News
The latest news, updates and analysis on the the UK retail industry. Covering every segment of the market, Retail Sector’s business journalists keep you in the picture.
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May- 2025 -30 May
Lidl, Halfords and The Range repay staff over minimum wage breach
Lidl, Halfords and The Range are among a number of UK companies named and shamed by the Department for Business and Trade for paying some workers less than minimum wage between 2015 and 2022. Lidl failed to pay £286,437.18 to 3,423 workers, Halfords failed to pay £140,829.79 to 4,341 workers…
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29 May
Shein shifts focus to Hong Kong listing after London IPO stalls
Shein is reportedly pivoting towards a listing in Hong Kong after a proposed IPO in London hit a roadblock from Chinese regulators, sources have told Reuters. The retailer is said to be looking to file a draft prospectus with Hong Kong’s stock exchange in the coming weeks, with plans to…
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29 May
Dr. Martens appoints Adidas VP as chief brand officer
Footwear brand Dr. Martens has appointed Carla Murphy as the company’s new chief brand officer (CBO) to lead the company’s global brand organisation. Murphy will assume her new role at Dr. Martens on 1 July 2025 and will be based in London. In her new role, she will be responsible…
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29 May
Frasers closes in on ailing Norwegian sportswear giant takeover
Frasers Group has confirmed that it is close to assuming a controlling stake in Norwegian sportswear company XXL ASA, but has warned that it may not be able to save the company. The group has confirmed that should its offer be accepted it will control 92% of the company’s share…
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29 May
Abercrombie and Fitch sales hit $1.1bn in Q1
Abercrombie and Fitch has reported that first quarter sales have risen by 8% to $1.1bn (£817m) sales in the period ended 4 May. The company saw sales growth across all regions, with Americas up 7%, EMEA up 12% and APAC up 5%. The performance was mostly led by Hollister, which…
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29 May
US trade court blocks Trump’s tariff changes
The US Court of International Trade has deemed Donald Trump’s tariff changes “illegal”, which could see the president’s controversial global trade policy get blocked. According to the New York-based trade court, an emergency law initiated by the White House did not grant the president the sole power to levy tariffs…
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28 May
M&S appoints ex-Coles exec Thinus Keeves as retail director
M&S has announced it has appointed former Coles executive Thinus Keeves to the newly created role of retail director. Keeves, who will start on 6 June, will report to operations director Sacha Berendji. Berendji will continue to have overall accountability for Retail, Property, Security and Business Continuity. Keeves joins the…
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28 May
Adidas customer data stolen in cyber attack
Adidas has confirmed that it was hit by a cyber attack last week, stating that an external party obtained consumer data through a third party customer service provider. The German sportswear giant claimed that the affected data did not contain passwords, credit card details or any payment related information, but…
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28 May
Kingfisher sales rise 2.2% to £3.3bn in Q1
Kingfisher, which operates DIY brands Screwfix and B&Q, has reported that total sales rose 2.2% to £3.3bn in the first quarter ended 30 April. It comes as like-for-like sales grew 1.8% during the period, with the group noting a 2.7% boost in underlying growth, thanks to customers making more large…
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28 May
John Lewis wins approval for West Ealing housing plans
The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has been successful in its planning appeal to redevelop Waitrose West Ealing and build hundreds of new homes. A government planning inspector confirmed the plans had been given the go ahead after JLP submitted an appeal in summer 2024 on the grounds of a “non-determination”. …
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