Retail news

• Primark boosted by strong fourth quarter

  07-09-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  Associated British Foods has said trading at its Primark fashion chain has exceeded expectations in its fourth quarter. In a pre-close trading update for the year to... View Article
  
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• Shoppers focus on health as supplement sales soar

  04-02-2026 17:11 via retailgazette.co.uk
  UK shoppers are increasingly focusing on improving their health, according to new data from NIQ.
  The company said 1 in 4 households reported that physical health was their number one priority for the year ahead.
  NIQ said this impacted January revenues, with increased sales of protein (+9.6%) and fibre (+14.1%) based foods leading to “considerable value growth” over the last 26 weeks. 
  Sales of supplements were 18.4% and minerals increased 9.2% over the last four weeks.Related St
  
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• Samsung Ads expands Amazon DSP partnership

  04-02-2026 16:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Samsung Ads has collaborated with Amazon Delivery Service Partner (DSP) to provide marketers with “direct programmatic” access to its premium Samsung TV Plus ad inventory in Europe.
  The new partnership, which allows advertisers to reach audiences across the open internet, was previously launched in the United States and Canada.
  Alex Hole, SVP Samsung Services Europe, said: “Gen Z Samsung Smart TV viewers are embracing streaming TV, watching an average of 1 hour and 38 minu
  
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• Watches of Switzerland boosts FY26 sales guidance

  04-02-2026 16:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Watches of Switzerland has upgraded its sales guidance for its 2026 financial year (FY), after better than expected trading over the key holiday quarter.
  The luxury watch retailer forecast revenues for FY26 to jump between 9% and 11% in constant currency, compared to its prior guidance of 6% to 10%.
  With group sales coming in at £1.65bn for FY25, this pushes the brand’s full year sales forecast to between £1.8bn and £1.83bn. 
  Despite this, the business reduced its pr
  
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• Six retailers investing in bricks-and-mortar in 2026

  04-02-2026 16:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The start of the year has seen various UK retailers invest in new stores.
  In January, real estate agency Knight Frank reported “the pendulum of investment” in retail was “swinging back towards physical stores,” and noted there were “growing signs to suggest that structural change in retail may finally be playing out”.
  Here, Retail Gazette looks at six retailers betting on bricks-and-mortar this year.
  Co-op
  Co-op is planning to launch 18 stores during the first
  
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• American Golf acquired by Peter Jones and his investment group

  04-02-2026 15:33 via theretailbulletin.com
  American Golf has been acquired by Dragons’ Den star and Jessops owner Peter Jones and his investment group. The company was purchased from private equity firm... View Article
  
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• Gymshark promotes chief digital officer as new CCO

  04-02-2026 13:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Gymshark has named Carly Natalizia as its new chief commercial officer (CCO). 
  Moving from her existing role of chief digital officer, Natalizia is set to continue reporting directly to the brand’s founder and CEO Ben Francis.
  In her new position, Natalizia will oversee the sportswear retailer’s “ongoing journey to becoming a fully omnichannel business,” Gymshark said, including introducing new products and scaling new business channels. 
  She will also “co
  
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• Watches of Switzerland Group raises full year sales guidance

  04-02-2026 12:04 via theretailbulletin.com
   Watches of Switzerland Group has raised its full year sales outlook after a strong third quarter. In a trading statement, the group said sales growth was... View Article
  
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• Discount scheme Blue Light Card unveils first-ever TV ad

  04-02-2026 11:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Retail discount and reward provider Blue Light Card has unveiled a new ad campaign aimed at targeting retired frontline workers.
  The scheme – which offers discounts at a range of high street stores, including Debenhams, JD Sports and New Look – is available to active and retired workers in a range of essential service roles.
  The new campaign will run on ITV during the day and highlight that eligibility for the discount card doesn’t end at retirement. It is the firm’s firs
  
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• How retail marketers are implementing AI into existing workflows

  04-02-2026 11:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The retail marketing industry is awash with artificial intelligence (AI) hype – much of it vague, speculative or fear-driven.
  According to WARC, 59% of marketers now worry about disruption from AI, up from 27% in 2023.
  With pressures to balance brand and performance, manage campaigns across multiple channels and prove ROI, retail marketers are being challenged not just to understand AI, but to make it work within existing workflows without slowing operations.
  But what does implementation o
  
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• Asos upskills designers in generative AI to speed up production

  04-02-2026 10:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Asos has partnered with GenAI fashion start-up Fermat to upskill more than 100 designers in generative AI and speed up its production process.
  Fermat’s technology is now embedded across the fashion retailer’s design operations, enabling designers to turn sketches into photo realistic visuals in seconds, according to Asos. 
  The technology allows Asos to “instantly explore different colours, fabrics and variations,” which it said helped it to communicate ideas more cle
  
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• Watch: Waitrose launches sci-fi TV ads

  04-02-2026 10:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Supermarket chain Waitrose has launched a new ad campaign featuring a ‘Gastronaut’.
  Devised by creative agency Wonderhood Studios, the advert marks the launch of the supermarket’s new ‘the home of food lovers’ platform.
  Titled ‘The Gastronaut, the creative showcases a “dramatic representation of the food versus fuel debate”.
  The marketing drive follows an astronaut as he journeys through space. He can be seen longing for real food as he is served f
  
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• How retail brands are proving themselves in real life again?

  04-02-2026 10:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Digital channels are awash with retail brands screaming for attention from every corner, writes Chris Rhodes, founder and creative director at creative production agency Experience.
  Chris Rhodes, founder and creative director at Experience
  But some brands are taking a different route and allocating significantly more resources to experiential marketing, with event budgets predicted to grow 6.6% in 2026.
  This shift suggests as digital channels become increasingly crowded, brands are rediscovering
  
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• M&S leads Valentine’s Day dining spend, says research

  04-02-2026 09:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Marks & Spencer is ahead in the race to attract Valentine’s Day shoppers, according to a new study.
  Research* by product intelligence business Vypr found for a special Valentine’s Day meal, M&S is the most-chosen supermarket for dinner ingredients (15%), just ahead of Tesco (14%).
  M&S also leads for dine-in deals, with 18% of respondents planning to shop at the retailer for their Valentine’s meal, compared with 14% for Tesco.Related Story M&S kidswear director d
  
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• Conversation with… Matthew Bourne, retail director at COOK

  04-02-2026 08:21 via theretailbulletin.com
  Here we chat with Matthew Bourne, retail director at COOK, as he returns as a judge for this year’s People in Retail Awards. From standout product... View Article
  
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• Omnichannel grocery: How connected retail experiences can unlock value across customer touchpoints

  04-02-2026 07:23 via retailgazette.co.uk
  After years of steady change, grocery retail is now experiencing a surge of new behaviours that is reshaping how customers shop, retailers operate, and brands measure success.
  At this time of accelerated change, grocers can no longer see their digital and physical stores as separate channels. At the demand of the consumer, the two must be united and seamless.
  “We’re at an inflection point in grocery retail as customer expectations change faster than most retailers’ systems can
  
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• Kingfisher appoints Stephen Daintith as a non-executive director

  04-02-2026 07:03 via theretailbulletin.com
  Kingfisher has appointed Ocado chief financial officer Stephen Daintith as a non-executive director with effect from 1 April. Daintith has been chief financial officer of  Ocado... View Article
  
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• Laura Jane Johnson: Challenger brand marketing that ‘pops’

  04-02-2026 07:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Popcorn Shed, as you might guess from the name, is a family-owned business that has been popping and growing since 2016.
  Founded by cousins Laura Jane Jackson and Sam Feller, the brand brings a challenger and startup mentality to the FMCG sector, serving up gourmet popcorn in over 27 inventive flavours.
  From classic salted caramel to quirky experimental flavours, Popcorn Shed has carved out a niche in a crowded snack market by combining creativity, authenticity and a strong sense of brand person
  
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• Absolute Best… Pop-up stores

  04-02-2026 07:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  We’re back with another instalment of Absolute Best, this time on Retail Gazette.
  This week we are going to take a look at some of the best pop-up stores and installations.
  Clarins
  First up on our list is beauty firm Clarin’s Sweet Stop.
  The dessert-themed installation handed out complimentary flavoured matcha to visitors. Customers could also take part in a ‘Spin the Cake Mixer’ game, lip product tastings, and biscuit decorating.
  Visitors also received branded macrons wi
  
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• Aldi invests £22 million in price cuts

  04-02-2026 06:36 via theretailbulletin.com
  Aldi has invested £22 million in reducing the prices on hundreds of products as it looks to help customers “save across their weekly shop”. The price... View Article
  
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• The Guardian view on high-street decline: a symbol of failure in a discontented nation | Editorial

  03-02-2026 19:21
  Decaying town centres are fuelling a sense of disillusionment with mainstream parties. Labour’s regeneration strategy must be bolder“In the 60s it was a fabulous place to live,” sighed one resident of the north-east English town of Newton Aycliffe, in an interview published last week as part of our investigation into the state of Britain’s high streets. “The town centre was absolutely beautiful … You would be ashamed to bring someone 
  
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• Missguided fashion group Sumwon Studios sales triple

  03-02-2026 17:28 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Missguided fashion group Sumwon Studios saw sales triple in its latest annual results.
  The organisation’s full-year net sales soared to £235m ($300m) in 2025, from £78m ($100m) the year prior.
  The business said that its units sold shot up 225% to 25m over the period.
  Sumwon Studios said that its performance had been driven by responding directly to real-time shopper demand, enabling it to expand efficiently while keeping a focus on profitable growth.Related Story M&S kidswe
  
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• M&S kidswear director departs after six years

  03-02-2026 15:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Marks & Spencer kidswear director Alex Dimitriu has stepped down from the company after six years.
  The exec joined M&S in February 2020 to serve as its head of menswear buying, before being appointed business unit director kidswear in January 2023.
  Prior to this, Dimitriu served as a buying and design director for fashion brand Miss Selfridge, from March 2018 to February 2020.
  Additionally, she worked as buying, merchandising and design director for New Look from August 2016 to October 2
  
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• Co-op price-match ad banned after Aldi complaint

  03-02-2026 15:48 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued three rulings against convenience retailer Co-op after supermarket chain Aldi challenged a price-matching ad.
  The rulings were against an ad that appeared on the retailer’s website. The marketing drive included a webpage for the grocer’s Aldi price match scheme.
  Text on the advert read: “EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS, PRICE MATCHED TO ALDI” beside images of various groceries with a roundel and tick symbol with text that stated, &
  
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• Walmart’s market value hits $1tn

  03-02-2026 15:47 via ft.com
  US retail giant joins club dominated by tech groups
  
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• Watch: Specsavers renews Emmerdale sponsorship

  03-02-2026 10:44 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Eye-care retailer Specsavers has renewed its sponsorship of ITV’s soap Emmerdale.
  The new idents are a continuation of the brand’s ‘mini soap within a soap’ creative platform and they expand on last year’s executions and feature familiar faces and new characters, including Bev and Barry.
  The idents were directed by Ollie Parsons, who has also worked on Specsavers Countdown, Neighbours and Emmerdale sponsorship campaigns.
  Victora Clarke, marketing director at Specsav
  
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• Kingfisher appoints Ocado CFO as non executive

  03-02-2026 10:43 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Kingfisher has appointed Ocado chief financial officer (CFO) Stephen Daintith as a non-executive director and a member of the company’s audit and nomination committees.
  The appointment, which will be effective from 1 April, will see Daintith succeed Jeff Carr as Kingfisher’s chair of the audit committee when Carr’s nine-year tenure ends in 2027.
  Daintith currently serves as Ocado CFO and worked as CFO for Rolls-Royce from 2017 to 2021.
  Kingfisher Chair Claudia Arney said: &ldqu
  
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• Weird Fish delivers record Christmas and full year performance

  03-02-2026 10:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  British lifestyle, clothing and accessories brand Weird Fish has reported it strongest ever Christmas and fourth quarter (Q4) performance.
  In a financial report released today (3 February), the business said total sales in November and December increased by 18.4% to £13.5 million (2024: £11.4 million).
  Retail like‑for‑like sales for the 12 weeks to 28 December increased by 6.6%, online sales grew 12% year on year, and outlet performance was “particularly strong
  
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• More than a quarter of loyalty points go unspent, says new research

  03-02-2026 09:58 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Over a quarter (26.2%) of UK loyalty points go unused, and 11.9% of points expire unspent, according to the Antavo Global Customer Loyalty Report 2026.
  The research found consumers lose out on up to £3 billion worth of savings per year, despite the fact 68.6% of shoppers said promotions influence their buying behaviour and 41% use promotions almost every time they shop.
  The figures come as the cost of living ranked highest among Britons’ worries (54% of respondents listed the cost of
  
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• UK shoppers buy more fruit and yoghurt in healthy start to 2026

  03-02-2026 09:42
  Britons cut back in January after record grocery spending in December, turning to own-label productsBusiness live – latest updatesBritons started 2026 by buying more healthy food such as fruit and yoghurt as they attempted to hit new year health goals, while grocery price inflation eased to the lowest level since April, research has shown.Annual grocery inflation fell back to 4% in the four weeks to 25 January from 4.7% in December, offering some relief for shoppers, according to a monthly
  
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