Retail news

• Lidl rolls out food donation boxes to support local communities

  25-03-2020 13:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  // Lidl rolls out food donation boxes to support local communities during coronavirus pandemic
  // Food donation boxes will support vulnerable families and community groups via partner Neighbourly
  // Lidl so far donated over 5m meals to community projects through its food surplus redistribution networkLidl has started to roll out new customer food donation boxes in an bid to help local community members in need of food and supplies amid the coronavirus pandemic.
  The initiative, which will be avai
  
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• Magnet begins 15-store cull as major restructuring takes place

  16-07-2026 09:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Magnet has closed the first of 15 underperforming showrooms as it pushes ahead with a major restructuring of its store estate.
  The retailer’s Caxton Way branch in Watford ceased trading on 14 July, with customers’ existing orders being transferred to its nearby stores in St Albans and Harrow.
  Magnet said employees affected by the closure would be supported, with alternative roles offered elsewhere in the business wherever possible.
  The Watford shutdown is the first of 15 planned clos
  
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• Frasers scraps profit guidance as takeover spree clouds outlook

  16-07-2026 09:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Frasers Group has withheld its profit guidance for the year ahead as its multibillion-pound pursuit of Hugo Boss and Accent Group creates uncertainty over its financial outlook.
  The Sports Direct and Flannels owner said the potential timing and level of acceptances for its two takeover offers could produce “a variety of outcomes”, making it inappropriate to issue guidance for its 2027 financial year. It expects to reassess the position at its half-year results.
  The decision came as F
  
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• Burberry investors back £12m CEO pay package despite shareholder revolt

  16-07-2026 09:04 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Burberry shareholders have approved a new executive pay policy that could hand chief executive Joshua Schulman a package worth more than £12m, despite a sizeable investor rebellion.
  Around 35.4 per cent of votes cast at the luxury retailer’s annual general meeting opposed its directors’ remuneration policy, while 64.6 per cent supported the proposals.
  A separate resolution amending the rules of the Burberry Share Plan received even greater opposition, with 37 per cent of votes
  
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• Ocado chases new US partners as Kroger retreat hits earnings

  16-07-2026 08:58 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Ocado is in talks with multiple US retailers as the group aims to rebuild momentum, following setbacks with two of its largest North American partners.
  The business said it had “multiple live engagements” in the US, where it’s pitching what it described as “significantly evolved” versions of its automated fulfilment technology.
  Its renewed push comes after US supermarket giant Kroger and Canadian grocer Sobeys announced plans to close robotic customer fulfilment cen
  
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• Luxury slowdown? Not at Cartier as Richemont sales jump

  16-07-2026 08:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Cartier owner Richemont has posted a sharp rise in quarterly sales as booming demand for luxury jewellery helped it outperform expectations and sparked a rally across the wider sector.
  The Swiss luxury group recorded sales of €6.3bn (£5.5bn) in the three months to 30 June, up 20 per cent at constant exchange rates and 17 per cent on a reported basis.
  The performance comfortably beat analysts’ forecasts of €5.9bn and marked an acceleration from the previous quarter. Richemon
  
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• Very.ie appoints Henry Dummer as new chief executive

  16-07-2026 08:50 via theretailbulletin.com
  Very’s Ireland business has appointed Henry Dummer as its new chief executive. With more than two decades of experience across retail, telecommunications, financial services and consumer... View Article
  
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• Exclusive: Co-founder Ben Cohen warns Ben & Jerry’s ‘gets sold or dies’ as fight with Magnum enters new phase

  16-07-2026 08:48 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen has called on retailers to boycott Magnum products as he intensifies pressure on the ice cream giant to sell the brand to investors who would protect its social mission.
  Speaking to Retail Gazette, Cohen said retailers and suppliers should “either stop buying Magnum products or at least raise your voice” over what he described as the company’s failure to uphold contractual commitments to Ben & Jerry’s.
  Cohen said Magnum sho
  
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• ‘Not for sale’: BrewDog’s new owner rules out co-founder James Watt’s ‘irrelevant’ takeover bid

  16-07-2026 08:47 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Tilray Brands has ruled out selling BrewDog after co-founder James Watt launched a bid to buy back the brewer, saying the business is “not for sale”.
  Speaking to Retail Gazette at BrewDog Waterloo ahead of England’s World Cup semi-final, Tilray chairman and CEO Irwin Simon said the company remained focused on investing in the brand rather than ownership speculation.
  “BrewDog is not for sale,” Simon said. “If anything, we’re here to really take this to a
  
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• Lululemon to open first Austria store in fifth market entry of 2026

  16-07-2026 08:41 via theretailbulletin.com
  Lululemon is to open its first store in Austria in its fifth market entry of 2026. To be opened in partnership with Arion Retail Group, the... View Article
  
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• UiPath selected by The Very Group to drive smarter retail pricing with agentic AI

  15-07-2026 15:34 via theretailbulletin.com
  Today UiPath a leader in business orchestration and automation, announces its three-year partnership with The Very Group to revamp its pricing strategy using agentic AI. Following... View Article
  
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• ASOS hires ex-Amazon exec Lizzie Jones to head up global trading

  15-07-2026 15:34 via theretailbulletin.com
  ASOS has appointed former Amazon executive Lizzie Jones as its head of global trading. Jones worked at Amazon for nearly 12 years, most recently as a... View Article
  
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• Co-op’s marketing director on “life moments” that inspired latest campaign

  15-07-2026 14:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The new ‘Pop to Co-op’ campaign reframes everyday shopping missions as small but meaningful life moments, according to Samuel Walker, marketing director of the convenience retailer.
  He explains how Co-op is using customer insight to connect brand-building with short-term commercial impact. From driving frequency and footfall, to creating longer-term value for its member-owned business.
  This latest campaign “feels like it’s come from customers”, shares Walker, it&rsq
  
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• Co-op extends Live Nation festival sponsorship for five years

  15-07-2026 13:15 via theretailbulletin.com
  Co-op has renewed its sponsorship of several Live Nation music festivals for a further five years. Started in 2018, the partnership allows the convenience retailer to... View Article
  
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• “Never trust, always validate”: The cyber mindset every retailer needs

  15-07-2026 12:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  With UK retailers under siege, Gamma’s security experts explain how they’ve worked with their partners to move from protection to prediction, and why finding the right partner can be a huge benefit. In the wake of major cyber-attacks on the industry, Gamma’s experts feel that it’s time for UK retailers to treat network resilience and cyber maturity as non-negotiables.
  In recent times, some of the UK’s most recognisable retailers have been rocked by major cyber-attac
  
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• Tesco trials shelf-scanning robots in supermarket aisles

  15-07-2026 11:54 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Tesco is testing an autonomous robot that roams supermarket aisles looking for empty shelves, misplaced products and incorrect prices.
  The grocery giant is trialling Simbe Robotics’ Tally robot in one of its stores, and has plans to extend the pilot to a small number of other locations.
  Measuring roughly five feet tall, Tally uses artificial intelligence, cameras and computer vision to travel independently through the aisles and scan the items on shelves.
  The technology checks stock availa
  
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• Co-op extends festival sponsorship deal with Live Nation until 2031

  15-07-2026 11:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Co-op has renewed its sponsorship of several major UK music festivals for a further five years, extending its partnership with Live Nation UK until 2031.
  The company will remain the official supermarket sponsor of Download Festival, Klarna Presents Latitude Festival, Pepsi Presents Reading & Leeds Festivals and Pepsi Presents Creamfields Festival.
  Co-op first signed the partnership in 2018 and has since operated pop-up convenience stores at some of the UK’s largest live music events.
  T
  
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• M&S to commence Marble Arch store redevelopment works

  15-07-2026 11:19 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  M&S is set to start work on its Marble Arch flagship redevelopment next year.
  The update comes after the retailer’s proposal to redevelop the site was granted approval in December 2024.
  The approval was given after more than three years, when former secretary of state for housing, communities and local government Angela Rayner approved its plans.
  The food and fashion giant said it wanted to regenerate the West End “to regain its position as a global shopping destination”.
  A
  
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• Swiss trade deal to open market for UK beef, lamb and dairy farmers

  15-07-2026 11:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  UK farmers are to have improved access to the Swiss market after the UK signed a new trade deal with Switzerland, in a move welcomed by the National Farmers’ Union.
  The agreement will allow greater access for British beef, lamb and dairy products, alongside some horticultural goods, while also offering new opportunities for UK sparkling wine exports.
  The NFU said it had spent several years lobbying for improved access to Switzerland, including writing to trade minister Chris Bryant last mo
  
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• The Very Group turns to AI to overhaul pricing strategy

  15-07-2026 11:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Very Group has launched an AI-powered pricing system across its retail brands, as part of a new three-year partnership with software company UiPath.
  The multi-brand online retailer said the technology will help it make faster pricing decisions, improve stock management and give its teams more insight into pricing performance.
  The Very Group said the project is part of its broader strategy to expand the use of AI across the business.
  UiPath, which was selected following a competitive pitch, i
  
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• Asda rejects safety fears as 300 security jobs put at risk

  15-07-2026 10:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda has insisted its stores will remain properly protected after more than 300 security officers working for outsourcing giant Mitie were placed at risk of redundancy.
  Mitie has launched a consultation over plans to reduce guard hours across around 100 Asda stores, which could leave some officers facing reduced shifts, relocation or redundancy.
  The GMB union has branded the process “shambolic” and called for it to be suspended, warning that cutting security hours could place shopper
  
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• Dr. Martens maintains guidance as US market grows

  15-07-2026 10:17 via theretailbulletin.com
  Dr. Martens has said its full year guidance remains unchanged in a statement ahead of its annual general meeting today. The footwear brand said trading since... View Article
  
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• B&M like-for-likes dip 2.3% in UK amid slower garden sales start

  15-07-2026 10:12 via theretailbulletin.com
  B&M saw a 2.3% decline in like-for-like sales in its first quarter due to a slower start to garden and outdoor sales this year. Trading margin... View Article
  
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• Richemont sales surge on booming jewellery demand

  15-07-2026 10:01 via ft.com
  Cartier owner outperforms peers with consecutive quarters of double-digit growth
  
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• New BNPL rules trigger major checkout shake-up for retailers

  15-07-2026 09:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Retailers are bracing for changes to their online checkout journeys as the UK’s new buy now, pay later (BNPL) regulations come into force today.
  The Financial Conduct Authority has begun regulating deferred payment credit, the interest-free form of borrowing commonly offered through providers such as Klarna and Clearpay.
  Under the new regime, lenders must carry out proportionate affordability checks before allowing shoppers to borrow, while providing clearer information about repayment dat
  
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• Asos raids Amazon for new global trading chief

  15-07-2026 09:42 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Asos has appointed former Amazon executive Lizzie Jones as its new global head of trading as the online fashion retailer strengthens its commercial leadership team.
  Jones joins from Amazon Fashion, where she served as general manager and commercial leader for footwear.
  The hire marks a return to Asos for Jones, who began her retail career at the business around two decades ago before going on to hold senior commercial and merchandising roles.
  She will now oversee global trading at the fashion gi
  
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• CMA clears eBay’s $1.2bn takeover of Depop

  15-07-2026 09:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  eBay has moved a step closer to completing its $1.2bn acquisition of Depop after the UK competition watchdog gave the deal the green light.
  The Competition and Markets Authority has cleared eBay’s proposed purchase of the fashion resale app from Etsy, following an initial investigation.
  The CMA said it would not refer the acquisition for a more detailed phase two inquiry, removing a significant obstacle to the deal’s completion. The body had opened its formal review in June and invit
  
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• Currys steps up SME push with ten new business hubs

  15-07-2026 09:25 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Currys has opened 10 more business hubs across its store estate after the division recorded 20 per cent year-on-year growth.
  The company has expanded the network to 70 locations across the UK, with the aim of capturing a greater share of the small and medium-sized business technology market.
  The new hubs have opened inside Currys stores in Durham, Tunbridge Wells, Doncaster, Huddersfield, Gloucester, Wolverhampton, Derby, Cheetham Hill, Watford and Poole.
  Each site gives local businesses access
  
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• B&M UK sales slide as France rescues quarterly growth

  15-07-2026 09:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  B&M has reported a slight rise in first-quarter sales after stronger trading in France and at Heron Foods helped offset another decline across its core UK business.
  Group revenue increased by two per cent to £1.43bn in the 13 weeks to 27 June, although like-for-like sales at B&M UK fell by 2.3 per cent.
  The company said that UK trading was affected by a slow start to the garden and outdoor season, which dampened demand for seasonal ranges in its largest market.
  However, continued
  
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• Debenhams eyes £100m profits as marketplace model gains traction

  15-07-2026 09:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Debenhams Group has hailed continued sales growth across June and July as its shift towards a marketplace-led model begins to deliver.
  The group, formerly known as Boohoo Group, said gross merchandise value had continued to grow year on year after returning to growth during its first quarter.
  Sales margins have also improved, while customer return rates have fallen.
  Chief executive Dan Finley said the group’s platform model and broader product assortment had allowed it to react quickly to
  
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