Retail news

• Marks & Spencer raises over £155k for Prostate Cancer UK

  09-04-2025 09:43 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Marks & Spencer has raised over £155,000 for Prostate Cancer UK as part of its campaign to encourage more men to get checked for the disease.... View Article
  
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• Next reportedly partners with stock clearance specialist for Russell & Bromley takeover

  09-01-2026 16:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Next has joined forces with stock clearance specialist Retail Realisation as it seeks a takeover of Russell & Bromley.
  The fashion retailer is working with Retail Realisation on its interest in the shoe and bag specialist, Sky News reported.
  The alliance between the companies underlines Next’s interest in the retailer’s brand rather than its stock or store estate, industry sources said.Related Story Very Group plans £2bn auction launch09/01/2026 x 3:03 PMThe proposal is one
  
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• Very Group plans £2bn auction launch

  09-01-2026 16:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Very Group owner Carlyle is reportedly planning to sell the business for £2bn after its acquisition from the Barclay family last year.
  The private equity firm is lining up Barclays and JP Morgan to handle the sale of the company, Sky News reported, which is expected to commence imminently.
  The Barclay family previously drawn up a series of plans to offload the etailer.
  The proposal to carry out an “immediate” sale process of Very Group was disclosed in a Companies House filing
  
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• No whey: why the price of protein powder is surging in Australia

  09-01-2026 15:00
  A booming gym culture has pushed up demand for powders and other protein-enhanced products, with retail prices following suitGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPowerlifting coach Cam Brown says more people are getting into protein supplements, even those outside the “fitness bubble”.“Even in the shops there’s a lot more protein products there,” he said. “People have changed their viewpoints that protein powders are only for bodybuilders
  
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• New Balance appoints former Frasers Group exec as VP sales EMEA

  09-01-2026 12:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Sportswear retailer New Balance has named Ger Wright as its new VP sales for the EMEA region.
  Wright served as Frasers Group managing director for sport from June 2022 to September 2025.
  Prior to this, she spent more than 14 years at athleticwear giant Nike, most recently working as its vice president general manager merchandising marketplace EMEA.
  Wright also served as Levi Strauss & Co. accounts manager Ireland (sales) from January 2005 to May 2006. Additionally, she worked as retail
  
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• Just Eat festive surge by Chinese takeaways and last-minute groceries

  09-01-2026 12:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Just Eat delivered a strong December, as consumers leaned on the platform festive takeaways, forgotten essentials and New Year celebrations.
  New data from the rapid food delivery service found it processed more than 17 million orders during the month, with Chinese cuisine emerging as the standout performer.
  Orders more than doubled on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, while Chinese food was the most searched-for cuisine in December, attracting more than 350,000 searches.
  The business
  
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• Retail footfall ‘disappointing’ in December

  09-01-2026 11:58 via theretailbulletin.com
  Retail footfall declined across all shopping locations in December, according to new BRC-Sensormatic data. Total UK footfall dropped by 2.9% year-on-year, down from -0.8% in November. While... View Article
  
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• Sephora to join line-up at Cabot Circus

  09-01-2026 10:54 via theretailbulletin.com
  Sephora is to open its first store in the South West at Bristol’s Cabot Circus this spring. The news marks the second letting to Sephora for... View Article
  
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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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• Argos sales drop damps festive cheer at Sainsbury’s

  09-01-2026 08:29
  Supermarket group’s shares fall sharply as poor performance at Argos offsets strong Christmas grocery sales
  
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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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