Moonpig embraces tech and upselling as revenue jumps Retail Moonpig has credited its tech and upselling capabilities with its rise in revenue, with boosted customer retention and a growing order book. The online card maker recorded a 6.5 per cent rise in revenue in the year ended 30 April, jumping to £373m from £350.1m. Profit before tax swung back to £68.9m from last financial [...]
UK risks becoming ‘dumping ground’ for Temu and Shein, retailers warn Retail The UK risks becoming a “dumping ground” for online fast-fashion giants like Shein and Temu once a European crackdown on those firms comes into effect, leading retailers have warned. High street firms including Primark and Accessorize told City AM they risk facing tougher rivalry from foreign fast-fashion sellers if the UK does not clamp down [...]
Ocado to replace founder Steiner as shares plunge Retail The board of Ocado is on the hunt for a successor to its founder and chief executive, Tim Steiner, as the e-commerce group faces up to a rapidly falling share price. The FTSE 250 firm, which offers online shopping and warehouse automation services, confirmed on Monday that it is putting together a succession plan for [...]
Retailers ramp up pressure on Reeves to scrap tax break for e-commerce rivals May 27, 2026 Retailers have urged Rachel Reeves to “revitalise the high street” by speeding up plans to close a tax break which they say unfairly favours Chinese e-commerce rivals. High street giants like Next, M&S and Primark have urged the Chancellor to impose a £2.60 flat fee on small parcels to rebalance a system which they say [...]
Retail sales fall as Brits cut back on supermarket spending March 27, 2026 Retail sales fell in February, as low spending in food and household goods stores could not offset the strong performance of online sellers. The quantity of goods bought in February fell by 0.4 per cent, down from the surprise two per cent rise in January, which was revised up from 1.8 per cent, according to [...]
Next unveils huge development in £2.5bn economy boost March 26, 2026 Retail giant Next has unveiled a huge new development which it says will add £2.5bn to the economy, as the FTSE 100 firm invests over £300m in its warehouses. The firm has been granted planning permission to build a new 1.2m sq ft warehouse in its Elmsall complex in Yorkshire, with construction set to commence [...]
July fails to bring summer boost for high streets August 8, 2025 Footfall on UK high streets fell again in July as shoppers continued their slow move online, dashing retailers’ hopes for a summer boost. Overall footfall – which includes high streets, retail parks and shopping centres – fell 0.4 per cent in July, while high street footfall fell 1.7 per cent. Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA [...]
‘Irresponsible’ M&S ad gets banned for promoting ‘unhealthily thin’ models July 23, 2025 The UK’s advertising watchdog has upheld a complaint that Marks and Spencers used an “unhealthily thin” model to advertise clothes on its app. In its ruling on the M&S ad, the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) said the model “appeared unhealthily thin” and concluded that the ad was “irresponsible.” “The pose of the model and the [...]
Tiktok gives retailers a headache with boom in returns culture July 18, 2025 Retailers are facing a conundrum. Their customers are searching for and buying clothes via Tiktok and Instagram, but those same social media customers are increasingly less likely to keep the clothes they buy. A surge in the number of clothes sent back to retailers has caused issues with both costs and with environmental goals, but [...]
Alarm bells as retail sales suffer largest fall in 18 months June 20, 2025 UK high streets suffered from post-Easter fatigue among shoppers as official data showed retail sales dropped by 2.7 per cent in May. The Office for National Statistics said a fall in sales in May represented the largest month-on-month drop since December 2023. A Bloomberg poll of economists expected retail sales to drop by 0.5 per [...]