Matalan strengthens senior leadership team

Matalan has announced a series of senior hires, within buying and design, trading and merchandising, customer and loyalty, and e-commerce. Jo Bennett has joined the company as director of buying and design to lead Matalan’s product and design strategy, bringing experience from Tu clothing and John Lewis, where she led…

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Majestic launches recruitment drive for 150 festive and permanent roles

Majestic, the UK’s largest specialist wine retailer, has begun recruiting 150 new staff as it prepares for the busy Christmas trading period. The company is hiring a mix of permanent and temporary employees across its 216 shops. The expansion aims to strengthen its workforce ahead of the festive season and…

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B&M shares fall as profits slide 28% to £198m

B&M has seen its shares slide in early trading after it revealed its pre-tax profits fell 28% to £198m, down from £274m, in the six months to the end of September. The performance comes despite seeing revenues improve 4% to £2.7bn, primarily driven by B&M UK volume growth and ASP…

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Victorian Plumbing sees revenues jump 5% amid market decline in FY25

Victorian Plumbing has reported a 5% rise in full-year revenue to about £310m for the 12 months to 30 September 2025, in line with market expectations, despite a wider fall in the UK home improvements and DIY market. The group stated that the broader market declined by around 3% over…

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M&S to close 11 cafes as part of estate overhaul

Marks and Spencer is to close 11 cafés across its smaller food stores as part of an ongoing restructuring of its retail estate.The company said the move aims to create more space for its range of M&S food products.  According to The Independent, no jobs will be lost, and all…

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Vestiaire Collective appoints new CEO

Paris-based fashion resale platform Vestiaire Collective has announced the appointment of Bernard Osta as chief executive, succeeding Maximilian Bittner, who has led the company for the past seven years. Osta joined Vestiaire Collective in May 2021 and has held senior leadership roles including chief strategy officer and, most recently, chief…

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Fresh no more: Amazon’s online grocery strategy explained

Amazon has announced it will close all 14 of its Amazon Fresh stores in the UK, while converting a further five into Whole Foods Market locations. By the end of 2026, the company will operate 12 Whole Foods stores across the country, including a recently opened branch in Chelsea and…

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Lidl invests £250m in cutting prices for customers

Lidl GB has announced a £250m investment in cutting prices of everyday items, as it bids to help “shoppers save even more in the run-up to Christmas”. The discounter said it had lowered prices on more than 1,000 product lines since the start of the year, with the latest funding…

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Harrods falls to FY loss as it sets aside £60m for abuse victims

Harrods has fallen to a pre-tax loss of £34.3m in its latest full-year results, as it set aside more than £60m as part of plans to compensate abuse victims of former chairman and owner Mohamed Al Fayed. Michael Ward, managing director of Harrods, said its pre-tax loss was in part…

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Cotswold Company owner hires advisers for potential sale

Private equity firm True, the owner of The Cotswold Company, has reportedly appointed Arrowpoint Advisory to help prepare furniture and homewares retailer for a future sale, according to Sky News. True, which has owned the business since 2016, is understood to have asked the Rothschild-owned advisory firm to draw up…

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