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.
-
May- 2025 -1 May
Today’s news in brief-1/2/25
The Co-op has shut down parts of its IT systems after hackers attempted unauthorised access, causing minor disruptions to call centres and back-office operations. Stores, funeral homes, and quick commerce services remain unaffected. The company assured customers no action is required but is monitoring the situation. This follows a recent…
Read More » -
1 May
Ikea officially opens Oxford Street store
Ikea has today (1 May) announced the opening of its Oxford Street store in London. A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place at 10am, with Peter Jelkeby, CEO and chief sustainability officer Ikea UK and Ireland, joined by Ikea co-workers, store manager Matt Gould, Sir Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, and Ambassador…
Read More » -
1 May
Aldi doubles apprenticeship funding for small businesses
Aldi has pledged £2m over the next two years to help small and medium-sized businesses fund a variety of industry apprenticeships. The commitment, which forms part of the apprenticeship levy gifting scheme Aldi launched in 2021, will take the amount of apprenticeship funding the supermarket has provided to small and…
Read More » -
1 May
Puma to relocate UK HQ from London to Manchester
Puma is set to relocate its new UK HQ from London to Manchester, having agreed a 20,000 sq ft lease of workspace at the new Circle Square development. Located on the Oxford Road Corridor, Puma’s new HQ is in the £87m development being brought forward by Bruntwood SciTech – a…
Read More » -
1 May
Frasers Group eyes Matches relaunch as exclusive members’ club
Frasers Group is reportedly looking to relaunch Matches Fashion as an exclusive members’ club, according to The Times. Having brought the luxury fashion platform back in a pre-pack deal last April for £19m, Frasers is understood to have collated proposals that could see Matches be turned into “the Soho House…
Read More » -
1 May
Hackers target Co-op IT systems
The Co-op has shut down parts of its IT systems in response to hackers attempting to gain access to them. The company stated that the “proactive measures” it had taken to fend off the attack had had a “small impact” on its call centre and back office. Despite this, all…
Read More » -
Apr- 2025 -30 April
Supermarket sales rise 9.6% amid Easter boost
Total Till sales increased 9.6% at UK supermarkets during the last four weeks ending 19 April 2025, up by 2.7% against sales recorded in March, as the late Easter boosted sales for April, according to new data released by NielsenIQ (NIQ). This rise was helped by shoppers opting to “indulge…
Read More » -
30 April
M&S cyber attack tied to teenage cyber criminal gang
Marks and Spencer’s major cyber attack has been linked to Scattered Spider, a gang of British and American teenage cyber criminals, according to the Telegraph. The incident, which caused a widespread outage of M&S’s contactless payments and click-and-collect services over the Bank Holiday weekend, forced customers to ditch their full…
Read More » -
30 April
B&M’s chief financial officer appointed interim CEO
B&M has announced the appointment of chief financial officer Mike Schmidt to the role of interim chief executive, effective immediately. The news comes as former chief executive Alex Russo, who joined the discounter in 2020, officially retired today (30 April) after three years in the role. In a very short…
Read More » -
30 April
Ann Summers and Maplin launch virtual storefronts through Deliveroo
Deliveroo has announced the launch of a new virtual store concept for retailers, with Ann Summers and Maplin Electronics named as the first to use virtual storefronts through the app. Available to customers in London and Cambridge, their fully-branded virtual storefronts will operate within the Deliveroo app to offer customers…
Read More »
