Retail news

• Primark rolls out biggest activewear collection

  07-01-2026 16:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Primark is introducing its largest ever activewear range, designed to take shoppers “seamlessly from workouts to everyday life”.
  Launching this week across women’s, men’s and kidswear, prices for the collection start from £2.50 for accessories and £4.50 for activewear.
  The 240-piece collection is Primark’s most advanced activewear offer to date, according to the retailer, combining “fresh styles with innovative new fabrics across leggings, tops, ho
  
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• The Primark machine suffers a continental splutter at a bad moment | Nils Pratley

  08-01-2026 19:47 via theguardian.com
  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 via theguardian.com
  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 via theguardian.com
  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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• M&S Christmas food sales soar but clothing suffers from cyber-attack fallout

  08-01-2026 09:14 via theguardian.com
  Poor festive fashion sales deepen fears of squeeze on UK household budgets and falling high street footfallBusiness news – live updatesMarks & Spencer revealed strong sales of food over the important Christmas trading period but clothing sales fell back as it continues to battle the after-effects of last year’s crippling cyber-attack.The company said its clothing, homeware and beauty business was also affected by “fragile consumer confidence and milder weather”. Conti
  
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• Tesco adjusts profit forecast following Christmas sales boost

  08-01-2026 09:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Tesco reported a solid like-for-like sales growth across the third quarter and Christmas trading period.
  For the 19 weeks covering Q3 (13 weeks to 22 November 2025) and the Christmas period (six weeks to 3 January 2026), group like-for-like sales excluding VAT and fuel rose 2.9%. UK sales increased 3.7% over the period, with the Republic of Ireland (ROI) delivering growth of 4.6%. Combined UK and ROI sales were up 3.8%.
  Central Europe recorded 1% growth, while Booker saw a decline of 1.3%.
  Follo
  
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• Greggs posts fourth quarter sales growth despite ‘challenging’ market

  08-01-2026 08:52 via theretailbulletin.com
  Greggs has posted a 7.4% increase in fourth quarter total sales despite “challenging” market conditions. Meanwhile, company managed shop like-for-like sales rose by 2.9%. The performance... View Article
  
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• Tesco reports strong Christmas food sales

  08-01-2026 08:28 via theretailbulletin.com
  Tesco has recorded it highest market share in more than a decade during the lead-up to Christmas after strong festive food sales. In the six weeks... View Article
  
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• Pour Moi expands into athleisurewear

  08-01-2026 07:55 via theretailbulletin.com
  Pour Moi, the British  lingerie and swimwear brand, has expanded into athleisurewear with the launch of a new collection. Made from soft fabrics including a 210g... View Article
  
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• Sainsbury’s launches new graduate programme

  08-01-2026 07:18 via theretailbulletin.com
  Sainsbury’s is launching Future Maker, a new graduate programme aimed at developing future leaders within the business. With nearly 50 roles available, the scheme has been... View Article
  
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• Tis the season to be returning: UK public set to return over £1billion of Christmas gifts

  07-01-2026 23:07 via theretailbulletin.com
  Manhattan Associates Inc. (NASDAQ: MANH) has announced the findings of a new study revealing that UK retailers will face a £1.05 billion returns challenge post-Christmas, with consumers... View Article
  
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• Worldline launches One Commerce in the UK, enabling enterprise merchants to unify payments across all channels

  07-01-2026 22:56 via theretailbulletin.com
  Worldline , a European leader in payment services, today announced the commercial availability of Worldline One Commerce in the United Kingdom. This launch introduces a unified... View Article
  
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• Vestiaire Collective co-founder stepping down

  07-01-2026 16:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Vestiaire Collective co-founder Fanny Moizant has revealed she will be stepping down from the company after 16 years.
  Moizant co-founded the pre-loved clothing business in 2009 with its current fashion director Sophie Hersan.
  Posting on LinkedIn, she said: “I am leaving the company as part of the recent organizational changes. 
  “This was not a decision I initiated, nor one I expected, but I accept that it marks the end of an extraordinary chapter.Related Story Primark rolls out
  
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• Amazon accused of listing goods from other websites without consent

  07-01-2026 14:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Online retailer Amazon has been accused of listing items from independent retailers without their permission.
  The ecommerce giant has listed some independent retailers’ full inventory on its website without seeking consent, four business owners told the Financial Times, allowing customers to shop via Amazon instead of directly purchasing goods. 
  Two independent retailers told the publication they also received orders for items that were either out of stock or mispriced and mislab
  
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• Tala losses widen as revenues climb

  07-01-2026 13:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Activewear brand Tala saw losses widen in its latest annual results, despite sales growth. 
  The company’s operating loss came in at £2.6m for the year to 31 March 2025, compared to a £983,331 loss the year prior.
  Revenues were up 19% to £19.8m over the period, which it attributed to continued direct-to-consumer growth as well as improved wholesale performance.
  Gross margin stood at 58% over the period. 
  The brand’s wholesale operations performed eight time
  
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