Retail news

• N Brown appoints new COO

  14-01-2026 11:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Fashion and homeware platform N Brown Group has appointed Natalie Rogers to the newly-created role of chief operating officer (COO).
  The move strengthens N Brown’s leadership team “as the Group enters the next phase of growth driven by operational efficiency and disciplined execution”, said the business.
  “I’m very pleased to be taking on this new role at an exciting time for N Brown, as we look to accelerate our business transformation,” she said.
  “Over
  
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• Beyond Uptime: The 2026 Connected Retail Blueprint

  14-07-2026 12:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  No customer praises a store for its Wi-Fi. But everyone notices when it stops working.
  A customer who was ready to buy becomes a customer who is ready to leave.
  Beyond Uptime is a new report from Retail Gazette and Gamma, built on interviews with retail specialists and data on payment failures, outages, and shopworker safety.
  What you’ll learn:The base on which exceptional retail is built
  Why system failures put £1.7bn in UK retail sales at ris
  
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• Rituals to revamp 1,500 boutiques in 30 working days

  14-07-2026 12:16 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Rituals Cosmetics is set to launch one of Europe’s largest retail transformations in August, renewing 1,500 boutiques across 30 countries with an investment of €40 million (£34.09 million). 
  Rather than renewing its boutique concept in phases over several years, Rituals will elevate 1,500 boutiques in 30 working days. 
  The transformation coincides with the introduction of many new collections, Rituals said, which “require a spacious, more premium presentation&rdq
  
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• Watches of Switzerland profit surges as shoppers fuel luxury boom

  14-07-2026 11:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Watches of Switzerland has posted a sharp rise in annual profit as booming demand from wealthy US shoppers helped the Rolex retailer defy the wider slowdown gripping the luxury market.
  The group’s statutory pre-tax profit jumped 76 per cent to £133m in the 53 weeks to 3 May, while adjusted operating profit rose to £155m.
  Revenue climbed 11 per cent on a reported basis to £1.83bn, or 13 per cent at constant currencies, coming in ahead of analysts’ expectations.
  Chief
  
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• TOAST brand director: “responsible operations and commercial growth are not mutually exclusive”

  14-07-2026 11:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Welsh clothing and lifestyle brand TOAST, which has had “great success in the UK” and is looking to replicate it responsibly in the US, has stressed “overproduction has to be the focus”.
  Following the news that 99 per cent of its 2025 clothing collections were made from solely natural fibres, Rosie McKissock, TOAST’s brand director, explains that responsible operations and business growth can go hand in hand.
  “TOAST demonstrates a different way to shop, guided
  
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• Furniturebox co-founder: “There’s no manuscript” for building ecommerce success

  14-07-2026 11:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Monty George was 17-years-old when he evolved his skill for selling on marketplaces into a dedicated ecommerce business, with his school-friend Dan Beckles. Just over a decade later and Furniturebox has recently rebranded; has grown into the States; and is about to replatform for its next stage of development.
  Fueled by a love of second-hand goods, George started selling electronics, mini quad bikes and dirt bikes on the likes of eBay. He realised if he could sell logistically complex items such
  
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• OurCoop appoints LoweConex to unify refrigeration and HVAC telemetry

  14-07-2026 10:59 via theretailbulletin.com
  LoweConex expands its work across the newly formed co-operative retail society, OurCoop, following the coming together of Central Co-op, Chelmsford Star Co-operative and Midcounties Co-operative in... View Article
  
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• Watches of Switzerland posts record full year revenue after strong US demand

  14-07-2026 10:11 via theretailbulletin.com
  Watches of Switzerland Group has posted record annual revenue and a surge in profit after a particularly strong performance in its US business and signs of... View Article
  
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• Retailers handed $81bn tariff lifeline after Trump duties ruled illegal

  14-07-2026 09:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  US businesses have received $81bn (£61bn) in tariff refunds after the Supreme Court struck down a large part of Donald Trump’s import tax regime.
  The US government has returned the money during the current fiscal year, which began in October 2025, according to newly released budget figures.
  That compares with just $5bn refunded over the same period a year earlier, with the Treasury attributing almost all of the surge to the Supreme Court’s ruling in February.
  The judgment found
  
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• Watches of Switzerland defies luxury slowdown with strong US sales

  14-07-2026 09:54 via ft.com
  Retailer of high-end timepieces reports 13% jump insales to £1.83bn
  
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• Dulux owner rejects £6.5bn bid for decorative paints business

  14-07-2026 09:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Dulux owner AkzoNobel has rebuffed a €7.5bn (£6.5bn) approach from Nippon Paint for its decorative paints division, arguing the offer significantly undervalues the business.
  The company confirmed it had received several conditional and non-binding proposals from the Japanese paintmaker for the division, which includes consumer brands such as Dulux.
  However, AkzoNobel said its merger agreement with US coatings group Axalta prevented it from entering discussions with Nippon Paint and st
  
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• It’s coming home… Iceland renames stores ‘England’ as retailer backs Three Lions

  14-07-2026 09:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Iceland has temporarily renamed three of its supermarkets “England” in support of the national team during the World Cup.
  The retailer has changed the signage at stores in the hometowns of England stars Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Jordan Pickford, with a promise the new branding will stay in place for as long as England remain in the tournament.
  The stores are located in Stourbridge, where Bellingham grew up, Chingford, the hometown of captain Harry Kane, and Washington, Tyne and
  
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• Asda takes loyalty battle to the pumps with first fuel reward

  14-07-2026 09:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda has expanded its Rewards app into fuel for the first time, as it looks to give shoppers more reasons to consolidate their spending.
  Customers who spend £40 or more in a single in-store transaction before 31 July will receive a coupon offering 5p off every litre of fuel.
  The voucher will be added automatically to the shopper’s Asda Rewards app after completing an eligible purchase and can be used against one fuel transaction until 7 August.
  Customers can redeem the offer by scan
  
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• Puma poaches Nike veteran to lead its ‘commercial engine’

  14-07-2026 09:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Puma has appointed ex-Nike executive Marcia Dos Santos to lead its newly created Core business unit as it pushes ahead with wider transformation.
  Dos Santos will join the retailer as vice president of business unit Core on 15 July and report directly to chief brand officer Maria Valdes.
  She brings more than 20 years of experience in the sports industry and most recently served as Nike’s vice president of merchandising for women’s across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
  Puma said D
  
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• Shein chairman steps aside as fast-fashion giant closes in on IPO

  14-07-2026 09:16 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Shein executive chairman Donald Tang is reportedly preparing to step down as the company moves closer to completing its long-awaited stock market listing.
  Tang, who has served as Shein’s public face for the past three years, is expected to become a senior adviser to the business, according to sources familiar with the plans.
  Founder and chief executive Sky Xu is set to take on the chairman role and lead the investor roadshow ahead of Shein’s proposed flotation in Hong Kong.
  The leade
  
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• Morrisons eyes £600m property deal to bankroll Lidl fightback

  14-07-2026 09:08 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Morrisons is reportedly in talks over a £600m property-backed financing deal as it looks to strengthen its balance sheet and revive its challenge against Lidl.
  The supermarket is understood to have held discussions with several potential partners, including US property investor Realty Income, about raising money against a portfolio of its stores.
  Rather than a conventional sale-and-leaseback agreement, the proposed transaction could involve financing secured against Morrisons’ superm
  
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• The Perfume Shop overhauls loyalty scheme in bid to keep six million shoppers hooked

  14-07-2026 09:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Perfume Shop has relaunched its loyalty programme for six million members in hopes of driving repeat purchases and gathering deeper insights into how customers shop.
  The company has renamed the 14-year-old scheme ‘The Perfume Club‘, promising simpler rewards, member-only prices and greater access to exclusive products and events.
  Members will continue to earn points on purchases, which can be redeemed against future fragrance buys, while the revamped programme will introduce week
  
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• Asda Rewards app offers fuel savings for the first time

  14-07-2026 08:57 via theretailbulletin.com
  Asda has made a major change to its rewards scheme by allowing customers shopping in store to save on fuel through the Asda Rewards app for... View Article
  
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• World Cup and heatwave drive jump in UK consumer spending

  14-07-2026 08:55 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  UK consumer spending accelerated in June as the World Cup and record temperatures prompted shoppers to splash out on summer clothing, cooling products and online purchases.
  Consumer card spending rose 1.9 per cent year on year during the month, according to Barclays, more than double the 0.8 per cent growth recorded in May.
  However, spending continued to lag behind the three per cent rate of consumer price inflation, while most shoppers remained pessimistic about the outlook for the UK economy.
  
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• PUMA hires ex-Nike exec Marcia Dos Santos to head up core division

  14-07-2026 08:24 via theretailbulletin.com
  Sportswear brand PUMA has appointed Marcia Dos Santos to the newly created role of vice president of BU Core. The move follows the company’s creation of... View Article
  
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• Post Office launches ‘Post Office Plus’ concept stores

  14-07-2026 08:02 via theretailbulletin.com
  Post Office is launching Post Office Plus, a new store concept designed to bring face-to-face services back to the high street. The move will see selected... View Article
  
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• The Perfume Shop revamps loyalty programme for six million members

  13-07-2026 22:34 via theretailbulletin.com
  The Perfume Shop has revamped its long running loyalty programme as it looks to make rewards simpler, more valuable, and easier for customers to enjoy.  Relaunched... View Article
  
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• Post Office launches concept stores to bring services back to high streets

  13-07-2026 17:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Post Office is rolling out new concept stores designed to bring more services back to UK high streets.
  The Post Office Plus launch follows consumer demand for more in-person support for important life moments, according to the business.
  Selected Post Office branches will be transformed into multi-service community hubs, bringing in partners on different days of the week to “provide practical guidance designed to make important life moments easier”. 
  Founding partners will includ
  
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• Trump declares US is ‘taking over’ the Strait of Hormuz as Iran warns of wider war

  13-07-2026 16:15 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Donald Trump has said the United States will “take over” the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions with Iran as fighting between the two countries entered its 135th day.
  Speaking to Fox News, the US president said America would become the “guardian angel” of the MIddle Eastern shipping route and suggested the US should be paid for controlling it.
  Trump did not explain how this would happen or who would provide the funding.
  The comments came after another night of US strik
  
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• WRAP appoints Tesco and M&S bosses as new Packaging Pact chairs

  13-07-2026 16:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The UK Packaging Pact has appointed five new industry experts to lead groups that will help shape the future of sustainable packaging across the UK.
  The appointments come three months after the ten-year programme was launched by the environmental charity to help businesses reduce packaging waste, improve recycling and support the move to a more circular economy.
  The new chairs are Tesco head of packing and food waste strategies James Bill, who chairs the Scale Reuse and Refill Industry Expert Gr
  
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• H&M to axe stores around the world under organisational strategy, says report

  13-07-2026 15:25 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  H&M has been shutting stores around the world, with its latest six month report for 2026 revealing that more closures were on the way, according to Inc.com.
  The fashion company pulled in net sales of approximately 54.8 billion kronor (£4.23 billion) for its latest quarter which ended on 31 May. H&M highlighted that its results, in local currency terms, “were fairly in line with last year,” despite the chain operating roughly 3 per cent fewer shops than it did one y
  
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• Urban Outfitters launches Reskinned take-back: Is second-hand fashion going mainstream?

  13-07-2026 12:42 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Urban Outfitters has become the latest retailer to partner with second-hand fashion platform Reskinned, as the collaboration launches a take-back scheme.
  Customers can now hand over their pre-loved Urban Outfitters pieces and get £10 to spend on something new.
  A spokesperson for Reskinned said: “It’s a privilege to partner with Urban Outfitters on this, giving their customers a simple way to keep clothes in use for longer and pass things on responsibly.”
  There are current
  
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• Lululemon launches padel pop-up at Trafford Centre

  13-07-2026 11:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Lululemon has partnered with Trafford Centre to launch a premium pop-up padel court, to celebrate the opening of its larger new store at the shopping centre. 
  Running for two weeks in July, the branded Lululemon x Trafford Centre court leverages the popularity of the world’s fastest-growing sport to “provide a footfall-driving experiential opportunity for visitors”.
  Transforming part of the shopping centre’s outdoor space into an “engaging immersive sporting ex
  
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• Louise Noble explains why art was the inspiration of Fitflop’s recent collaborations

  13-07-2026 11:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Fitflop have looked to the art world for their latest collaborations, partnering with artist Keith Haring and colour standards company Pantone.
  Louise Noble, FitFlop chief product and brand officer explains that the idea for the Keith Haring campaign came from movement. The brand wants to help people move better and Haring’s work “is full of movement, optimism and energy”.
  She says: “The partnership felt incredibly natural It gave us the opportunity to tell that story thr
  
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• Will John Lewis’ forex and gift wrapping removal impact its customer service?

  13-07-2026 10:48 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  John Lewis recently put 200 jobs at risk as it proposed shutting its in-store foreign exchange bureaux and dedicated gift-wrapping desks across dozens of sites.
  The retailer has rolled out a redundancy consultation with staff impacted by the plans, which would see bureau de change services axed in 30 stores and specialist gift-wrapping desks, which share the space with its bureaux de change, shut across the 25 sites where it is available.
  Although no final decision has yet been made, the closure
  
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