Retail news

• The Direct approach: why ailing UK retailers are turning to Mike Ashley

  16-02-2019 17:00
  The clothing tycoon is one of the few players still willing to invest in the high street as Britain’s shoppers desert itMike Ashley, the high street’s most voracious corporate shopper, underlined his power over British retail last week when he was allowed to peruse the books of a long-coveted target: Debenhams.As the 54-year-old entrepreneur scrutinised the struggling chain’s finances, he also managed a tilt at two failed retailers over the past fortnight. HMV was ultimately so
  
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• Quiz Clothing shutters more stores

  11-06-2026 12:28 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Quiz Clothing is expected to shut a further series of shops this weekend, following an additional six closures.
  The company’s joint administrators Alistair McAlinden and Geoff Jacobs from Interpath Advisory are continuing to wind down the retailer’s store estate this month, Drapers understands. Branches throughout the UK have reported final clearance sales and imminent closures.
  A series of shop closures have occurred in recent weeks, with the business’s Aberdeen, Inverness, Wa
  
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• Primark launches fifth store in Romania

  11-06-2026 11:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Primark has launched its fifth shop in Romania, with the site representing its first in the south-west region.
  The store, which is based at the ElectroPutere Mall in Craiova, opened its doors on 9 June.
  The move comes as Primark this week celebrates three years since launching its first Romanian site in ParkLake Shopping Centre, Bucharest.
  Sharing the news on its LinkedIn page, the discount retailer said that the launch followed an investment of more than €10 million (£8 million) and
  
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• AI agents, weight-loss drugs and the recommerce boom: Shoptalk’s predictions for the next decade of European retail

  11-06-2026 11:30 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Shoptalk Europe today unveiled five predictions for the next decade of European retail at its 2026 Barcelona event, forecasting that AI shopping agents, weight-loss drugs, the recommerce boom, personalisation of physical stores and a transformation in supply chain planning will fundamentally reshape the industry by 2036.
  Adam Plom, VP of content at Shoptalk Europe said, “European retail is in a state of perpetual disruption, and it can be difficult to separate signals from the noise.
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• Holland & Barrett named as Capital Breakfast’s new sponsor

  11-06-2026 11:14 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Holland & Barrett has been named as the headline sponsor of Capital Breakfast with Jordan North, Chris Stark and Siân Welb, the first new sponsor the radio show has had in nine years.
  To mark the start of the new partnership, Capital Breakfast listeners will be able to win a trip to Ibiza. Included in the prize are return flights for two people, a yoga and wellbeing retreat experience, accommodation in a luxury hotel, food and drink as well as spending money.
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• Primark names new chief financial officer

  11-06-2026 10:27 via theretailbulletin.com
  Primark has appointed Lucy Slinger as its new chief financial officer as it looks ahead to becoming a standalone entity following a planned demerger from parent... View Article
  
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• Joybuy launches UK ‘Summer Black Friday’ as JD.com challenger steps up push into Europe

  11-06-2026 09:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Joybuy is launching its first ‘Summer Black Friday’ event in the UK, as the JD.com-owned marketplace hopes to bring one of China’s biggest shopping moments to British consumers.
  The platform, which launched in the UK earlier this year, said the promotional event will run from 15 to 30 June, with discounts across tech, home, beauty, grocery and other categories.
  The campaign will reportedly include deals from brands including Apple, De’Longhi, Emma, LEGO, Lenovo, L’O
  
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• Dynamic pricing isn’t the problem, says former Asda chief

  11-06-2026 09:48 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The backlash against FIFA’s dynamic pricing model for World Cup tickets has reignited concerns about retailers using technology to alter prices in real time.Yet Thomas Hill, former pricing director at Asda and now co-founder of retail technology firm HyperFinity, believes much of the debate is missing the point.The real issue, he argues, is not dynamic pricing itself but whether customers understand what is happening and whether they believe they are being treated fairly.
  “People th
  
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• Small retailers to be exempt from DRS return point rules

  11-06-2026 09:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Exchange For Change has set out a package of targeted support measures for retailers across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland ahead of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS)’s launch in October 2027.
  The not-for-profit body has confirmed £60m in grant funding to help eligible independent retailers install reverse vending machines (RVMs) and outlined exemption criteria for smaller and constrained retail sites.
  Under the updated framework, retailers in urban areas with a sales footprint
  
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• ASOS board director Christine Cross to step down

  11-06-2026 09:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  ASOS non-executive director Christine Cross will step down from the fashion retailer’s board at its next annual general meeting, expected to take place in early 2027.Cross, who joined the ASOS board in April 2024, will not seek re-election as she looks to focus on other personal and professional commitments.
  During her time with the online fashion retailer, she has chaired the remuneration committee and served as a member of the audit committee.
  ASOS said it had started the process of fin
  
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• Matalan, Starbucks and Ringtons HR chiefs named among UK’s top people leaders

  11-06-2026 09:23 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Senior people leaders from Matalan, Starbucks and Ringtons have been named in the CIPD’s HR30 2026 list, which recognises HR professionals delivering ‘standout impact inside their organisations’.
  The annual list, unveiled on the opening day of the CIPD’s Festival of Work at Excel London, celebrates 30 senior HR and people professionals judged to have made a significant and measurable difference over the past year.
  Among this year’s retail names are Matalan chief peo
  
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• Joybuy to shake up shopping calendar with Summer Black Friday promotion

  11-06-2026 09:18 via theretailbulletin.com
  Joybuy will be launching a Summer Black Friday promotion next week, which it says will be built around competitive pricing, a broad brand selection, and fast... View Article
  
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• Aldi pokes fun at luxury fragrance ads as it launches £5.99 men’s scent range

  11-06-2026 09:18 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Aldi has taken aim at glossy designer fragrance adverts with a new tongue-in-cheek campaign to mark the launch of its latest Lacura men’s scent range.
  The discounter has released the “Aldi Fragrance Advert”, a short film inspired by the moody, high-drama style of luxury perfume campaigns, but set in a much more recognisable Aldi store environment.
  The advert features easily distracted store worker Dave and has been created to support the launch of three new limited-edition Lacu
  
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• Tesco sends robot cleaners into 600 Express stores

  11-06-2026 09:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Tesco is rolling out autonomous cleaning robots across 600 Express stores, taking repetitive cleaning tasks off shopfloor staff.
  It partnered with cleaning technology firm ICE on what the pair claim is the first deployment of its scale in the UK convenience sector.
  The machines are designed to work alongside Tesco colleagues rather than replace them, taking on routine floor cleaning so store teams can spend more time serving customers and managing day-to-day shop operations.
  ICE said the robots
  
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• Victoria’s Secret faces shareholder showdown as Brett Blundy pushes to oust chair

  11-06-2026 09:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Victoria’s Secret is facing a boardroom showdown with Australian billionaire Brett Blundy as the lingerie giant prepares for a shareholder vote that could test confidence in its turnaround strategy.
  Blundy’s investment firm BBRC International, which owns around 13 per cent of the US-listed retailer, is calling for shareholders to vote against the re-election of long-serving chair Donna James at Victoria’s Secret’s annual meeting on Thursday.
  The campaign is the latest esc
  
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• WH Smith shares nosedive as travel chaos triggers second profit warning

  11-06-2026 08:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  WH Smith has slashed its profit forecast for the second time in two months and raised around £106m in fresh equity, as now-ongoing travel disruption and weaker consumer spending hit its airport-led business.
  Shares in the travel retailer plunged by almost 20 per cent at one stage on Wednesday, hitting their lowest level in nearly 16 years, after the group warned that passenger numbers and customer spend remained under pressure.
  WH Smith, which now focuses on travel locations following the
  
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• M&S drops prices of 65 everyday food products

  11-06-2026 08:53 via theretailbulletin.com
  M&S has dropped the prices of over 65 everyday food products to take its investment in lowering food prices to £30 million so far this year.... View Article
  
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• Frasers Group launches near £1.7bn takeover bid for Hugo Boss

  11-06-2026 08:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Frasers Group has launched a near £1.7bn takeover offer for Hugo Boss as Mike Ashley’s retail empire looks to take full control of the German fashion brand.
  The Sports Direct owner, which is already Hugo Boss’s biggest shareholder with a 26.06 per cent stake, has offered €38 per share in cash for the remaining shares in the business.
  The offer represents a 4.3 per cent premium to Hugo Boss’s closing share price of €36.44 on Wednesday and values the remaining 73.
  
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• Primark hires IKEA deputy CFO Lucy Slinger ahead of standalone move

  11-06-2026 08:33 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Primark has today announced the appointment of Lucy Slinger as chief financial officer, strengthening its leadership team ahead of becoming a standalone business.
  Slinger joins from Ingka Group, the largest IKEA franchisee, where she served as deputy CFO. Ingka operates across 32 countries, giving Slinger experience in another major international retail and consumer business.
  Before joining Ingka, she spent more than two decades at Shell in senior finance roles spanning financial reporting, corp
  
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• [eBook] The delivery growth engine

  11-06-2026 07:07 via theretailbulletin.com
  How 12 ecommerce brands fixed the delivery headaches your growth team can’t solve yet. More traffic won’t fix a checkout that makes delivery feel risky. More... View Article
  
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• ASOS non-exec director to step down

  11-06-2026 07:07 via theretailbulletin.com
  ASOS has announced that its non-executive director Christine Cross will not be seeking re-election at the company’s next annual general meeting.  This is expected to take... View Article
  
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• Can Marks and Spencer really be a go-to fashion destination?

  11-06-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Britain’s favourite retailer had a reputation for mid-life mum basics, not trends — but an image makeover seems to be under way
  
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• Blue Diamond Partners with Diddly Squat Farm on exclusive retail range

  10-06-2026 22:14 via theretailbulletin.com
  Blue Diamond Garden Centres has teamed up with Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm in an exclusive retail partnership. The partnership will see Diddly Squat Farm develop... View Article
  
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• Mike Ashley’s Frasers offers to buy Hugo Boss in €2.7bn deal

  10-06-2026 19:56 via ft.com
  Retail billionaire could use bid to increase stake in German fashion group rather than taking full control
  
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• M&S unveils bigger new Tottenham Court Road store

  10-06-2026 19:12 via theretailbulletin.com
  M&S has opened a larger store on London’s Tottenham Court Road, replacing its previous site, which closed on Monday. Situated closer to the underground station, the... View Article
  
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• Co-op names popular content creator “first-ever” Wine Ambassador

  10-06-2026 17:06 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Co-op has named online content creator Liam D’Arcy (known online as The Wine Wally) as its first official Wine Ambassador.
  The collaboration aims to inspire shoppers by giving them more confidence to explore “new and exciting wines” over the summer.
  As part of the partnership, The Wine Wally will offer Co-op shoppers top tips and recommendations tailored to key summer moments through point of sale and store radio content as well via website content and social channels.
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• Wex Photo Video unveils new rebrand

  10-06-2026 16:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Photography retailer Wex Photo Video has undergone a rebrand, shifting from a “product-focused retailer to an experience driven destination” for content creators.
  Wex Photo Video partnered with independent creative agency Mynt to refresh its brand narrative, rebuild its messaging framework and create an overarching creative platform.
  Its new platform is designed around human connection, service and expertise and aims to resonate with its professional consumer base and emerging creato
  
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• Side hustle to skillset: Can retail’s D2C help solve the youth unemployment challenge?

  10-06-2026 13:31 via theretailbulletin.com
  The UK’s youth employment outlook is becoming increasingly concerning. New data from the Office for National Statistics outlines that the number of young people not in... View Article
  
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• Wilkinson Sword’s Jonathan Norman on tapping into F1 cultural phenomenon

  10-06-2026 12:32 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Wilkinson Sword and Atlassian Williams F1 Team have partnered together to launch a new fan first brand platform.
  Titled ‘Partners in Smooth’ the marketing drive introduces Wilkinson Sword’s Blade Master as Atlassian Williams F1 Team’s “first-ever” Director of Smooth.
  The ‘Blade Master’ teams up with Atlassian Williams’ team principal James Vowles to support the teams drivers Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon and Luke Browning become race ready.
  It fe
  
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• Secret Sales reveals rebrand, eyes off-price dominance as inventory tops £7bn

  10-06-2026 12:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Lifestyle Retail Group has rebranded as Secret Sales Group after reporting a 41 per cent rise in like-for-like gross merchandise value.
  The off-price retail group said the move reflected the growing scale and recognition of Secret Sales, which has become its flagship brand across Europe.
  The business, which operates in seven European markets, said its total available inventory had risen 124 per cent year on year and now exceeded £7 billion in retail value.
  Its recent acquisitions also con
  
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