Retail news

• Whole Foods Market opens Monument store

  04-06-2026 09:04
  
  Whole Foods Market is opening its newest store in Monument, London today, 4 June.
  Located on Gracechurch Street, the supermarket’s 10,200 sq ft store will stock fresh produce, ready-to-eat meals, baked goods, pantry staples, alcoholic drinks, juices, and grab-and-go options. 
  Additionally, it will feature a self-serve coffee machine, seasonal produce, freshly baked pastries, cookies, organic bread, hot savoury items, soups, and rotisserie chickens. 
  The store will sell a range of
  
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• George at Asda ramps up menswear push as supermarket fashion gains ground

  05-06-2026 08:33
  
  George at Asda is strengthening its menswear offer as the supermarket fashion market continues to take share from traditional high street retailers.
  It said menswear remains a major growth area for the business, with year-on-year sales uplifts running ahead of the wider market as shoppers seek more affordable and versatile fashion.
  George is responding with a sharper focus on style-led collections at competitive prices, with its latest Studio Edit menswear range designed around modern wardrobe
  
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• Bestway strengthens wholesale network with Dee Bee acquisition

  05-06-2026 08:29
  
  Bestway Wholesale has acquired DB Ramsden & Co Ltd, trading as Dee Bee Wholesale, as it continues to expand its regional footprint.
  Dee Bee Wholesale is a long-established, family-owned independent wholesaler serving more than 1,400 retail and on-trade customers across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
  Founded in 1961, the business has been operating for more than 65 years and reported annual sales of around £57m in its last financial year.
  It employs 87 colleagues across two depots in Hull
  
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• Tesco to donate £100,000 to LGBTQ+ charities for Pride 2026

  05-06-2026 08:26
  
  Tesco colleagues will attend more than 40 Pride events across the UK this year as the supermarket continues its support for LGBTQ+ communities.
  The grocer said colleagues will take part in Pride events across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland throughout 2026.
  Tesco will also donate £100,000 to four LGBTQ+ charity partners, with £25,000 each going to Not A Phase, Proud To Be Parents, Rainbow Mind and Just Like Us.
  Since 2020, Tesco has donated more than £1m to charit
  
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• Oliver Bonas to open at Lakeside Shopping Centre

  05-06-2026 08:19
  
  Oliver Bonas is set to open a new store at Lakeside Shopping Centre this summer as the lifestyle retailer continues its UK expansion.
  The independent British brand has signed for a 4,000 sq ft space on the centre’s lower mall, next to Office.
  The store will stock Oliver Bonas’ design-led range of women’s clothing, accessories, gifts, jewellery and homeware.
  Lakeside, which is owned and operated by SGS UK Retail, said the signing would strengthen its premium and lifestyle offer,
  
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• Aldi to upgrade four Scottish stores this summer

  05-06-2026 07:41
  
  Aldi is set to upgrade four stores across Scotland this summer as part of its wider investment in its existing UK estate.
  The discounter said the works form part of its £300m programme to improve stores throughout 2026.
  The Scottish stores set to be refreshed are Newhailes Road in Musselburgh, Basin View in Montrose, Greenpark Drive in Polmont and Cornhill Shopping Arcade in Aberdeen.
  Changes will vary by location, but will include creating more space for customers to shop, as well as int
  
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• General Mills names Erasmo Nuzzi as UK and Ireland managing director

  05-06-2026 07:22
  
  General Mills has appointed Erasmo Nuzzi as managing director for its UK and Ireland business.
  Nuzzi, who first joined the food giant in 2003, brings more than 20 years of international food industry experience to the role.
  He will lead the company’s largest market within its Europe, Australia and North Asia unit.
  Most recently, Nuzzi served as platform and channel marketing director for General Mills’ North America Food Service division, where he led strategy, innovation and executi
  
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• Premier Foods cuts emissions as healthier product sales climb

  05-06-2026 07:13
  
  Premier Foods has reported further progress against its Enriching Life Plan, with new investments in renewable energy, lower-carbon manufacturing and healthier food innovation.
  The St Albans-based food manufacturer, which owns brands including Batchelors, Bisto, OXO and Mr Kipling, said its latest annual report showed a 14 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 market-based emissions during the year.
  It also reported a 16 per cent increase in sales of products meeting high nutritional standards, as
  
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• easyGroup moves into online retail with launch of easyShop marketplace

  05-06-2026 07:10
  
  easyGroup is entering mainstream online retail with the launch of easyShop.com, a new marketplace set to go live across 21 European countries later this year.
  The platform, which forms part of the easy family of brands, marks a major expansion for the business into everyday shopping and will be built around its long-standing focus on simplicity and value.
  easyShop.com will be operated by ecommerce and marketplace technology company OnBuy.com and powered by its proprietary OnCommerce platform, wh
  
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• Amazon pumps €10bn into European robotics push as Peterborough hub creates 1,400 jobs

  05-06-2026 06:54
  
  Amazon is investing more than €10bn to expand and modernise its European fulfilment network, with new robotics, faster delivery options and 25,000 additional jobs planned across the region.
  It unveiled the plans at its Delivering the Future event in London, where it said the investment would support the next phase of automation across its fulfilment centres.
  A central part of the update is the latest version of Amazon’s autonomous Proteus robot, which can now operate wherever items n
  
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• Scotland leads UK footfall as sunshine brings shoppers back in May

  05-06-2026 06:36
  
  Scottish retail footfall returned to growth in May as warmer weather helped draw shoppers back to stores.
  Footfall across Scotland rose 0.4 per cent year on year in the four weeks from 3 to 30 May, according to the latest SRC-Sensormatic data, rebounding from a 5.2 per cent fall in April.
  The result made Scotland the best-performing UK nation or region for retail footfall during the month.
  Shopping centres saw footfall rise 1.3 per cent year on year, while retail parks posted a 1.5 per cent upli
  
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• Whole Foods Market UK backs Quality Food & Drink Awards to support small producers

  05-06-2026 06:08
  
  Whole Foods Market UK has partnered with the Quality Food & Drink Awards as it looks to help more small food and drink producers secure retail listings.
  The natural and organic grocer has become the official sponsor of the 2026 Small Producer Award, with the partnership designed to give emerging UK brands greater visibility, commercial support and access to buyers.
  Now in its 48th year, the Quality Food & Drink Awards has refreshed its identity for 2026 and continues to recognise produc
  
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• Is the K-shaped economy real? Cut-price UK retailers should hope not

  05-06-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Selling goods for rock-bottom prices can be surprisingly profitable and may entice middle-tier chains to muscle in on discount stores
  
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• Amazon expands same-day fresh grocery delivery after Fresh store closures

  05-06-2026 05:02
  
  Amazon is adding fresh groceries to same-day deliveries in the UK as it steps up its push into online grocery following the closure of its standalone Amazon Fresh stores.
  The online giant said shoppers in parts of central and east London will be able to add fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, bread, eggs and frozen foods to same-day orders.
  The service will allow customers to buy fresh groceries in the same basket as tinned and packaged food, as well as products across ca
  
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• UK footfall hit by record sunshine over May

  05-06-2026 01:01
  
  UK footfall was hit by the record sunshine over May, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
  Total UK footfall fell 2.6 per cent year over year (YoY) from 3 to 30 May, BRC-Sensormatic data revealed. However, this was up from 10.7 per cent in April.
  High street footfall decreased by 1.5 per cent YoY in May, up from -9.2 per cent the month prior.
  Retail park footfall also declined by 0.5 per cent YoY over May, rising from -9.0 per cent in April.
  Additionally, shopping centre footfall dro
  
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• British Heart Foundation plans 150 store closures

  04-06-2026 21:12 via theretailbulletin.com
  The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is planning to close 150 shops over the next two years as it looks to ensure that its retail network remains... View Article
  
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• Amazon to invest €10bn in Europe while creating 25,000 more jobs

  04-06-2026 20:20 via theretailbulletin.com
  Amazon is to invest more than €10 billion in expanding and modernising its European fulfilment centres with new robotics while creating 25,000 more jobs. Central to... View Article
  
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• Charles Tyrwhitt names Rebecca Howat as new managing director

  04-06-2026 18:04 via theretailbulletin.com
  Charles Tyrwhitt has promoted Rebecca Howat to the position of managing director as it looks ahead to its next phase of growth. Howat has worked with... View Article
  
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• British Heart Foundation plans closure of 150 shops amid rising costs

  04-06-2026 17:02
  
  The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has unveiled plans to close around 150 shops and stores over the next two years, citing the need to maintain a commercially sustainable retail operation and protect funding for cardiovascular research.
  The charity said the decision follows an extensive review of its retail estate against a backdrop of rising operating costs and changing shopping habits, which have left some locations no longer financially viable.
  Under the proposals, around 90 stores would
  
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• Interview: Rithum’s Mark Howell on how retailers can no longer rely on inventory-led growth

  04-06-2026 15:32
  
  As retailers face rising costs, growing competition and changing customer expectations, many are turning to dropshipping in a bid to expand product ranges without increasing inventory risk.
  According to Rithum’s retail director EMEA Mark Howell, the model is becoming an increasingly important part of modern retail strategy, allowing businesses to widen their assortment while saving on cash and warehouse capacity.
  Retail Gazette caught up with Howell, who says the fundamental attraction of
  
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• Interview: Specsavers head of sustainability Helen Curran on its plan to keep old glasses out of landfill

  04-06-2026 15:31
  
  Sustainability initiatives often struggle when they move from pilot project to nationwide operation; what works in a handful of stores can easily become complicated across hundreds.
  However, Specsavers believes it has found a model that can scale. The optical retailer has expanded its recycling scheme to all UK stores, adding around 300 locations to an initiative first introduced in 2022.
  Photo: Specsaver head of sustainability Helen Curran
  The move means customers can now drop off unwanted glas
  
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• Opinion: Protecting food retail margins – tackling rising energy costs with AI and IoT 

  04-06-2026 15:30
  
  By IMS Evolve chief commercial officer Jason Kay
  The convergence of AI and IoT presents the opportunity to significantly impact the dynamics of operational costs. For food retailers, energy is not a peripheral expense. It is foundational to how stores operate and serve communities. Lighting, HVAC systems, and refrigeration units are essential to trading safely and profitably. So, when energy prices increase, the impact is both immediate and impossible to ignore.
  The energy price rises add growin
  
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• The rise of convenience culture in beauty, wellness and healthcare retail

  04-06-2026 14:22 via theretailbulletin.com
  We live in an age of convenience. From Uber Eats to contactless payments, the 21st century has been defined by streamlined living and on-demand services, and... View Article
  
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• Seasalt axes US stores to focus on wholesale

  04-06-2026 12:03
  
  Cornish fashion retailer Seasalt has shut all four of its standalone shops in the US after two years.
  The brand said that the closures were a strategic decision as its wholesale operations and retail partnerships continued to go “from strength to strength”.
  Seasalt launched its first US shop in September 2024 and had grown its footprint in the region to four sites by early 2026. However, the business confirmed that the four stores had shut by 17 May.
  The company is now seeking to com
  
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• Footasylum partners with streetwear favourite Trapstar

  04-06-2026 12:03
  
  Footasylum has formed a “strategic partnership” with British streetwear brand Trapstar to “support its next chapter of growth”.
  According to the sportswear retailer the collaboration will combine Trapstar’s heritage with Footasylum’s  operational expertise, retail platform and marketing innovation.
  The partnership will see the retailer roll out the streetwear brand’s products in selected stores and online. According to Footaslyum, the collabora
  
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• Tesco spotlights Tesco Finest collection in new campaign

  04-06-2026 10:55
  
  Tesco has unveiled a new campaign showcasing the retailer’s commitment to sourcing high quality foods from around the world.
  Titled ‘Quality Around the Corner’, the marketing drive was directed by creative agency BBH London and directed by Tim Bullock through Rogue Films.
  The spot spotlights a variety of products from around the world including Tesco Finest Mesquite, Beech & Oak Wood Smoked Salmon Beech & Oak Wood Smoked Salmon from the Shetland Islands; Tesco Finest Ca
  
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• Minister says logistics industry is being heard ‘loud and clear’ by government

  04-06-2026 10:51
  
  Logistics UK has said the sector’s importance to the UK economy has been recognised by government, after aviation, maritime and decarbonisation minister Keir Mather MP praised the industry at its annual conference.
  Speaking at the business group’s event at London’s QE2 Conference Centre, Mather said that despite ongoing economic uncertainty, “logistics keeps delivering for the UK”.
  He described the sector’s workers as “the unsung heroes that will keep Br
  
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• Footasylum secures future of Trapstar

  04-06-2026 10:20 via theretailbulletin.com
  Footasylum has saved Trapstar out of administration through a “strategic partnership” with the British streetwear brand. The transaction comprised a sale of Trapstar’s business and assets... View Article
  
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• Akeneo survey finds consumers are using AI to shop smarter ahead of Prime Day

  04-06-2026 10:16 via theretailbulletin.com
  Akeneo, the Product Experience (PX) leader, today released new PX Pulse survey findings showing that as consumers become more value-conscious ahead of Prime Day, many are... View Article
  
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• Decathlon offers festivalgoers cash back to stop tents being dumped after events

  04-06-2026 09:49
  
  Decathlon is expanding its Festival Tent Pledge by offering customers a cash refund when they return their tent after an event.
  The company will now give shoppers the option to claim up to 50 per cent of the original purchase price back in cash, depending on the condition of the tent when it is returned.
  The scheme previously allowed customers to buy a Decathlon tent before a festival, use it across the weekend and return it to a participating store in exchange for the value back as a gift card.
  
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