Retail news

• Three loyalty trends that will define 2026

  26-11-2025 12:46 via theretailbulletin.com
  Lena Kleinwechter, Customer Engagement & Loyalty Strategist at Talon.One The momentum behind loyalty has never been stronger. According to data from Mintel, the UK has seen... View Article
  
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• Fashion brand LK Bennett on brink of collapse

  30-12-2025 17:59
  Clothing chain acquired by China-based backers out of 2019 insolvency applies to appoint administratorsBusiness live – latest updatesThe upmarket fashion brand LK Bennett appears to be heading for collapse for the second time in six years.On Tuesday the company filed an application with the high court to appoint an administrator to the business, which employs about 280 staff. Continue reading...
  
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• Jhoots Pharmacy chain could face insolvency after Lloyds Bank high court application

  30-12-2025 17:02
  Struggling company, which has run more than 100 outlets, has been criticised by MPs over claims it failed to pay locum pharmacistsBusiness live – latest updatesA struggling national pharmacy chain accused of owing its locums £670,000 in unpaid fees has been hit with an application to place the business into insolvency proceedings.Jhoots Chemist, which trades under the name of Jhoots Pharmacy, was named in a high court application to appoint an administrator, submitted on Monday by Ll
  
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• Why big online retailers are setting up shop in the real world

  30-12-2025 13:32
  It remains to be seen who will best juggle the concrete with the digital
  
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• Sainsbury’s CEO awarded OBE in New Year’s Honour List

  30-12-2025 12:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Sainsbury’s chief executive officer, Simon Roberts, is among those who were celebrated in His Majesty’s The King’s New Year’s Honour List today.
  Roberts was awarded an OBE for services to the retail industry.
  The Honour List has awarded 1157 from across the UK, focusing on those who have “gone above and beyond” for their communities.
  Among those awarded are figure skaters Christopher Dean and Jayne Christensen (Torvill), who will receive a Knighthood and Dameh
  
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• Currys introduces Stripe payment terminals

  30-12-2025 12:14 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Technology retailer Currys has collaborated with programmable financial services firm Stripe to install the Fintech company’s payment terminals across its 300 UK and Ireland stores.
  The partnership forms part of the retailer’s store transformation programme, which has introduced employee headsets and electronic shelf edge labelling in stores.
  According to Currys, these upgrades will improve customer experience.
  As part of the collaboration, the pair have teamed up with micro-donation
  
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• Visualsoft reports festive spending no longer just focuses on Boxing Day

  30-12-2025 11:16 via retailgazette.co.uk
  New data has highlighted that Christmas Day has become a “meaningful” trading day.
  The data, published by commerce agency Visualsoft, showcases that festive spending is no longer just focused on Boxing Day, with strong sales reported on Christmas Eve through to 28 December.
  It reported that Christmas Eve saw an uplift in sales for higher value categories, jewellery and watches saw a 63% increase in revenue and health and beauty recorded a 65% increase.
  According to the agency,&n
  
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• Marks & Spencer launches ‘nutrient dense’ range for people on weight-loss jabs

  30-12-2025 10:39
  New M&S salads, breads, yoghurt bowls and chicken dinners come as more Britons turn to Mounjaro and WegovyBusiness live – latest updatesMarks & Spencer is targeting weight-loss jab users with a new range of “nutrient dense” food that it claims will satisfy customers who are eating less.The retailer said the range, which launches on 5 January and includes salads, breads, yoghurt bowls and chicken dinners, was “perfectly portioned to contain high amounts of nutrient
  
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• 35% of UK adults find it more difficult to stay hydrated during winter, according to Ocado

  30-12-2025 10:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  According to Ocado Retail, 78% of UK adults believe hydration is as important in winter as it is during the summer months.
  New research, published yesterday (29 December), highlighted 22% have replaced caffeinated tea or coffee. This figure rises to 36% for Gen Z and Millennials. It also stated 38% of respondents find it more difficult to stay hydrated during the winter.
  The retailer reported that its sales of flavoured water, electrolytes and vitamin waters are up 66% year-on-year. Searches for
  
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• Ocado confirms that mutual exclusivity with partners has now ended in most markets

  30-12-2025 09:39 via theretailbulletin.com
  Ocado has announced that mutual exclusivity has now ended with retailers in most markets where its technology is currently live. This includes in the US where... View Article
  
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• Games Workshop’s galactic conquest starts with UK market

  30-12-2025 08:35
  It takes a brave — or foolish — fighter to bet against Warhammer’s space marines
  
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• Pop Mart pushes global expansion amid concerns of ‘peak Labubu’

  30-12-2025 03:04
  Chinese toymaker plans store on New York’s Fifth Avenue as it faces pressure to continue momentum of its popular dolls
  
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• Sainsbury’s CEO among business leaders recognised in new year honours

  29-12-2025 23:30
  Simon Roberts, credited with helping to turn around grocer, made CBE along with former BAE Systems boss Ian KingThe boss of Sainsbury’s who helped turn around the grocer’s fortunes is among leading figures from the business world to be recognised in the new year honours list.Simon Roberts, who has been chief executive of the UK’s second largest supermarket since 2020, has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the retail industry. Continu
  
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• Aldi to strengthen Scottish business with £43 million investment

  29-12-2025 21:09 via theretailbulletin.com
  Aldi is to invest more than £43 million in its Scottish business over the next two years. The investment will include the opening of two new... View Article
  
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• Dreams launches first standalone stores for Feather & Black in London

  29-12-2025 21:07 via theretailbulletin.com
  Feather & Black has opened new standalone stores in Kingston and London’s Tottenham Court Road as owner Dreams looks to accelerate the brand’s growth. The move... View Article
  
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• DIY shops enjoy bumper year as UK property market slows

  29-12-2025 15:55
  Paint and sofas sell well as Britons are priced out of moving home or undertaking pricey renovationsBusiness live – latest updatesRetailers of home improvement products are having a glittering year on the London stock market, as cash-strapped UK consumers turn to DIY projects after being priced out of moving home or undertaking expensive renovations.Publicly listed retailers including the B&Q owner, Kingfisher, as well as Topps Tiles, Wickes and the sofa seller DFS are on track for dou
  
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• ‘Why should we pay these criminals?’: the hidden world of ransomware negotiations

  29-12-2025 14:38
  Cybersecurity experts reveal what they do for high-profile clients targeted by hackers such as Scattered Spider They call it “stopping the bleeding”: the vital window to prevent an entire database from being ransacked by criminals or a production line grinding to a halt.When a call comes into the cybersecurity firm S-RM, headquartered on Whitechapel High Street in east London, a hacked business or institution may have just minutes to protect themselves. Continue reading...
  
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• Delivery start-ups finally get the K-shaped economy they need

  29-12-2025 14:11
  Now could be the ideal environment for a service pandering to wealthy urbanites and in need of gig workers
  
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• Ready to drink beverage category has grown 20%, according to Tesco

  29-12-2025 12:25 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Tesco has highlighted that ready-to-drink cocktails are the fastest-growing area of the UK drinks market.
  The retailer has highlighted that demand for ready-to-drink beverages has grown 20% in the last two years. This is mirroring trends seen in the supermarkets’ luxury prepared meals, with rising costs causing consumers to choose “premium quality” food and drink to eat at home.
  Tesco ready-to-drink buyer Marie Cook said: “Ready-made cocktails to drink at home have really
  
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• Bira calls on UK government to minimise ‘unnecessary complexity’ in proposed new policy

  29-12-2025 11:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The British Independent Retail Association (Bira) has responded to the UK government’s proposal to bring in a new policy requiring employers to inform workers of their right to join a trade union.
  The consultation ran from 23 October 2025 to 18 December 2025.
  It showed that in future, employers may be required to provide employees with a written statement about their rights to join a union; such statements could include details such as the names of recognised trade unions and a link to th
  
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• Retail industry predictions for 2026 – Part 1

  29-12-2025 10:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  With consumer confidence subdued, concerns over rising costs and new technology redefining customer expectations, 2025 was a rollercoaster for all aspects of the retail sector.
  But will 2026 be any different?
  In the first of a two-part series, Retail Gazette hears from seven industry experts with predictions for the 12 months ahead.
  The importance of blended retailCarina Hummel, UK managing director for Optics at Specsavers, says one trend that will be key in 2026, is that “customers expec
  
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• Co-op: 27 December ‘best’ day to catch up with friends and family

  29-12-2025 10:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The most popular night” for festive celebrations over the Christmas and New Year period this year is 27 December, according to Co-op.
  The firm’s research showed 59% of adults believed that due to Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve falling mid-week, 27 December was the best day to catch up with friends and family.
  When surveying under 35’s, the brand found the figure increased to 79%.
  The research showed that 43% of those surveyed planned to celebrate at home, and one in six
  
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• Labour must learn lessons from history as automation hits jobs market | Richard Partington

  28-12-2025 12:24
  Productivity is up in retail and other low-paying sectors as tech replaces relatively expensive humans Walk through a supermarket and the technology is everywhere. Self-service checkouts, electronic shelf labels, handheld barcode scanners and the video screens showing you – caught by AI facial recognition cameras – leaving the shop.In an economy struggling for growth, the encroachment of these machines in our everyday lives could be an early sign of a new dawn – a tech-driven r
  
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• The hill I will die on: Online shops, please I beg – stop with endless post-purchase emails | Athena Kugblenu

  27-12-2025 11:00
  You really want me to review my buy? Yes, it was fine. But that is where I would like our relationship to end When I buy something online, I don’t want to receive more than two emails: one to confirm my order has been received, and another to tell me when it will be delivered. The numerous notifications we receive while browsing, buying and then waiting for delivery are presumably meant to be reassuring. But since when is harassment reassuring?Imagine a world in which the second you walk i
  
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• No longer ‘unloved’: retailers investing more in physical stores, UK data shows

  27-12-2025 07:00
  Knight Frank says shopping centres and food stores lead revival as retail outperforms other commercial propertyShoppers shun UK high streets despite lure of Boxing Day salesUK retailers are investing more in bricks and mortar, with shopping centres and food stores leading a revival, according to research.Retailers and property investors are reallocating capital back into physical stores, according to the property group Knight Frank. Continue reading...
  
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• Marmite-scented deodorant tops list of UK’s most unwanted Christmas presents

  27-12-2025 06:00
  Consumer group Which? finds one in five people are unsure what to do with dud gifts after the festive periodMarmite-scented deodorant and already-worn pyjamas have topped the list of the most disappointing Christmas presents, according to research that found one in five Britons have received an unwanted gift in their festive haul.More than 2,000 members of the public were polled by the consumer group Which? in January about the gifts they received last Christmas, with 21% of those surveyed sayin
  
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• Shoppers shun UK high streets despite lure of Boxing Day sales

  26-12-2025 17:27
  Footfall in central London down 7.7% on last year but Britain’s retail parks buck trend with 6.9% riseFewer shoppers have headed to UK high streets in search of Boxing Day bargains, with central London suffering a significant decline in visitors as many decided to shun the traditional start of the sales.Footfall at the country’s high streets and shopping centres fell on Friday morning, running slightly behind last year, according to figures from the monitoring company MRI Software. A
  
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• Pressure grows on Target as activist investor builds stake

  26-12-2025 15:59
  Move by hedge fund TCIM comes as US retailer struggles with a sales slump
  
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• Renewed zeal for Boxing Day sales expected to ring up £3.8bn for retailers

  25-12-2025 16:58
  High streets and online sellers set to benefit as cash-strapped consumers eke out post-Christmas bargainsUK shoppers are expected to spend £3.8bn this Boxing Day, 2% more than last year, with online sellers experiencing most of that growth but high streets also enjoying a boost from a renewed appetite for post-Christmas bargains.Boxing Day remains one of the busiest shopping days of the year, but in recent years the dash for the high street has eased as more people opt to search for bargai
  
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• ‘Nostalgic and calming’: lava lamps are groovy again as sales glow

  25-12-2025 09:00
  The British-made lamps have surged in popularity as younger audiences seek to recapture magic of the 1960sDepending on your age, you may remember them from Doctor Who and The Prisoner in the 1960s, or from TFI Friday and the Big Breakfast in the 90s. Or if you’re young enough, you might not remember them at all. But now it seems lava lamps are back.Rising sales would suggest a third wave of the lava lamp phenomenon is on the horizon, thanks to the ongoing trend towards mid-century interior
  
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