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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Mar- 2025 -19 March
Co-op extends Uber Eats partnership
Co-op and Uber Eats have announced a three-year extension of their quick commerce partnership, which started in 2022. The partnership has seen the number of Co-op stores where Uber Eats is available increase to more than 1,300. Co-op will now extend its work with Uber Direct – Uber’s white-label last-mile…
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19 March
Frasers renews bid for Norwegian sports retailer XXL
Frasers Group has confirmed it intends to make a mandatory offer for Norwegian sporting goods retailer XXL ASA, despite withdrawing its offer to buy more shares in the group only last month. Frasers has now been allocated 21,637,943 of shares of XXL’s rights issue, while 777,289 shares will be issued as…
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18 March
Today’s news in brief-18/3/25
Forever 21 has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US for the second time, following a previous filing in 2019. The retailer, once a dominant force in fast fashion, has struggled to compete with foreign competitors and rising costs. While its US stores and website will continue trading during the…
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18 March
Go Outdoors to introduce body cameras to 25 more stores
Go Outdoors has announced its plans to roll out body cameras to 25 additional stores after a successful trial at its Stoke location, in a bid to seek new ways to deter theft and ensure the safety of its store colleagues. The trial comes after Go Outdoors announced its partnership…
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18 March
Skills crisis to cost UK retail £23.3bn, study finds
The UK retail sector is grappling with another “severe skills crisis”, with businesses losing an estimated £23.3bn due to inefficiencies caused by undertrained employees, according to new research from Flip, the frontline employee app. The research, in partnership with Workplace Intelligence, found that retail employees are spending nearly 10 hours…
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18 March
Tesco announces £180m investment in staff pay
Tesco has reached an agreement with trade union USDAW that will increase the hourly pay rate for staff in stores, from £12.02 to £12.45 from 30 March 2025, and again to £12.64 from the end of August. This two-stage rate increase represents an above-inflation increase of 5.2% builds on the…
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18 March
Forever 21 files for bankruptcy in the US
Forever 21’s operating company has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US, the BBC has reported. The retailer confirmed in a statement that its stores and website in the states will keep trading as it “begins its process of winding down”. However, the bankruptcy protection filing will not impact Forever…
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18 March
Select Fashion nears collapse, 35 stores to close
Select Fashion is reportedly on the verge of collapse, with 35 stores set to close if it falls into liquidation. According to documents seen by The Sun, the clothing brand has drafted in advisers from Moorfields to oversee the liquidation of the business. Directors at the brand reportedly said Select…
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18 March
Ikea to open Oxford Street store in May
Ikea has revealed that it will open the doors of its Oxford Street store on 1 May following an extensive environmental upgrade of the Grade II listed building in central London. The new Oxford Street store will offer the traditional “Ikea experience”: a showroom packed with roomsets, a market-hall filled…
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17 March
Today’s news in brief-17/3/25
Fenwick, the family-owned retailer, is facing significant financial challenges, with pre-tax losses widening to £38.1m in the year to January 2024, up from £28.4m the previous year. The company has been operating at a loss for six years due to high inflation, increased costs, and tough market conditions. Despite efforts…
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