Retail news

• Waitrose permanently extends quick-commerce delivery hours at 35 stores

  04-08-2026 08:14 via theretailbulletin.com
  Waitrose is permanently extending its quick-commerce delivery hours at 35 UK stores, following an initial expansion during the World Cup. The supermarket extended its delivery window…
  
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• SKIMS to launch in India with two flagship stores

  05-08-2026 13:12 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Kim Kardashian-founded fashion retailer SKIMS is set to debut in India with the launch of two new stores.
  The fashion brand, which last month opened its first standalone brick-and-mortar store in London, plans to open two stores in Delhi and Mumbai, with a phases rollout set to see the retailer expand into more cities and channels over time.
  The move forms a partnership with Indian luxury and premium fashion retailer Reliance Brands, which will operate SKIMS in India across physical stores and d
  
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• Jaded London ad banned for ‘glamourising’ smoking

  05-08-2026 13:11 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Advertising Standards Authority has banned an advert from clothing brand Jaded London for “glamourising” smoking.
  The email, which appeared on 27 May 2026, was flagged by a complainant who challenged whether the campaign was irresponsible because it showed smoking to be glamourous.
  It showed a model wearing a pink backless mini dress standing by a scooter next to a body of water with a cigarette in hand.
  Jaded London responded to the watchdog’s concerns, stating it was not
  
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• Suit Direct owner Baird Group promotes Tim Murphy to chief executive

  05-08-2026 13:08 via theretailbulletin.com
  Baird Group, the owner of Suit Direct, has promoted Tim Murphy to the position of chief executive. Previously chief financial officer, Murphy joined the group in…
  
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• Desert Island Stores: Daisy Kelly, founder and CEO of Glow For It

  05-08-2026 13:08 via theretailbulletin.com
  In this latest instalment of TRB’s Desert Island Stores series, Glynn Davis chats with Daisy Kelly, founder and chief executive of Glow For It.  The store…
  
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• Lush, Hamleys, Space NK and Very shortlisted for marketing Retail Excellence Awards

  05-08-2026 13:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Retail’s standout marketing teams, brand partnerships, Christmas campaigns and physical activations have been named in the latest RG Retail Excellence Awards 2026 shortlists…
  The finalists have been revealed for Marketing Team of the Year, Brand Partnership of the Year, Christmas Ad of the Year and the Physical Activation & Retail Media Award.
  Featuring collaborations with some of the world’s best-known entertainment brands, ambitious in-store experiences and campaigns des
  
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• Pinterest takes festival trends offline with UK corner shop pop-ups

  05-08-2026 12:39 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Pinterest has unveiled plans to open three festival-themed corner shop pop-ups across the UK in partnership with e.l.f. Cosmetics.
  The social media platform will launch the temporary stores in Brighton, East London and near Notting Hill Carnival, positioning each site on routes to major festival events.
  The pop-ups will recreate a traditional corner shop with festival-focused experiences, including live DJs, face-gem artists and e.l.f. Cosmetics activations.
  Visitors will be able to try products
  
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• Specsavers launches club guestlist with help from Groove Armada

  05-08-2026 12:07 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Specsavers has unveiled a club guestlist series for the over 50’s.
  Consumers can get on the guestlist by taking part in the company’s free online hearing screener.
  The ‘TestList’ was devised by PR agency Golin Ketchun, in partnership with Specsavers in-house creative team, media communucations agency Manning Gotlieb and design consultancy Tangerine and is aimed at the over-50s who built Britain’s rave scene.
  According to research from the firm, over a quarter of thi
  
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• Lindt launches new concept store at Centre:mk

  05-08-2026 11:24 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Lindt has opened a new concept store at Centre:mk retail destination in Milton Keynes.
  The chocolate retailer has launched in a 1,670 sq ft boutique on Silbury Arcade, joining other premium retail brands such as Mint Velvet, The White Company, Space NK and Reiss.
  The new store features the brand’s latest design concept, which offers guests an “immersive chocolate experience,” including Lindt’s pick and mix selection, exclusive gifts, and personalisation. 
  The boutiqu
  
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• Oxfam launches clothes rental service in charity sector first

  05-08-2026 11:13 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Oxfam has revealed the launch of an online fashion rental service, with the aim of extending the life of donated clothing.
  The charity said the pilot, which began on August 3, marked the first time a national UK charity had offered clothing rental alongside its retail shops.
  Customers can hire selected items from Oxfam’s donated stock for 14 days, with prices starting at £22.
  The launch range includes a blue and white Balenciaga dress, a yellow tailored jacket by Stella McCartney and
  
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• Interview: G Spot CEO on the Gillian Anderson drinks brand’s M&S debut

  05-08-2026 11:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  This week, Gillian Anderson-founded functional drinks brand G Spot hit Marks & Spencer shelves, taking its low-sugar, non-alcoholic drinks into one of the UK’s best-known food retailers.The move caps a busy period for the brand. G Spot launched in 2023 and entered the US just a year later in October 2024, before securing a £1 million investment from Heineken the following month.
  Photo: G Spot. Founder Gillian Anderson (left) and CEO Kate Roskill (right).
  It then made its supermar
  
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• Next raises full year guidance after strong Q2 sales beat forecast

  05-08-2026 10:28 via theretailbulletin.com
  Next has posted a 9.2% increase in full-price second quarter sales, which meant they were £70 million ahead of forecast. The fashion and homeware retailer attributed…
  
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• Asda rolls out loss prevention tool across full estate following £100k savings

  05-08-2026 10:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda is rolling out retail crime reporting platform Auror across its full store estate after a London pilot helped recover more than £100,000 worth of products and lifted crime prevention rates by 55 per cent.
  The supermarket tested the technology in 30 London stores over 10 weeks, cutting the average time taken to report an incident from around 25 minutes to less than five.
  Asda said the pilot also improved its ability to identify repeat offenders and individuals targeting stores operated
  
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• Govt pledges £20m to develop farm robots and automation

  05-08-2026 09:57 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The government is offering £20m in funding to help develop robots and automated technology that could support farmers with planting and harvesting crops.
  The proposed funding would supporting technology designed to plant seeds, look after crops and pick fruit in a bid to help farms that struggle to find enough seasonal workers during busy periods.
  The funding was announced as part of the the government’s Farming Innovation Programme and follows its pledge to invest £200m in far
  
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• Meet the artist: Yinka Ilori on bringing ‘joy’ to Absolut and Tomorrowland

  05-08-2026 09:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Stepping into Absolut’s Tomorrowland activation, visitors are immediately met with a sea of the rich blues, greens, oranges and pink patterns that have now become synonymous with Yinka Ilori’s work.
  The result is a refreshing pop of colour and an oasis amid the bustling energy of a busy music event.
  That is no small feat at a festival already renowned for its striking imagery and elaborate stage design, which welcomes over 400,000 attendees over two weekends.
  Yet, somehow, Ilori&rsqu
  
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• John Lewis launches new fitness and wellness concept at Oxford Street store

  05-08-2026 09:42 via theretailbulletin.com
  John Lewis has launched a new sports and wellness concept at its Oxford Street store as part of its wider £800 million transformation programme. The retailer…
  
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• Debenhams data shows just how drastically UK heatwaves reshape spending

  05-08-2026 09:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Debenhams reported a sharp rise in demand for fans, air-conditioning products and outdoor living ranges, as prolonged warm weather changed how shoppers spend over the summer.
  Sales across Debenhams’ cooling category surged 232 per cent year on year between 19 June and 20 July, with portable neck fans and tower fans among the strongest-performing products.
  Customer searches for “air con” rocketed 4,442 per cent compared with the same period last year, while searches for “f
  
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• M&S Food to open at Wembley Park amid flurry of new lettings

  05-08-2026 09:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Marks & Spencer is one of the various major names set to open new stores at Wembley Park.
  The retailer has signed for a circa 14,300sq ft shop, which is expected to open in 2027 and will serve the area’s growing residential community, alongside millions of annual visitors.
  The deal follows a consultation with residents of Quintain Living’s build-to-rent properties, which identified M&S Food as one of the brands they most wanted to see join the neighbourhood.
  M&S already o
  
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• Next hikes profit forecast to £1.24bn as heatwave boosts sales

  05-08-2026 09:19 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Next has raised its annual profit forecast for the third time this year, after second-quarter sales smashed expectations.
  The fashion and homeware giant said full-price sales rose 9.2 per cent in the 13 weeks to 1 August, more than double its forecast of four per cent.
  Sales came in £70m ahead of expectations, comprising a £19m beat in the UK and £51m from overseas markets.
  Next attributed the performance to UK temperatures matching last year’s exceptionally warm summer,
  
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• Met’s new retail crime tech quadruples shoplifting enforcement rate

  05-08-2026 09:12 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The Metropolitan Police is expanding new crime-reporting technology across London after it quadrupled the proportion of shoplifting cases resulting in offenders being brought to justice.
  The platform allows retailers to submit CCTV footage, witness statements and other evidence directly to police officers, helping them identify suspects and build cases more quickly.
  Evidence that previously took as long as 28 days to reach investigators can now be transferred within minutes, according to the Met
  
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• John Lewis chair warns profits squeezed by ‘really tough’ trading

  05-08-2026 09:09 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  John Lewis Partnership chair Jason Tarry has warned staff that worsening trading conditions are putting pressure on profits.
  Tarry told the employee-owned group’s internal magazine that it was preparing for a period of “lower sales and higher costs”, with the outlook having deteriorated more sharply than expected over the past six months.
  He said teams were reviewing the Partnership’s plans in response to the tougher environment, although a person close to the business sa
  
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• How Ozzy Osbourne brought Czech & Speake a radically new customer

  05-08-2026 08:53 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  London’s Jermyn Street has long been a mecca for British gentlemen’s fashion. Sitting just off of the well-trodden tourist hotspot of Piccadilly Circus, it’s an area with a heritage all of its own. Its outfitters have dressed generations of wealthy customers, while a short walk away James J Fox supplied cigars to Winston Churchill.
  Czech & Speake joined that world in 1979, opening at number 88 and building a fragrance business around the heritage of the area. It fit right i
  
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• Czech & Speake brand leader on the Ozzy Osbourne collab that introduced a radically different consumer

  05-08-2026 08:53 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  London’s Jermyn Street has long been a mecca for British gentlemen’s fashion. Sitting just off of the well-trodden tourist hotspot of Piccadilly Circus, it’s an area with a heritage all of its own. Its outfitters have dressed generations of wealthy customers, while a short walk away James J Fox supplied cigars to Winston Churchill.
  Czech & Speake joined that world in 1979, opening at number 88 and building a fragrance business around the heritage of the area. It fit right i
  
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• Zalando reports Q2 revenue growth but trims full year guidance

  05-08-2026 08:41 via theretailbulletin.com
  Zalando has delivered another quarter of revenue growth as it benefits from the scaling of its AI capabilities, although it warned that full year revenue will…
  
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• Smyths Toys to open first shopping centre store at Eden, High Wycombe

  05-08-2026 08:41 via theretailbulletin.com
  Smyths Toys Superstores has chosen Eden Shopping Centre for the opening of its first store in a shopping centre location in the UK. Due to launch…
  
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• Aldi launches UK-wide Sports Fund offering grants up to £3,000

  05-08-2026 08:41 via theretailbulletin.com
  Aldi is launching a new UK-wide Aldi Sports Fund programme, giving grassroots sports clubs the chance to apply for grants of up to £3,000 to help…
  
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• John Lewis chair warns of profit squeeze as trading conditions worsen

  05-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Jason Tarry tells staff the department store chain is heading into a period of falling sales and rising costs
  
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• Bodycare secures investment to accelerate UK store rollout

  05-08-2026 00:33 via theretailbulletin.com
  Bodycare has completed a new investment round led by early stage venture capital firm, Arāya Ventures. There was also participation from entrepreneur Dilesh Mehta and a…
  
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• Nobody’s Child to open new store in Bath’s SouthGate Centre

  04-08-2026 15:35 via theretailbulletin.com
  Womenswear brand Nobody’s Child is set to open a new store in Bath’s SouthGate shopping centre next week. Spanning 1,500 square feet, the shop will be…
  
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• Next opens ‘largest ever’ UK store at Bluewater

  04-08-2026 15:00 via retailgazette.co.uk
  Next has opened what is officially its largest UK store at Bluewater Shopping Centre, tripling its footprint at the Kent destination to 132,000sq ft.
  The new two-floor branch includes 83,000sq ft of trading space and brings together womenswear, menswear, childrenswear and home under one roof.
  Designed by strategy and design studio Dalziel & Pow, the opening forms part of Next’s wider programme to modernise and expand its physical estate.
  The concept has previously been introduced at st
  
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