Online & Digital
The latest news, updates and analysis on the online and digital segment of the the UK retail industry. Sign up to the Daily Briefing and let Retail Sector’s business journalists keep you in the picture.
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Oct- 2018 -19 October
Amazon to open new Manchester hub; vows to create 1000 jobs
Amazon has announced plans to open a new corporate office in Manchester in 2019 and increase the capacity of its Scotland Development Centre and Cambridge Development Centre. The new investment is part of the company’s boost to UK innovation and is set to provide additional capacity for over 1,000 new…
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18 October
Online retail sales growth slumps to lowest level in 2018
UK online retail sales experienced its lowest September growth (+7.5% YoY) since 2014 last month, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. According to the new research online sales have “faltered” since England’s World Cup Exit in July and the close of the hot summer, and despite a…
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17 October
ASOS reports 26% sales increase
Online fashion retailer ASOS has posted a 26% increase in its sales to £2.4bn compared with £1.9bn the previous year. UK retail sales accounted for £861m while its international retail sales amounted to £1.5bn for the full year to 31 August 2018. The group’s revenues also grew by 26% to…
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17 October
ASA warns Laura Ashley over ‘misleading advertising’
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has warned Laura Ashley that its “misleading” advertising emails which offered specific savings “must not appear again in their current form” unless it was able to prove the claims. The ASA also said the retailer must “ensure that their future advertising did not make savings…
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15 October
Moonpig launches new Manchester tech hub
UK online cards, gifts and flowers retailer, Moonpig, is opening its first ever ‘Tech Hub’ in Manchester, creating 50 new technology jobs across Manchester and London. The new office will open at No.1 Spinningfields on 1 November and lead the development and rollout of a new ecommerce, data and personalisation…
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15 October
Amazon to open fashion pop-up store
Amazon Fashion will be launching its first ever UK pop-up store located on Baker Street London. The pop-up will be open from Tuesday 23 until Saturday 27 October a showcase a different curation of men’s and women’s fashion items and brands every other day as well as activities throughout. At…
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11 October
ASOS launches voice-activated shopping
ASOS has claimed to be one of the first fashion retailers in the UK to launch on Google Assistant, meaning customers can discover products across popular categories using their voice. Customers in the UK and US can initiate conversation with Enki, the ASOS shopping guide, by saying: “Hey Google, talk…
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10 October
Nasty Gal adverts banned over ‘unhealthily thin’ model
Three TV advertisements for online retailer Nasty Girl have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for featuring an “unhealthily underweight” model. The ASA’s assessment of the ads found that while the female model in the ads generally appeared to be “in proportion”, there were specific scenes which “drew…
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4 October
Ebay accuses Amazon of ‘unlawfully’ poaching sellers
Online marketplace Ebay has accused rival website Amazon of attempting to poach independent sellers from its site using “unlawful and troubling” methods. Over a number of years in numerous countries, including the UK, Ebay alleges that 50 Amazon employees have been using eBay’s seller messaging platform to encourage sellers to…
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4 October
Lightinthebox reprimanded by ASA for ‘misleading’ prices
British online clothing retailer Lightinthebox has been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over an advert for men’s shoes. The advert for ‘Men’s Shoes Patent Leather Spring/Fall Comfort Oxfords Gray/Blue Burgundy’ text on the advert stated “GBP £34.11(crossed through) £19.74 (43% off)”. Lower down on the page text stated…
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