News
News is Retail Sector’s central hub for breaking stories, market developments and company updates from across the UK retail industry. This category delivers authoritative, timely coverage on everything from trading performance and executive changes to store openings, brand activity and supply chain developments.
Retail Sector’s news coverage focuses on the business realities behind the headlines — providing retail professionals with context on how each development impacts operations, strategy and market confidence. Readers can expect clear, accurate reporting designed to keep decision-makers informed and competitive in a fast-moving retail landscape.
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Dec- 2025 -8 December
New Look appoints Mark Matthews as new retail director
New Look has announced the appointment of Mark Matthews as retail director, succeeding Elaine Cartwright, who has spent over a decade at the company. In his role, Matthews will be responsible for New Look’s store estate and for implementing the company’s omnichannel strategy across stores to drive sales and enhance…
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8 December
Gant names Fredrik Malm as CEO
Gant has appointed Fredrik Malm as chief executive with effect from 1 December. The move follows his joining the company in 2024 as executive vice-president commercial, brand and product. Malm succeeds Patrik Söderström, who led the business for six years. Söderström had spent a decade at the company in total.…
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8 December
Victoria’s Secret lifts guidance as Q3 sales rise 9% to $1.47bn
Victoria’s Secret has raised its full-year forecasts after reporting third-quarter net sales of $1.47bn (£1.1bn) – up 9% on last year – alongside an operating loss of $19m (£14.2m) and a net loss of $37m (£27.7m), both narrower than a year earlier. The retailer said revenue for the 13 weeks…
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8 December
Poundland to close 14 additional stores
Poundland has begun clearance sales at a further 14 stores as part of its closure programme, with discounts of up to 40% applied across remaining stock. Once these closures are complete, Poundland expects to operate a network of 650 to 700 stores across the UK and Ireland. The sales –…
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8 December
Burberry appoints new operating and customer chiefs
Burberry has appointed Matteo Calonaci as chief operating and supply chain officer and Johnattan Leon as chief customer officer. Both will join the company’s executive committee and report to chief executive Joshua Schulman. Calonaci is currently senior vice-president of strategy and transformation at Burberry. In his new role, he will…
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8 December
Iceland boss to be appointed Labour peer
Iceland chairman Richard Walker is set to be appointed to the House of Lords as a Labour peer, according to reports from the BBC. Walker left the Conservative Party in 2023, and was later seen at the launch of Labour’s manifesto for the 2024 general election. Labour party sources told…
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5 December
Footfall slips in Nov as Black Friday fails to lift shopper numbers
Total UK footfall fell 0.8% year-on-year in November, compared with a 0.7% decline in October, as Black Friday failed to produce the much needed boost for retailers, according to the latest data from the BRC. High street footfall decreased 1.2% after a 0.6% rise in October, while retail parks saw…
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5 December
Tesco Ireland invests €18m on colleague pay and benefits
Tesco Ireland will invest more than €18m (£15.7m) in colleague pay and benefits in 2026, including a 3% rise in hourly rates and additional spending on pension auto-enrolment. From 1 January 2026, hourly-paid store and distribution colleagues will receive the uplift, taking the average hourly rate to €18.13 (£15.83). The…
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5 December
Black Friday delivers limited lift to retail sales in November
Black Friday provided only a modest boost to discretionary retail sales in November, with total like-for-like sales rising 3.4% against a weak comparison period in 2024, according to BDO’s latest High Street Sales Tracker. The increase followed a 5.8% fall a year earlier. The month, which included the peak promotional…
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5 December
Ocado to receive $350m from Kroger after US fulfilment centre closures
Ocado Group has announced that it will receive a one-off cash payment of $350m (£262m) from Kroger after the US retailer decided to close three customer fulfilment centres (CFCs) in January 2026 and halt work on a planned site in Charlotte, North Carolina. The payment compensates Ocado for the impact…
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