Category Archives: Retail industry

John Lewis to launch YouTube chatshow to improve AI search results

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Department store chain’s Gift List ‘vodcast’ will be hosted by TV presenter Angela Scanlon

John Lewis is launching an online chatshow and social media studio to help make itself and its products more visible to chatbots and more prominent in AI search results.

The department store chain’s Gift List “vodcast” hosted by the TV presenter Angela Scanlon will air on YouTube with clips disseminated via other social media channels and comes after the success of its sister chain Waitrose’s Dish podcast.

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Shein shares slide on fast-fashion retailer’s stock market debut

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Hong Kong flotation at $26bn by firm once valued at $100bn follows failure to list in US and UK

Shares in the fast-fashion brand Shein slumped by as much as 10% as the China-founded company made its long-anticipated trading debut on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

The Singapore-headquartered company, once valued at almost $100bn (£74bn), went public on Tuesday pricing shares at HK$48.56, valuing the business at just over $26bn.

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Woolworths’ Ooshies craze causes Coles sales slump with parents shopping at rival supermarket to collect toys

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Coles full-year results show that despite gaining market share over past 12 months, sales fell over four weeks of ‘competitor’s collectables campaign’

Woolworths’ latest Disney “Ooshie” collectibles have not only captivated Australian children, they have led to a short-term slump in competitor Coles’ sales.

The latest rubber figurine promotion was scheduled to end on Tuesday, but strong customer interest meant Woolworths prematurely ran out of Ooshies a week ago.

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Fast-fashion giant Shein sets cut-price $27bn valuation for Hong Kong IPO

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China-based retailer swung to $99m loss in first quarter and faces scrutiny over its environmental footprint

Shein, which built a fast-fashion empire on what seemed like impossibly low prices, has been forced to lower its own valuation in a cut-price stock market float, after falling into the red earlier this year.

The online retailer will list on the Hong Kong stock exchange on 1 September at a valuation of close to $27bn (£19.8bn), significantly down from a near-$100bn private market peak four years ago.

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Retail sales in Great Britain fall despite heatwave increasing food and drink demand

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Volume of goods sold in stores and online dropped 0.5% in July, ONS says

Retail sales across Great Britain weakened last month despite the men’s football World Cup and record temperatures boosting the demand for food and drink.

The Office for National Statistics said the volume of goods sold in stores and online fell 0.5% in July. That is down from 0.7% rise in June – revised down from initial estimates of 1% – and a 1.3% rise in May.

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UK relies on heat-stressed countries for fruit and veg it could grow itself – report

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Food Foundation sounds alarm over supply risks and price shocks as about 40% of Britain’s food is imported

The UK is vulnerable to food price shocks because of its dependence on imports of fruit and vegetable from countries even more exposed to the climate crisis, researchers say.

Much of Britain has sweltered under a record five heatwaves this year and endured drought and wildfires, with the hot, dry conditions damaging crops and reducing yields of domestic produce.

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Starbucks Korea raided by police after ‘Tank Day’ campaign sparks public outrage

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Coffee chain has faced backlash over marketing promotion tied to anniversary of Gwangju massacre

South Korean police have raided the headquarters of Starbucks Korea as part of an investigation into a marketing campaign accused of trivialising the country’s 1980s pro-democracy movement.

Investigators searched the building in southern Seoul on Tuesday, police said on Wednesday. No further details were released, although South Korean media reported that officers also searched the homes of the Starbucks Korea executives.

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Healey’s profiteering warning on food and fuel risks row with retailers

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Chancellor says the government wants to prevent shoppers being ‘taken for a ride’ at the pump or till

The chancellor, John Healey, has said the government is standing by to prevent the public from “being taken for a ride at the pump or the till” as the Iran war continues to hit prices.

While he said there had been “no significant evidence of so-called price gouging” during the crisis, he used a weekend column to tell the big retailers that ministers were “watching closely” for any signs of profiteering.

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Knickers in a twist: why M&S selling crotchless underwear isn’t as outrageous as it seems

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Some have called it ‘S&M’, but partnership with Ann Summers is less a scandal than another step in a century of evolving underwear trends, experts say

The news that Marks & Spencer is selling Ann Summers crotchless knickers on their website has been greeted – as might be expected – with outrage online, being described as everything from “tawdry” to “S & M”.

But it could be this is just the latest evolution in what the UK’s biggest underwear retailer has available for the smalls drawer. In recent years, the store has sold vastly different options through its own products, ranging from full-brief knickers to thongs, period knickers and those that can be used by women who wear stomas. The introduction of other brands in clothing came five years ago, with underwear included. Ann Summers – which is selling bras and chemises as well as knickers on the M&S website – lines up alongside lingerie brands including Pour Moi and Calvin Klein.

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Family of former Vodafone manager found drowned call for ‘Adrian’s law’ to protect franchisees

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Adrian Howe’s family believe that fears his deal would be financially ruinous led him to kill himself

The family of a former mobile phone store manager who was found drowned days before his new Vodafone franchise was to open its doors is pressing the government to introduce a new franchising law in his name.

The call comes a week after Vodafone settled a long-running legal claim filed by 62 of its former franchisees who alleged that the company “unjustly enriched” itself at their expense by up to £85m.

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Record heat sends online retail sales to five-year high in Great Britain

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Soaring temperatures fuel demand for air conditioners and outdoor goods, helping retailers beat expectations in June

Online sales reached their highest share of retail spending in five years last month as record heat fuelled demand for air conditioners, outdoor products and clothing.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the volume of retail sales in Great Britain rose 1% month on month in June, beating analysts’ expectations of a 0.3% decline, helped by hot weather and World Cup spending.

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Vodafone settles legal claim brought by 62 former franchisees

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Agreement, without admission of liability, ends 19-month high court dispute that small-business owners said left them with large debts

Vodafone has settled a long-running legal claim filed by 62 of its former franchisees who alleged the mobile phone group “unjustly enriched” itself at their expense by up to £85m.

The small-business owners – some of whom said they had suffered suicidal thoughts because of the pressure exerted by the telecoms group – launched the high court claim in 2024 after running up large personal debts they said had been caused by their deals with the company.

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Britons give classic round tomato the red card as coloured and vine varieties score

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Premium cherry-on-the-vine are poised to take top spot in Britain’s £1bn-a-year tomato market

For a long time the classic round, red tomato has dominated British salads and sandwiches, but its supremacy is coming under threat as sales of rainbow colours and the upmarket rival “cherry on the vine” take off.

“Non-red tomatoes” sales are up 21% this year, a growth rate that far exceeds the overall market, according to Paul Faulkner, of Evesham Vale Growers.

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Wegovy weight-loss pill goes on sale on UK high street and online pharmacies

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Thousands of people begin receiving their first deliveries of once-a-day medication made by Novo Nordisk

A once-a-day Wegovy weight-loss pill has gone on sale at high street and online pharmacies in the UK, but is not yet available on the NHS.

Thousands of people began receiving their first deliveries of the pill, made by the Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, on Monday. It contains the same active GLP-1 ingredient as the Wegovy jab, semaglutide, and is similarly effective, according to studies.

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Up to 150 former WH Smith stores to close as high court approves restructure

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Restructuring plan involves writing off debts to suppliers and cutting rent for many landlords

Up to 150 former WH Smith high street stores are to close after the high court approved a swingeing restructure that could affect thousands of jobs.

The retailer, which has 450 stores and employs about 5,000 staff, was bought last year by the private equity firm Modella Capital, which also owns Hobbycraft, and rebranded as TG Jones.

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UK poll highlights fears about access to emergency contraception

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Doctors say survey shows need for morning-after pill to be available at corner shops, petrol stations and supermarkets

Almost half of the UK population believe it would be difficult to access emergency contraception on a Sunday, while nearly two-thirds think they would struggle after 10pm, according to a survey.

The research, carried out by YouGov, found that only 7% of people believe it would be difficult to access emergency contraception during the daytime on a weekday.

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Tesco’s UK sales growth more than halves amid Iran war uncertainty

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UK’s biggest retailer reports better figures than expected by City analysts and is cheered by strong online sales

Tesco’s UK sales growth has more than halved as it said the conflict in the Middle East had created “ongoing uncertainty for many households”.

The UK’s biggest retailer said comparable sales rose 1.8% to £13.4bn in the three months to the end of May, below both the 4.2% reported in the previous quarter and the 2.3% growth City analysts had expected.

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WH Smith raises £100m as it warns on profits due to Iran war

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Retailer plans to shut unprofitable stores as falling US airport traffic due to Middle East conflict hits trading

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WH Smith has issued a profit warning after shopper numbers at its stores in US airports fell as a result of the war in the Middle East, prompting the company to raise fresh capital from investors.

The retailer, which operates 1,200 outlets globally in airports, railway stations and hospitals, raised £102m through a share sale on Wednesday to strengthen its balance sheet, pay down debt, invest in technology and shut down unprofitable stores after “a downturn in trading conditions”.

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Weight-loss drug users save more than £400 a year on food as take-up triples

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Research suggests households that include a GLP-1 user collectively spent £780m less on grocery bills

Weight-loss drugs are saving users’ households more than £400 a year on grocery bills, according to a survey, which found use of GLP-1s has nearly tripled in the past two years to 1.9 million adults.

More than 6.3% of households in Great Britain now include at least one GLP-1 user, according to the research by Worldpanel by Numerator. This marks a sharp rise from 4.1% of households in 2025 and 2.3% in 2024.

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‘Poisoned’ AI: the ChatGPT shopping scams that lead to fake websites

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Buyers are ripped off after assuming online stores were genuine because they are recommended by an AI tool

You want to buy a new bag and so you ask ChatGPT for help. You have always liked Russell & Bromley so you ask ChatGPT what is popular there at the moment.

The artificial intelligence (AI) assistant gives you cross body, shoulder, casual and formal options with the prices listed beside them. You click through from the sources to what looks like the official Russell & Bromley site and buy your new bag, which is conveniently on sale.

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