Retail news

• Games Workshop's first half performance in line with expectations

  07-12-2018 09:55 via theretailbulletin.com
  Games Workshop has said it is trading in line with expectations after reporting that it made sales of around £124 million in the first half of its financial year.
  
  Read more

• Dobbies to roll out new foodhalls under transformation strategy

  19-03-2026 13:19 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Dobbies has revealed its first UK store with a new cottage kitchen foodhall, with 47 more shops set to follow in the coming weeks.
  The garden centre is launching its new foodhalls under its transformation strategy as it separates from its grocery partner Waitrose. The business said its York site was the first to revamp its foodhall.
  Dobbies said its new foodhall reflected its commitment to investing in its York shop and responding to what local shoppers wanted.
  The foodhall launched with a serie
  
  Read more

• Zalando’s AI push meets rising fashion supply chain risk

  19-03-2026 13:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Zalando is stepping up its investment in automation, rolling out up to 50 AI-driven robots across its European fulfilment network in a move that underlines how central logistics has become to its growth story.
  The push follows Zalando last week delivering a robust set of results for 2025, showcasing both the scale of its platform and the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in modern retail supply chains.
  The Berlin-based group reported revenue of €12.3bn, up 16.8 per cen
  
  Read more

• Berry growers warn of rising costs as Middle East conflict bites

  19-03-2026 11:46 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Rising costs linked to the Middle East conflict are beginning to hit UK fresh produce supply chains, with British berry growers warning of mounting pressure ahead of the summer season.
  British Berry Growers Association said disruption in the region is driving up key input costs, including fuel and fertiliser, as instability around the Strait of Hormuz impacts global supply routes.
  British Berry Growers Association chairman Nick Marston said growers are facing a “knock-on effect” as t
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Costa, B&M and Poundstretcher among retailers named over minimum wage underpayments

  19-03-2026 10:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  A fresh government naming round has put several retailers and consumer-facing businesses under scrutiny after hundreds of firms were found to have underpaid workers.
  The Department for Business and Trade has named 389 employers for failing to pay the minimum wage, with total underpayments amounting to £7.3m and financial penalties reaching £12.6m.
  Around 60,000 workers were affected, according to the government.
  Among the retail and consumer brands named were Costa, Hays Travel, Hovi
  
  Read more

• Unilever weighs food business separation in major strategic pivot

  19-03-2026 10:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Unilever is exploring a potential separation of its food division in a move that would mark one of the most significant strategic overhauls in its modern history.
  According to reports, the FMCG giant is in early-stage discussions with advisers about options that could include spinning off most, or even all, of its food business.
  While no decisions have been made, any deal is unlikely to materialise before 2027, and the company may ultimately retain its current structure.
  A portfolio under transf
  
  Read more

• Is Sainsbury’s ‘misleading the public’ with freshly baked marketing claims?

  19-03-2026 10:21 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Sainsbury’s has reportedly confirmed that it no longer makes any bread from scratch in its in-store bakeries, as scrutiny grows over how supermarkets market “freshly baked” products.
  In a response to the Real Bread Campaign, a Sainsbury’s customer care representative said the retailer “no longer bake[s] individually in our in-store bakeries” and that breads are now “manufactured elsewhere”.
  The move means none of Sainsbury’s 1,400-plus stores
  
  Read more

• DFS nearly doubles profit despite footfall slump as wet weather hits retail

  19-03-2026 10:14 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Furniture retailer DFS has almost doubled its half-year profit despite a slowdown in store footfall.
  The London-listed group reported a pre-tax profit of £30m for the first half, up from £16m in the same period last year, as revenue rose nine per cent to £548m.
  Gross sales also increased nine per cent to £735m, signalling resilient demand despite a more challenging trading environment.
  The results come as retailers across the country grapple with declining footfall, with
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Tesco invests £200m in pay as hourly rates rise by 5.1% to above £13

  19-03-2026 09:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Hundreds of thousands of Tesco employees are set to receive a pay rise this month, as the UK’s largest supermarket ramps up investment in frontline staff amid intensifying competition across the grocery sector.
  From 29 March, hourly pay for store workers and staff in online fulfilment centres will increase by 5.1 per cent to £13.28, representing a £200m investment by the retailer. Employees working within the M25 will see their hourly rate rise to £14.55, including an inc
  
  Read more

• The Perfume Shop sells 320,000 bottles of scent in run-up to Mother’s Day

  19-03-2026 09:37 via theretailbulletin.com
  The Perfume Shop has reported strong sales in the run-up to Mother’s Day, with 320,503 bottles sold between 22 February and 15 March. The retailer’s data... View Article
  
  Read more

• DFS delivers ‘robust’ results in subdued market

  19-03-2026 09:22 via theretailbulletin.com
  DFS has said it delivered robust financial results in its first half despite a subdued upholstery market. In the six months to 28 December, the retailer’s... View Article
  
  Read more

• Mango takes major step in US expansion with new Mall of America store

  19-03-2026 08:30 via theretailbulletin.com
  Mango has taken a major step in its international expansion with the opening of a new store at Mall of America, the largest shopping and entertainment... View Article
  
  Read more

• ASOS hires Natasha Jeffers as managing director of global trading

  19-03-2026 08:03 via theretailbulletin.com
  ASOS has appointed Natasha Jeffers to the newly created role of managing director of global trading. In her new position, she will be responsible for the... View Article
  
  Read more

• Waitrose launches Food Lovers Uncut series with first guest Connor Swindells

  19-03-2026 07:45 via theretailbulletin.com
  Waitrose is launching Food Lovers Uncut, a new long-form content series, hosted by food influencer Will Hughes, better known as What Willy Cook.  The retailer said... View Article
  
  Read more

• Kingfisher to launch agentic AI-powered shopping in UK and Europe

  19-03-2026 07:44 via theretailbulletin.com
  Kingfisher is to launch agentic AI shopping on its B&Q, Castorama France and Poland, and Brico Dépôt France websites. In a partnership with Google Cloud, the... View Article
  
  Read more

• KPMG and Harvey Nichols among employers found to have paid less than UK minimum wage

  19-03-2026 01:02
  Government steps up its enforcement of newly strengthened workers’ rights
  
  Read more

• Walmart wins patents to give algorithms more sway over prices

  18-03-2026 17:18
  Move comes amid intense debate in the US about using automated systems to adjust costs for consumers
  
  Read more

• Tesco to invest over £200 million in pay

  18-03-2026 15:08 via theretailbulletin.com
  Tesco is to increase hourly pay for staff in stores and online fulfilment centres to £13.28 an hour. The news follows the supermarket reaching an agreement... View Article
  
  Read more

• Portmeirion Group appoints new managing director for Wax Lyrical

  18-03-2026 14:32 via theretailbulletin.com
  Portmeirion Group has appointed Shaun Dubberley as the new managing director of its Wax Lyrical brand. With extensive experience in the FMCG and consumer goods sectors,... View Article
  
  Read more

• Boden widen entry into US market with opening of second store

  18-03-2026 11:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Boden is set to open its second US store in Nashville, Tennessee this summer.
  The 1700 sq ft store, which is located at Hill Center Green Hills, represents “the next step” in Boden’s growing physical presence in the US, according to the British clothing brand. 
  The news follows the launch of Boden’s first US store in Atlanta during November.
  The Nashville store will feature a womenswear edit “designed to celebrate warm-weather dressing,” with a “vib
  
  Read more

• Battersea Power Station director on why social influence is redefining retail destinations

  18-03-2026 11:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Social media has transformed how we perceive and engage with the world around us, writes Battersea Power Station’s leasing director Harriett Renny.
  But how important is social media to landlords making brand decisions on the retail and leisure mix within successful destinations?
  Research from Sprout Social last year revealed that 41 per cent of Gen Z use social media first when looking for information, making it their primary tool ahead of traditional search engines. This shift h
  
  Read more

• Moonpig forecasts profit growth and unveils £65m share buyback

  18-03-2026 11:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Moonpig Group forecast profit growth for its full financial year, as it unveiled a new £65 million share buyback.
  In a trading update for April 2025 to the end of April 2026, the cards specialist said it expected to deliver its FY26 guidance of mid-single digit percentage growth in group adjusted EBITDA.
  The company said it anticipated growth in adjusted earnings per share to be at the top-end of its guidance of 8 per cent to 12 per cent growth, supported by “strong free cash flow ge
  
  Read more

• Supplier performance exposed as GNFR’s golden quarter weak link

  18-03-2026 10:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  GNFR (or goods not for resale) rarely grabs the headlines. In fact, it’s woefully under discussed at leadership level, or among the retail industry at large, for that matter.
  Yet GNFR is the operational glue of retail. It covers the store consumables that keep stores trading, the packaging that carries the brand, services and systems that make the whole machine run. It’s absolutely vital to retail, so let’s talk about it.
  There’s no better stress test to put GNFR strategi
  
  Read more

• Harrods launches circular fashion initiative to tackle textile waste

  18-03-2026 10:24 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Harrods has launched a new circular fashion initiative aimed at reducing textile waste and extending the lifecycle of clothing and materials across its operations.
  The luxury department store has partnered with charity retailer Traid to repurpose surplus stock and materials, as it looks to embed more sustainable practices within its business.
  Under the initiative, surplus Harrods items will be collected, sorted and either reused, repurposed or redistributed, helping to divert materials away from
  
  Read more

• Kingfisher partners with Google Cloud to roll out AI-powered shopping across Europe

  18-03-2026 10:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Kingfisher has struck a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud to deploy AI-powered shopping tools across its banners, as the DIY giant looks to position itself at the forefront of “agentic commerce”.
  The agreement will see the retailer roll out Google Cloud’s Vertex AI across the e-commerce platforms of B&Q, Castorama in France and Poland, and Brico Dépôt France, shifting away from traditional keyword-based search towards more personalised, conversational sh
  
  Read more

• Tesco revamps frozen range with over 140 new and improved products

  18-03-2026 09:44 via theretailbulletin.com
  Tesco is stepping up its refresh of its frozen food offering by adding more than 140 new and improved products ahead of the summer. The products... View Article
  
  Read more

• Q & A: Ben Collier, co-founder, Ocasta

  18-03-2026 09:23 via theretailbulletin.com
  Ben Collier is co-founder at Ocasta, the frontline operations platform helping retailers reduce guesswork across stores and head office. Ocasta is a frontline operations platform that... View Article
  
  Read more

• Lululemon warns of softer 2026 outlook as demand slows and board tensions rise

  18-03-2026 09:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Lululemon has forecast weaker-than-expected revenue and profit for 2026, as the athleisure giant grapples with slowing demand, rising costs and ongoing leadership uncertainty.
  The retailer expects full-year revenue to reach between £9.0 billion and £9.1 billion, falling short of analyst expectations of around £9.1 billion. It also guided earnings per share of £9.56 to £9.72, below the £9.94 forecast.
  Shares dipped around 1.5 per cent in extended trading follow
  
  Read more

• Moonpig trading on track as it announces new £65m share buyback

  18-03-2026 09:09 via theretailbulletin.com
  Online greeting card platform Moonpig has reported that its second half trading is in line with expectations as it looks ahead to a new £65 million... View Article
  
  Read more

• Scottish retailers face £54m rates burden compared to England

  18-03-2026 08:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Medium and larger retailers in Scotland are set to pay £54 million more in business rates than their counterparts in England from 1 April, according to new figures revealed through a parliamentary question.
  The data shows that 2,296 Scottish retail properties with a rateable value of £100,000 or more will be subject to the Higher Property Rate of 54.8p in the pound. In contrast, similar-sized stores in England will face a rate of 43p, creating a significant cost disparity for retaile
  
  Read more

Follow @retailuknws on Twitter!