Retail news

• Making media magic in an age beyond labels

  17-12-2025 11:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  How Amazon Ads is reshaping the art, and the science, of connection…
  When the most successful marketing campaigns are discussed, they’re rarely remembered for a single component. Not the creative, not the targeting, not even the media plan. They’re remembered for a feeling. That moment when everything aligns.
  Amazon Ads calls this phenomenon media magic. It’s the intersection of aspiration and experimentation. Where human insight meets digital signal, and brands pro
  
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• Next board member to exit business after four decades

  09-01-2026 10:47 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Next group sales, marketing and HR director Jane Shields is set to step down from the retailer after 40 years.
  Shields is due to retire from the company on 21 May. She joined Next as a sales assistant in 1985, before being promoted to sales director in 1999, group sales and marketing director in 2010 and was appointed to the board in 2013.
  Next online customer service director Matt Barnes will be promoted to the role of group sales and marketing director and will take on the majority of Shields&
  
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• Sainsbury’s delivers biggest ever Christmas as Argos sales slip

  09-01-2026 10:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Sainsbury’s won grocery market share for the sixth consecutive Christmas period after delivering its biggest festive trading performance to date.
  In its third-quarter trading update for the 16 weeks ending 3 January 2026, the supermarket giant posted grocery sales growth of 5.4%, driven by increased customer switching and bigger basket sizes.
  Sainsbury’s, which said it was the only major grocer to grow basket size over the period, reported that fresh food led performance, with sales
  
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• Retail footfall fell during ‘disappointing December’

  09-01-2026 10:15 via retailgazette.co.uk
  UK retail footfall fell by 2.9% YoY in December, with high street visits down 0.9%.
  According to the latest data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic, retail footfall was down 0.8% YoY across the UK. It fell 1.5% in Scotland, 1.7% in Northern Ireland and 3.1% in England and Wales.
  In retail parks, footfall fell by 2.5%. While shopping centre footfall was down 5.1%.Related Story Omicron ‘wipes out’ retail recovery as December footfall drops07/01/2022 x 10:01 AMHele
  
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• Next announces board changes

  09-01-2026 09:43 via theretailbulletin.com
  Next has announced that Jane Shields, its group sales, marketing and HR director, is planning to retire from the company on 21 May. She will be succeeded... View Article
  
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• Shop facial recognition cameras triggered record repeat offender alerts

  09-01-2026 09:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Facial recognition yechnology firm Facewatch sent more than half a million real-time offender alerts to retailers in 2025, more than doubling the number issued the previous year.
  The platform issued 516,739 alerts to its retail subscriber network last year, up from 252,943 alerts in 2024, marking an increase of just over 100% year-on-year.
  On a daily basis, Facewatch now sends an average of 1,415 alerts a day, compared with 693 per day in 2024, according to the company.
  The alerts are designed t
  
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• Sainsbury’s blames ‘significant headwinds’ for drop in Argos sales at Christmas

  09-01-2026 09:31
  Online competition and weak consumer confidence behind fall, although sales at group’s supermarkets roseBusiness live – latest updatesSainsbury’s has blamed “significant headwinds” from weak consumer confidence, heavy online competition and widespread discounting for a fall in sales at its Argos chain over the all-important Christmas quarter.The UK’s second-largest grocer said its supermarkets increased sales by 3.4% at established stores in the three months t
  
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• Sainsbury’s posts strong Christmas sales

  09-01-2026 09:04 via theretailbulletin.com
  Sainsbury’s has said it won grocery market share for the sixth consecutive Christmas period as the supermarket grew its sales by 4.9% in its third quarter.... View Article
  
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• What is Modella Capital? Firm in spotlight as Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop face collapse

  09-01-2026 08:00
  Investment firm that also bought WH Smith’s high street business has reputation for rapid and hard-nosed restructuringThe expected collapse of the high street retailers Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop, with 2,550 jobs at risk, has put the previously little-known investment firm Modella Capital in the spotlight.The UK-based firm, which bought the two troubled chains within the last year, was set up by a group of restructuring professionals four years ago and has risen to promin
  
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• Picard eyes international expansion

  09-01-2026 07:22 via theretailbulletin.com
  French frozen food company Picard is accelerating its international expansion plans with the appointment of Maxime Margain as international manager. Margain previously worked as country manager for the... View Article
  
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• John Lewis head of women’s brands and own label steps down

  09-01-2026 06:56 via theretailbulletin.com
  The head of women’s brands and own label at John Lewis is stepping down after three and a half years in the role. Claire Miles joined... View Article
  
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• Wed2b to open third Birmingham store

  09-01-2026 06:30 via theretailbulletin.com
  Bridal retailer Wed2b is to open a third store in Birmingham as it looks to strengthen its presence in the Midlands. Launching on 14 January, the... View Article
  
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• The Primark machine suffers a continental splutter at a bad moment | Nils Pratley

  08-01-2026 19:47
  Big fall in sales in rest of Europe means split from owner’s food businesses would be distraction best avoided for year or twoIt is probably a good thing that Associated British Foods has not yet split itself in two, liberating the go-getting and supposedly reliable Primark from the more volatile food and ingredients businesses. In standalone form, Primark would probably have suffered a bigger share price thump than the 14% fall that the still-combined conglomerate sustained after Thursday
  
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• River Island confirms latest store closure dates

  08-01-2026 16:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  River Island has confirmed the final closure dates of its remaining shops from its list of 33 planned closures as part of its Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) approval.
  In June, it was reported that the retailer was set to shut 33 of its 230 stores as part of a major restructuring plan that could put over 1,000 jobs at risk, with a further 71 shops under review pending talks with landlords.
  The news comes after River Island stores in Brighton, Edinburgh Princes Street, Great Yarmouth, and Sto
  
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• Tesco aiming for bumper 2026 after best Christmas market share in decade

  08-01-2026 15:44
  Chain reports strong sales but shares drop 5% after analysts say third quarter performance was behind expectationsBusiness live – latest updatesTesco is aiming to grab an even bigger slice of the grocery market this year after winning its best share in more than a decade over Christmas with strong sales of fresh food and its Finest own-label range.The supermarket, which has an almost 29% market share, according to Worldpanel by Numerator, said it had taken the most trade from Asda, the UK&
  
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• Desert Island Stores: Charlie Bennett of Berry Bros. & Rudd

  08-01-2026 15:05 via theretailbulletin.com
  In this latest Desert Island Stores interview, Glynn Davis chats with Charlie Bennett, head of digital trading at Berry Bros. & Rudd.  The store you remember... View Article
  
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• Asda strengthens Price Promise

  08-01-2026 14:31 via theretailbulletin.com
  Asda has strengthened its Price Promise by pledging to be cheaper on thousands of everyday products than Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, including those retailers’ loyalty card... View Article
  
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• Greggs puts up price of sausage roll by 5p to £1.35 amid rising costs

  08-01-2026 13:39
  Bakery chain also adds 10p to a latte, bringing it to £2.25, as CEO warns of ‘a tough, challenging market’Greggs has added 5p to the price of a sausage roll and 10p to a latte coffee as it leans on some of its bestsellers to soak up rising wage, energy and packaging costs.The UK’s largest bakery chain said it had no plans for further price increases at present and it expected inflation to ease this year as it admitted it had sold fewer items in the run-up to Christmas ami
  
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• Greggs warns of flatlining profits as short sellers circle

  08-01-2026 12:17
  Bakery chain blames ‘subdued consumer confidence’ for ‘challenging year’ in food-to-go market
  
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• Uniqlo gets 10% of Japan sales from foreign tourist boom

  08-01-2026 11:15
  Visitors propel earnings at Asia’s largest clothing retailer
  
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• John Lewis womenswear brands chief steps down

  08-01-2026 11:15 via retailgazette.co.uk
  John Lewis’ head of women’s brands and own-label Claire Miles is stepping down from the business after more than three years in the position.
  The exec joined John Lewis in June 2022 after serving as head of buying and development at fashion retailer Mint Velvet, from June 2020 to February 2022.
  She also served as head of buying for womenswear brands at Asos from 2013 to 2014 under an interim position. Additionally, she worked for New Look from 2004 to 2010 under various roles, most r
  
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• Asda launches Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons loyalty price match

  08-01-2026 10:53 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Asda is pledging to undercut its rival grocery retailers by offering customers cheaper prices than Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons loyalty deals on thousands of everyday products.
  Under its campaign, That’s Asda Price, the supermarket now lists more than 2,300 core lines – spanning fresh meat, produce, chilled food, grocery and bakery – at prices up to 50% lower than competitors’ Clubcard, Nectar and More Card deals.
  The grocery retailer said the move is designed t
  
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• Primark owner ABF warns weak clothing sales will hit profits

  08-01-2026 10:45
  European sales set to drag on performance as group weighs splitting off fast-fashion high-street brand
  
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• JD Sports global managing director exits business

  08-01-2026 10:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  JD Sports global managing director Michael Armstrong has departed from the sportswear retailer.
  Armstrong has left the business after less than three years in his position and more than a 30-year tenure at the company, Drapers reported.
  The exec stepped down to “pursue other opportunities” after holding various senior leadership positions at JD Sports.
  He was appointed to the newly created role of global managing director in April 2023 to help “further drive the group’s g
  
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• Primark sees 3% sales growth despite ‘challenging consumer environment’

  08-01-2026 10:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Fashion retailer Primark recorded an improved performance and market share gains, as owner Associated British Foods (ABF) reported a challenging environment for the months ahead.
  In a trading update covering the 16 weeks to 3 January 2026, ABF said Primark’s UK business showed “encouraging” progress, with sales growth of around 3% and like-for-like growth of approximately 1.7% in what it described as a difficult clothing market, particularly over the Christmas period.
  The retai
  
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• Primark delivers sales growth in ‘difficult’ market

  08-01-2026 10:06 via theretailbulletin.com
  Primark owner Associated British Foods has said the fashion retailer had a challenging start to its financial year. In the 16 weeks to 3 January, Primark... View Article
  
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• Tesco and M&S ring up strong Christmas food sales as Asda struggles

  08-01-2026 09:53
  Both retailers extend their share of the competitive UK grocery market over festive period
  
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• M&S posts bumper Christmas as food market share hits historic high

  08-01-2026 09:47 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Marks & Spencer delivered a “record” Christmas performance, driven by strong sales in food, and a recovering fashion, home and beauty division.
  The high street retailer reported that for the 13 weeks ending 27 December, food sales rose 6.6% over the period, with like-for-like growth of 5.6%, pushing market share to a record high in November, above the 4% milestone.
  However, fashion, home and beauty fared less well, dipping 2.5% year on year, in line with expectations.
  Despite thi
  
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• Greggs ends 2025 with Q4 sales increase

  08-01-2026 09:46 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Food-to-go retailer Greggs has reported another year of sales growth and market share gains.
  In a trading update published today (8 January), Greggs said fourth-quarter total sales rose 7.4% year on year, with like-for-like sales in company-managed shops up 2.9%. For the full 52 weeks to 27 December 2025, total sales increased 6.8% to £2.15bn, while like-for-like sales grew 2.4%.
  The business said market conditions remained tough across the food-to-go sector, impacted by cautious cons
  
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• M&S boosted by record number of Christmas shoppers

  08-01-2026 09:23 via theretailbulletin.com
  M&S has said a record number of customers shopped with its business in the run-up to Christmas. In the 13 weeks to 27 December, food underlying... View Article
  
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