Retail news

• WH Smith to shut stores and draw back from high street

  11-10-2018 09:05 via ft.com
  Retailer to close around 6 shops and cut cost base as focus shifts to travel outlets
  
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• Asda reshuffles leadership team as Liz Evans departs

  22-06-2026 22:43 via theretailbulletin.com
  Asda has reshuffled its leadership team as it confirmed that Liz Evans, chief commercial officer for non-food and George managing director, has decided to leave the... View Article
  
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• Boots introduces new On The Go travel store format

  22-06-2026 20:34 via theretailbulletin.com
  Boots has introduced a new travel format store called Boots On The Go at Belfast International Airport. The retailer said the transformed space has been designed... View Article
  
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• Currys launches ‘Track the Tech’ as 880 million unused tech items sit in homes

  22-06-2026 17:59 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Currys has launched a new campaign to encourage more consumers to recycle unwanted technology, as research shows a third of Britons are still holding onto their first-ever mobile phone.
  Dubbed Track the Tech, the initiative has been designed to show what happens to devices after they are handed in for recycling or trade-in.
  The video follows products through the retailer’s recycling and refurbishment process, from secure data wiping to refurbishment, parts harvesting and recycling, to reas
  
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• What does it take to be Marketing Team of the Year?

  22-06-2026 17:20 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  In today’s retail landscape, marketing has evolved far beyond campaign execution. It is now a core driver of commercial performance, customer loyalty and is a brand differentiation. Against this backdrop, the ‘Marketing Team of the Year’ category at the RG Excellence Awards 2026 is becoming one of the most competitive accolades in the industry.
  The awards themselves bring together some of the sector’s most influential leaders to celebrate innovation and impact across reta
  
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• Wowcher apologises for crocodile reference in marketing email

  22-06-2026 16:51 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Wowcher has issued an apology for sending out a marketing email making light of last week’s crocodile pit incident, which resulted in uproar from consumers.
  According to Metro, the email in question featured the subject line: “Snap up these deals quicker than a croc can catch a kid!” The email contained advertisements for a spa experience in Hampshire and a kayak ride for two.
  After being sent out it faced severe criticism from the public, with people sharing it on social media
  
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• Health policy overhaul could cost food manufacturers millions, warns FDF

  22-06-2026 12:35 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Government plans to overhaul the UK’s Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) could impose higher costs on food and drink manufacturers than previously estimated, according to new research commissioned by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).
  The study, conducted by Oxford Economics, found that implementation costs could reach £2,812 per product, around 50 times higher than the Department of Health and Social Care’s estimate of £53 per product.
  The Nutrient Profiling Model is used
  
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• BRC calls for focus on business costs after PM resignation

  22-06-2026 12:26 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  The British Retail Consortium has called on the UK’s next prime minister to focus on reducing cost pressures on retailers and supporting investment across the sector.
  The trade body’s message follows Sir Kier Starmer’s stepping down this morning (22 June), saying the decision was made to “put the country I love first“.
  Responding to the resignation, a BRC spokesperson said the government’s priority should be helping retailers keep prices affordable for co
  
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• Ocado hunts for new chief to replace Tim Steiner

  22-06-2026 11:03 via ft.com
  UK grocery technology group has been hit by international licensing partners scaling back agreements
  
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• Primark takes over former Debenhams unit in Ashford

  22-06-2026 10:38 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Primark is set to open its seventh location in Kent, as it secures a former Debenhams unit in Ashford’s County Square shopping centre.
  The 29,000 sq ft of space mergers former Debenhams and Select units into a single trading store. The Debenhams unit has sat empty since January 2020.
  When open in the second half of 2027, the new Primark will span almost half of the centre’s upper oval. While, building work to combine the units is due to begin imminently, an exact launch date has
  
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• Castore acquires 160-year-old bootmaker Grenson

  22-06-2026 10:02 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Premium sportswear brand Castore has taken a 75% stake in boot and shoe maker Grenson, which had been based in Northamptonshire since 1866.
  Through its corporate vehicle J Sporting Club, Castore has acquired a controlling interest in Grenson. The move also sees Grenson owner Tim Little and his wife Julia Little step down from the board.
  This acquisition marks another step in the expansion of Liverpool-founded Castore. Launched in 2015 by brothers Thomas and Phil Beahon, the brand has grown throu
  
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• Retailers face match day store strain.

  22-06-2026 10:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  England’s opening World Cup match against Croatia triggered a marked uptick in shoplifting and violent incidents across UK stores, with theft levels increasing by +6% on... View Article
  
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• Ocado lines up new chief executive to succeed co-founder Tim Steiner

  22-06-2026 10:00 via theretailbulletin.com
  Ocado Group is preparing to appoint a successor to its chief executive Tim Steiner, according to reports. Sky News has revealed that a technology industry source... View Article
  
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• Hotel Chocolat head of retail and cafe operations on its White Rose launch

  22-06-2026 09:36 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Luxury chocolate specialist Hotel Chocolat has been on an expansion spree in recent years.
  The confectionary giant was acquired by Mars under a £534 million deal in January 2024. At the time of the takeover, the retailer claimed that the acquisition “could provide the brand with an enhanced platform for growth in the UK and potentially in new geographies”.
  Hotel Chocolat went on to unveil plans to launch 20 stores over the next 18 months in May 2024. It then revealed ambitions
  
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• Bath & Body Works UK & Ireland brand manager on its new East Midlands stores

  22-06-2026 09:34 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Bath & Body Works unveiled plans to launch a new store in Victoria Centre, Nottingham, back in May.
  The new shop, which is due to open in the autumn, will comprise a 1,300 sq ft “full assortment” store, offering its complete collection of product lines.
  The Nottingham shop announcement came after the brand also unveiled plans to make its East Midlands debut at Derbion shopping centre in February, with the store set to open in spring/summer 2026.
  Retail Gazette chats to Bath &
  
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• Laura James to open new operations facility in Rugby with the creation of 200 jobs

  22-06-2026 09:31 via theretailbulletin.com
  Interiors retailer Laura James is to open a new operational facility, photography studio and showroom at in Rugby. Representing one of the largest investments in the company’s... View Article
  
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• Morrisons avoids potential shortages after Eddie Stobart drivers call off strike

  22-06-2026 08:08 via theretailbulletin.com
  Morrisons has averted the threat of product shortages after Eddie Stobart drivers in the north of England called off strike action. More than 500 drivers at... View Article
  
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• UK’s out-of-town retail parks ‘effectively full’

  22-06-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Industry says shortage of space reflects rising demand from some retailers and a dearth of new sites
  
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• Tesco, B&Q and John Lewis join pilots for new retail media alliance

  21-06-2026 10:14 via theretailbulletin.com
  Tesco, B&Q, John Lewis and Waitrose are taking part in a range of pilots for a new Dunnhumby retail media alliance. The scheme has been launched... View Article
  
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• Lincolnshire Co-op plans job cuts as it overhauls ways of working

  21-06-2026 09:55 via theretailbulletin.com
  Lincolnshire Co-op is reviewing its operations and planning job cuts amid rising costs and tougher economic conditions. Employing over 2,770 people, the society runs more than... View Article
  
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• From the Archive: Auctions

  20-06-2026 11:42 via theretailbulletin.com
  ‘From the Archive’ is the regular column that revisits some of the more interesting retail stories covered over the past 30 years by Glynn Davis for... View Article
  
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• Gold coin salesmen orchestrated plot to set up rival, court finds

  19-06-2026 19:03 via ft.com
  Ex-employees of Hattons of London took confidential customer data amid a booming market for bullion
  
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• Gold coin salesman orchestrated plot to set up rival, court finds

  19-06-2026 19:03 via ft.com
  Ex-employees of Hattons of London took confidential customer data amid a booming market for bullion
  
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• Bensons for Beds appoints former Boots exec to head up owned brands

  19-06-2026 16:10 via theretailbulletin.com
  Bensons for Beds has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of former Boots executive Emma Forbes as director of owned brands. Forbes previously served as... View Article
  
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• Co-op expands concession partnership with Bonmarché

  19-06-2026 13:41 via theretailbulletin.com
  Co-op has expanded its partnership with Bonmarché with the launch of four new in-store concessions. The openings include a Bonmarché concession in Co-op’s Stornoway store this... View Article
  
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• Retail sales rise more than expected in May

  19-06-2026 13:28 via theretailbulletin.com
  UK retail sales increased by more than expected in May as the warm weather encouraged people to shop for summer items. Following a revised 1% fall... View Article
  
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• Asda losses widen to nearly £1bn

  19-06-2026 12:38 via ft.com
  TDR-backed UK supermarket chain had slashed prices to try to win back customers
  
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• John Lewis Partnership commits to recruiting 1,000 care-experienced young people

  19-06-2026 12:31 via theretailbulletin.com
  The John Lewis Partnership is to offer a further 1,000 roles to young people who have experienced care by 2030, more than doubling its previous target.... View Article
  
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• Lakeside shopping centre unveils Brompton Arcade transformation

  19-06-2026 11:50 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Lakeside shopping centre has unveiled Brompton Arcade, formerly Brompton Walk, and its strategic repositioning as “a vibrant hub for independent businesses, local entrepreneurs and experience-led operations”. 
  Located on level 2 of the shopping centre, Brompton Arcade’s vision is to “curate and support ambitious, independent and experience-led brands,” providing them with “greater visibility, operational support” and access to Lakeside’s annua
  
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• Tesco, B&Q, John Lewis and Waitrose among names to join dunnhumby retail media pilot

  19-06-2026 11:25 via retailgazette.co.uk
  
  Tesco, B&Q, John Lewis and Waitrose are taking part in a series of pilots for a new dunnhumby retail media alliance designed to make it easier for brands to run campaigns across multiple retailers.
  The dunnhumby network alliance has been launched to tackle fragmentation across retail media, one of the sector’s biggest barriers to scale.
  The new offer will give brands and agencies a single route to activate campaigns across multiple retailers, audience providers and media owners, withou
  
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