Retail news

• WH Smith benefits from strong performance in travel business

  22-01-2020 01:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  
  WH Smith grew its revenue by 7% in the 20 weeks to 18 January, but like-for-like revenue fell by 1% in the period. The retailer’s travel... View Article
  
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• BRC warns employment reforms risk squeezing out retail Saturday jobs

  17-08-2026 09:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  The British Retail Consortium has warned that planned employment reforms could make it harder for retailers to offer entry-level roles.
  New Opinium polling commissioned by the BRC found 80 per cent of UK adults believe part-time work, including traditional Saturday jobs, plays an important role in helping young people enter employment.
  Support rises to 91 per cent among those aged 55 and over, with the retail body arguing the findings underline the continued value of flexible work as a first ste
  
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• Aldi boss backs crackdown on ‘fake’ supermarket discounts

  17-08-2026 09:12 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Aldi UK boss Giles Hurley has backed government plans to crack down on misleading supermarket promotions, claiming loyalty prices and continual discounts can obscure the true value shoppers receive.
  Hurley said ministers were “right” to target misleading discounts and promotions as part of efforts to ease cost-of-living pressures, arguing shoppers were increasingly confronted with offers that appeared more attractive than they were.
  “For too long, shoppers have been bombarded w
  
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• B&M ramps up AI push with senior recruitment drive

  17-08-2026 09:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  B&M has announced that it plans to step up its investment in AI and data, particularly targeting how it makes decisions and runs the business.
  The company is recruiting for a new head of data and AI, who will be tasked with building and scaling its data, analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities across the group.
  B&M group IT director Suzie Williams said the business had reached an “important point” in its transformation, with data, AI and improved decision-making be
  
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• Hotel Chocolat forced to shut store as heatwave threatens to melt stock

  17-08-2026 08:56 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Hotel Chocolat has been forced to temporarily close one of its stores and bring in emergency cooling equipment as record temperatures threaten to melt its chocolate stock.
  The chocolatier drafted in additional air conditioning units and fans across parts of its estate last week as temperatures soared, with its Marylebone store in London temporarily closing as it struggled with the heat.
  At its London Bridge branch, a large fan was brought in to keep the shop cool in place of air conditioning.
  Ho
  
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• Waitrose outpaces John Lewis as it pushes ahead with £800m overhaul

  17-08-2026 08:52 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Waitrose is the financial powerhouse of the John Lewis Partnership, as its department store sister battles tougher trading conditions and presses ahead with an £800m transformation programme.
  The grocery arm of the company generated £256m in adjusted operating profit in the year to 31 January, more than four times the £58m delivered by John Lewis, despite both businesses growing sales.
  Waitrose sales jumped seven per cent to £8.5bn during the period, with volumes rising t
  
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• Asda tests new convenience wholesale model in three-store Scotland trial

  17-08-2026 08:51 via theretailbulletin.com
  Asda has launched a new wholesale supply model for independent retailers in the convenience market. The three-store trial, branded ‘Asda Convenience’, will initially roll out in…
  
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• Boux Avenue continues store investment with Guildford and Belfast refits

  17-08-2026 08:50 via theretailbulletin.com
  Lingerie and nightwear brand Boux Avenue is continuing to invest in its store estate with the refurbishment of its Guildford and Belfast stores. The stores will…
  
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• Renewed price pressure for retail as global shipping costs soar

  17-08-2026 08:45 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Freight rates have jumped sharply for retailers across key shipping corridors including the Red Sea, Panama Canal, Black Sea and Europe’s Rhine as war and drought disrupt global trade.
  The latest disruption threatens to push up sourcing costs for retailers and could ultimately feed through into higher prices for consumers.
  Container shipping has been particularly affected, with average spot rates from the Far East to the US East Coast climbing 234 per cent year on year to £7,600 for
  
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• Lakeside secures wave of jewellery signings including Beaverbrooks upsize

  17-08-2026 08:44 via theretailbulletin.com
  Lakeside has announced a flurry of new signings and upsizes from jewellery retailers. Browns Jewellers has signed for a 469 square foot space on Level 2,…
  
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• KFC and La Vieille Ferme to launch Coq au Vin pop-up wine bar in Shoreditch

  17-08-2026 08:41 via theretailbulletin.com
  KFC is teaming up with Famille Perrin to launch Coq au Vin, a pop-up wine bar bringing together KFC’s fried chicken and La Vieille Ferme’s popular…
  
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• Crocs launches first mascot as it goes all-in on brand storytelling

  17-08-2026 08:37 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Crocs has unveiled its first official mascot, Niles, with a view to increasing the power of its social content and long-term storytelling.
  The six-foot crocodile character has been developed from the silhouette that has appeared on Crocs footwear since the brand sold its first pair of shoes in 2002.
  Niles was introduced following a month-long teaser campaign that saw Crocs plant a series of ‘Easter eggs’ across its marketing channels, including a three-foot egg appearing in TikTok Sh
  
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• Sainsbury’s pauses AI facial recognition cameras after shopper wrongly ejected

  17-08-2026 08:31 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Sainsbury’s has paused the use of AI-powered facial recognition cameras after a shopper was wrongly removed from one of its stores as a suspected shoplifter.
  The company has suspended the technology involved while it investigates the incident, which took place at its Dulwich store in south London.
  Matt Arnold, who works with the nearby Dulwich Hamlet Comedy Club, was waiting at a self-service checkout with a trolley of drinks and snacks when security staff approached him and told him the r
  
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• Co-op overhauls transgender and non-binary toilet policy after new legal guidance

  17-08-2026 08:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Co-op has changed its transgender and non-binary inclusion policy, removing previous guidance that allowed staff to use the gender-specific toilets in which they felt safest.
  Its former policy told colleagues working at sites with gender-specific toilets that they could use the facilities they felt most comfortable using and would not be expected to use disabled toilets instead. Those instructions have now been removed.
  Under its updated policy, Co-op said it recognises that trans, non-binary an
  
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• Ralph Lauren is winning the workwear wars as America returns to the office

  16-08-2026 13:00 via ft.com
  People are hanging up the casual aesthetic of the pandemic years to dress up again
  
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• Harvey Nicks deal hints at department stores’ hidden potential

  16-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Services won’t restore the golden age but could give young shoppers a reason to return
  
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• ‘I wanted to show people what I was made of’

  15-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Michael Welch of Rolo Tires on how his move to the US became a major opportunity
  
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• How Burnham can curb Britain’s tax-dodging shops

  15-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  The prime minister is missing a simple trick in his campaign to revive high streets: enforcing the basic laws of doing business
  
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• Aldi joins forces with Freedom4Girls to urge all UK supermarkets to offer free period products

  14-08-2026 16:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Aldi has joined its charity partner Freedom4Girls in urging more supermarkets to provide free period products in store toilets.
  Julia Ashfield, chief commercial officer at the retailer and Tina Leslie MBE, founder of Freedom4Girls have written an joint letter to the chief executives of major UK supermarkets, asking them to make free period products available.
  This comes as research, commissioned by the retailer, found that 67 per cent of UK shoppers believe supermarkets should provide free tampo
  
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• Screwfix names agency for PPC account

  14-08-2026 16:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Screwfix has named Incubeta to its Pay per Click (PPC) account for the UK and Ireland, following a competitive multi-stage pitch process.
  The agency will be responsible for fully handling strategic consultancy and account management. The agency will also be tasked with the development of an AI-driven performance engine to manage the retailer’s SKU’s.
  As part of those plans, Incubeta will implement its ‘Seamless Shopping AI’ powered feed enhancement.
  Sue Harries, digital &
  
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• KFC and ‘Chicken Wine’ bring ‘Coq au Vin’ pop up to Shoreditch

  14-08-2026 14:10 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Fast food chain KFC has partnered with La Viellie Ferme, more commonly known as the ‘Chicken Wine’ brand, to launch a wine bar over the bank holiday weekend.
  Only open 28 August to August 31, the pop-up, Coq au Vin is located at Katchette Amex in Shoreditch, London. The pop-up will be open from 12pm to 9pm on Friday through to Sunday and 12pm to 5pm on Monday.
  La Viellie Ferme will bring back its ‘Chicken Wine’ label especially for the event.
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  The menu includes popcorn c
  
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• Oxfam’s retail director on why shop-floor expertise remains central to digital growth

  14-08-2026 13:01 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  As Oxfam expands into rental and livestream shopping, retail director Rachel Cosgrove-Pearce explains why its stores and volunteers remain the engine behind its digital growth.
  For Oxfam, digital innovation is not about replacing the charity shop experience. It is about amplifying it. As second-hand fashion becomes increasingly mainstream, the charity is leaning into ecommerce, rental and livestream selling.
  However, its retail director Rachel Cosgrove-Pearce is clear that the organisation&rsquo
  
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• French Connection launches new store at Frasers Plus Designer Outlet Leeds

  14-08-2026 12:03 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  French Connection has launched a new store at Frasers Plus Designer Outlet in Leeds.
  The new 2,257 sq ft shop provides shoppers with a “contemporary shopping environment” with “statement visual merchandising and modern design” as part of the brand’s latest retail concept.
  The launch comes after the shopping outlet recently opened new Belstaff and White Stuff stores. Related StoryFrench Connection launches new store at Frasers Plus Designer Outlet Leeds 14/08/2026 x
  
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• Asda moves into wholesale with new convenience store format

  14-08-2026 11:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Asda has launched a new wholesale convenience model, with initial rollouts covering three stores in Glasgow.
  The company has invested £1 million in the launch of Asda Convenience, which will initially be trialled with Scottish independent operator One-O-One.
  The three stores will operate under the new Asda Convenience fascia and stock around 3,500 products, including Asda own-label lines, fresh and chilled groceries and food-to-go.
  Asda said the trial would allow it to refine the model bef
  
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• Disney extends F1 partnership into 2028

  14-08-2026 11:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Disney has extended its Formula One partnership, which was originally launched in 2025, until 2028. The partnership will also now feature Pixar’s Cars alongside the original Mickey & Friends line up.
  Lightening McQueen will appear at the Formula 1 Pirelli Grand Premio D’Italia 2026, with an all new look.
  Titled ‘Fuel the Magic’, the collaboration features immersive experiences, social media content and bespoke merchandise.
  So far Disney’s F1 partnership has appe
  
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• Boux Avenue to relaunch Guildford and Belfast stores

  14-08-2026 11:40 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Boux Avenue is revamping its Guildford and Belfast shops under its new retail concept launch.
  The lingerie retailer’s Guildford shop will reopen on 28 August and its Belfast site will relaunch on 5 September, as it pushes ahead with its programme of store launches and refurbishments, Drapers reported.
  Boux Avenue previously refurbished its Manchester Trafford site in November 2025 and revamped its Bluewater, Kent store in March 2025.
  The brand launched a store in Manchester’s Arndale
  
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• Should retailers ban smart glasses from their stores?

  14-08-2026 11:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  In 2021, Ray-Ban and Meta joined forces to release the latest evolution in wearable technology – the ‘smart glasses’.  In the intervening years, smart glasses have transformed from a seemingly harmless tech novelty to true privacy headache for businesses, with pubs, restaurants and even the courts cracking down on their use. As concerns grow over covert filming, should retailers be next to show them the door?
  Retailers have spent years wrestling with customers filming TikT
  
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• Russell & Bromley plots high street comeback months after collapse

  14-08-2026 10:22 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Russell & Bromley is returning to the high street just months after falling into administration, as owner Next begins rebuilding the 147-year-old footwear brand.
  The brand will open a store at Westgate Oxford on 3 September, marking the beginning of its physical retail comeback following the closure of its former store estate.
  Westgate Oxford centre director Clare Martin said the shopping destination was “delighted” to have been selected as one of the first locations for the bran
  
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• The rise of alternative payment verification across UK retail checkouts

  14-08-2026 09:53 via theretailbulletin.com
  Checkout friction has quietly become one of the biggest threats to conversion rates across UK retail. Every extra field, every unnecessary confirmation step, gives a shopper…
  
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• Mulberry appoints Kenny Wilson and Sara Dickinson as non-executive directors

  14-08-2026 09:53 via theretailbulletin.com
  Mulberry has appointed Kenny Wilson and Sara Dickinson as non-executive directors, with effect from 9 September. Wilson served as chief executive of Dr. Martens between 2018…
  
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