Retail news

• Waitrose Jesmond reopens after multi-million-pound refurbishment

  12-08-2026 12:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Waitrose has reopened its Jesmond supermarket following a multi-million-pound refurbishment as part of the retailer’s wider £1bn investment programme.
  The Newcastle store welcomed customers back at 8am on Wednesday 12 August after closing for five weeks while the transformation was carried out.
  The refurbishment coincides with the branch’s 15th anniversary and includes a new-look bakery, upgraded beer, wine and spirits department and improvements to its fruit and vegetable offe
  
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• Peter Alexander to close UK stores

  12-08-2026 15:42 via theretailbulletin.com
  Premier Investments, the owner of Australian sleepwear brand Peter Alexander, has announced plans to close the brand’s UK stores as it scales back its presence in…
  
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• Deliveroo partners with Lookfantastic for on-demand beauty delivery

  12-08-2026 15:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Lookfantastic will offer rapid delivery on more than 300 beauty, skincare, haircare, make-up and wellness products, as it teams up with Deliveroo.
  The range is available through Deliveroo in cities including London, Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow, Nottingham and Leeds. Orders can be delivered in as little as 20 minutes.
  Brands available through the partnership include Sol de Janeiro, OUAI, Anua, Medicube, Beauty of Joseon and Drunk Elephant.
  Keely Gough, managing director at Lookfantatic, said: &l
  
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• Stevensons operations director on digital innovation making back-to-school shopping child’s play

  12-08-2026 13:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  As back-to-school shopping becomes increasingly digital, Stevensons is leaning on a century of retail experience, while accelerating investment in ecommerce, personalisation and services designed around busy families.
  The school uniform and sportswear specialist, which works with more than 750 schools, has built a multi-channel model spanning stores, pop-ups and online. Operations director James Harding explains that this mix is now being refined to keep up with busy, modern parents’ routi
  
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• Why ‘fake’ job ads are becoming retail’s latest marketing tactic

  12-08-2026 12:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Over the past few years there has been a rise in “fake” jobs. Not simply jobs adverts that turn out to be fabricated, but jobs that purely serve as a marketing function such as Hotwheel’s tiniest team principal or Morrison’s chief donut taster.
  Marketing experts Pete Harrison, managing partner at  M+C Saatchi Talk and Alexandra Mendes, director of celebrity and creator partnerships, EMEA at UEG explain why many brands and retailer are utilising them.
  Harrison shares
  
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• Bershka launches first store in the US

  12-08-2026 12:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Bershka has launched its first permanent US store at Aventura Mall, Miami.
  The Inditex-owned fashion brand said its new site, which opened on 11 August, represented a “major milestone” in establishing the business in the US market.
  The shop will sell Bershka’s women’s, men’s and teen collections, with its prices anticipated to match its online offering.
  Additionally, the store will provide a click and collect service for shoppers, as well as a dedicated returns stat
  
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• AO launches mobile network in move beyond electricals

  12-08-2026 11:49 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  AO is moving beyond selling mobile phones and into the network business with the launch of its own SIM service, AO Mobile.
  The company is entering the market with a single tariff offering 500GB of data for £12 a month to AO members.
  Non-members will pay £18 a month for the Ultimate 500GB plan, which comes on a 30-day rolling contract and includes unlimited UK calls and texts, 15GB of EU roaming and 5G connectivity.
  Customers can add up to nine additional SIMs to the same account, op
  
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• Halfords appoints Morrisons’ Lee Mountain as commercial director for motoring

  12-08-2026 11:08 via theretailbulletin.com
  Halfords has appointed Morrisons executive Lee Mountain as commercial director for motoring and services as part of a strengthening of its retail leadership team. In his…
  
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• Moonpig names Earnies as consumer PR agency

  12-08-2026 10:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Moonpig has named Earnies as its retained consumer PR agency, following a competitive pitch process.
  The agency will be responsible for with delivering a programme of “fun, thoughtful and emotionally resonant” works and highlighting the brand’s product range.
  Moonpig marketing director, Rachael Halliday, said: “From the moment we met the Earnies team, their energy and enthusiasm for the brand was clear. Related StoryMoonpig names Earnies as consumer PR agency 12/08/2026 x
  
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• Halfords appoints former Morrisons boss Lee Mountain as commercial director

  12-08-2026 10:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Halfords has appointed former Morrisons commercial leader Lee Mountain as commercial director for motoring and services.
  Mountain joins Halfords today, and will be responsible for helping shape the commercial strategy across its motoring products and services as the retailer targets its next phase of growth.
  He joins from Morrisons, where he led the supermarket’s £1.2bn impulse division.
  Mountain has also held senior commercial roles at Asda and brings experience spanning business tr
  
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• Asos customer and technology EVPs to step down

  12-08-2026 10:35 via theretailbulletin.com
  Asos has confirmed that Ben Blake, EVP customer and commercial, and Przemek Czarnecki, EVP technology, are to leave the business on 31 August. The news forms…
  
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• Brand identity starts smaller than most retailers think

  12-08-2026 10:21 via theretailbulletin.com
  The Brand Detail Customers Keep Wearing: When independent fashion retailers talk about building a brand, the conversation usually jumps straight to packaging, storefront design or social media…
  
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• UK exporters warned over EU pallet rules as PPWR takes effect

  12-08-2026 10:14 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  British retailers, manufacturers and FMCG suppliers exporting into the European Union are being urged to review how they manage pallets, crates and containers as new EU packaging rules begin to apply.
  The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) generally applies from 12 August 2026, having entered into force in February 2025, with a series of packaging requirements being introduced over the coming years.
  The regulation covers packaging placed on the EU market and is designed t
  
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• How UK retailers turned loyalty into a habit

  12-08-2026 10:10 via theretailbulletin.com
  Not so long ago, customer loyalty in British retail meant a paper stamp card in a wallet, dog-eared and half-forgotten until the ninth coffee earned a…
  
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• Why retail safety has become an operational priority

  12-08-2026 10:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  Retail safety can no longer be treated as a specialist issue that sits solely with health and safety or loss prevention teams. It now affects the…
  
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• Why digital receipts are powering the next generation of retail media

  12-08-2026 10:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  Retail media has become one of the most talked-about growth opportunities in retail. But while retailers have monetised their websites, apps, and digital channels, a significant…
  
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• [ Webinar ] The Agentic Layer: From assistive AI to autonomous digital workers

  12-08-2026 10:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  This session demystifies agentic AI, showing how organizations evolve from AI that assists people to agents that act autonomously within clear guardrails, scaling capacity without losing…
  
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• Peter Alexander to shut all UK stores as owner pulls back from market

  12-08-2026 09:53 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Australian sleepwear brand Peter Alexander is to close all three of its UK stores as owner Premier Investments retreats from bricks-and-mortar retail in the market amid “difficult” trading conditions.
  The brand will shutter its branches at Bluewater, Westfield Stratford and Westfield London in White City, although it will continue selling to UK shoppers online.
  Premier Investments said the decision followed challenging trading conditions and a negative economic outlook in the UK, wit
  
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• B&M unveils first ‘store of the future’ as it trials new retail concept

  12-08-2026 09:48 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  B&M will unveil its first ‘store of the future’ later this month, with the trial of a raft of new layouts, technology and in-store features.
  The company has transformed its 24,449sq ft Worthington Way branch in Wigan, which will officially relaunch under the new concept on 28 August.
  The store, which has remained open throughout the refurbishment, will act as a testing ground for ideas that could ultimately be introduced across B&M’s wider estate.
  The revamped branch fe
  
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• Harrods swings back to £85m profit despite luxury market challenges

  12-08-2026 09:41 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Harrods has returned to profit, despite continued pressure across the global luxury market and rising staff and distribution costs.
  The Knightsbridge department store posted a pre-tax profit of £84.9m for the year to 31 January 2026, reversing a loss of more than £34m in the previous year.
  Turnover climbed 1.2 per cent year on year to £1.08bn, as the luxury retailer continued to invest in its flagship store and customer experience.
  However, operating profit slipped to £17
  
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• Tesco launches landmark new Clubcard rewards campaign

  12-08-2026 09:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Tesco has launched a new marketing campaign aimed at encouraging shoppers to make greater use of their Clubcard vouchers, with reward partners including Hotels.com, PizzaExpress and Alton Towers Resort.
  Its latest campaign, created by BBH London, is timed to coincide with the school summer holidays and focuses on the value customers can unlock beyond their weekly grocery shop.
  Dubbed ‘Know what you’re sitting on’, the campaign highlights what Tesco describes as one of Clubcard&
  
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• AI wins clicks but shoppers still prefer the human touch, new research finds

  12-08-2026 09:28 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Retailers may be racing to embrace AI-powered shopping and customer service, but new research suggests human interaction remains crucial to winning shopper trust and loyalty.
  Eight in 10 consumers are willing to use AI-powered customer service, yet two-thirds still prefer speaking to a human, according to research from customer experience platform Five9.
  Five9 found that 92 per cent of businesses have already implemented or piloted AI within customer service, however, the research highlighted a
  
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• Specsavers offers the homeless free eye and ear care at 1,000 stores

  12-08-2026 09:25 via theretailbulletin.com
  Specsavers has launched a new initiative offering free eye and ear care to anyone experiencing homelessness at all 1,000 of its UK and Irish stores. Through…
  
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• Lidl-backed report warns corporate giving is missing England’s poorest communities

  12-08-2026 09:17 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Corporate giving is failing to reach some of England’s most deprived communities, according to a new report produced by Neighbourly, in partnership with Lidl.
  The Giving Without Guessing report found that 82 per cent of neighbourhoods ranked among England’s most severely deprived areas in 2019 remained in the bottom 10 per cent in 2025.
  Neighbourly said traditional corporate giving models can overlook pockets of severe deprivation, particularly where hardship exists alongside more af
  
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• Schuh owner Genesco strategy chief Parag Desai to retire

  12-08-2026 09:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Schuh owner Genesco has revealed its chief strategy and digital officer Parag Desai will retire later this year after more than a decade with the group.
  Desai, who serves as senior vice president and chief strategy and digital officer, will step down on 31 October, with his responsibilities set to be shared among other members of Genesco’s senior leadership team.
  He joined the business in 2014 as senior vice president of strategy and shared services before being promoted to his current rol
  
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• On shares plunge as US slowdown hits quarterly sales

  12-08-2026 09:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  On Holding shares tumbled after the brand missed second-quarter sales expectations as growth slowed in its key Americas market.
  Shares in the Roger Federer-backed brand plunged as much as 22 per cent on Tuesday, putting the stock on course for its worst day on record, after quarterly sales came in below analyst forecasts.
  On posted net sales of CHF850.3m (£813m) for the three months to 30 June, up 13.5 per cent year on year, or 21.6 per cent on a constant-currency basis. However, the figur
  
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• Aldi and M&S lined up for £20m Derby retail development

  12-08-2026 09:05 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Plans have been submitted for a new £20m retail development south of Derby, featuring Aldi, M&S and Starbucks.
  Rothstone Estates has lodged a reserved matters application for the scheme on land south of Shardlow Road, near Boulton Moor.
  The development is set to include an Aldi supermarket, a Starbucks drive-thru café and a second drive-thru outlet.
  Plans also feature a BP petrol filling station incorporating a Marks & Spencer convenience store, alongside a transport hub and
  
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• Primark’s 46th US store to open at Mall of America

  12-08-2026 09:01 via theretailbulletin.com
  Primark is continuing its US expansion with the opening of a new store in the Mall of America on 3 September. Situated in Bloomington, the shop…
  
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• Lakeland launches ‘Spend Smarter’ campaign for autumn/winter

  12-08-2026 09:01 via theretailbulletin.com
  Lakeland has unveiled its new autumn/winter campaign which is designed to show customers that real value comes from spending better, not just less. Championing the homeware…
  
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• Schuh owner Genesco announces retirement of chief strategy officer Parag Desai

  12-08-2026 08:50 via theretailbulletin.com
  Genesco, owner of the Schuh footwear brand, has announced that its chief strategy and digital officer, Parag Desai, will retire on 31 October. Desai joined Genesco…
  
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