Retail news

• Retail gloom: it will need more than holly to cheer high street

  03-11-2019 10:01
  Fragile consumer confidence, rising costs and online shopping leave shops vacant and cost jobsIt’s Christmas! Well, nearly. Last Friday, Argos was the first retailer to broadcast a festive TV ad, signalling the start of what has traditionally been an orgy of consumption in Britain’s shops.But behind the in-store displays of tinsel and looped selection of past Christmas hits, there isn’t much cheer for Britain’s high streets and shopping centres. Fragile consumer confidenc
  
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• Frasers finance boss calls RRP rules “unreasonable and unlawful barriers”

  28-08-2026 16:46 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Frasers Group chief financial officer Chris Wootton has written to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) calling for it to reconsider its approach to recommended retail prices (RRPs), arguing that its guidance could make it harder for retailers to offer genuine discounts.
  In a letter dated 28 August, Wootton said the ASA was creating “unreasonable and we say unlawful barriers” to price competition and accused the regulator of making it harder for retailers to promote discounts du
  
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• Asda hopes fresh tech push can reverse fortunes

  28-08-2026 15:57 via ft.com
  UK supermarket chain aims to catch up with rivals after botched post-Walmart £1bn IT upgrade
  
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• Aldi names 25 UK stores set for £300m upgrade programme

  28-08-2026 15:28 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Aldi has revealed the next 25 UK stores to receive upgrades as part of its £300m investment in its existing estate this year.
  The programme includes stores in London, Liverpool, Aberdeen, Sunderland and Bedford, with five locations in Stirling, Paisley, Wollaston, Linlithgow and Lewes also set to be extended.
  The discounter’s upgrades will vary by store and include improvements to Bakery, Health & Beauty and fresh food areas, alongside more energy-efficient technology.Related Sto
  
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• Lewis Hamilton takes on tennis in new episode of content series with Lululemon

  28-08-2026 15:27 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Lululemon has unveiled the second episode of its content series with Lewis Hamilton.
  Titled ‘Rest Day with Lewis Hamilton’, the series follows Hamilton as he explores new challenges and converses with elite athletes across multiple disciplines.
  The first episode followed the Ferrari driver as he learnt more about golf from professional golfer Min Woo Lee. And the second episode sees Hamilton trade parries on and off court with tennis player Frances Taifoe.
  He said: “Frances and
  
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• Asics launches new trail runner campaign

  28-08-2026 12:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asics has unveiled a new campaign which puts the spotlight on trail running.
  Devised by creative agency AGIT8, the marketing drive highlights that trail running is “tough” but that is exactly why people love it.
  Part of the retailer’s ‘Sound Mind, Sound Body’ brand platform, the campaign follows runners as they traverse steep inclines and descents and deal with mud and unpredictable terrain. It is soundtracked to The Beach Boy’s ‘Good Vibrations’.T
  
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• Under Armour names Grammy nominated artist as creative director of P-Star

  28-08-2026 11:54 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Under Armour has named Grammy-nominated artist Gunna as its new global brand ambassador and creative director of P-Star, a creative platform that will span apparel, footwear, storytelling and community initiatives.
  Gunna will be responsible for growing P-Star as a creative platform. The platform will debut on 27 August at A Ma Maniere Atlanta and UA.com with a 14 piece collection, which has been inspired by the “rhythm of Gunna’s everyday life”.
  The collection includes shorts,
  
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• Lefties makes UK debut at Liverpool One

  28-08-2026 11:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Lefties has launched a store at Landsec-owned shopping centre Liverpool One, marking the retailer’s first shop in the UK.
  The fashion brand, which is owned by Inditex, opened its new flagship on South John Street.
  It spans over 27,000 sq ft across two floors, stocking women’s, men’s, teen, kids, baby, newborn, home, accessories and footwear collections.
  The store features some of the brand’s latest retail technology, which has already been introduced at recent European op
  
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• Tesco rolls out almost 700 electric vehicle charging sites

  28-08-2026 11:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Tesco has unveiled a new loyalty card partnership with electric vehicle charging company Be.EV.
  The tie-up enables the supermarket’s Clubcard members to collect points when they charge their electric vehicles at over 680 Be.EV UK sites, The Grocer reported.
  Customers who connect their Tesco Clubcard to the Be.EV charging app will receive a Clubcard point for every £1 they spend at any of its vehicle chargers throughout the UK.
  Be.EV has over 2,500 charging bays across more than 680 l
  
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• Sofa.com is empowering consumers to “furnish your home from one delivery”

  28-08-2026 09:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  As sofa.com marks 20 years in business, managing director Sunayna Azam [left] and creative director Nicky Emlick [right] discuss the brand’s reset; its move beyond sofas; and why customer-led design is shaping its next phase.
  When sofa.com launched two decades ago, the idea of persuading customers to buy a sofa online was a bold bet. The business continues to be forward-thinking, now with a broader home offer, a clearer B2B strategy and a renewed focus on the customer.
  Azam and Emlick desc
  
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• Superdrug returns to Altrincham with new store and beauty studio

  28-08-2026 09:44 via theretailbulletin.com
  Superdrug has opened a new store in Altrincham as it continues to expand its store footprint with plans to open 30 new stores in 2026. The…
  
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• Authentic Brands acquires majority stake in Drake’s OVO

  28-08-2026 09:44 via theretailbulletin.com
  Authentic Brands has acquired a majority stake in October’s Very Own (OVO), the premium lifestyle brand co-founded by Canadian rapper Drake. As part of the deal,…
  
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• Aurélien opens new flagship store in London’s Knightsbridge

  28-08-2026 09:44 via theretailbulletin.com
  Luxury fashion brand Aurélien has launched a new flagship store in London’s Knightsbridge. Designed to offer customers an immersive shopping experience, the 3,200 square foot space…
  
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• Oner Active promotes first chief finance officer ahead of store debut

  28-08-2026 09:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Women’s activewear brand Oner Active has named its first chief financial officer, as the business prepares to open its first flagship store in NoHo, New York.
  Jessica Higgs will now step into the role of CFO, shaping the brand’s long-term strategy across all markets, as Oner Active looks to global expansion.
  It comes after Higgs first joined the sportswear brand in 2022, heading up its finance department and taking the retailer from £8.74m (€10.2m) in 2022 to its most rece
  
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• British Fashion Council chair Pemsel steps down

  28-08-2026 09:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  British Fashion Council chair David Pemsel has stepped down after ten years on the executive board.
  Pemsel, who spent four years as chair, worked in partnership with the executive board and senior leadership team as the BFC experienced a strategic transformation.
  During his stint as chair, the organisation recorded revenue of £14m (FY24/25), raised £7.2m through the BFC foundation and secured multi-million-pound, multi-year investment from the department for digital, culture, media a
  
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• John Lewis launches online Christmas shop as festive searches surge after World Cup final

  28-08-2026 09:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  John Lewis has opened its online Christmas shop 17 weeks before Christmas, with the retailer reporting searches for “Christmas” jumped by more than 33 per cent immediately after the World Cup final.
  The high street retailer is opening its even offering 70 per cent of its Christmas tree offering pre-lit this year.
  The headline product is the Aylesford Super Pre-Lit tree, featuring more than 4,200 bulbs.
  John Lewis is also expanding its range of decorations, felt animals and six charac
  
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• Seasalt hits ‘record’ EBITDA of £12.1m despite turnover dip

  28-08-2026 09:20 via theretailbulletin.com
  Seasalt has recorded its highest level of  EBITDA in the year to 31 January 2026 with a rise of 1.9% to £12.1 million. Operating profit before…
  
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• Seasalt hits record EBITDA of £12.1m despite turnover dip

  28-08-2026 09:20 via theretailbulletin.com
  Seasalt has recorded its highest level of  EBITDA in the year to 31 January 2026 with a rise of 1.9% to £12.1 million. Operating profit before…
  
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• Inditex’s Lefties launches first UK store at Liverpool ONE

  28-08-2026 09:14 via theretailbulletin.com
  The Lefties fashion brand has opened its first UK store at Liverpool ONE. Owned by Inditex, which is also the parent company of Zara, the brand…
  
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• Sainsbury’s launches half-price Nectar Prices on fruit and veg for Bank Holiday

  28-08-2026 09:03 via theretailbulletin.com
  Sainsbury’s is offering half price Nectar Prices on selected fruit and vegetables over the Bank Holiday weekend. The deal includes items such as sweetcorn, peppers and…
  
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• The cult $4.99 rotisserie chicken defying inflation

  28-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Costco built its own factory to keep costs low for the famous bird. But resisting rising prices is a constant struggle
  
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• How Costco’s $4.99 rotisserie chicken defies inflation

  28-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  The retailer built its own factory to keep costs low for the famous bird. But resisting rising prices is a constant struggle
  
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• Mike Ashley calls govt ‘delusional’ and asks PM to help turn around Harvey Nichols

  27-08-2026 18:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Mike Ashley has written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham calling for the government to focus on what he describes as the underlying pressures facing retailers.
  In a letter dated 27 August, the Frasers Group founder criticised the government’s recent cost-of-living proposals, arguing that they amount to “quick fixes” rather than addressing the wider economic challenges facing businesses and consumers.
  “Rather than address the real underlying issues of how the country’s
  
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• Burnham’s high street plan is ‘delusional’, says Mike Ashley

  27-08-2026 16:22 via ft.com
  Billionaire behind Frasers Group slams prime minister’s business rates proposals and crackdown on discounting
  
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• Opinion: Global containers losses surge in 2025 as weather and shipping disruptions mount

  27-08-2026 15:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Recent analysis of the Containers Lost at Sea Report 2026 by Cleveland Containers, a leading supplier of shipping containers, has uncovered an increase in lost cargo compared to the previous 12 months.
  1,478 containers were lost at sea in 2025, a rise from the 576 containers that went missing in 2024. That represents around 0.0005 per cent of the 280 million of containers shipped worldwide last year.
  As major shipping routes continue to be disrupted, improved measures are bei
  
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• Trump has declared the Strait of Hormuz ‘functional’. But what changes do suppliers need to trust the shipping route again?

  27-08-2026 15:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  President Donald Trump has declared the Strait of Hormuz ‘functional’ again. Six months on from the start of the conflict, what will it take for suppliers to trust the shipping route again?
  ‘[Hormuz is a] very functioning Strait… despite the odd rocket or drone’. These are the fairly uninspiring words of US President Donald Trump, speaking on Wednesday in a peculiar rant declaring the shipping route “open” and operational.
  Amongst other claims, such as
  
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• Savers to open new Northampton distribution centre

  27-08-2026 15:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Savers is to open a new distribution centre in Northampton in late 2026, as it invests in additional capacity to support the retailer’s growth.
  The site will be managed by GXO, which has worked with Savers for more than 25 years, and is expected to create up to 275 local jobs.
  The new facility will provide additional capacity and flexibility across the retailer’s distribution network as the retailer progresses with an ambitious store-opening programme over the next three years.Relate
  
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• Harvey Nichols shutters Dublin store amid takeover

  27-08-2026 14:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Harvey Nichols will close its Dundrum store in Dublin this September, according to reports, with staff already informed.
  Frasers completed its acquisition of Harvey Nichols on 14 August through a pre-pack administration, paying roughly £40m. The deal brings six UK stores, Knightsbridge, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh into the Frasers empire.
  On 18 August, Harvey Nichols temporarily paused online trading as it transitions to new ownership under Frasers Group.
  
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• CELSIUS named Official Energy Drink partner of ATHX Games

  27-08-2026 13:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Functional energy drink brand CELSIUS has been named as the Official Energy Drink partner of the ATHX Games, a hybrid fitness competition.
  According to CELSIUS, the partnership brings together two brands who are both “rooted in fitness, community and united by a shared belief in the power of everyday achievers”.
  ATHX Birmingham was held on 22-23 August and was the start of the pairs collaboration. The partnership brings Celsius’ brand platform, ‘LIVE.FIT.GO’, to lif
  
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• BOSS’s Autumn/Winter 2026 campaign celebrates modern suiting

  27-08-2026 12:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  BOSS has unveiled a new campaign, fronted by British actor and BOSS ambassador Aaron Pierre, which showcases modern suiting.
  The campaign also stars American model Grace Elizabeth and follows the pair through the streets of London. Elizabeth and Pierre are shown wearing tailored pieces which showcase BOSS‘ craftsmanship, design, and wearability.
  Pierre said: “A BOSS suit feels like an instant upgrade in confidence,” Related StoryBOSS’s Autumn/Winter 2026 campaign celebrat
  
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