Latest News
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Retail sales volumes 'bounce-back to pre-pandemic levels', ONS finds
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Walmart to cut hundreds of jobs
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Prada launches personalised customer profiles and products
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J.P. Morgan trials palm and face biometrics for in-store payments
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Amazon workers consider further strikes after 50p pay offer
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Carrefour CEO Bompard extends tenure
Archive News
Around 200 workers were let go from the centre in Pedricktown, New Jersey, with hundreds of others cut from locations in California, Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania due to a reduction or total elimination of weekend and evening shifts
Posted: 24/03/23
Prada is launching new customer profiles and products in a bid to create a more personalised experience for those shopping in-store and online.
Posted: 24/03/2023
UK retail sales volumes increased by 1.2 per cent in February, representing a bounce-back to pre-pandemic levels, new research has found. The study by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that February’s sales rise was the largest by month since October 2022, outperforming sales in the same month of the previous year, which fell by 3.5 per cent.
Posted: 24/03/2023
J.P. Morgan is launching a pilot for biometrics-based payments with retailers in the US.
Posted: 24/3/2023
The announcement was made during a meeting of Carrefour’s board of directors on Wednesday, during which Bompard said he will continue working on the company’s 2026 strategic plan
Posted: 23/03/23
eBay has promoted Eve Williams to the role of general manager and senior vice president of its UK business operations. Having joined eBay in 2020, Williams previously spent seven years as global brand manager at fast-fashion retailer Asos.
Posted: 23/03/2023
Amazon warehouse workers in the UK have described a pay rise offer of between 20p to 50p as “an insult”.
Posted: 23/3/2023
Nike has recorded strong performance in its third quarter driven largely by its increased focus on e-commerce. The sportswear brand reported a digital sales increase of 20 per cent, while direct sales rose by 17 per cent to around $5 billion.
Posted: 22/03/2023
B&Q’s parent company has said it could open at least 50 small to medium-sized B&Q Local stores after recording a pre-tax profit drop of 20 per cent in its most recent financial year.
Posted: 22/03/2023
Electronics retailer Currys has announced a pay rise for around 10,000 store employees, the fourth in 18 months.
Posted: 22/03/2023
Food inflation increased to record levels last month, jumping from 16.7 per cent in January to 18 per cent.
Posted: 22/3/2023
Asda has announced it is expanding its partnership with accessories retailer Claire’s. Claire’s products will now be rolled out across more than 500 Asda locations in the UK following a 'test and learn' trial with 10 of the supermarket’s stores which began in October 2020.
Posted: 21/03/2023
The owner of B&Q and Screwfix has announced that pre-tax profits across the business fell by 20 per cent during the financial year ended 31 January 2023.
Posted: 21/3/2023
Ingka Group, which operates 465 Ikea stores around the world, has introduced 100 autonomous drones in locations throughout Europe as part of plans to improve stock accuracy and the availability of products
Posted: 21/03/2023
Amazon has announced intentions to eliminate 9,000 further roles in the next few weeks. The retail giant previously laid off 18,000 employees in a cull which began last November.
Posted: 21/03/2023
Sainsbury’s has changed the packing of its own brand liquid laundry detergent from plastic to cardboard, which it says will save 22 tonnes of plastic a year.
Posted: 20/03/2023
Iceland has entered a new partnership with food delivery platform Just Eat. As part of the deal, Just Eat will provide grocery delivery services across 200 Iceland supermarkets by the end of April.
Posted: 20/3/2023
John Lewis is considering the dilution of its 100 per cent owned by staff company structure following its second ever full-year loss, according to reports. The retailer has run with the mutual ownership structure for over 70 years, but the Sunday Times said John Lewis chairwoman Sharon White is in the early stages of exploring a plan to change the structure in a bid to raise between £1 billion to £2 billion of fresh investment.
Posted: 20/03/2023
Aldi is increasing pay for over 28,000 employees working in its stores from 1 July 2023.
Posted: 17/03/2023
Klarna has launched 'conscious badges' in its app to convey the environmental impact of products and brands. The new feature allows users of the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) provider to access metrics about their brand purchases, including information on greenhouse gas emissions and the amount of energy derived from renewable sources throughout the manufacturing process.
Posted: 17/03/2023
There were 3.12 million jobs in the UK retail sector during the final months of 2022, down by 14,000 on the previous year, the latest ONS labour market research has found.
Posted: 17/3/2023
Furniture retailer DFS has seen revenue slump by 2.2 per cent to £544.5 million in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2023.
Posted: 16/03/2023
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said that business rates reforms don’t go far enough, following the unveiling of the chancellor’s Spring Budget.
While Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, welcomed the UK government’s measures around ongoing energy bill support and childcare costs, she noted that many businesses are currently “weighed down by a myriad of higher costs right through the supply chain”.
While Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, welcomed the UK government’s measures around ongoing energy bill support and childcare costs, she noted that many businesses are currently “weighed down by a myriad of higher costs right through the supply chain”.
Posted: 16/03/2023
Co-op has announced the launch of robot deliveries in Greater Manchester. The company has expanded its partnership with autonomous delivery company Starship Technologies, having already rolled out the technology in Milton Keynes, Northampton, Bedford, Cambridge, and Leeds.
Posted: 16/3/2023
On Thursday, the company reported losses of £234 million in the 2022 financial year, its second ever full-year loss
Posted: 16/03/23
French beauty retailer Sephora has partnered with TikTok to connect beauty brands with creator content.
Posted: 15/03/2023
A mass rally is being planned outside Amazon’s Coventry distribution centre later today as a week-long strike at the warehouse reaches its halfway point. In the first-ever strike action Amazon has faced in the UK, more than 500 GMB Union members are not working between 13 and 17 March after the tech giant offered them a 50 pence per hour pay rise.
Posted: 15/0/2023
The initiative is a collaboration with ThredUp, with H&M becoming the online consignment platform’s largest retail partner
Posted: 15/03/23
Sales at fast fashion brand Zara jumped by 21 per cent in 2022, according to the retailer’s latest financial results.
Posted: 15/3/2023
Sainsbury’s has announced that it will complete the buyout of 21 stores this week, in deal worth £430 million.
Posted: 14/3/2023
Beauty and cosmetics retailer Lush has announced plans to move away from BigTech giants like Meta over concerns about the impact on customers and the environment.
Posted: 14/03/2023
Footfall on UK High Streets dropped by over 10 per cent last week due to extreme weather, according to new research. MRI Springboard found that recent bad weather throughout the UK had a “severe impact” on footfall across UK retail destinations, with a week-on-week decline of over 10 per cent.
Posted: 14/03/2023
In a blog post, M&S boss Stuart Machin said that while he supports the government’s focus on “balancing the books, reasserting its economic competency, and giving the markets, businesses and consumers, the stability they want and need,” a recent bounce in GDP cannot cover over “the vulnerability of UK economy”
Posted: 14/03/23
The Office for national Statistics (ONS) has unveiled changes to the basket of goods and services it uses to measure inflation.
Posted: 13/03/2023
Boots has announced it will cut the value of its loyalty card points from 4p per every £1 spent to 3p.
Posted: 13/03/2023
Payments at online marketplace Etsy are reportedly being delayed by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank last week.
Posted: 13/3/2023
The owners want to retain an 'underpin' of freehold properties, while selling many of its sites to investors and leasing them back
Posted: 13/03/23
Yeezy trainers, made by Adidas and designed by controversial rapper Ye – formerly known as Kanye West - are now becoming a collector’s item, according to Impossible Kicks chief executive John Mocadlo. Adidas parted ways with the rapper following a string of antisemitic rants last year, leaving the sportswear brand with around £1 billion worth of shoes from its partnership with the rapper.
Posted: 10/03/2023
JD Sports has appointed Ian Dyson as non-executive director with effect from 9 March 2023.
Posted: 10/03/2023
The controversial move comes shortly after the first anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, with western giants like McDonald's, Apple and Zara all ceasing operations in the country
Posted: 10/03/23
Ocado Retail has announced a new partnership with The Trade Desk which will see the online supermarket share its customer behaviour data with advertisers.
Posted: 10/3/2023
Vodafone Business is expanding its business.connected programme to help small businesses with their technology skills and digital transformation.
Posted: 09/03/2023
Refurbished tech company musicMagpie has seen its pre-tax losses shrink to £1.5 million to £14.8 million following a positive year for the company.
Posted: 09/03/2023
Major investors in this round include the United Arab Emirates' sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, private equity firm General Atlantic (GA) and venture capital group Sequoia Capital China, while Tiger Global Management has become a new investor
Posted: 09/03/23
French health and beauty retailer Sephora has relaunched in the UK with a new store in Westfield White City, London. The new 6,000 square foot store follows the launch of Sephora’s website (Sephora.co.uk) and app last year, and marks a return to physical retail in the country after shutting down its operations in 2005.
Posted: 09/03/2023
Amazon reportedly has plans to create a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) marketplace.
Sources familiar with the matter told media company Blockworks that Amazon is launching a “digital assets enterprise”, with its NFT initiative launching as early as spring 2023.
Sources familiar with the matter told media company Blockworks that Amazon is launching a “digital assets enterprise”, with its NFT initiative launching as early as spring 2023.
Posted: 08/03/2023
While February retail sales proved "better than expected", poor growth is still eating hard into retail margins, according to new figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG.
Posted: 8/3/2023
Tesco’s IT system was reportedly hit by a glitch on Tuesday that saw a large number of online orders being cancelled. A spokesperson for Tesco told the Daily Mail that due to an “intermittent technical issue”, it had to cancel some of its orders.
Posted: 08/03/2023
Izard, who will also join Co-Op’s board, has held a number of senior leadership and CFO positions including at IFA Cargo and Aer Lingus
Posted: 08/03/23
Zalando said it will focus on returning to profitability over the next 12-months following a year in which its profits slumped by over 60 per cent to around €184 million. Co-chief executive of the online fashion retailer Robert Gentz anticipates that the company's profitability push – along with a five per cent cut to its global workforce - will help it to the top end of its three to six per cent margin target by 2025 and result in double-digit margins in the long term.
Posted: 07/03/2023
The UK arm of German discount grocer Lidl has announced a pair of major executive appointments as part of a shakeup to its leadership team
Posted: 07/03/23
EG Group has announced it is selling off $1.5 billion worth of US retail property in a bid to reduce debt across the business.
Posted: 7/3/2023
Claire’s is celebrating the launch of a new store in Paris and a new fashion magazine for teenagers at this year’s Paris fashion week. The teen jewellery and accessories retailer describes its new store as a space for consumers to “experience the future of the brand”, while its new magazine, Mini V – developed through Claires’ partnership with Nicola Formichetti and V Magazine – will bring a “youthful lens” to fashion, culture and music for the next generation.
Posted: 07/03/2023
Amazon employees will reportedly gain the ability to use company shares as collateral when buying homes, in a new arrangement with online mortgage lender Better.com. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Better.com said its ‘Equity Unlocker’ product will grant Amazon’s employees the ability to pledge stock for loans for downpayments, instead of having to sell the stock to raise funds.
Posted: 06/03/2023
Total UK retail footfall increased by over 10 per cent last month compared to February 2022, with High Street and shopping centres outperforming retail parks, according to new research by the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The overall rise, however, was around two per cent worse than January, and worse than the three-month average of 12.8 per cent, the association said.
Posted: 06/03/2023
The reported news affords Walmart an extended timeline in which to appoint a successor
Posted: 06/03/23
Almost three quarters of consumers intend to cut back on retail spending over 2023, according to new research. A study by VoucherCodes.co.uk found that almost all retail categories are anticipated to fall in spend over the year.
Posted: 06/03/2023
Waitrose has reportedly been cutting costs to help fund a revamp of its UK store network in a bid to win back customers.
Posted: 6/3/2023
The global retail logistics market will grow by over $192 billion between 2022 and 2027, according to a new study by ResearchAndMarkets.com. The forecast figure was based on the market researcher examining the latest trends, drivers, and the current retail logistics market environment.
Posted: 03/03/2023
Aldi has been named by Which? as the UK’s cheapest supermarket in February. The consumer champion revealed that shoppers could save nearly £22 on a basket of items at the budget supermarket compared to the most expensive stores.
Posted: 3/3/2023
Global investment firm L Catterton will acquire a controlling stake in French clothing brand Atelier de Production et de Création (A.P.C.) for an undisclosed amount.
Posted: 03/03/2023
WH Smith has reported it has been the victim of a cyber security incident, which resulted in illegal access to company data.
Posted: 02/03/2023
UK retail workers are experiencing “appalling levels” of violence and abuse, according to research from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Posted: 2/3/2023
The general trade union for workers in the UK said that the combined eight days of industrial action from 400 staff in Coventry could heavily hit Amazon’s business and shareholders
Posted: 02/03/23
The chain, which operates over 170 stores across the UK, is going to test different four-day working patterns in selected departments
Posted: 01/03/23
Marks and Spencer (M&S) has said it will invest £57 million in increasing pay for employees.
Posted: 01/03/2023
UK shop price annual inflation increased from eight per cent in January to 8.4 per cent last month, according to new figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Posted: 1/3/2023
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) firm Klarna has announced it will start charging late fees for its service.
Posted: 27/02/2023
Primark-owner Associated British Foods (AB Foods) has raised the outlook for the budget clothing retailer after a jump in sales across the first half of the year to 4 March.
Posted: 27/02/2023
LloydsPharmacy is reportedly selling off a “significant” number of UK branches.
Posted: 27/2/2023
Marks and Spencer (M&S) has appointed Cheryl Potter as non-executive director on 1 March 2023.
Posted: 27/02/2023
The company said that it may revisit the IPO plans in the future, and hinted that a number of ESG-oriented funds have expressed interest in investing
Posted: 27/02/23
Earlier this week, supermarkets including Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Aldi imposed customer purchase limits on items such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers following disrupted harvests in southern Europe and north Africa
Posted: 24/02/23
Luxury fashion brand Farfetch has reported a loss, with gross profit margin falling from 45 per cent in 2021 to 44.2 per cent in 2022.
Posted: 24/02/2023
Etsy recorded revenue growth of nearly 13 per cent to just over $807 million in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Posted: 24/2/2023
Revolut has partnered with certain retailers to enables customers to get up to three per cent cashback.
Posted: 24/02/2023
Marks and Spencer (M&S) is rolling out fitting room signage providing guidance on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. M&S sold around 21 million bras in 2022, making it the UK’s biggest bra retailer.
Posted: 23/02/2023
More than one in five UK retailers aren’t confident they will be trading by the end of 2023, according to new research.
Posted: 23/2/2023
Sainsbury’s said it will save 450 tonnes of plastic each year by replacing plastic packaging from its beef mince range with a vacuum-packed alternative.
Posted: 23/02/2023
TikTok has leapfrogged Facebook and Instagram to become the UK’s ‘most-shopped’ social channel, according to new research. A study by the Retail Technology Show which surveyed over 1,000 UK shoppers found that the average shopper made 10 purchases per year on TikTok. Shoppers were found to have made nine purchases per year on rival social media platforms Instagram and Facebook.
Posted: 23/02/2023
Succeeding current finance boss Rachel Izzard, Appleton is set to join on 1 March and join the company’s board following the completion of its FY23 Annual Report and Accounts at the end of May
Posted: 23/02/23
Several UK supermarkets have chosen to temporarily impose purchase limits on certain fruit and vegetables. A three-pack limit per customer has been imposed on eight product lines by Asda due to what the supermarket describes as “sourcing challenges”. These include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries
Posted: 22/02/2023
While still having concerns over the deal, an FTC official said that the body would not file a complaint to stop the takeover
Posted: 22/02/23
Tesco will increase hourly pay for staff working in stores by 72p, which is the third pay increase in the past 10 months and an investment of over £230 million.
Posted: 22/02/2023
Online fashion retailer Zalando reportedly has plans to cut five per cent of its workforce.
Posted: 22/2/2023
Revenue at Shopify jumped by 26 per cent to $1.7 billion in the final quarter of 2022, according to the multinational e-commerce company’s latest financial results.
Posted: 21/2/2023
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has launched The Sports Edit following the acquisition of the sportswear e-commerce platform in 2022. At the time of the acquisition, an M&S spokesperson said The Sports Edit was a “complementary e-commerce platform well-positioned in the growing activewear market” and that it had a “highly engaged customer base”.
Posted: 21/02/2023
True Fit, the digital platform which helps consumers find the right sized clothing, has expanded its partnership with Google Cloud.
Posted: 21/02/2023
The former Tesco director who spent over 30 years at the supermarket chain, agreed to join Asda in January 2022 from Nisa where he served as chief executive
Posted: 21/02/23
A record 91 per cent of all card transactions were contactless last year, according to data from Barclays.
Posted: 20/2/2023
In a blog post, Amazon chief exec Andy Jassy cited multiple reasons for making its corporate staff return to the office including ease of communication, building a cohesive work culture, and collaboration
Posted: 20/02/23
Tesco is poised to launch a format review into Tesco Bank, according to new reports. Sky News revealed that the supermarket has enlisted Goldman Sachs to provide counsel on the future of its banking arm.
Posted: 20/02/2023
Nearly 15,000 retail jobs have been lost across the UK’s High Streets and other shopping destinations since the start of 2023, according to figures from the Centre for Retail Research.
Posted: 20/2/2023
Low cost and luxury supermarkets Aldi, M&S, and Waitrose have beaten their traditional counterparts in an annual satisfaction survey by Which?.
Posted: 17/2/2023
Sales volumes in the UK rose unexpectedly by 0.5 per cent in January after falling 1.2 per cent in December, according to the latest retail figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Posted: 17/02/2023
The cuts will impact roles including assistant store managers, retail supervisors, head office managers and call centre workers
Posted: 17/02/23
Asda has announced it will move its online grocery business onto its own “state-of-the-art” platform. The supermarket’s existing digital grocery operations are located on previous owner Walmart’s managed systems.
Posted: 17/02/2023
Deutsche Bank has reportedly cut ties with Austrian billionaire René Benko, who co-owns Selfridges.
Posted: 16/2/2023
Many UK households are still “being squeezed” by high prices caused by factors including inflation and the war in Ukraine, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said. The latest CPI inflation figures show that headline inflation is at 10.1 per cent while food inflation stands at 16.7 per cent.
Posted: 16/02/2023
eBay has purchased AI-based marketplace for compliance technology 3PM Shield for an undisclosed sum.
Posted: 16/02/2023
The company said that it is set to open new stores in towns and cities including Norwich and Newcastle, with new locations in Huddersfield and Shrewsbury opening within a month
Posted: 16/02/23
Currys is expanding sales of refurbished technology on its website as part of plans to “meet customer demands for environmentally friendly products at lower price points”.
Posted: 15/02/2023
Airline passengers are demanding more retail opportunities and ‘slicker online checkout’, according to new research. The study by travel tech company IBS Software, which surveyed over 2000 consumers in the UK and US, found that 93 per cent would book more services with airlines if given the chance.
Posted: 15/02/2023
Pre-tax profits at Dunelm dropped to £117 million in the six months to 31 December compared to nearly £141 million during the same period of 2021.
Posted: 15/2/2023
H&M said that the new 50-50 JV, Looper Textile, will collect, sort and sell used and unwanted garments and textiles with the aim to extend the life of approximately 40 million garments in 2023
Posted: 15/02/23
The government has launched the long-awaited consultation for the regulation of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) firms.
Posted: 14/2/2023
In an interview with the Financial Times, Amazon chief executive officer Andy Jassy said that it is ready to “go big” on bricks-and-mortar stores, attributing their stumbling performance to the Covid-19 pandemic
Posted: 14/02/23
The Very Group is set to implement new search, browse, and autosuggest tools across its website and app. As part of a new partnership with tech platform Constructor, the online retailer said it will roll out changes in several phases.
Posted: 14/02/2023
Stuart Trevor, who founded clothing brand All Saints, has announced he will integrate retail app Stored into his new eco-friendly department store.
Posted: 13/02/2023
The sale, reported by Reuters, is for about INR13.78 billion ($167.14 million)
Posted: 13/02/23
Klarna has announced new partnerships with several home improvement retailers including Wickes. The Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) provider has also partnered with Wilko and home devices brand SharkNinja, having observed a “boom” in household item sales via its app.
Posted: 13/02/2023
Manchester-headquartered premium sportswear brand Castore is reportedly in talks about a $200 million fundraise.
Posted: 13/2/2023
Asos has appointed Sean Glithero as the company’s interim chief financial officer. Glithero will step in once Katy Mecklenburgh leaves the role in May, but has already joined the online retailer for a “thorough handover”
Posted: 10/02/2023
Adidas said that ending the partnership with West will hit operating profits by €500 million in 2023
Posted: 10/02/23
Shoppers who purchase their groceries from local supermarket convenience stores instead of bigger supermarkets are paying hundreds of pounds extra each year for their food, according to new research.
Posted: 10/02/2023
Deliveroo has announced it will cut around 350 roles, equally roughly nine per cent of its workforce. In a message to its employees, chief executive Will Shu explained that in recent years the delivery service has grown its headcount “very quickly” as a response to “unprecedented growth rates supported by Covid-related tailwinds”.
Posted: 10/02/2023
The Very Group, which owns online retailor Very has promoted its chief financial officer to the newly created role of chief finance and transformation officer.
Posted: 09/02/2023
UK Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) payments are expected to grow by over 20 per cent on an annual basis to reach over $32 billion in 2023 and over $55 billion by 2028, according to new research. ResearchAndMarkets.com estimates that due to the cost-of-living crisis, over 36 per cent of UK consumers have used BNPL more than once, with millennials and Gen Z consumers using the payment method most frequently.
Posted: 09/02/2023
B&Q has reportedly ended its partnership with Asda to concentrate on its smaller format stores.
Posted: 09/2/2023
The retailer, which raised the prospect of bankruptcy in January, said that it may get another $800 million in the next 10 months
Posted: 09/02/23
eBay has announced it will lay off 500 employees, around four per cent of its workforce. In its latest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), chief executive of ebay Jamie Iannone shared a memo sent to employees announcing the job cuts.
Posted: 09/02/2023
DHL Parcel is rolling out global location technology from what3words at checkout for its retail partners in the UK.
Posted: 08/2/2023
New research from Barclays shows a spike in utility spending and portends a contraction to the UK economy. Overall consumer card spending was found to have grown 9.7 per cent year-on-year in January 2023, beating spending at 2.2 per cent in December 2022.
Posted: 08/02/2023
JD Sports has formerly completed the sale of five ‘non-core’ UK fashion brands to Frasers Group, as part of a deal worth nearly £50 million.
Posted: 08/2/2023
In a letter to employees posted on the company website Daraz Group chief executive Bjarke Mikkelsen cited the ‘current market reality’ including the ongoing war in Ukraine, inflation and increasing taxes as reasons for the redundancies
Posted: 07/02/23
Post-Christmas retail sales have given way to the ‘January blues’, according to new research. Data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reveals that in the four weeks to 28 January 2023, retail sales increased by 4.2 per cent against an increase of 11.9 per cent in January 2022 – a figure below the three-month average growth of 5.2 per cent but above the overall 12-month average growth of 2.5 per cent.
Posted: 07/02/2023
Lidl has said that it has seen sales growth of £120 million over the past 12 months as a result of shoppers switching from M&S, Waitrose, and Sainsbury’s.
Posted: 07/2/2023
Asos has expanded its partnership with the marketplace SaaS platform Mirakl.
Posted: 07/02/2023
A consortium including Asda has been awarded a £6.6 million government grant to develop autonomous hydrogen-powered heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The Hub2Hub consortium is led by the autonomous hydrogen truck maker HVS (Hydrogen Vehicle Systems) while Asda will serve as a logistics partner to help test the vehicle.
Posted: 07/02/2023
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has joined a group of trade bodies to call for urgent reform of what it describes as a “broken” Apprenticeship Levy.
Posted: 06/2/2023
Clothes retailer M&Co will close all of its 170 stores in the spring with the loss of around 2,000 jobs.
Posted: 06/02/2023
Amazon will reportedly sublet a number of unused warehouses across the UK as the company reckons with the fallout of its worst annual loss on record
Posted: 06/02/23
The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) this week issued a statement saying that Amazon is misleading in how it presents the conclusion of sales contracts, the availability of products along with consumer rights
Posted: 03/02/23
Co-op has partnered with PayPal, to offer more secure payment options to customers shopping online. Customers ordering via the food retailer's click and collect shop can now pay for their purchases with PayPal for both click and collect orders and online home delivery.
Posted: 03/02/2023
Asos has partnered with GoodWeave, the non-profit organisation working to end child, forced and bonded labour in global supply chains, to focus on fashion apparel and accessories suppliers in India. The new collaboration will initially see three ASOS suppliers in India that export fashion apparel and accessories will be enrolled into GoodWeave’s programme, with more to follow in the future.
Posted: 03/02/2023
Sales across Amazon’s international business declined by eight per cent to $34.5 billion in the final quarter of 2022, according to the retail giant’s latest financial results.
Posted: 3/2/2023
Screwfix is on track to achieve its ambition to open more than 1,000 stores across the UK, France and the Republic of Ireland (ROI). The homeware retailer opened 87 stores in the past 12 months – 72 in the UK, 10 in the ROI, and five in France – to bring its total to over 870 stores.
Posted: 02/02/2023
Aldi UK has announced plans to hire more than 500 new apprentices across the UK in 2023.
Posted: 2/2/2023
The statement comes after multiple reports claimed the company was eyeing an IPO
Posted: 02/02/22
Asos has appointed Maersk as its strategic logistics partner for supply chain management. Under the new agreement Maersk and the online fashion retailer will partner on supply chain management along with ocean and air services into all fulfilment centres globally.
Posted: 02/02/2023
The statement comes after multiple reports claimed the company was eyeing an IPO
Posted:
A regulatory finding published on Wednesday showed that Bestway had increased its stake to 4.47 per cent
Posted: 01/02/23
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching a new grocery unit pricing review as grocery inflation hits a record high. Research by Kantar found that grocery price inflation hit 16.7 per cent in the four weeks to 22 January 2023 - representing the highest level since it started tracking the figure in 2008.
Posted: 01/02/2023
Aldi is rolling out its partnership with Too Good To Go across all of its 990 UK stores. Too Good To Go is an app that connects consumers to unsold food from businesses at lower prices to save it going to waste.
Posted: 1/2/2023
Paperchase has fallen into administration after failing to find a suitable buyer. Begbies Traynor, which has been appointed as administrator, said that the intellectual property and brand name have been sold to Tesco.
Posted: 31/01/2023
Frasers Group is reportedly preparing to launch a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service offering consumers up to £2,000 in credit. The Mike Ashley-helmed retail group is set to launch its new financial offerings under a “Frasers Plus” brand, according to a report by The Telegraph.
Posted: 31/01/2023
The deal would see Farfetch acquire a 47.5% stake in Richemont in exchange for 50 million shares in Farfetch
Posted: 31/01/23
Tesco has said that will cut the number of team managers in its supermarkets as part of a new store strategy, impacting around 1,750 employees.
Posted: 31/1/2023
Lidl is set to increase its commitment to UK food suppliers and spend £2 billion more than previously projected by 2025. In 2019, the German supermarket’s UK arm committed to spending £15 billion with British suppliers from 2020 to 2025 – a figure which has now been adjusted to £17 billion.
Posted: 30/01/2023
Amazon, eBay, Wish, and AliExpress are selling poorly made electric blankets which "shouldn't be legally sold in the UK", according to an investigation by Which?.
Posted: 30/1/2023
Hein will replace incumbent chief exec Alan Jope from July following a one-month handover period, with Jope previously stating his desire to retire at the end of 2023
Posted: 30/01/23
The incident, which impacted a number of brands including JD, Size?, Millets, Blacks, Scotts, and MilletSport, involved unauthorised access to a system that contained data relating to some online orders placed between November 2018 and October 2020.
Posted: 30/1/2023
Swedish fashion retail giant H&M has revealed that operating profits slumped to around $80 million between September and November last year.
Posted: 27/1/2023
There will be fewer vacant stores in the UK in 2023, new research has found. In the fourth quarter of 2022, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found that the overall vacancy rate in the UK reduced to 13.8 per cent – an improvement of 0.6 per cent compared to the same period of 2021.
Posted: 27/01/2023
Asda has announced changes which would see the loss of around 300 jobs and reduce pay for around 4,300 staff working the night shift.
Posted: 27/01/2023
The company entered bankruptcy protection last week after disclosing ‘inconsistencies’ in its accounting
Posted: 26/01/23
UK High Street footfall in 2022 remained lower than pre-pandemic figures, new research has revealed. Springboard found that footfall across the UK was 14.2 per cent lower over the 12 months from January to December compared to 2019.
Posted: 26/01/2023
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into 'green' claims made by Asos, Boohoo, and George at Asda about their fashion ranges.
Posted: 26/1/2023
Inditex, which owns brands including Zara, has said it will double the number of disabled employees to 1,500 over the next two years. The Spanish company says it aims to exceed quotas set for employing disabled people working across the world in its stores, warehouses and offices.
Posted: 26/01/2023
The company said that it will lift its average hourly wage pay from $17 to $17.50, with the minimum wage rising by up to $2 to a range of $14-19 per hour based on location
Posted: 25/01/23
Tesco will use discarded plastic to package its fresh fish, potentially preventing 500 tones of plastic from entering the oceans.
Posted: 25/01/2023
Klarna has launched a new feature in its app which gives users a personal summary of their 2022 spending habits. The Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) company said that ‘Money Story’ is aimed at providing consumers with “clear and concise” spending insights that they can convert into financial goals in 2023 by using Klarna’s money management tools.
Posted: 25/01/2023
Workers based at a fulfilment centre in Coventry are to make history as they stage the first ever Amazon strike in the UK today.
Posted: 25/1/2023
Morrisons has said it is reducing the price of 820 popular products, bringing the total number of cuts in January to more than 1,000.
Posted: 24/1/2023
Sales at clothing retailer Primark jumped by 18 per cent in the 16 weeks to 7 January to £3.15 billion , thanks to strong sales over the festive season.
Posted: 24/01/2023
Amazon and Stripe have announced plans to expand their longstanding partnership.
The new global agreement will see Amazon “significantly” expand its use of Stripe’s core payments platform to handle payments volume across its businesses including Prime, Audible, and Amazon Pay in the US, Europe, and Canada.
The new global agreement will see Amazon “significantly” expand its use of Stripe’s core payments platform to handle payments volume across its businesses including Prime, Audible, and Amazon Pay in the US, Europe, and Canada.
Posted: 24/01/2023
The $5 per month RxPass will be available to new and existing US Prime subscribers
Posted: 24/01/23
Food and drink inflation stands at 15 per cent across UK supermarkets as consumer trust plummets during the cost-of-living crisis, new research has found. Which?’s supermarket food and drink inflation tracker recorded the annual inflation of thousands of food and drink products across three months at eight major supermarkets – Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose – to see how inflation is impacting everyday products.
Posted: 23/01/2023
Asda-owners the Issa brothers are reportedly considering a merger between Asda and its UK petrol forecourts business.
Posted: 23/1/2023
US-based home retailer Wayfair is to cut 1,750 jobs or around 10 per cent of its global workforce, the company has announced.
Posted: 23/01/2023
Sales at health and beauty retailer Superdrug jumped by 16 per cent over the festive period compared to the same period of 2021.
Posted: 20/01/2023
The UK experienced its "biggest drop in sales volumes on record" last year, according to the chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Posted: 20/1/2023
LloydsPharmacy has announced it will close all 237 of its Sainsbury’s outlets in a move which will affect around 2,000 jobs. A spokesperson told Chemist & Druggist (C&D) that the move follows “a strategic review of its operations in response to changing market conditions”.
Posted: 20/01/2023
Tesco Bank has announced it will increase pay by £1,250 for over 3,400 staff. Negotiated to help employees throughout the cost-of-living crisis, the salary uplift follows discussions between the (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) and the supermarket’s banking arm.
Posted: 19/01/2023
Deliveroo has said that it expects full-year profitability to be higher than past guidance after the company broke even in the final quarter of 2022.
Posted: 19/1/2023
Dunelm saw sales increase by nearly a fifth to £478 million during its second quarter.
Posted: 19/1/2023
Revenue at Boohoo fell by 11 per cent in 2022 in the UK, which the online fashion retailer blamed on extended international delivery times.
Posted: 19/01/2023
Amazon underwent major job cuts on Wednesday as part of a wider plan to reduce its workforce by 18,000
Posted: 19/01/23
Evolutions in 5G technology are helping evolve the online payments ecosystem, according to Veronique Steiner, executive director, head EMEA high growth tech and head EMEA technology, media and telecom at JPMorgan Payments.
As one of the partners of the GSM Association (GSMA), and speaking at a preview event ahead of MWC23, Steiner highlighted some of the trends and evolutions she views as being made possible by innovations in 5G technology.
As one of the partners of the GSM Association (GSMA), and speaking at a preview event ahead of MWC23, Steiner highlighted some of the trends and evolutions she views as being made possible by innovations in 5G technology.
Posted: 18/01/2023
Aldi will increase pay for around 7,000 warehouse workers in the UK from 1 February. Pay will increase to a minimum rate of £13.48 per hour, a rise from £11.48 in January 2022.
Posted: 18/01/2023
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating Asda’s £600 million purchase of 132 Co-op retail sites. The regulator said that it is considering whether the buyout, which finalised in October, has resulted in a lessening of competition within the UK market.
Posted: 18/1/2023
Three trade unions in the country have confirmed that Amazon will not make any staff redundant in Italy amid ongoing cuts globally
Posted: 18/01/23
Paperchase is on the brink of insolvency as it continues to seek a buyout deal.
The embattled retailer was put up for sale earlier this month - just months after being taken over by Steve Curtis, a retail investor who has been involved with Tie Rack and Jigsaw.
The embattled retailer was put up for sale earlier this month - just months after being taken over by Steve Curtis, a retail investor who has been involved with Tie Rack and Jigsaw.
Posted: 18/01/2023
Sales at fashion brand Quiz increased by 11 per cent to £9.8 million in December.
Posted: 17/1/2023
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) usage is surging across all UK age groups including pensioners, according to new research from education charity the Centre for Financial Capability (TCFC). BNPL firms such as Klarna allow users to defer payments post-purchase or pay for bigger purchases in instalments.
Posted: 1701/2023
Ocado saw record sales over the festive period, with sales jumping 15 per cent over the five days before Christmas.
Posted: 17/01/2022
The 6,000 square foot store is set to open in March 2023 in the White City shopping centre
Posted: 17/01/23
The company is said to be in talks with private equity firm Sycamore Partners over the sale of its retail locations – including its buybuy Baby stores – as part of a possible bankruptcy process
Posted: 16/01/23
Sainsbury's is partnering with Just Eat for home delivery of its products. This month, customers will be to order milk, vegetables, and household essentials from participating Sainsbury’s stores via Just Eat.
Posted: 16/01/2023
Marks and Spencer (M&S) will invest £480 million into its stores to make them ‘bigger and better’, creating 3,400 jobs in the process.
Posted: 16/01/2023
Co-op Food has welcomed the government’s decision to ban single-use plastics in England later this year.
Posted: 16/1/2023
Wilko has announced that from next month it will outsource its customer service operations, resulting in redundancy for 95 staff. Confirming that staff at its contact centre in Worksop, Nottinghamshire were currently in a consultation process, the discount retailer said the decision, which had “not been undertaken lightly”, would ultimately improve operational efficiency.
Posted: 13/01/2023
Retail sales at The Very Group were up by more than two per cent in the run up to Christmas.
Posted: 13/1/2023
The Walmart Commerce Technologies Store Assist local fulfilment app and Walmart GoLocal local delivery solutions will be available through Salesforce AppExchange starting this spring
Posted: 13/01/23
Card Factory has appointed Matthias Seeger as chief financial officer (CFO), the company has announced. Seeger, who will join the firm on 22 May 2023, is currently the CFO of Ambassador Cruise Line limited and was previously CFO at Costcutter Supermarkets Group. He has also held senior financial roles with Procter & Gamble.
Posted: 13/01/2023
Halfords has cut its annual profit forecast, prompting the company’s shares to drop by 19 per cent. The motoring parts and cycle retailer now expects its full-year underlying profit before tax to range between £50 million to £60 million, a drop from last June's forecast of £65 million to £75 million.
Posted: 12/01/2023
Marks and Spencer (M&S) has become the latest retailer to announce record breaking Christmas figures. Sales at the retailer jumped seven per cent over the recent festive period compared to the previous year.
Posted: 12/01/2023
While the Bank of England has estimated that this will slow to around 5 per cent by late 2023, Tesco boss Ken Murphy thinks that the worst may still be ahead
Posted: 12/01/23
Asos has revealed that revenue declined by four per cent in the last few months of 2022, as the company faced “challenging trading conditions”.
Posted: 12/1/2023
Cash withdrawals at the Post Office increased by nearly seven per cent during the festive period, as consumers look to budget during the winter.
Posted: 11/1/2023
Sainsbury’s has announced record Christmas sales and predicts profits for the year will come at the upper end of previous predictions.
Posted: 11/01/2023
Marks & Spencer (M&S) is trialling virtual in-store try-on experiences. The tech allows shoppers to add a head and shoulders photo and their basic measurements to see themselves digitally in the clothes, with M&S sales assistants guiding customers through the process and giving style advice. It is currently being trialled at M&S’ Oxford Circus and Harrogate branches with clothing brand Jaeger.
Posted: 11/01/2022
Walmart says it has completed 6,000 drone deliveries across seven states in the US.
Posted: 10/1/2023
Card Factory has raised its profit guidance following better than expected sales over Christmas. Sales for the 11 months to 31 December 2022 rose to £432.6 million compared with £337.3 million in the same period the previous year.
Posted: 10/01/2023
2022 was a record year for music, video, and games sales in the UK, according to new research.
Posted: 10/1/2023
Amazon has announced plans to shutter three UK warehouses, putting 1,200 jobs at risk
Posted: 10/01/23
Aldi has narrowly beaten Lidl as the UK’s cheapest supermarket, according to new research from Which?.
Posted: 10/1/2023
According to market researcher NielsenIQ, the market will be limited to around 5 per cent growth as a result of a squeeze on disposable income and the Bank of England’s warning of a long recession
Posted: 10/01/23
According to a study from Adobe Analytics, shoppers in the country spent a record $211.7 billion between November and the end of December
Posted: 09/01/23
Footfall across the UK’s retail shopping destinations in the weeks leading up to Christmas reached their highest level since the pandemic began, according to new figures.
Posted: 9/1/2023
More than 1.3 million customers shopped at Lidl in the run up to Christmas, helping the discounter increase sales by almost a quarter year on year.
Posted: 09/01/2023
TikTok has enlisted J.P Morgan to evolve its payments infrastructure. A case study on J.P Morgan’s website reveals the bank has been brought in to help ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to streamline payments on TikTok.
Posted: 06/01/2023
The retailer which operates over 950 stores in the US is considering skipping debt payments due 1 February
Posted: 06/01/23
Sales at health and beauty retailer Boots grew by 15 per cent in December 2022, compared with the same month in 2021, with the company recording its best ever sales day during the quarter.
Posted: 06/01/2023
Next has beaten Christmas sales expectations and outperformed its profit outlook for the current year which ends this month with quarterly profits of £860 million.
The British clothing retailer had previously predicted an £840 million pre-tax profit after full price sales rose a better than expected 4.8 per cent in the nine weeks to 30 December.
The British clothing retailer had previously predicted an £840 million pre-tax profit after full price sales rose a better than expected 4.8 per cent in the nine weeks to 30 December.
Posted: 05/01/2022
Sales at food retailer Greggs rose by 23 per cent in 2022 thanks to new store openings and the return of workers and shoppers to the high street.
Posted: 05/01/2023
In a public staff note put out on Wednesday, CEO Andy Jassy said that worsening financial conditions have made the company increase its planned job cuts
Posted: 05/01/23
Investors are close to finalising a takeover deal for fashion and homeware retailer Matalan, which could be completed within the next few weeks.
Posted: 04/01/2023
Sainsbury’s is increasing the pay of its employees to at least £11 per hour and bringing forward its annual pay rise to February 2023.
Posted: 04/01/2023
John Lewis Partnership-owned Waitrose will stop selling single use vaping products due to environmental concerns, the supermarket chain has said.
Posted: 04/01/2023
The company said that the funds will be used for general corporate purposes
Posted: 04/01/23
Sales at supermarket chain Aldi’s UK and Ireland business grew by over 26 per cent during December 2022 and reached £1.4 billion, resulting in record sales.
Posted: 03/01/2023
The retailer has closed its store in Westfield Shepherd’s Bush, one year after shutting the doors on its flagship Oxford Street location
Posted: 03/01/23
Around 47 shops closed permanently each day in 2022, a year-over-year increase of almost 50 per cent.
Posted: 03/01/2023
eBay UK and the British Fashion Council have announced the six winners of a new circular fashion fund.
Posted: 22/12/2022
Amazon has managed to avoid a $47 billion fine after signing a deal with EU regulators to resolve two anti-competition issues.
Posted: 22/11/2022
With the end of 2022 in sight, we crunched the numbers to bring you a round-up of Retail Systems’ most popular stories of the year
Posted: 22/12/2022
The past 12-months have been both transformative and challenging for the retail market, with retailers experimenting with new technologies and strategies whilst grappling with an uncertain macro-economic environment, supply chain disruption, and a deepening cost-of-living crisis.
Posted: 22/12/2022
The 2023 budget amendment will see Rome work to broker a deal between banks, payment companies and sellers to reduce fees on electronic transactions worth up to €30 for businesses with revenues of less than €400,000
Posted: 21/12/22
Asda and Ocado could roll out self-driving deliveries in the capital after trialling the technology this year. The retailers have partnered with autonomous vehicle developer Wayve to test whether they could launch a driverless delivery service in London.
Posted: 21/12/2022
Deliveroo has partnered with 24/7 premium convenience delivery app Zapp in central London. The move means that Deliveroo customers will now be able to order from Zapp’s catalogue of 2500 products.
Posted: 20-12-2022
Meta has received a warning from the European Commission for breaching antitrust laws in how it operates Facebook Marketplace
Posted: 20/12/22
Morrisons has announced it is rolling out up to 100 new InPost parcel lockers across its stores. The move will mean that 80 per cent of Morrisons supermarkets in the UK will have lockers by the end of January.
Posted: 20/12/2022
Footfall in UK retail stores increased by almost 11 per cent in the final weekend before Christmas compared to last year, claims a new report.
Posted: 19/12/22
Klarna has launched a new AI tool from sustainability tech platform Clarity AI to help connect consumers with environmentally conscious retailers.
Posted: 19/12/2022
Mike Ashley-owned Frasers has announced a deal to acquire the premium fashion brands of JD Sports in a deal worth around £47.5 million
Posted: 19/12/22
UK shoppers are set to capitalise on Boxing Day sales, predicts a new report
Posted: 16/12/22
Just Eat has entered a partnership with Co-op to deliver groceries for the retailer. The new service will initially be rolled out to 50 stores in the UK, expanding to more than 1,000 shops by spring next year.
Posted: 16/12/2022
Ikea has announced the introduction of deliveries by boat for customers based in Paris. The Swedish homeware giant said it was starting deliveries via the river Seine in a bid to reduce C02 emissions in its operations while improving delivery times in the French capital.
Posted: 15/12/2022
Sales at H&M were up by 12 per cent to around £17.7 billion (SEK 223,500) this year compared to 2021. In the final quarter, the retailer saw sales increase by 10 per cent to nearly £5 billion (SEK 62,450 ).
Posted: 15/12/2022
Fashion house Prada has announced the appointment of former Dior executive Gianfranco D'Attis as the new chief executive officer of its flagship Prada brand
Posted: 14/12/22
The ReCommerce sector is growing “up to 20 times faster” than the broader retail market, new research suggests. The study by retail business accelerator Cross-Border Commerce (CBC) – with support from companies including Checkout.com and FedEx Express - projects that the ReCommerce sector will grow from €75 billion in 2021 to €120 billion by 2025.
Posted: 14/12/2022
Overall footfall across UK shopping destinations last week rose by 0.3 per cent compared to the week before, reflecting a lull in consumer appetite following Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Research by shopper traffic analytics firm Springboard observed a 2.2 per cent rise in shopping centre footfall last week, while High Street footfall fell by 0.9 per cent.
Posted: 13/12/2022
Consumers in the UK are likely to buy more second-hand Christmas gifts this year, according to research from eBay. A study conducted in October found that over half of British shoppers are planning to buy refurbished or second-hand items this year.
Posted: 13/12/2022
Card payments now account for 90 per cent of retail transactions in the UK, according to a survey by the British Retail Consortium (BRC)
Posted: 13/12/2022
Norwegian retail operator Reitan Retail has announced a deal to acquire 114 stores and three distribution centres from Aldi in Denmark
Posted: 12/12/22
The company operates 170 fashion and homeware stores across the UK and employs nearly 2,000 staff whose jobs are now at risk
Posted: 12/12/22
Cash withdrawals have hit a new high at the Post Office, with £836 million withdrawn last month. The total withdrawn was up by over £30 million compared to the previous month.
Posted: 12/12/2022
Getir, the grocery delivery app, has acquired rival company Gorillas in a deal believed to be worth around $1 billion. Advanced talks for Getir to strike an acquisition deal with its rival were first reported by Bloomberg earlier this year.
Posted: 12/12/2022
Payment initiators in Brazil initiate a transaction ordered by the final user, but do not hold funds or manage the payment account
Posted: 09/12/22
Some retailers could be breaking the law over returns for disabled consumers, according to a Which? investigation.
Posted: 09/12/2022
Amazon is set to introduce a TikTok-style content feed in its app in an effort to attract a younger generation of shoppers
Posted: 09/12/22
British business is “bracing itself” for a difficult year ahead, according to new research from Tink. A recent survey by the Open Banking platform found that half of UK retailers are worried about how their business will survive the next 12 months.
Posted: 08/12/2022
Fitness apparel brand Gymshark has announced that Laura Hagan will join the company as its new chief people officer in January.
Posted: 8/12/22
The DGCCRF found that the ecommerce giant failed to modify contractual provisions related to third-party sellers by a deadline set by the regulator
Posted: 08/12/22
The Italian centre-right coalition led by Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI) is contemplating a ‘solidarity tax’ on banks that would cut fees on digital payments for shopmakers
Posted: 07/12/22
JD Sports has partnered with Snapchat to turn the front of their store on Oxford Street into an arcade game.
Posted: 07/12/2022
Online fashion retailer Asos has partnered with parcel delivery firm Hived to offer customers same day delivery in Greater London.
Posted: 07/12/2022
Asda has said it will create 10,000 new roles over the next four years as the retailer plans a nationwide roll out of its new express store concept. The supermarket plans to open 300 convenience stores by the end of 2026.
Posted: 6/12/2022
British grocery inflation experienced its first decline in nearly two years in November, but still remained near record highs
Posted: 06/12/22
Online fashion retailer Shein has pledged $15 million to improve standards at its suppliers’ factories, after an undercover investigation revealed poor working conditions.
Posted: 06/12/2022
The Very Group has launched new virtual make-up try-on features on its app. Powered by Augmented Reality (AR) tech, shoppers can now try-on 24 lip products in Very’s mobile app.
Posted: 06/12/2022
Fashion retailer Forever 21 is celebrating a year on the gaming platform Roblox by launching a fashion collection inspired by the metaverse.
Posted: 05/12/2022
Electronics retailer Currys has decided to temporarily stop using Royal Mail due to disruption from its ongoing strike action. Postal workers have announced six strike days in December due to “pay and conditions”. Strike days will include Christmas Eve, with Royal Mail advising the public to send gifts and cards earlier than usual if they want them in time for Christmas.
Posted: 05/12/2022
Klarna has said it is providing shoppers with granular carbon footprinting for over 50 million fashion items.
Posted: 5/12/2022
The John Lewis Partnership has said it will turn down the heating and dim lights in an attempt to save on energy bills.
Posted: 05/12/2022
Forbes has found that 70 per cent of Brits are using Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services more often as a direct result of the cost-of-living crisis. BNPL schemes enable shoppers to purchase products without needing to pay the full amount up front.
Posted: 02/12/2022
John Lewis is partnering with global investment business abrdn to create 1,000 new homes for rental.
Posted: 2/12/2022
The joint deal with company founder Tom Joule was announced on 1 December, with Next to own 74% of the retailer and the remaining 26% held by Joule
Posted: 02/12/22
Retail Systems is delighted to announce the launch of the Retail Systems Awards 2023, with nominations now open until 3 March
Posted: 01/12/22
Carrefour is rolling out a new AI pricing tool to more than 200 of its stores in Southern Italy. Apulia Distribuzione, the Italian grocery retailer which collaborates with brands in the wholesale sector, has arranged the deal to ‘modernise price management’ in the Carrefour outlets.
Posted: 01/12/2022
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has acquired personalised fashion marketplace Thread. Following the buyout, M&S anticipates that personalisation will generate more than £100 million of annualised incremental revenue for the business.
Posted: 1/12/2022
The Co-op will trial autonomous deliveries in Leeds through a new partnership with Starship technologies. Launching as a three-month pilot in the Adel and Tinshill areas of Leeds, 20,000 residents will be to order groceries though the Starship app to have them delivered from nearby Co-op branches on Spen Lane and Otley Road.
Posted: 01/12/2022
Tesco has announced the launch of Tesco Exchange, a new online marketplace designed to help suppliers offload excess product. By using Tesco Exchange, more than 3,500 suppliers can cut production costs and reduce waste by finding other suppliers to sell or donate excess stock or products to.
Posted: 30/11/2022
Discount retailer Wilko is reportedly seeking a £30 million debt facility amid plummeting sales. Wilko recently sold its Nottingham-based distribution centre to logistics company DHL for £48 million in a move to “unlock additional capital”.
Posted: 30/11/2022
H&M has announced that it is reducing its workforce to cut costs across the business. The fast fashion retailer said that it would get rid of around 1,500 roles in total, but did not specify where jobs would be axed.
Posted: 30/11/2022
Avon is launching a new virtual try-on online shopping experience across nine of its markets, including the UK.
Posted: 29/11/2022
Swedish Buy Now, Pay Later company Klarna has launched a new platform to help retailers and influencers connect. The Creator Platform was built on the back of Klarna’s acquisition of APPRL, a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that allows content creators and retailers to bring shoppable content to global consumers.
Posted: 29/11/2022
Commercial landlord Shaftesbury has said that consumer spending is continuing to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic in spite of the UK’s cost-of-living crisis.
Posted: 29/11/22
Footfall across the UK’s shopping centres increased by nearly 17 per cent on Black Friday. According to figures from Springboard, the number of shoppers at High Streets jumped by around 11 per cent, while retail parks saw a seven per cent rise.
Posted: 28/11/2022
Ocado Retail is opening its fourth Zoom by Ocado site in Leeds to facilitate its rapid grocery delivery service in the northern City. The automated warehouse represents the company’s first Zoom facility outside of London.
Posted: 28/11/2022
Shopify has announced that this year’s global Black Friday sales reached record highs at over $3 billion. The commerce platform said the figures were a 17 per cent increase from 2021, with merchants on Shopify seeing sales peak at $3.5 million per minute. Shopify also recorded a 27 per cent growth in point of sale (POS) sales made by Shopify merchants globally compared to last year’s Black Friday.
Posted: 28/11/2022
Frasers Group has acquired 250-year old Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes. The company was put up for sale after its owner, Hong Kong-based menswear retailer Trinity Group, went into liquidation.
Posted: 25/11/2022
Today hundreds of Amazon employees from the company’s Coventry fulfilment centre are set to protest alongside local MPs over pay and working conditions.
Posted: 25/11/2022
Amazon has announced the expansion of its UK e-cargo bike fleet with the launch of three additional delivery hubs in Manchester and London. The new London hubs in Wembley and Southwark join Amazon’s existing e-cargo bike fleet in Hackney.
Posted: 25/11/2022
The security company which delivers cash and coins to some of the UK's largest supermarkets is planning a 48-hour strike next month, sparking concerns about a possible cash shortage over the festive period.
Posted: 25/11/2022
One in four UK shoppers intentionally give false information about themselves to retailers, according to new research.
Posted: 24/11/2022
Screwfix and B&Q owner Kingfisher has cut its profit guidance by £10 million as the company faces higher energy prices and increased staff wages.
Posted: 24/11/2022
Opensource e-commerce plugin WooCommerce has partnered with Web3 payment start up DePay. The start-up said the new partnership will enable consumers to send payments directly to their own wallet., with “thousands” of tokens accepted on supported blockchains.
Posted: 23/11/2022
Leon is more than doubling its self-serve coffee kiosks in the UK, primarily across Asda supermarkets as well as EG group convenience stores. Four additional self-serve coffee kiosks will open across EG sites ahead of Christmas, with a further 100 launching in Asda stores early next year.
Posted: 23/11/2022
Ikea has said it will not be participating in Black Friday, instead the Swedish furniture company wants to encourage customers to “shop in a more sustainable way”. The retailer has launched Green Friday as an alternative to the shopping phenomenon, where customers will be able to get an additional 50 per cent off new items when they return used Ikea furniture to a store.
Posted: 23/11/2022
By the end of 2022, Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) payments in the UK will reach over $42 billion and have have grown by around 35 per cent.
Posted: 22/11/2022
Home improvement company Kingfisher, which owns B&Q and Screwfix, has opened its first Screwfix store in France.The opening of the new store in Wattrelos, Lille, is part of the company’s growth driving initiative, with the company planning to open three to four more stores in the Hauts-de-France region by the end of January 2023.
Posted: 22/11/2022
Just one in seven Black Friday deals provide a genuine discount for consumers in the UK, according to new research. A study from Which? found that most promotions are cheaper or the same price in the six months before the sales phenomenon.
Posted: 22/11/2022
FatFace is partnering with True Fit to help customers find the correct size and improve their digital shopping experience.
Posted: 21/11/2022
The Foschini Group (TFG), which owns British High Street brands including Hobbs and Phase Eight, is reportedly mulling a bid to take control of failed retailer Joules. Multiple sources told Sky News that the South African retail group’s UK arm, TFG London, is exploring whether it could take control of Joules from insolvency practitioner Interpath Advisory.
Posted: 21/11/2022
Superdrug has launched a new digital health and beauty marketplace on its website. The new e-marketplace, part of the retailer’s digital transformation strategy, has signed 300 brands.
Posted: 21/11/2022
Bang & Olufsen has opened a new flagship store on New Bond Street in Mayfair. Founded in Struer, Denmark in 1925, Bang & Olufsen is a luxury audio and home entertainment brand.
Posted: 18/11/2022
Co-op has launched a scheme Starship to make food deliveries using autonomous robots to customers in Cambridge.
Posted: 18/11/2022
Amazon has said it will axe further job roles in 2023. The news follows an announcement by the e-commerce giant earlier this week, which revealed that it plans to lay off around 10,000 staff.
Posted: 18/11/2022
WhatsApp users will be able find and message businesses from the app, Meta has announced.
Posted: 18/11/2022
Swedish Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) company Klarna has launched a new initiative designed to speed-up the development of Open Banking services. The company's FinTech platform Klarna Kosma, which is behind the scheme, said it will help e-commerce start-ups develop proof-of-concepts.
Posted: 17/11/2022
Just Eat Takeaway has reportedly announced a European partnership with grocery delivery service Getir. Just Eat told Reuters that under the new partnership, Getir's groceries will be listed on Takeaway's platform and can be ordered via its smartphone app but will be delivered by Getir couriers.
Posted: 17/11/2022
Profits at food discounter Lidl have quadrupled as customers switch from traditional supermarkets to cheaper options.
Posted: 17/11/2022
Klarna has added a new search and compare tool to its app, allowing users to compare prices across thousands of retailers.
Posted: 16/11/2022
Nike is launching a new web3-powered platform for its virtual shoes and clothing. The retailer said that the 'SWOOSH' will enable its members to learn about, collect, and co-create virtual creations.
Posted: 16/11/2022
The company said that it had placed the Australian unit into voluntary administration, with KordaMentha appointed as administrators
Posted: 16/11/22
UK inflation has reached its highest in 41 years, with higher food prices a key driver. According to the latest ONS CPI inflation figures, food inflation hit 16.2 per cent – its highest level in 45 years.
Posted: 16/11/2022
TikTok and American Express have announced a partnership for a new programme to help small business owners reach a new generation of shoppers. Small business owners will be given access to tools and resources to “think like TikTok creators”.
Posted: 16/11/2022
H&M Group will be the first retailer to trial a new last mile delivery service from Volta Trucks and Swedish electric motorcycle company Cake.
Posted: 15/11/2022
Homeware retailer Wilko has announced the sale of its Nottinghamshire distribution centre to logistics company DHL for £48 million. The company said that the move is part of a strategic partnership with DHL, designed to “unlock capital” for the home and garden retailer.
Posted: 15/11/2022
YouTube is reportedly increasing the ways consumers can shop via its videos to increase revenue streams following a slump in digital advertising.
Posted: 15/11/2022
Amazon is reportedly planning to lay off approximately 10,000 staff in what would be the largest job cuts in the ecommerce giant’s history
Posted: 15/11/22
UK clothing retailer Joules has said that it plans to appoint administrators after failing to find a new investor
Posted: 14/11/22
Footfall across the UK’s shopping destinations improved marginally last week, new research has found.
Posted: 14/11/2022
Primark has launched its new Click & Collect trial in 25 stores across the UK.
Announced earlier this year, the budget clothing retailer has never sold online until now, and said the service will initially rollout in select stores across the North West of England, Yorkshire, and North Wales.
Announced earlier this year, the budget clothing retailer has never sold online until now, and said the service will initially rollout in select stores across the North West of England, Yorkshire, and North Wales.
Posted: 14/11/2022
Sainsbury’s is launching new technology that lets customers pay for their shopping without visiting a till.
Posted: 14/11/2022
WHSmith has said it is now in its “strongest ever position” as the retailer trades ahead of pre-pandemic levels and swings back to profit.
Posted: 11/11/2022
Amazon has unveiled a new robotic system which can move individual products before they are put into packaging and sent out to customers.
Posted: 11/11/2022
Brits are being warned to brace for a surge in purchase scams after Black Friday and Cyber Monday later this month
Posted: 11/11/22
NatWest, HSBC, and ClearBank were among those to scoop up awards at last night’s annual Payments Awards ceremony in Central London. After a challenging year, guests met for a glitzy gala dinner at the Marriott Grosvenor Square.
Posted: 11/11/2022
Waitrose has refuted claims of stock shortages in its stores.
Posted: 10/11/2022
Sustainability initiative Better Cotton has urged leaders at COP27 to prioritise climate justice for the world’s farmers and agriculture workforce.
Posted: 10/11/2022
Fashion retailer Next has announced a deal to buy collapsed homewares seller Made.com for £3.4 million
Posted: 10/11/22
Marks and Spencer (M&S) has announced an increase in profits as the retailer reports “stand-out” performance across its clothing division. The company described trading in the first half as “robust” with both the company’s businesses growing ahead of the market.
Posted: 9/11/2022
Refurbished consumer tech company musicMagpie has completed the installation of 290 kiosks in Asda stores across the UK.
Posted: 09/11/2022
US fashion retailer Gap is to sell off its Chinese business to local ecommerce service provider Baozun
Posted: 09/11/22
Primark-owner Associated British Foods (ABF) has said that it will not increase its prices despite experiencing inflation-related costs worth £1 billion this year.
Posted: 8/11/2022
Etsy has added a new image search function to its platform. Users of Apple’s iOS operating system can now search the independent marketplace by tapping the new camera icon in the search bar to upload or take a photo.
Posted: 08/11/2022
Grocery shopping inflation in the UK hit a record high of 14.7 per cent in October
Posted: 08/11/22
Amazon has partnered with Snap, allowing users on Snap to digitally try on eyewear products in the app before purchasing through the e-commerce giant.
Posted: 08/11/2022
Retail optimisation platform operator Dropit has raised $25 million in its Series C funding round, bringing the total raised to $50 million.
Posted: 07/11/2022
B2B-oriented payments platform Balance has announced the appointment of fintech executive Kim Loftis as its new vice president of customer growth
Posted: 07/11/22
Homeware retailer Made.com is expected to formally appoint administrators on Monday following a court hearing less than two weeks after it stopped taking orders. PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) has previously been appointed to oversee a sale of intellectual property associated with the collapsed firm.
Posted: 07/11/2022
PayPal and Venmo apps on iOS are set to add support for Apple's Tap to Pay on iPhone functionality
Posted: 04/11/22
eBay has reported what it describes as “better than expected” financial results, as the online marketplace expands its luxury range and consumers look towards refurbished goods during the cost-of-living crisis.
Posted: 4/11/2022
Morrisons has announced a range of seasonal cost-saving offers for users of its My Morrisons app as customers struggling with record-high inflation. The supermarket has reintroduced its collector programme for app and card users.
Posted: 04/11/2022
E-commerce payments business Stripe has announced plans to axe more than 1,000 employees. The company's chief executive Patrick Collison sent a note to staff members on Thursday notifying them that the business is cutting 14 per cent of its team.
Posted: 4/11/2022
Sainsbury’s has recorded a decline in profits as the company invests in lower prices amidst record-high inflation.
Posted: 3/11/2022
The German Lidl previously applied for trademarks for a yellow circle against a blue background, and filed a suit against Tesco that argued that the Welwyn Garden City-based retail giant was trying “to ride on [its] coat-tails” by using similar branding to promote its ‘Clubcard Prices’ in-store discounts.
Posted: 03/11/22
Tesco has announced an expansion of its GetGo stores trial to include two further stores in London and another in Birmingham. The new sites, which are based in Chiswell Street Express in central London, Fulham Reach Express in Parrs Way, and Aston University Express in Aston, Birmingham, are due to open over the next few months.
Posted: 03/11/2022
John Lewis has appointed a chief transformation and technology officer, the company has announced.
Posted: 03/11/2022
Ocado has partnered with Lotte Shopping to develop a network of customer fulfilment centres for the South Korean market.
Posted: 1/11/2022
Furniture retailer Made.com is to appoint administrators after failing to find a buyer and halting orders last week
Posted: 01/11/22
Anna Matthiason, vice president of online retail, and chief information officer Mary Demby are stepping down from the company.
Posted: 01/11/22
The Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) sector will surpass $1 trillion by 2030, according to new research by GlobalData. The data and analytics company said that BigTech companies and payments providers becoming more invested in the BNPL sector would spur its capitalisation.
Posted: 01/10/2022
Marks & Spencer has expanded its offering on rental platform Hirestreet, targeting cost conscious customers.
Posted: 1/11/2022
TrueLayer, the Open Banking platform, has announced a partnership with Irish payments firm StrikePay. StrikePay’s instant payment terminal uses NFC and QR code technology to enable its users to tap to pay with any phone, without the need for any other hardware.
Posted: 01/11/2022
Asos has announced plans to axe over 100 roles after recording poor financial results for the year. The news, first reported by Retail Week, comes after the company revealed losses of £39 million in 2022.
Posted: 1/11/2022
The government of Hong Kong has proposed a new measure that would allow retail investors to trade in cryptocurrencies and crypto exchange-traded funds. The city had previously proposed limiting crypto trade to professional investors, but its tough stance on digital assets faced heavy criticism with a large number of start-ups moving to markets such as Singapore and Dubai.
Posted: 31/10/22
Co-op has launched new policy for staff undergoing fertility treatment as part of its commitment to creating an inclusive workplace.
Posted: 31/10/2022
Footfall across UK shopping destinations jumped by more than eight per cent during the school half term compared to the previous week.
Posted: 31/10/2022
Asda has has completed the acquisition of 132 Co-Op retail sites, with attached petrol stations, for approximately £600 million. The grocer said the acquisition – which was first announced in August – is part of its strategy to enter the convenience retail space.
Posted: 31/10/2022
Homeware retailer Made.com has stopped taking orders with the company on the verge of collapse. The retailer had been seeking a buyer but terminated talks earlier this week with a number of interested parties after none were able to meet its timetable.
Posted: 28/10/22
Getir has is piloting a range of Co-op products on its grocery delivery platform. Getir will be working with Nisa Retail, the wholesale division of The Co-op Group, who will be supplying their own brand products.
Posted: 28/10/2022
InPost, the Polish logistics company, has announced a new partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) for its parcel lockers to be installed at bus and Metrolink stations across Greater Manchester. Supporting TfGM’s green initiative to reduce carbon output, the pair-up will see up to 28 parcel lockers rolled out across the Greater Manchester area by the end of the year, with 13 already installed and more planned for 2023.
Posted: 28/10/2022
Amazon has said that it is anticipating a slowdown in growth for the upcoming holiday season in a move which wiped nearly 20 per cent off the company’s value. The retail giant’s valuation dropped by over $200 billion in after-hours trading on Thursday.
Posted: 28/10/22
Online fashion retailer Boohoo has partnered with DHL Supply Chain on its first-ever US distribution centre. The company said the move is part of plans to develop a faster and smoother service for its growing US customer base.
Posted: 27/10/2022
Tesco-backed Trigo, the Israel-based autonomous store business, has raised $100 million in a new equity financing round. The company, which is testing its technology with Tesco in the UK and Aldi in the Netherlands, said the investment would be spent on scaling the roll out of autonomous supermarkets across the US and Europe.
Posted: 27/10/2022
CitySprint is recruiting 600 couriers across the UK to meet increased demand around the festive period.
Posted: 27/10/2022
UK retail destinations saw footfall decrease last week amid the country’s political unrest. According to retail traffic counter and shopper analytics firm Springboard, footfall across the UK was down 2.3 per cent in the week commencing 17 October.
Posted: 27/10/22
Amazon will allow customers to pay for their purchases using Venmo.
Posted: 26/10/2022
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) spending is set to reach over $437 billion globally by 2027, according to new research by Juniper Research. BNPL allows consumers to pay using regular interest-free instalments, and only requires soft credit checks; making it easier to access than credit.
Posted: 26/10/2022
Adidas has terminated its partnership with Ye – formerly Kanye West – after the US rapper made antisemitic comments on Twitter.
Posted: 26/10/2022
Ocado has partnered with Centrical, the workforce management provider, to improve colleague engagement and employee experience. The online grocer said Centrical’s platform will integrate with its existing planned technology, communication platforms and employee coaching frameworks to provide an “engaging experience” for both new starters and experienced hires.
Posted: 25/10/2022
PayPal is adding passkeys to its platform to improve security and make it easier for users to log into their accounts.
Posted: 25/10/2022
Ikea is opening a number of “plan and order” points in several locations across the North West as part of its expansion in the region.
Posted: 25/10/2022
Superdrug has said that it has seen a “significant increase” in Christmas gift sales as consumers stock up for the festive period early.
Posted: 24/10/2022
Boots has announced a partnership with RangeMe. Boots said it hopes the partnership with the product discovery and sourcing platform, which has over 200,000 registered suppliers, will strengthen its commitment to working with a broad range of suppliers and to support a fair and equal chance for companies to compete for opportunities.
Posted: 24/10/2022
Sainsbury’s is rolling out a cloud first strategy as part of plans to speed up time to market and create new revenue streams. The supermarket retailer also hopes its new cloud strategy will accelerate business growth.
Posted: 24/10/2022
Retail sales volumes dropped by 1.4 per cent in September, around 1.3 per cent lower than pre-covid February 2020 levels.
Posted: 21/10/2022
Klarna has introduced a new price comparison tool which enables consumers to compare products and prices across retailers.
Posted: 21/10/2022
Amazon could face a collective legal claim worth £900 million for allegedly breaking UK and EU competition rules.
Posted: 21/10/2022
Zara is launching an in-house service for UK customers to sell, repair or donate pre-owned clothes, according to reporting by Reuters. The Spanish fashion retailer’s new platform is set to launch on 3 November and will be available through Zara stores, its website and a new mobile app.
Posted: 21/10/2022
H&M has opened applications for The Global Change Award, which aims to make the fashion industry more sustainable.
Posted: 20/10/2022
Hugo Boss is working with Adobe to support its strategy on 3D and immersive design. The fashion brand is using Adobe’s 3D design application as part of plans to explore customer experiences that “blend the digital and physical worlds”.
Posted: 20/10/2022
Food delivery business Deliveroo is trialling subsidised e-bikes for a group of UK riders.
Posted: 20/10/2022
Amazon UK has launched a new online store for home insurance.
Posted: 19/10/2022
Aldi has announced plans to fill 100 roles on its area manager programme. Those who enrol will take part in a 12-month training programme.
Posted: 19/10/2022
Asos has announced plans to write off up to £130 million of stock after recording a loss of £39 million this year. Pre-tax figures were down by 118 per cent from the £177 million profit recorded in 2021.
Posted: 19/10/2022
Just Eat has returned to profit after focusing on improving its operational efficiency. Gross transaction value (GTV), which is the total value of orders, rose two per cent during the third quarter of the year. The company said the figures reflect higher menu costs and increased spending per order.
Posted: 19/10/2022
Karma, a FinTech app which alerts shoppers to price drops and coupons has launched a payment service. Pay with Karma allows customers to purchase goods across different retailers with multiple payment options including Apple Pay, credit cards and interest free instalment plans.
Posted: 18/10/2022
PayPal has announced the introduction of a new rewards programme in the US. The company said the programme gives customers a unified way to shop, earn, track, save when using the PayPal app at checkout.
Posted: 18/10/2022
Asda has announced plans to open its first couple of standalone convenience stores before the end of the year. The supermarket retailer said it wants to step up its presence in the convenience market, opening 30 more stores next year, which will create around 500 new jobs.
Posted: 18/10/22
Primark has announced it will launch a new Click and Collect service across 25 UK stores by the end of the year.
Posted: 17/10/2022
Evri has used AI to develop software aimed at improving customer communication and parcel delivery accuracy, the company has announced. The parcel delivery business said that couriers take photos of parcels left in a safe place as proof of delivery, but some fail to show the parcel and where it has been left, including when the camera lens is covered or is too close to the parcel.
Posted: 17/10/2022
Boots has announced a delivery pilot with Uber Eats. The new initiative will initially be trialled at 14 Boots stores including outlets on London’s Oxford Street, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, and Market Street, Manchester.
Posted: 17/10/2022
Currys has a launched a live repair service, which connects customers to repair experts via video. RepairLive will initially focus on laptops purchased from Currys. It will help customers identify the cause of a fault, guide them through DIY fixes and help to arrange a repair or return of the product.
Posted: 14/10/2022
Apple has announced the launch of Savings, a new high-yield savings account for Apple Card which has been developed by Goldman Sachs. Apple Card users will soon be able to open ‘Savings’ and have their Daily Cash rewards – three per cent cash returns when users buy something using Apple Card at participating retailers – automatically deposited into it.
Posted: 14/10/2022
River Island has chosen Scandit, the smart data capture platform, as part of its plans to modernise its in-store operations. The fashion retailer has issued each store associate with a Scandit-enabled Samsung Galaxy XCover rugged smartphone, equipped with Microsoft Teams to replace shared hardware-based scanning devices.
Posted: 13/10/2022
Shopify is expanding its global programme to allow local European Enterprise Resource planning (ERP) partners to join and build direct integrations to the e-commerce platform.Through the local ERP programme, merchants have access to a variety of apps directly integrated with Shopify. ERP partners can also build Shopify apps which can help businesses to scale.
Posted: 13/10/2022
THG Ingenuity, the e-commerce services provider, is partnering with API integration platform Jitterbit. THG Ingenuity will use Jitterbit’s technology connect to clients’ existing business systems including logistics platforms, ERP software and third party deliver.
Posted: 12/10/2022
Juni, the financial platform for e-commerce, has partnered with Yapily, the Open Banking platform, to help e-commerce businesses gain a real-time overview of their finances. The pair up enables Juni to use Yapily data to fetch and aggregate information from multiple bank accounts – resulting in the completion of faster, more accurate ways to assess creditworthiness, and the ability to reach credit decisions more quickly.
Posted: 12/10/2022
Deliveroo has partnered with buy now pay later (BNPL) service Klarna to offer customers more ways of paying for their food. Customers will see Klarna as a payment option when they arrive at check out. They can either pay immediately, pay the full amount in 30 days or pay in three equal instalments spread over 60 days. Users of the service will not be charged fees or interest.
Posted: 12/10/2022
Marks & Spencer has added nursery retailer Mamas & Papas to its list of brand partnerships. Customers will be able to buy over 700 Mamas & Papas products at M&S stores. Initially, the product line will be available in three stores.
Posted: 11/10/2022
Afterpay, the buy now pay later (BNPL) provider, is extending its services to give customers more time and flexibility to pay. Customers using Afterpay’s monthly payment option can spread the price of purchases between $400 and $4,000 over a six or twelve month period without late fees. There is a cap on total interest charged and no compounding interest.
Posted: 11/10/2022
Sainsbury’s is reintroducing £2 coupons to augment the NHS Healthy Start scheme, which is funded by the UK government, as a response to the cost of living crisis.
The supermarket said it will help half a million pregnant women and children. Sainsbury’s will be providing a £2 coupon every week over the next six months to customers using a Healthy Start card from 12 October until April 2023.
The supermarket said it will help half a million pregnant women and children. Sainsbury’s will be providing a £2 coupon every week over the next six months to customers using a Healthy Start card from 12 October until April 2023.
Posted: 10/10/2022
The Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) has given Morrisons permission to purchase McColl’s, after the supermarket said it would sell 28 McColl stores to address concerns about competition.Last month the CMA into the merger and found that the deal would not harm the majority of shoppers or other businesses, but it raised concerns in 35 areas.
Posted: 10/10/2022
The Post Office has revealed it handled ‘record-breaking’ amounts of cash at over £3 billion in August, despite the month traditionally being a quieter one for cash transactions at its branches. Post Office research found that a record £805 million in personal cash withdrawals took place in August.
Posted: 10/10/2022
Last month there was an almost three per cent increase in footfall across UK High Streets and retail parks, bringing shopper numbers to their highest level since the onset of the pandemic.
Posted: 7/10/2022
Addidas UK saw sales increase by around 26 per cent in 2021 resulting in the largest profit ever recorded for the region, after they dropped by around five percent in 2020. According to accounts filled with Companies House, sales were £1.29 billion compared with £1 billion the previous year. Pre-tax profit rose from £23.4 million in 2020 to £39.8 million.
Posted: 07/10/2022
Marks & Spencer (M&S) is launching Sparks Pay, a new digital way of paying available exclusively to members of its Sparks customer loyalty programme. Since M&S’s Sparks loyalty programme was relaunched as a digital-first programme in 2020, it has reportedly doubled from seven million to almost 16 million customers.
Posted: 07/10/2022
Tesco has announced plans to cut 325 jobs across its office and regional teams. The UK's largest supermarket retailer said that it would increase pay for remaining employees.
Posted: 6/10/2022
Click-and-collect shopping will be worth £42 billion in the UK this year, according to a new report from Barclays. The bank’s research found that click-and-collect now accounts for 40 per cent of sales for retailers who offer the service, up from 37 per cent a year ago.
Posted: 06/07/2022
Aldi will create around 3,000 news jobs ahead of the festive period, the company has announced.
The supermarket has over 2,000 temporary and permanent positions in stores to help with increased demand during the busy period.
The supermarket has over 2,000 temporary and permanent positions in stores to help with increased demand during the busy period.
Posted: 06/10/2022
71 per cent of online retailers are optimistic about the current state of the e-commerce market, according to new research by eDesk. The e-commerce help desk surveyed over 200 online sellers that market their products online via their own webstores and marketplaces in the US that use the eDesk platform.
Posted: 05/10/2022
Asda is the worst paying ‘big four’ supermarket in the UK, according to the GMB Union. The organisation claimed that while other companies are trying to protect staff from the cost-of-living crisis, Asda is happy to “watch workers struggle”.
Posted: 5/10/2022
Profits at Tesco have slipped following the rise in inflation and lower demand from customers following the end of Covid lockdowns.The retailer said that pre-tax profits fell to £431 million in the first half of the financial year, a drop of almost 64 per cent compared to the same period of 2021. Tesco expects full year profit to fall in the lower range of its forecast between £2.4 and £2.5 billion.
Posted: 05/10/2022
Lidl has announced plans to recruit more than 1,000 new hourly paid roles over the next five months.
Posted: 4/10/2022
Amazon has launched a new service aimed at US customers to help them find the online retailer’s discounts and affordable shopping schemes.Amazon Access also allows customers to buy goods using different payment options including SNAP EBT and Amazon Layaway, said the company.
Posted: 04/10/2022
More than half of consumers want fashion to be more sustainable, but due to the rising cost of living, 61 per cent will prioritise price over sustainability, according to new research by Nosto. The commerce experience platform surveyed over 2,000 consumers in the UK and US.
Posted: 04/10/2022
Nike has chosen JD Sports as its first European retail partner for its Connected Partnership, which gives consumers access to additional member-exclusive Nike products and experiences. The new offering will give JD customers access to Nike member-only footwear and apparel when they link their JD and Nike membership accounts through JD’s mobile app.
Posted: 03/10/2022
Deliveroo will open its first bricks and mortar grocery store in partnership with Morrisons, the company has announced. Delivery HOP is part of the company’s fast grocery delivery arm and will be located on New Oxford Street in London. Customers will be able to order in store through digital kiosks, via the Deliveroo app for collection in store or for local delivery.
Posted: 03/10/2022
73 per cent of retailers have experienced a decline in online payment fraud since the introduction of mandatory Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), according to a new report by Barclaycard Payments.
Posted: 03/10/2022
John Lewis is launching its first womenswear rental platform. The UK department store, which has teamed up with rental platform HURR, said that the new service will include a range of its exclusive John Lewis brands and introduce over 20 new contemporary brands.
Posted: 3/10/2022
The Co-op has said it is taking measures to strengthen its balance sheet and support members throughout the cost-of-living crisis. The grocer says it's taking decisive management action to reduce operational costs, improve operational performance and prioritise capital expenditure.
Posted: 30/09/2022
Deliveroo has announced a new partnership with food saving app Too Good To Go. Too Good To Go connects consumers to unsold food from businesses at lower prices to save it going to waste.
Posted: 30/9/2022
Online fashion retailer Shein said that it plans to cut emissions across its entire supply chain by 25 per cent over the next eight years. The Chinese fast fashion company said that along with reducing carbon emissions, it is accelerating the use of recycled materials in its products. Shein will also focus on nearshoring and onshoring to meet the 2030 target, which Shein claims will reduce reliance on airfreight.
Posted: 30/09/2022
UK shop price annual inflation increased to 5.7 per cent in September, up from 5.1 per cent in the previous month.
Posted: 29/9/2022
Next has lowered its forecast for profit and sales due to the uncertain economic environment. In its half year report, the fashion retailer said sales had risen by around 12 per cent and pre-tax profit had risen 16 per cent to £401 million.
Posted: 29/09/2022
Shopify has announced the launch of POS Go, a new piece of retail hardware which features a built-in barcode scanner. Shopify said the new device is designed to give merchants the ability to deliver a “new kind of in-person shopping”.
Posted: 28/09/2022
Aldi has announced plans to open a new eco concept store in Leamington Spa. The UK store has been designed to reduce carbon consumption, with sustainable building materials and design changes which the budget retailer says could reduce life-cycle carbon emissions by “up to two-thirds”.
Posted: 28/9/2022
Boohoo has announced a 10 per cent drop in sales has warned that revenue will likely continue to decline for the rest of the year.The online fashion retailer said sales had fallen to £882.4 million during the six months to 31 August. Gross margins dropped from around 55 per cent during the comparable six-month period a year ago to roughly 53 per cent.
Posted: 28/09/2022
Gymshark has appointed Mat Dunn as its new chief financial officer to replace Philip Daw, the company has announced. Dunn will join the fitness clothing brand in early 2023. He joins from ASOS, where he worked for almost four years as chief financial officer. He also worked as chief operating officer at ASOS and served as chief executive for an interim period. Prior to ASOS, Dunn held roles at drinks company Britvic and brewer SABMiller.
Posted: 27/09/2022
Card Factory has reported revenue of £198 million in its half-year report ended 31 July – a near 70 per cent increase from £116.9 million in the same period of 2021.
Posted: 27/09/2022
The Spanish Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) provider SeQura has closed an agreement with Citi bank of up to €150 million. Along with existing financial partner Chenavari, the agreement with Citi brings SeQura’s total financing potential up to €200 million.
Posted: 27/09/2022
The UK’s competition watchdog has issued fines totalling £2 million to JD Sports, Elite Sports, and Rangers after it found they fixed retail prices on Rangers-branded merchandise.
Posted: 27/9/2022
Aldi has promised to provide the lowest food prices in the UK to help customers cope with the rising cost of living. The grocer said it has gained 1.5 million extra customers in its stores over the past 12 weeks as consumers look for better deals.
Posted: 26/09/2022
Local bank branch closures across the UK are increasing the demand for access to cash deposit services at the Post Office, according to a new study. The University of Bristol study found that one in 10 UK Post Offices had been affected by a nearby bank closure, resulting in a 27 per cent rise in demand for cash deposit services.
Posted: 26/09/2022
The cost-of-living crisis will drive a significant drop in footfall across UK High Streets in the months leading up to Christmas this year, according to new forecasts.
Posted: 26/9/2022
Amazon has announced a new sale for Prime members in an attempt to boost revenue and help customers navigate economic uncertainty. The Prime Early Access Sale will start on 11 October and last for 48 hours. It will take place in 15 different countries including the UK, the Netherlands, Turkey and France.
Posted: 26/09/2022
Amazon has announced the expansion of its partnership with Affirm, the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) provider, to offer the company’s BNPL option at checkout for customers in Canada. Once selected at checkout, Affirm performs a ‘soft’ credit check on customers. If approved, customers then have the option to split their purchases of $50 or more into monthly payments.
Posted: 26/09/2022
ScS has hired John Walden as non-executive chairman. He will take on the role when the current chairman Alan Smith retires next year.The company said Walden will initially join the board of the furniture and flooring retailer as independent non-executive director in March 2023. He will become chairman in November 2023.
Posted: 23/09/2022
Timpson Group is partnering with Position Imaging, the package logistics and asset tracking firm, to offer a self-service package pickup solution in its stores. The UK and Ireland-based service retailer will be rolling out the technology in its 2,100 stores in the UK and Ireland.
Posted: 23/09/2022
Klarna is reportedly rolling out a second round of job cuts after the FinTech dropped 10 per cent of its workforce earlier this year.
Posted: 23/9/2022
Amazon has announced that it is launching 71 new renewable energy projects around the world. As part of the plans, the e-commerce giant is opening a new solar farm in Brazil, the first the company has opened in South America.
Posted: 22/9/2022
Music retailer HMV has launched a new record label and signed a new artist for the first time in over 20 years. 1921 Records will focus on debut albums from grassroots records, the company said.
Posted: 22/09/2022
Pre-tax profits at JD Sports declined by nearly a fifth in the six months to July. Profits were down from around £440 million during the same period of last year to roughly £384 million.
Posted: 22/9/2022
Marks and Spencer (M&S) has detailed a £15 million support package to support its colleagues throughout the cost-of-living crisis. From 1 October, the retailer will increase 40,000 of its employees’ hourly pay to a minimum of £10.20, which follows a previous pay increase from £9.50 to £10 in April.
Posted: 22/09/2022
The founder of Campaign for Uyghurs has called for “tangible action” from the government to stop forced labour in North Western China.
Posted: 21/9/2022
Food retailer SPAR has announced a partnership with food technology company Whywaste to reduce food wastage. Whywaste offers a variety of services including a digital date-checking app which identifies and keeps track of product about to expire. The company says that this allows retailers to take action and make sure these products are sold rather than wasted.
Posted: 21/09/2022
Sainsbury’s has announced the opening of Sainsfreeze, a new walk-in freezer pop-up store aimed at helping customers to reduce surplus food waste and save money. The pop-up store has the appearance of a regular Sainsbury’s from the outside, with the difference being that all the offerings that customers would normally buy fresh - including fruit, veg, meat and eggs – are frozen.
Posted: 21/09/2022
Mytheresa, the luxury e-commerce fashion retailer, has announced gross merchandise value (GMV) growth of 21 per cent to €747.3 million for its full fiscal year 2022.
The Munich-based company’s results showed gross profit growth of around 24 per cent for the 2022 fiscal year ended June 30, while adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by roughly 21 per cent to €66.3 million.
The Munich-based company’s results showed gross profit growth of around 24 per cent for the 2022 fiscal year ended June 30, while adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by roughly 21 per cent to €66.3 million.
Posted: 20/09/2022
IKEA, Unilever, DPD, Maersk, and JSW Steel are committing to rolling out zero-emission electric truck fleets by 2040.
Posted: 20/9/2022
Kingfisher, the owner of hardware stores B&Q and Screwfix, has seen sales and profit fall. In an earnings statement, the company said in the six months to 31 July group sales declined by 4.1 per cent at constant current to £6.8 billion. Statutory pre-tax profit fell by 30 per cent to £474 million.
Posted: 20/09/2022
Frasers Group has announced that Mike Ashley will step down as director from the company.
Posted: 20/9/2022
Retail sales volumes in the UK declined by 1.6 per cent last month, according to the latest figures from ONS.
Posted: 16/9/2022
B&M has confirmed when Simon Arora will step down from his role as chief executive.
In a letter to shareholders, the discount retailer said that Simon Arora will stop acting as chief exec of the company on 26th September 2022.
In a letter to shareholders, the discount retailer said that Simon Arora will stop acting as chief exec of the company on 26th September 2022.
Posted: 16/09/2022
Worldwide expenditure on payment cards rose by 23 per cent to over $42 trillion in 2021, according to new research by Retail Banking Research (RBR). RBR said the rise came as economies around the world recovered from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had led to a marginal fall in payment card spending in 2020.
Posted: 16/09/2022
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Talking shop: retail technology solutions from Brother
Retail Systems editor Peter Walker sits down with Brother’s senior commercial client manager Jessica Stansfield to talk through the company’s solutions for retailers and hospitality businesses, what’s new in labelling technology, and the benefits of outsourcing printing.
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