street branch next month, as it presses ahead with its store restructuring programme.
  The company will cease trading from the site on 26 September, with a closing-down sale offering shoppers discounts of up to 30 per cent.
  The closure will also result in the loss of Southend’s main Post Office, which operates from the floor above the store. Customers will be directed to the nearest alternative branches on Sutton Road and Hamlet
  
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• JD Sports triples flagship store size at Meadowhall to 29,225 square feet

  03-08-2026 09:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  JD Sports has relocated and tripled the size of its flagship store at Sheffield’s Meadowhall shopping centre, expanding to 29,225 square feet as part of a…
  
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• B&M poised to complete POS overhaul across more than 790 UK stores

  03-08-2026 08:55
  B&M has today revealed the details of a partnership with PMC to modernise its point-of-sale systems across its entire UK store estate.
  The company has introduced new POS hardware and software across more than 790 stores, as part of a programme designed to ‘improve operational agility, speed up transactions and enhance the customer experience’.
  The rollout replaces B&M’s legacy till systems with a more reliable and standardised platform, promising increased uptime, impro
  
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• EG On The Move completes acquisition of 260 petrol stations in France

  03-08-2026 08:28 via theretailbulletin.com
  EG On The Move, the petrol and convenience retail operator, has completed the acquisition of 260 forecourt sites in France from EG Group, marking a major…
  
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• ‘Crush this lady’: how eBay harassment campaign led to $56mn payout

  02-08-2026 14:00 via ft.com
  Employees’ cyberstalking of Boston couple involving macabre deliveries ended in jail time and financial settlement
  
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• Beating Berlin’s Sunday blues

  01-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Germany’s weekly retail shutdown is bad for the country’s economy and the atmosphere of its cities
  
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• Directors’ Deals: M&S directors cash out as shares climb

  31-07-2026 19:00 via ft.com
  Retailer seems to have shrugged off effects of cyber attack
  
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• Beauty in rude health

  31-07-2026 13:43 via theretailbulletin.com
  Nobody needs to be told that retail has had a tough time over recent years but one category – outside of the essential that is food…
  
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