ICO urges businesses to review automated hiring
The UK’s data regulator has called on businesses to review their practices related to automating the hiring process to ensure the right protections are in place. The use of AI as a part of the hiring process has become extremely common, with numerous...
Debt intelligence platform 9fin scores £130m round
AI-powered debt intelligence platform 9fin has been crowned a unicorn following a new $170m (£128.8m) Series C investment. Now valued at $1.3bn, 9fin intends to grow its AI capabilities, expand its proprietary dataset and continue its growth in the U...
Why Manchester is having a moment – Katie Gallagher, Manchester Digital
This week’s podcast guest is Katie Gallagher OBE, managing director of Manchester Digital, who discusses why the city is being seen as a blueprint not just for tech start-ups but for wider economic growth too. Gallagher chats about Manchester’s rich ...
Soaring fertiliser prices threaten new surge in UK food inflation
UK farmers are facing fertiliser prices that have more than doubled as the Middle East conflict disrupts supply — a spike set to ripple through the supply chain and trigger a fresh bout of food inflation. Sky News says it has spoken to British fertil...
The UK’s quantum moment
In the global race for technological leadership, the past year has been defined by ambition. Strategies have been set, funding announced, and priorities outlined. But as with any frontier technology, a strong start is not the same as a finished job. ...
Debenhams Group smashes FY26 guidance as marketplace model accelerates turnaround
Debenhams Group, formerly boohoo group plc, has powered past guidance to deliver a notably stronger performance for FY26. The Group’s trading statement for the financial year ending 28 February 2026 shows £53m in adjusted EBITDA, an impressive 36% ye...
Sainsbury’s commits £5bn to long-term farm deals
Sainsbury’s is investing more than £5bn into long-term agreements with British and Irish farmers, expanding its partnership model as it looks to strengthen supply chains amid rising costs and climate pressures. The supermarket plans to cover more tha...
SRC: Scottish shops face £162m more in business rates than English counterparts over next three years
Shops occupying medium to large spaces in Scotland are set to face £162 million more in business rates over the next three years than the same size stores in England, according to the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC). Smaller stores which are liable ...
UK consumers shift from browsing to intent as high‑value home and finance leads surge
New analysis of nearly 70 million email marketing messages suggests UK consumers are engaging far more selectively with digital content – but converting at significantly higher rates when they do. This is part of a wider shift, also seen in retail me...
M&S to launch at London town centre; The Elephant
Rental operator Get Living has revealed its first confirmed retail brands at its £500 million new town centre at Elephant and Castle, The Elephant. Launching in late 2026, The Elephant will be among the largest new retail-led town centre openings in ...
Government must enforce social media fraud standards, says TPA
The government must act now to enforce anti-fraud standards on social media platforms, according to a trade body representing the payments sector. The Payments Association (TPA) has for some time now be calling for the burden for both tackling fraud ...
Databricks to invest over £600m to expand UK presence
San Francisco-based data and AI tech giant Databricks has announced plans to invest more than $850m (£644m) in the UK to support its expansion in the country. The investments, to be made over the next three years, will see Databricks quadruple its ph...
M&S boss Stuart Machin says leaders should not fully switch off on holiday
M&S chief executive Stuart Machin has said he is uncomfortable with the idea of senior leaders being completely “switched off” while on holiday, as he set out his expectations for hands-on leadership at the retailer. Speaking at the Business Leader S...
CI&T’s Melissa Minkow dissects retail technology report
Global technology firm CI&T has unveiled a new report which found UK consumers are “more than ready” for the AI era of retail. However, despite 61 per cent of shoppers having used AI to shop, over two thirds cannot name a “standout” AI-powered retail...
AI diagnostic startup raises £9m in Macmillan-backed round
A Cambridge-based startup using AI to support the cancer diagnostic process has raised £8.7m in a funding round that included Macmillan Cancer Support. Lucida Medical has developed an AI-powered diagnostic service that supports the efforts of clinici...
Very expands own-brand offer with launch of The Very Collection Home
Very has expanded its own-brand offer with the launch of The Very Collection Home. The online retailer said the new range will span furniture, soft furnishings and decorative accessories, alongside more trend-led statement pieces, and forms part of a...
Asda Living 2.0: Who are the biggest rivals to George’s concept stores?
Last April, Asda unveiled Leeds as the location of its first standalone George concept store. At the time of launch, the supermarket said the new trialled concept would replace its Asda Living brand portfolio across the UK if it was successful. Under...
As The Works axes its ecommerce arm, how can physical stores compete with online in 2026?
Discount giant The Works recently announced that it was shutting down its ecommerce operations to focus on its store-led growth. The move might seem surprising in 2026, but actually, as we’ll explore, it’s a decision grounded in sound logic for a bra...
UK cyber group joins PSG’s innovation accelerator
Nothreat, a UK-based cybersecurity startup, has been selected to join PSG Labs, an accelerator programme run by French football giant Paris Saint-Germain. Based in the iconic Parisian tech cluster Station F, PSG Labs was launched by the Ligue 1 champ...
Superdry CEO Julian Dunkerton on what makes his stores industry-leading
At Superdry’s immersive and multifaceted flagship at 360-366 Oxford Street, founder and CEO Julian Dunkerton is proving a broader point about physical retail. The store, positioned as “a new chapter on Oxford Street” and “a reimagined space, crafted ...
Retail & Consumer Goods now Europe’s most distressed sector, Weil Index shows — UK retailers under intensifying pressure
Retail and consumer goods businesses are now the most distressed sector in Europe, according to the latest Weil European Distress Index (WEDI) . Tracking around 3,700 listed European companies, and widely viewed in financial circles as a barometer fo...
Edikted makes European debut with London store
US fashion brand Edikted has opened its first standalone store in Europe. According to Shaftesbury Capital, the new flagship will be located at 52-55 Carnaby St. The new store spans 4,800 square feet and offers a range of street-style and runway insp...
UK ‘Venture Scientist’ fund secures £10m commitment
Empirical Ventures, a UK-based investment group that backs entrepreneurial scientists, has secured a £10m commitment from the British Business Bank. The investor has a stated mission of backing “Venture Scientists” in the UK, based on the idea that t...
YFM backs digital end-of-life platform
Aura Life, a digital end-of-life preparation platform has secured backing from YFM Equity Partners as looks to its next phase of growth. Founded in 2019 by Paul Jameson, David Jameson and Ben May, Aura Life was launched following the diagnosis of a m...
Selfridges pulls globe from sale after complaints over Israel labelling
Selfridges has removed a globe from sale after customers complained that the product appeared to omit Israel, while labelling Palestine in capital letters. The illuminated rotating globe had been on sale at the department store’s Oxford Street flagsh...
New Look to open largest concept store at Metrocentre as omnichannel push gathers pace
New Look will open its largest concept store at Metrocentre in a new 11,000 sq ft space, marking the latest step in the fashion retailer’s evolving omnichannel strategy. The new store will be located in Metrocentre’s Red Mall fashion hub and will bui...
University of Glasgow and Lloyds launch AI research programme
The University of Glasgow and Lloyds Banking Group have launched a new research partnership that will explore how AI can support software and data engineering. The partnership, which will take place over the next four years, will see the organisation...
Asda boss hits back at government over fuel pricing claims as petrol costs climb
Asda executive chairman Allan Leighton has pushed back against claims that petrol retailers are profiteering, as UK fuel prices climb to their highest level in almost two years. The comments come after the average price of unleaded rose above 150p a ...
AllSaints names former Zalando exec Nichole Strydom as chief merchant
AllSaints has appointed Nichole Strydom as its new chief merchant, with the fashion retailer confirming she will join the business on 5 May 2026. Strydom brings more than two decades of experience in global fashion and retail to the role. She joins f...
M&S makes US fashion store debut through Nordstrom tie-up
Marks & Spencer is making its US fashion in-store debut through a new partnership with Nordstrom, as it looks to build brand awareness and scale its international wholesale model. The launch begins today and will see a curated range of M&S womenswear...
GUEST COMMENT When speed becomes the standard, in-store media becomes essential
Toni Restrepo , VP of Retail Media Networks at In-Store Marketplace (ISM), reflects on how retail storedesign is now centred around urgency, rather than browsing, and its impact on purchasing decisions – and why retail media is essential in an era of...
Debenhams Group powers past guidance as marketplace pivot pays off
Debenhams Group has reported adjusted EBITDA of £53m for the year to 28 February 2026, comfortably ahead of previous guidance, as its turnaround strategy continued to gather momentum. The online retail group, formerly boohoo group plc, said the resul...
Argos sees 10x TikTok view uplift with Kurupt FM-led ‘Stockroom Rave’ campaign
Argos has reported a major spike in TikTok performance after launching a music-led social campaign built around a surprise “stockroom rave” concept. The retailer said three campaign assets created for TikTok generated more than 13 million views acros...
B&Q opens first ever standalone TradePoint store in Barking
B&Q has opened its first ever standalone TradePoint store in Barking, marking a significant expansion of its trade-focused offer beyond the dedicated counters and in-store areas currently housed within its wider estate. Located on Ripple Road, the ne...
Big retailers warn guaranteed hours reforms could put UK retail jobs at risk
More than half of retail roles could be affected by upcoming reforms to guaranteed working hours, with major retailers warning the changes risk making it harder to offer flexible part-time jobs across the sector. The British Retail Consortium (BRC), ...
JD Sports rolls out 2026 brand campaign across UK and Ireland
JD Sports has launched its 2026 main brand campaign across the UK and Ireland in partnership with Edison Media, marking the agency’s first full main brand brief for the retailer. The three-phase campaign went live on 23 March and combines national re...
Roger Federer and Clare Waight Keller break down their Uniqlo collection
Japanese lifestyle brand Uniqlo and tennis legend Roger Federer have launched a Spring/Summer collection, inspired by the tennis players style. The launch event was hosted yesterday (26 March) at the retailer’s newly revamped Covent Garden store . Th...
Commerce media ‘firmly in the growth phase’, finds SMG’s new Maturity Index
Commerce media is firmly in the growth phase, with 58% of networks operating at a mid-market level and 28% demonstrating mature capabilities. However, structural sophistication is still consolidating. So finds SMG ’s the newly launched Commerce Media...
Asda reports 3.3% drop in total sales
Asda has recorded sales of £21 billion for 2025 (excluding fuel), down 3.3 per cent on 2024. The retailer has published its trading update today (March 27) for the year ending 31 December 2025 which showed that its adjusted EBITDA (after rent) was £7...
UK tech funding roundup: This week’s deals from Granola to TiPJAR
This week’s UK tech funding deals include AI notetaker Granola, service charge collection and allocation platform TiPJAR and more. UKTN tracked £131.1m worth of UK tech investment this week (23 March to 27 March), a 144% week-on-week increase across ...
Footasylum signs 20-year deal for upsized Manchester Arndale store
Footasylum has signed a new 20-year lease on the ground floor of Exchange Court, with the enlarged space officially opening today, 27 March. The 18,000 sq ft new-look site is expected to create a raft of new jobs and offer what the business described...
Retailers will cut entry-level roles as minimum wage changes bite, RSM warns
Almost a third of UK retailers are planning to reduce entry-level roles as changes to the national minimum wage come into force, according to new research from RSM UK. The survey found that 29 per cent of retailers expect to cut the number of entry-l...
Firms under fire in CMA fake review crackdown
Five companies are under investigation as part of a crackdown on fake reviews from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Online vehicle retail platform Autotrader, review platform Feefo, funeral company Dignity, online takeaway service Just Ea...
UK retail sales dip in February as shoppers become more cautious and selective
UK retail sales volumes fell by 0.4% in February 2026, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics on 27 March. This followed a strong 2.0% rise in January. Despite the month‑on‑month dip, sales were up 0.7% in the three months t...
Jack & Jill founder: Management is not motivation
Matthew Wilson is co-founder and chief executive of Jack & Jill, an AI-powered recruitment firm that learns a persons skills and experience and match them to appropriate companies. In this week’s Founder in Five Q&A , Wilson discusses why aligning yo...
British Business Bank joins Dexory’s Series C round
The British Business Bank has joined the Series C round of warehouse intelligence and robotics group Dexory with an £8.5m investment. The firm, which develops fully autonomous warehouse products, announced a £123m Series C funding round in October la...
Digital ID remains divisive but supporters lead in new poll
More people in the UK support the introduction of digital IDs than oppose it, according to new polling published by a prominent think tank. According to a poll of more than 2,000 UK adults published by the Tony Blair Institute, 43% of respondents wer...
Sephora launches app in ChatGPT as it pilots AI-powered beauty shopping
Sephora has launched an app in ChatGPT as part of a new US pilot designed to bring personalised beauty advice, product discovery and, eventually, direct purchasing into the AI platform. The prestige beauty retailer said the new experience will allow ...
On co-founders to become co-CEOs as Martin Hoffmann steps down
On has unveiled a fresh leadership shake-up after confirming that chief executive Martin Hoffmann will step down from the top job on 1 May, with co-founders David Allemann and Caspar Coppetti taking over as co-CEOs. The development comes less than a ...
EU to fine online marketplaces over unsafe imports in customs crackdown
The European Union has agreed a major overhaul of its customs regime that will allow regulators to fine online platforms selling unsafe or illegal goods into the bloc, in a move that raises the pressure on cross-border ecommerce operators. Under the ...
ABF’s Hovis deal clears Great Britain hurdle but faces Northern Ireland concerns
Associated British Foods’ planned acquisition of Hovis has cleared a major hurdle after the Competition and Markets Authority provisionally found the deal would not harm competition in Great Britain, though it warned the transaction could raise conce...
Temu owner PDD misses estimates as China competition and global uncertainty weigh on growth
Temu owner PDD Holdings has missed quarterly revenue and profit estimates, warning that fierce competition in China and growing global uncertainty will continue to put pressure on its business. The ecommerce giant said that while Temu continued to de...
Industry leaders sound alarm as February retail sales lost momentum
Retailers are being warned to prepare for continued volatility after the latest Office for National Statistics figures showed sales volumes fell 0.4 per cent in February, with industry experts pointing to cautious consumers, wet weather and mounting ...
Superdrug and Savers appoint new supply chain director as AS Watson eyes next growth phase
AS Watson has promoted Mark Peaker to supply chain director for Superdrug and Savers as it looks to strengthen operations across both retailers and support their next phase of growth. Peaker has spent the past six years at Superdrug as head of commer...
THG returns to profit as Lookfantastic and Myprotein drive growth
THG has returned to profit after a strong second half performance helped drive revenue growth across both its beauty and nutrition divisions. The owner of Lookfantastic, Dermstore, Cult Beauty and Myprotein reported adjusted revenue of £1.72bn for th...
Jigsaw hit by fresh leadership blow as new retail director exits after just weeks
Jigsaw’s recently appointed retail director Lisa Butler has stepped down from the role just weeks after joining the business, saying the retailer was not the right fit for her to do her “best work”. Butler confirmed her departure in a LinkedIn post, ...
Next posts stellar year—but warns Middle East conflict could push up prices
Next’s full-year results for the year ending January 2026 confirm that the UK’s largest fashion retailer enjoyed an outstanding year. Next Group’s profit before tax rose 14.5% to £1,158 million. Full price sales increased by 10.9%, and total Group sa...
Ronaldo-backed health startup acquired by US giant
Bioniq, a London-based health startup backed by football star Cristiano Ronaldo, has agreed to be acquired by US wellness group Herbalife. Founded in 2019, Bioniq develops personalised health products and supplements. Its conscious product offering c...
M&S launches monthly capsule clothing collection
M&S has launched its new monthly capsule programme, The Love That Drop. Each capsule consists of a 20 to 35-piece clothing collection, including accessories and footwear. The capsules are “aligned with the latest catwalk looks and emerging style tren...
Startup tackling major investment blind spot raises £6m
Theia Insights, a software firm launched to address a major blind spot in financial market investments, has raised $8m (£6m). Named after the Greek goddess of sight, the Cambridge-based company was launched to resolve an oversight in the categorisati...
Record second half sees THG return to growth and strengthen FY26 guidance
THG delivered a strong FY25 performance that saw it return to growth after a shaky H1, with a record H2 and renewed momentum across its subscriptions‑led Beauty and Nutrition businesses. The group reported adjusted revenue of £1.72bn, an increase of ...
Service charge allocation platform TiPJAR raises £4.5m
TiPJAR, a software platform used to collect, allocate and distribute tips and service charges, has completed a £4.5m investment round. The London-based business offers an end-to-end digital solution for automating cashless tipping in a way it promise...
US quantum firm to pour millions into the UK
California-based quantum computing group Rigetti has announced plans to invest up to $100m (£75m) in the UK. Rigetti Computing, worth more than $4bn, said it intends to invest the funds to accelerate quantum development in the UK in the company’s fir...
Proptech platform Giraffe360 raises £7.5m
Giraffe360, a proptech firm that creates digital content for the listing and marketing of real estate assets, has raised $10m (£7.5m) in a Series B funding round. Based in London with offices in Manchester, Riga, Liepāja and Miami, Giraffe360 through...
AI pilots launched in Barnsley in blueprint for ‘Tech Towns’
New AI pilot programmes launched in Barnsley could serve as a blueprint for modern “Tech Towns” as the government aims to spread digital skills across the country. Last month the South Yorkshire town was named as the UK’s first Tech Town , a new desi...
Usdaw welcomes ‘landmark’ shop worker protection law as Crime and Policing Bill clears Lords
Usdaw has welcomed the passage of the Crime and Policing Bill through its third reading in the House of Lords, hailing the legislation as a landmark moment for the protection of shop workers. The bill includes a standalone offence for assaulting a sh...
Argos sparks consumer outrage over toddler ‘influencer kit’
Argos has come under fire after listing a wooden “influencer kit” for toddlers on its website, prompting criticism from parents and child development campaigners who say the toy risks normalising the pressures of online visibility from an early age. ...
BRC says UK consumer confidence ‘collapses’ as Middle East conflict fuels inflation fears
BRC says shoppers have turned sharply more pessimistic as rising energy costs threaten household finances and retail spending Consumer confidence in the UK has fallen sharply following the outbreak of war involving Iran, as rising energy prices and m...
Morrisons posts Q1 sales growth as it monitors impact of Middle East conflict
Morrisons has reported another quarter of growth after a stronger Christmas and continued investment in value helped drive sales higher in Q1. For the 13 weeks ended 25 January 2026, the Bradford-based grocer saw group like-for-like sales rise 2.8 pe...
Primark opens at Ashley Centre in Epsom following £7m refurbishment
Primark has opened at Ashley Centre in Epsom as the scheme’s new anchor tenant, following a £7m refurbishment of the shopping destination. The new 31,400 sq ft store spans two floors and is located next to JD Sports, close to other major retailers in...
Realistically, where is AI actually transforming the retail supply chain?
For years, the retail industry talked about AI as if it were mainly a forecasting upgrade. Perhaps a smarter dashboard here, a better replenishment model there, a more polished analytics layer sitting above the same old operational machinery. That ph...
AI notepad Granola secures unicorn status after Series C
Granola, a London-based AI-powered notepad startup has been valued at $1.5bn after securing a $125m (£93.4m) Series C investment. The company has grown rapidly since its launch in 2023 with its platform that allows users to turn conversational langua...
Scottish tech cluster to receive £20m public investment
The UK government has announced plans for a £20m capital injection in the Tay Cities Region in support of Scottish tech innovations. Announced on Wednesday by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the investment comes from the...
Riding the rocketship: creating a retail media mindset
Colin Lewis dives into his five principles for creating a “retail media mindset” for anyone working on the brand side or agency side, in a retail media network, or in AdTech. Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, was once asked by Sheryl Sandberg w...
AI investment due diligence platform raises £6m
Eunice, a company building due diligence infrastructure for regulated markets, has raised $8m (£6m) in a new funding round. The London-based group was founded off the back of the rise of alternative digital asset trading. Eunice aims to standardise t...
Coca-Cola Zero Caffeine Zero Sugar returns to shelves with new look aimed at evening occasions
Coca-Cola has relaunched Zero Caffeine Zero Sugar in Great Britain with a refreshed black and gold pack design as it looks to tap into evening consumption occasions and broaden the drink’s appeal among shoppers moderating their caffeine intake. The u...
Pressure piles on social media as fintechs demand fraud action
Pressure on social media to take a more active role in combatting fraud is growing as a new report from The Payments Association (TPA) demands action. The fintech industry has for some time been calling for social media platforms to accept their role...
OpenAI retreats from Instant Checkout – signalling a major reset in AI commerce
OpenAI has confirmed that it is retreating from Instant Checkout , just months after its official launch last October. In a statement accompanying new updates to ChatGPT designed to improve the buying and selling experience, the company said: “We’ve ...
Uber Eats and Starship expand robotic deliveries to new UK city
Uber Eats and Starship Technologies are expanding their robotic food delivery service after an initial launch in Leeds . The companies’ robotic food couriers came to the UK via the West Yorkshire city in December last year. Uber Eats and Starship sai...
M&S rolls out AI tools to 11,000 colleagues including all store managers
Marks & Spencer is equipping 11,000 colleagues with generative AI and agentic AI tools as it looks to double down on customer service and accelerate its wider digital transformation. The retailer has purchased 11,000 Microsoft 365 Copilot licences, w...
Government launches social media ban pilot scheme
The UK government is launching a series of pilot studies to test the impact of restricting young people’s access to social media as it considers a full ban. The pilots will include various measures that reduce the use of social media and screen time ...
In pictures: Fred Perry’s new flagship Soho store
Fred Perry has opened a new flagship store in London’s Soho, marking what the brand describes as a homecoming to one of the districts most closely tied to its history and cultural identity. Located on the corner of Lexington Street, the new space ope...
Estée Lauder and Puig in $40bn merger talks as both beauty giants battle market pressure
US cosmetics giant Estée Lauder is in talks over a merger with Puig, the Spanish company which owns major global brands including Rabanne, Charlotte Tilbury and Jean Paul Gaultier. The Guardian reports that the resulting company could be worth $40 bi...
O2 VP of brand & marketing talks Country 2 Country taking over the O2 arena
Country is having a moment right now. It’s everywhere, from the radio to fashion trends. Country 2 Country (C2C) is the biggest country music festival in Europe, playing in venues across the UK, including one of London’s most iconic venues- The O2 A...
H&M and Stella McCartney launch new board to keep sustainability in fashion spotlight
H&M and Stella McCartney have launched a new Insights Board bringing together figures from across fashion, culture and sustainability, as the retailer looks to keep the industry conversation around sustainability alive and push for more tangible acti...
Middle East conflict risks pushing UK food inflation above 8%, warns IGD
UK shoppers could face another sharp rise in grocery bills this year, with food inflation forecast to climb above 8 per cent by June 2026 in a worst-case scenario driven by disruption in the Middle East. New forecasts from IGD suggest prolonged insta...
N Brown promotes Dan Joy to CEO as Steve Johnson exits after 10 years
N Brown Group has promoted Dan Joy to chief executive as the business looks to accelerate the growth of its financial services arm. Joy succeeds Steve Johnson, who has left the business after a decade in the top role. Johnson had most recently served...
Inside Oxfam’s first-ever vintage shop in Manchester
Oxfam is set to open its first-ever dedicated vintage store in Manchester this week as the charity looks to raise funds for its poverty-fighting work and tap into growing demand for pre-loved fashion. The new concept, called Oxfam Vintage, will open ...
ASOS posts near 50% profit jump as turnaround gains momentum
ASOS has reported an almost 50 per cent increase in first-half underlying profitability as its turnaround strategy continued to gain traction across key markets. The online fashion retailer said adjusted EBITDA rose sharply in the period, while gross...
OpenAI pivots ChatGPT shopping strategy after Instant Checkout underwhelms
OpenAI is scaling back its ambitions to turn ChatGPT into a direct ecommerce checkout channel, instead repositioning the platform as a product discovery and comparison tool after weak uptake of its Instant Checkout feature. The AI company said it is ...
M&S, KitKat and Baylis and Harding break down their F1 collaborations
Formula One returned to our screens a couple of weeks ago with new regulations, new teams and new collaborations. The sport has seen huge amounts of growth in the past few years with its global fanbase reaching 827 million in 2025, according to Formu...
Kingfisher sees sales strengthen as digital innovation and trade growth accelerate
Kingfisher has reported a solid set of full‑year results for the year to 31 January 2026. The hardware retailer, which owns B&Q, Castorama and Screwfix, enjoyed steady sales growth, with a significant lift from its expanding digital and trade proposi...
Starling Bank appoints new chief risk officer
Starling Bank has appointed Keith Algie as its new group chief risk officer, subject to regulatory approval. Algie is set to replace Cyrille Salle De Chou, who has spent the last two years in the role scaling the company’s risk controls. The outgoing...
In conversation with: CFIT’s Anna Wallace
In 2021, the Kalifa Review was published as an examination of both the impressive growth of the burgeoning British fintech sector and an appeal to policymakers and the industry to keep the momentum growing. Back then UK fintech was an exciting and pr...
The Works’ ecommerce exit: a long time coming? Industry insight suggests yes
The Works’ decision last week to shut down its ecommerce operations was positioned as a decisive return to a store‑first strategy after years of underperforming online sales. With more than 90% of its sales coming from its 500+ stores and online rema...
I entered finance after working in a paint factory – Amelia Armour, Amadeus Capital
This week’s podcast guest is Amelia Armour, a partner at Amadeus Capital, who discusses the impact of having a female co-founder in the male dominated world of VC, what tech she is excited about for the future and how AI might help democratise entrep...
Breaching the customer engagement gap: how retail teams can finally break free to innovate
Pressure is ramping up on retail and ecommerce teams as the gap widens between consumer expectations and what retailers can actually deliver. Shoppers increasingly expect personal, seamless experiences at every touchpoint, but many brands are getting...
Carbon management platform Zevero raises £5m
Zevero, a carbon management platform that automates emissions data collection for clients, has raised $7m (£5.2m) funding round. Founded in 2021, Zevero has developed an AI platform to collect emissions data and build a reusable dataset that informs ...
Tech Secretary ups pressure on digital firms to tackle misogyny
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has handed digital platforms a deadline to implement serious measures to reduce online misogyny in a new open letter. The current Labour government has made tackling violence against women and girls a cornerstone elem...
FIFA World Cup 2026 to drive $10.5bn surge in ad spend, but retail media will be the real winner
The 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup will be the biggest in the tournament’s history, hosted across Canada, Mexico and the United States and featuring more matches than ever before. Yet, despite large audiences, rising rights fees and expanding sponsorship ...
Revolut reports profit surge weeks after securing bank status
Revolut, the fintech giant that this month at last secured its status as a regulated UK bank , has reported surging profits for the year ending December 2025. The company launched 10 years ago and in that time it has grown at lightning speed leaving ...
Beyond the discount: what Amazon Spring Deal Days signal for the future of retail media
Amazon’s Spring Deal Days , held in the UK this year between 10 and 16 March, have quickly evolved from a tactical promotional window into something far more consequential: a proving ground for the next phase of retail media. As the first major comme...
Frasers raises ASOS stake to 29.26%, edging closer to takeover threshold
Frasers Group has increased its interest in ASOS to 29.26 per cent, making it the online fashion retailer’s largest shareholder and bringing it closer to the threshold that would trigger a mandatory takeover offer under UK rules. A regulatory filing ...
Debenhams Group appoints Richard Vanoli as managing director
Debenhams Group has appointed Richard Vanoli as managing director of Debenhams, with the retailer saying the move will support the next phase of growth for the business. Vanoli, who most recently served as chief commercial officer of Debenhams Group,...
Estée Lauder and Puig confirm merger talks in potential $40bn beauty mega-deal
Estée Lauder and Puig have confirmed they are in talks over a potential business combination in a move that could create a beauty group worth more than $40bn. Estée Lauder said it is discussing a deal under which the two companies would “potentially ...
Kingfisher profit rises as B&Q and Screwfix cash in on Homebase fallout
Kingfisher has posted a rise in annual profit after strong performances from B&Q and Screwfix, with both chains benefiting from market share gains, digital growth and customer transference following the collapse of Homebase. The DIY giant, which owns...
UK shoppers embrace ‘investment wardrobes’ as flexible payments drive long-term value
UK shoppers are adopting a more measured approach to clothing purchases, weighing durability and long-term value ahead of impulse buys, according to research commissioned by Affirm. The study finds that around seven in 10 adults now take “cost-per-we...
UK freight industry urged to join new police survey to tackle rising organised crime
The British International Freight Association has urged companies across the logistics sector to take part in a national police survey designed to map the scale and effects of serious organised acquisitive crime on UK supply chains. The exercise is l...
Crocs ramps up UK retail expansion with two major store openings
Crocs is stepping up its UK retail presence with two major store openings, including a new outlet at Caledonia Park in Scotland and its first full-price store in the UK at Westfield Stratford City. The footwear brand has signed for a 1,754 sq ft outl...
BrewDog row reignites as James Watt blames new owner for wiping out small shareholders
James Watt has accused BrewDog’s new owner Tilray Brands of leaving thousands of small shareholders out of pocket, in the latest twist in the craft beer retailer’s increasingly bitter saga. The BrewDog founder said he was “really disappointed” that T...
Primark leans into value-fashion tension with ‘Shockingly Chic’ spring campaign
Primark has launched a new womenswear campaign, Shockingly Chic , as it looks to sharpen its fashion credentials, while reinforcing its longstanding value proposition. The spring campaign is built around clothing that appears more premium than shoppe...
Huel agrees to £870m takeover deal
British nutrition tech company Huel, known for its meal replacement kits, has agreed to be acquired by French food group Danone in a deal worth €1bn (£870m). Backed by celebrities including Idris Elba and Steven Bartlett, Huel was launched in 2015 by...
Pinterest launches shoppable streaming series as it looks to turn inspiration into retail spend
Pinterest has launched a new shoppable streaming series as it looks to deepen its role in the customer journey and give brands new ways to turn inspiration into purchases. The platform’s six-part series, Bring My Pinterest to Life , premiered on 23 M...
IKEA streamlines HQ as demand softens – but expansion rolls on
IKEA’s parent group, Ingka Group, confirmed last week that it plans to cut 800 roles as it streamlines its organisational structure, part of an overarching plan to reduce costs and speed up decision‑making. The cuts are expected to fall within corpor...
Palantir handed sensitive UK financial data in FCA deal
US tech firm Palantir has secured a contract with the UK’s financial regulator as part of a push to tackle fraud with AI. The Peter Thiel-founded organisation has worked closely with the UK government across several sectors including the NHS, law enf...
Air Street Capital’s new £175m fund to back ‘AI-first companies’
London-based Air Street Capital has raised a new £175m fund that will target “AI-first companies” across Europe and North America. The third fund raised by solo investor Nathan Benaich under Air Street Capital, it will target early-stage rounds with ...
No OpenAI trials have taken place since signing of UK MoU
A memorandum of understanding signed between the UK government and OpenAI has produced no trials in the seven months since its announcement, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed. Presented as a landmark agreement between one of the wor...
The role of CMO isn’t disappearing, but it is evolving
For years, headlines about the chief marketing officer have sounded alarmist. Average tenure remains shorter than most other C-suite roles. Some major companies periodically remove the position entirely. A growing number of organisations are choosing...
Ex-Google exec launches £43m AI venture fund
Mahir Sahin, a former senior Google employee who spent almost 20 years at the company, has launched a new €50m (£43.3m) venture fund targeting European deep tech that will be needed to “move beyond current AI limitations”. London-based Cloudberry Ven...
Inside Mango’s new King’s Road store as retailer brings ‘New Med’ concept to Chelsea
Mango has opened a new flagship-style womenswear store on London’s King’s Road as it doubles down on physical retail expansion in the UK and showcases its latest store concept. The new Chelsea location spans 5,920 sq ft and has created 17 jobs, marki...
M&S goes big on food with three new stores and 200 jobs in family-shop push
M&S is accelerating its food expansion drive with three new store openings over this week and next. The retailers is reportedly looking to double the size of the division and win a bigger share of the family weekly shop. The retailer has opened a new...
Kingfisher faces make-or-break moment as home improvement market wobbles
Easter is usually the moment Britain’s home improvement market kicks into gear. Longer days, milder weather and the first signs of spring tend to prompt households to start thinking about repainting walls, refreshing gardens and finally tackling thos...
Fortress prepares to offload Majestic Wine after seven-year turnaround
Fortress Investment Group is preparing to offload Majestic Wine nearly seven years after taking control of the business. Sky News reported that the private equity firm is in the early stages of planning a sale of the specialist wine retailer, with Ro...
UK tech funding roundup: This week’s deals from Edra to First Concepts
This week’s UK tech funding deals include workflow automation platform Edra, cancer diagnostics group Spotlight Pathology and more. UKTN tracked £53.69m worth of UK tech investment this week (16 March to 20 March), a 97% week-on-week decrease across ...
One year on from retail’s devastating cyber attacks, what’s changed?
It’s been twelve months since a wave of sophisticated cyber attacks shook the retail industry. In the space of a few chaotic weeks, ecommerce platforms were knocked offline, supply chains faltered, and retailers were forced to confront the uncomforta...
Spotlight Pathology secures new funding for AI cancer diagnostics
Spotlight Pathology, a spinout from the University of Manchester, has secured a new investment of £1.4m to accelerate the commercial rollout of its AI cancer diagnostics product. Spotlight Pathology is developing AI-powered tools for diagnosing blood...
The Works to abandon ecommerce as it refocuses on store‑first growth
The Works has announced an immediate shutdown of its ecommerce operations as part of a wider shift toward a streamlined, store‑led operating model, according to reporting by Retail Gazette. The decision marks a significant pivot for the value-focused...
Middle East escalation puts retail supply chains under severe pressure
Retail industry experts urge retailers to stress‑test contingency plans as lead‑time uncertainty grows. With tension ramping up in the Middle East, and the war showing no signs of ending, it’s increasingly inevitable that retail supply chains will be...
Metrocentre shopping centre to roll out new independent brands space
Metrocentre shopping centre is set to launch a new space for independent brands. The UK’s second largest shopping centre, which is based in Gateshead, will refurbish and reposition its “The Forum” section to create “The Crescent”. This will form a “n...
GeoSurge founder: Don’t wait for permission
Francisco Vigo is the co-founder and chief executive of GeoSurge, a London-based deep-tech AI company that tracks, improves and monitors how large language models represent businesses across markets. In this week’s Founder in Five Q&A , Vigo discusse...
Matalan launches spring campaign to strengthen womenswear offering
Matalan aims to strengthen its womenswear offering with a new spring campaign for its Spring/Summer collection. Titled ‘ Style for Every Moment ‘, it will roll out across TV, video-on-demand, social media and digital channels. This will run alongside...
SMEs shine as UK capital lending surges
Capital lending to UK businesses surged in 2025, driven primarily by small and medium-sized businesses, according to findings from UK Finance. In its latest Business Finance Review, the group found that UK high street banks increased gross business l...
LK Bennett deepens clearance sale to offload stock
LK Bennett has deepened its clearance sale as it seeks to shift its stock. The luxury womenswear specialist has extended its discounts across all products from its initial 40 per cent to “at least” 60 per cent, Drapers reported. The retailer’s closin...
Agentic healthcare platform Flexzo AI raises £9m
Flexzo AI, an agentic workforce system for healthcare providers has completed a $12m (£8.9m) Series A funding round led by Octopus Ventures. The hospital workforce management tool provider said the financing will support the rollout of its platform a...
Unilever confirms approach for foods division amid break-up speculation
Unilever has confirmed it has received an approach for its foods division, as speculation continues over a potential separation of the business. The FMCG giant said it is currently in discussions with McCormick & Company, Inc. following an inbound of...
Currys triples London HQ footprint as hybrid working strategy drives expansion
Currys has nearly tripled the size of its London headquarters at WeWork’s 10 York Road in Waterloo, as the retailer doubles down on its hybrid working model. The omnichannel electricals retailer will expand its space from 6,700 sq ft to 18,200 sq ft,...
The Works exits ecommerce to focus on store-led growth as profits outlook improves
The Works has shut down its ecommerce operations with immediate effect as it looks to simplify its business model and double down on its store-led strategy. The value retailer said it will transition to a non-transactional website, with the online ch...
Footasylum appoints former Gymshark executive Hannah Mercer as CEO
Footasylum has appointed former Gymshark executive Hannah Mercer as chief executive officer, as the retailer looks to accelerate its growth and international expansion. Mercer will take up the role from the start of May, bringing more than three deca...
UK risks ‘jobless generation’ as retail employment falls to record low
The UK retail sector could be at risk of creating a “jobless generation” after employment in the industry fell to its lowest level on record, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics. Retail employment averaged 2.81 million roles...
Consumer confidence slides as geopolitical tensions add pressure to UK retail
UK consumer confidence has fallen sharply in March, adding further strain to an already pressured retail sector as geopolitical uncertainty weighs on spending intentions. According to GlobalData’s latest UK Consumer Sentiment report, future consumer ...
Game closes final standalone stores as high street presence ends
Game will close its remaining standalone stores next month, bringing an end to its presence as a dedicated high street retailer after more than three decades. The video games retailer has confirmed that its final three stores, located in Dudley, Lanc...
Ikea owner Ingka to cut 800 roles as CEO says it has “grown too complex”
Ingka Group, the largest Ikea retailer, is set to cut around 800 roles as part of a wider move to simplify its organisation and sharpen its focus on core retail operations. The restructuring will primarily impact Group Functions and is designed to st...
Spar taps Mr Motivator for spring campaign to drive footfall and frequency
Spar has launched a UK-wide marketing campaign fronted by Mr Motivator as it looks to drive footfall, increase visit frequency and reinforce its role within local communities. The ‘ Fuel Your Spring ’ campaign, which went live today, centres on a mon...
John Lewis and LABRUM unveil second collaboration
John Lewis has unveiled its second collaboration with British menswear brand LABRUM. The new collection launched this week and combines John Lewis’ “commitment to quality” with LABRUM’s “narrative style”. It features Nomoli and Adinkra symbols, which...
AI use is outpacing AI skills
Since 2022, the use of AI in the workplace has been consistently climbing, with both businesses and politicians encouraging the establishment of an AI-enabled workforce. Though it is clear that AI is a part of many people’s daily professional routine...
Zopa Bank earnings soar in third year of profit
Pre-tax profits at the digital bank Zopa have surged to £65m in the London fintech’s third year of profitability. The bank reported a pre-tax profit of £65m for the financial year ended December 2025, almost double the previous year. The strong perfo...
OPINION: Five forces reshaping the checkout in Germany
Although its retail sector is known for stability and operational discipline , at the checkout in Germany, significant changes are underway, says Jean-Philippe Niedergang, acting group CEO / EMEA-PACIFIC-LATAM CEO, Castles Technology. Rising labour c...
AI has yet to hurt SME jobs despite massive adoption
The incorporation of AI by small businesses has yet to meaningfully impact the size of workforces, despite soaring adoption rates, new research suggests. According to research from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) in partnership with Atos, more...
Ex-Klarna executive joins Tide’s C-suite
Bernie Miles, a former executive at buy now pay later (BNPL) firm Klarna, has joined the C-suite of fintech group Tide. Miles joins the SME financial platform as its new chief data and technology officer where he will oversee the business’s push into...
Unilever weighs food business separation in major strategic pivot
Unilever is exploring a potential separation of its food division in a move that would mark one of the most significant strategic overhauls in its modern history. According to reports, the FMCG giant is in early-stage discussions with advisers about ...
Is Sainsbury’s ‘misleading the public’ with freshly baked marketing claims?
Sainsbury’s has reportedly confirmed that it no longer makes any bread from scratch in its in-store bakeries, as scrutiny grows over how supermarkets market “freshly baked” products. In a response to the Real Bread Campaign, a Sainsbury’s customer ca...
Northern tech sectors to receive billion-pound boost
The Chancellor has announced a £1.7bn investment package that will go towards scaling the tech and industrial strengths of various cities in northern England. Part of a larger previously announced £2.3bn industrial investment package, the new funding...
DFS nearly doubles profit despite footfall slump as wet weather hits retail
Furniture retailer DFS has almost doubled its half-year profit despite a slowdown in store footfall. The London-listed group reported a pre-tax profit of £30m for the first half, up from £16m in the same period last year, as revenue rose nine per cen...
Tesco invests £200m in pay as hourly rates rise by 5.1% to above £13
Hundreds of thousands of Tesco employees are set to receive a pay rise this month, as the UK’s largest supermarket ramps up investment in frontline staff amid intensifying competition across the grocery sector. From 29 March, hourly pay for store wor...
Partech investment fund secures £17m boost
Partech Partners has secured a €20m (£17.3m) commitment from the British Business Bank in support of its €300m (£260m) Impact Fund. Founded 40 years ago, Partech is a Paris-based technology investor that backs European impact firms addressing societa...
UK rolls back AI copyright plan in win for creatives
The UK government has rolled back previously announced plans to introduce a broad copyright exception with an opt-out option for the training of AI models on copyrighted materials. Announced in a new report published by the Tech Department on Wednesd...
The subscription economy in early 2026: from retention wars to modular monetisation
The subscription economy is entering one of its most transformative periods yet, as 2026 gets underway. Markets have matured, consumers are more selective, and the era of frictionless growth has given way to a more demanding landscape in which value,...
UK deepens ties with Ukraine space sector
The UK Space Agency has committed to working closely with its equivalent in Ukraine as the countries look to develop one of the most promising industries for the future. An agreement was signed between the UK Space Agency and the State Space Agency o...
SubscriptionsX 2026: The summit shaping the future of recurring revenue
As subscription commerce continues to mature, SubscriptionsX 2026 is set to return on 17 June 2026 at Convene, London , bringing fresh insight into one of retail’s fastest-evolving business models. The one‑day summit forms part of the RetailX Summer ...
AI real estate platform VerbaFlo raises £5m
VerbaFlo, a real estate platform that centres conversational AI in its service, has raised a $7m (£5.24m) seed round. Founded in 2024, VerbaFlo was built to incorporate AI into real estate, automating leasing, operations and providing a conversationa...
Boden widen entry into US market with opening of second store
Boden is set to open its second US store in Nashville, Tennessee this summer. The 1700 sq ft store, which is located at Hill Center Green Hills, represents “the next step” in Boden’s growing physical presence in the US, according to the British cloth...
Battersea Power Station director on why social influence is redefining retail destinations
Social media has transformed how we perceive and engage with the world around us, writes Battersea Power Station’s leasing director Harriett Renny. But how important is social media to landlords making brand decisions on the retail and leisure mix wi...
Moonpig forecasts profit growth and unveils £65m share buyback
Moonpig Group forecast profit growth for its full financial year, as it unveiled a new £65 million share buyback. In a trading update for April 2025 to the end of April 2026, the cards specialist said it expected to deliver its FY26 guidance of mid-s...
‘Offensive’ AI advert banned over nudification claims
An online advert for an AI video generation tool has been banned by UK regulators due to its use of nudification as a selling point. The advert, which appeared on YouTube promoting a service called PixVideo, has been deemed “irresponsible, offensive ...
Supplier performance exposed as GNFR’s golden quarter weak link
GNFR (or goods not for resale) rarely grabs the headlines. In fact, it’s woefully under discussed at leadership level, or among the retail industry at large, for that matter. Yet GNFR is the operational glue of retail. It covers the store consumables...
Harrods launches circular fashion initiative to tackle textile waste
Harrods has launched a new circular fashion initiative aimed at reducing textile waste and extending the lifecycle of clothing and materials across its operations. The luxury department store has partnered with charity retailer Traid to repurpose sur...
Kingfisher partners with Google Cloud to roll out AI-powered shopping across Europe
Kingfisher has struck a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud to deploy AI-powered shopping tools across its banners, as the DIY giant looks to position itself at the forefront of “agentic commerce”. The agreement will see the retailer roll out Go...
Virgin Startup launches new £20m funding pot
Virgin Startup has announced a new £20m funding pot for startups in the next financial year after hitting the £100m milestone for loans funding issued. Since becoming a national business support partner for the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans ...
Lululemon warns of softer 2026 outlook as demand slows and board tensions rise
Lululemon has forecast weaker-than-expected revenue and profit for 2026, as the athleisure giant grapples with slowing demand, rising costs and ongoing leadership uncertainty. The retailer expects full-year revenue to reach between £9.0 billion and £...
Scottish retailers face £54m rates burden compared to England
Medium and larger retailers in Scotland are set to pay £54 million more in business rates than their counterparts in England from 1 April, according to new figures revealed through a parliamentary question. The data shows that 2,296 Scottish retail p...
Beats partners with Nike to launch new campaign starring LeBron James
Beats has teamed up with sportswear brand Nike to launch a new campaign for its Powerbeats Pro 2- Nike Special edition. The campaign starred longtime brand ambassador LeBron James. Titled ‘ Keep Your Head in The Game ‘, the spot follows James as he s...
Sustainable farming push could avoid £150bn economic hit, report warns
A new report has warned that failing to scale up sustainable farming could cost the UK economy billions, as pressure mounts on government to support the transition across the food system. Research from cross-party think tank Demos, supported by McCai...
First Concepts secures £750k to boost its AI-native workspace
First Concepts, the AI-native workspace for early stage creative work, has raised £750k in pre-seed funding less than nine months after the startup was founded. The platform is built on three foundational pillars: a creative DNA taste engine that lea...
Jigsaw appoints Lisa Butler as retail director following Russell & Bromley collapse
British fashion retailer Jigsaw has appointed Lisa Butler as its new retail director, following her short-lived tenure at Russell & Bromley, which recently fell into administration. Butler joins the heritage brand after serving as global retail direc...
British Business Bank promises £50m for SuperSeed’s physical AI fund
The SuperSeed Fund III has secured a commitment of up to £50m from the British Business Bank to invest in B2B AI and SaaS startups. Fund III is focused on seed-stage companies building physical AI. This refers to artificial intelligence applied to ph...
HSBC launches £5bn AI and productivity initiative to support business growth
HSBC UK has launched a £5bn AI and productivity financing initiative to help UK businesses invest in essential, future-ready capabilities. UK mid-sized companies could generate an additional £105bn in revenue by 2030 if current AI adoption trends con...
Palmer’s opens retro diner pop-up in Westfield
Body care brand Palmer’s has unveiled its first-ever pop-up activation inside Westfield White City. The ‘Vanilla Dreams Diner’ pop-up will run from March 27 to March 29 and has been styled to look like a retro diner in shades of pastel purple and whi...
From NHS doctor to scaleup founder – Farzana Rahman, CEO, Hexarad
This week’s podcast guest is Dr Farzana Rahman, chief executive officer of Hexarad, who discusses her journey from medical doctor to startup founder, how companies like hers are tackling the high demand for medical treatments not being met by the NHS...
Retail Media X Europe 2026: Why retailers need to be in the room this May
Retail media is transforming the commercial landscape at breakneck speed. With European retail media spend projected to hit £25 billion by 2026, retailers can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines. On 14 May 2026 at Convene London, Retail Media X ...
Tesco expands in-store parcel locker offer under new trial
Tesco is expanding its in-store parcel locker offer under a new trial with delivery giant Evri . The supermarket has begun installing Evri-branded lockers throughout a small number of Extra and Superstore locations, under a broader locker hub trial t...
The UK takes a ‘Quantum Leap’
The potential for emerging technologies to deliver new jobs, public services which are fit for the future, and everyday improvements to all our lives is a defining opportunity. We can either be proactive, and build on the foundations now which will s...
Wickes reports sales growth, higher profits, and plans for 300 stores
Wickes has reported strong full-year 2025 results, achieving market-leading growth, higher profits, and a stronger balance sheet. The hardware retailer also announced an accelerated investment programme to expand to 300 stores nationwide. Group reven...
OPINION: Retail’s $210 billion paid advertising blind spot
Vlad Zhovtenko, CEO and co-founder of RedTrack explains why ecommerce retailers are losing visibility into paid advertising (and how to fix it) . There are big problems, and then there are $210 billion problems. Global ecommerce is dealing with the ...
‘Deception technology’ platform raises £15m in Accel-backed round
Tracebit, a London-based cyber startup specialising in threat detection for cloud businesses, has secured a £15m Series A round that will support its expansion in the US. Founded in 2023 by former employees of Tessian, Tracebit was launched to offer ...
Saks Global granted further £225m from bankruptcy financing package
Saks Global has secured access to an additional £225.4m of its £1.3m bankruptcy funding package, as its five-year business plan was approved by a group of the business’s senior secured bondholders. The move completes the retailer’s pre-emergence fina...
One in five shoppers witness abuse of retail staff
More than 14 million people across the UK have witnessed violence or abuse against retail workers in the past year, according to new data from the British Retail Consortium . The survey, conducted with Opinium, found that 21 per cent of the public ha...
Government to invest £2bn in quantum procurement programme
A new programme worth up to £2bn of government investment will strive to keep the UK at the forefront of quantum innovation, says technology secretary and chancellor Liz Kendall. The ProQure:Scaling UK Quantum Computing procurement programme will lau...
Wickes profits beat expectations as retailer eyes 300-store expansion
Wickes has reported full-year profit ahead of expectations and set out plans to accelerate store investment, as the home improvement retailer said it now has ambitions to grow to 300 stores nationwide. For the year to December 2025, the group posted ...
Highstreet administrations jump 41% in January as retail failures mount
Highstreet failures accelerated sharply at the start of the year, with new figures revealing a significant rise in companies falling into administration across the UK. Data from The Insolvency Service showed that the number of company administrations...
Visa launches ‘agentic ready’ programme to support AI-driven payments
Visa has launched a new programme aimed at preparing banks and merchants for the rise of AI-driven transactions, as agentic commerce moves closer to real-world deployment. The initiative, Visa Agentic Ready, is rolling out first across Europe, includ...
Shop theft shows signs of decline as retailers ramp up £313m crime spend
Convenience retailers may be reaching a long-awaited inflection point in the fight against retail crime, as new figures suggest incidents of shop theft and abuse are beginning to fall, albeit gradually. The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has...
Government to invest £45m in AI supercomputer
The UK government is investing £45m in a supercomputer based in the country’s first designated AI Growth Zone at the UK Atomic Energy Authority campus in Culham, Oxfordshire. Called Sunrise, the 1.4MW supercomputer was announced as part of the govern...
Beauty Pop-ups: How your brand can stand out from the crowd
Whether it’s a one-off store location (that’s usually open for a limited time), an immersive experience, a brand activation or a mobile tour, pop-ups are having their moment. Every retailer, brand and shopping destination seems to be putting together...
Theo Paphitis’ Boux Avenue and Ryman profits climb
Theo Paphitis Retail Group saw profit growth in Boux Avenue and Ryman, despite Robert Dyas experiencing a “more testing time”. Lingerie specialist Boux Avenue saw EBITDA improve to £6.4m to deliver a profit from March 2024 to March 2025. This followe...
Biotech building ‘molecular glues’ AI platform raises £3.6m
Ternary Therapeutics, a biotech startup building an AI platform to create a class of medicines known as “molecular glues”, has secured a £3.6m seed investment. The London-based business was founded in 2024 to develop a platform combining machine lear...
Lush calls out ‘racist narratives’ in new campaign with Migrants’ Rights Network
Lush has partnered with the Migrants’ Rights Network to launch a nationwide public awareness and fundraising campaign aimed at highlighting the “growing use of racist narratives”. The campaign, which will run from 16 to 30 March, will feature in the ...
Trump urges UK to secure Strait of Hormuz shipping lane
Donald Trump has urged allies including the UK to deploy ships to the Strait of Hormuz as attacks on vessels raise concerns over global energy supplies. Over the weekend, the US president called for a multinational naval presence in the region to kee...
Faculty founder named Accenture CTO after acquisition
Faculty AI co-founder and chief executive Dr Marc Warner is set to become the chief technology officer of consulting giant Accenture following the completion of its acquisition of the AI firm. Founded in 2014, Faculty offers AI strategy, safety, desi...
Co-op upgrades in-store comms tech across UK estate
Co-op has unveiled a new five-year partnership with a retail communications specialist which will see advanced headsets deployed to more than 2,300 stores nationwide. Following a pilot across 114 stores, full rollout of the headsets began in February...
Maven invests £15m in law enforcement software group
Chorus Intelligence, a provider of investigative software for law enforcement, has secured a £15m investment from Maven Capital Partners. The investment, which came from Maven’s UK Regional Buyout Fund II, will support the development of the Chorus I...
Aldi ends ‘just walk out’ checkout-free store experiment
Aldi has scrapped its checkout-free trial store in London, bringing an end to its experiment with “just walk out” shopping technology. The retailer confirmed that its Shop & Go trial at its Greenwich High Road location has now concluded, with the sto...
Tech firms thrive outside of London, data reveals
The vast majority of UK tech firms are based outside of London, according to new data that reveals the overlooked impact of businesses beyond the capital. New data from Beauhurst commissioned by Startup Coalition and UK Tech Week found that as many a...
OPINION: Securing your base in a volatile market: how retention data drives acquisition and growth
Charles Rosenblatt, CEO of Butter Payments, explores how machine learning (ML) and retention data can help optimise every stage of the customer journey to maximise value while keeping customers pleased. When customers rein in their spending or experi...
French jewellery entrepreneur Julien Jarjoura explores last-ditch rescue for Claire’s UK
French jewellery entrepreneur Julien Jarjoura is reportedly exploring a rescue deal for the UK arm of Claire’s after the business fell into administration for the second time in less than a year. Jarjoura is understood to be in discussions with the r...
Currys digital & omnichannel director on why you “can’t fudge” seamless customer journeys
There’s a tendency in retail to declare each new wave of transformation as the one that finally ‘changes everything’. Multichannel did it. Then omnichannel. Then unified commerce. Now AI. In their own way, each new development does indeed augment the...
Government launches £1bn youth jobs scheme as retailers face employment pressures
The UK government is set to introduce a new funding scheme aimed at tackling youth unemployment. The scheme aims to encourage businesses to hire more young workers, a move that could offer some support to sectors such as retail that have historically...
Chocolate-scented Magnum activation sparks commuter backlash on London tube
A new “multi-sensory” advertising campaign for Magnum is turning heads (and stomachs) after pumping the smell of chocolate into a busy London commuter tunnel. The campaign, installed last week in the walkway linking St Pancras railway station and Kin...
JD.com launches UK retail platform Joybuy to challenge Amazon
Chinese ecommerce giant JD.com is launching a new online retail platform in the UK as it ramps up competition with major players, including Amazon . The company will debut its UK marketplace, Joybuy , offering a broad range of products including tech...
Sephora expands UK footprint with first Scotland stores
Global beauty giant Sephora is set to open its first stores in Scotland this summer, marking a significant step in its UK expansion. The retailer will launch new outlets at St James Quarter in Edinburgh and Silverburn Shopping Centre in Glasgow, arou...
The Fragrance Foundation’s Central London hub launches next week
The Fragrance Foundation UK has unveiled its first-ever Central London Fragrance Hub, which will be open during National Fragrance Week from 18 to 19 March. The hub , which brings together brands, retailers and creators from across the perfume space,...
UK tech funding roundup: This week’s deals from Nscale to Combat Medical
This week’s UK tech funding deals include AI hyperscaler Nscale, crop gene editing group Tropic and more. UKTN tracked £1.64bn worth of UK tech investment this week (9 March to 13 March), a 1,553% week-on-week increase, driven heavily by the enormous...
Zebra Technologies: How retailers can implement hyper-personalisation in store?
Many retailers have started trying to copy the online experience in-store. Online consumers can receive recommendations tailored to them based on their past browsing and shopping habits. In-store, typically, customers don’t receive that level of serv...
Norwich gene editing group scores £80m round
Tropic, a Norwich-based agtech specialising in gene-edited tropical crops, has secured a $105m (£79.2m) Series C funding round. The company, which uses a proprietary platform to develop improved crops that are resistant to disease with higher yields,...
UK brands risk billions as one-third of customers switch due to a poor digital retail experience
New research has revealed a fundamental mismatch between what UK consumers expect from the digital retail experience and what retailers are actually delivering – and it could be costing retailers millions. The study commissioned by MSQ DX – The Perce...
How digital asset management helps retailers scale up and attract customers
Too many retailers rely on outdated tools to manage their content, which stifles growth and turns off customers, says Roxanne Lewington, growth marketing manager at Canto . First, a question. How does your business manage its digital content? By this...
PayCaptain founder: Overconfidence is the enemy
Simon Bocca is the founder of PayCaptain, a payroll solutions that allows for the flexible management of salaries. In this week’s Founder in Five Q&A , Bocca discusses how he ditched overconfidence in favour of diligent and forensic implementation, t...
UK economy stalls in January as restaurant spending drops sharply
The UK economy unexpectedly failed to grow in January, with a sharp fall in spending at restaurants and cafés highlighting continued pressure on consumer demand. According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), gross domestic produ...
Flat February for retail sales in Scotland, says SRC
According to recent data from the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), total sales in Scotland were flat at 0.0 per cent when compared with February 2025, when they had decreased by 0.4 per cent . When adjusted for inflation, there was a decrease year-...
Tech firms handed major UK contract for electoral reform
The UK government has handed a contract worth £63m to tech firms Atos and Softwire to deliver digital development services for the electoral system. The seven-year contract will see the tech firms work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Lo...
Researchers call for tougher scrutiny on AI-powered products
A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge have called for tighter regulations to be placed on toys fitted with AI capabilities, following a study of how children play with them. The research team examined how the interactions of a small ...
The challenges of marketing to ever-changing consumer needs
The need to focus on brand, the dominance of big tech in online marketplaces and consumers demanding more in an AI-driven era are just a few challenges facing One Retail Group. Giulio Beltramo, the company’s head of marketing, is acutely aware of how...
Pets at Home invests £3m in four new UK locations as it expands veterinary and retail network
Pets at Home is investing more than £3m to open four new locations across the UK this month as it continues expanding its veterinary and petcare retail network. The retailer will add more than 20,000 sq ft of new space through openings in Giltbrook (...
Footasylum secures £60m funding boost to accelerate store expansion
Footasylum is accelerating its UK expansion plans after extending its revolving credit facility with HSBC UK from £35m to £60m. The increased funding will support the next phase of Footasylum’s store rollout programme, with new locations planned in L...
Temporary shock or wider downturn? Middle East energy crisis raises fresh cost pressures for UK retailers
Rising oil prices triggered by the conflict in the Middle East are raising concerns about a fresh wave of economic pressure for UK retailers, with economists warning that a prolonged disruption to global energy supplies could push the UK economy towa...
Amazon reviews AI processes after website outages disrupt shoppers
Amazon is reviewing how its engineers deploy AI-assisted tools after a series of outages disrupted its retail website, reportedly locking customers out of checkout and key account features. According to reports, the retailer experienced four ‘high-se...
Estée Lauder sues Jo Malone over Zara fragrance collaboration
Estée Lauder Companies is taking legal action against British perfumer Jo Malone after she used her name in a fragrance collaboration with fashion retailer Zara . The US beauty group, which owns the luxury fragrance brand Jo Malone London , claims Ma...
The UK’s online retail sector defies rain and global instability to deliver a stable February at £9.25bn
The UK’s online retail sector defied endless rain and geopolitical instability to deliver a stable February, with shoppers spending £9.25 billion – up 3.3% year-on-year, according to Adobe Digital Insights data. And, despite ongoing tensions in the M...
Data regulator issues stark child safety warning to tech firms
The UK’s data regulator has demanded tech platforms hosting social media and video sharing content act immediately to strengthen age assurance measures in the name of child safety. In an open letter to applicable firms, the Information Commissioner’s...
Too Good To Go’s MD on structured surplus, viral recipes and reducing household food waste
A new behavioural trend emerging in UK households could have implications far beyond the dinner table. Research from surplus food marketplace Too Good To Go suggests many consumers are experiencing what it describes as “dinner decision fatigue”, a se...
The US govt has labelled Anthropic a ‘supply chain risk’. Could this lawsuit reshape how retailers treat AI suppliers?
Retailers have spent the past five years building resilience into their supply chains after shocks ranging from Brexit to Covid-19 and geopolitical conflict. But now, according to the latest news, a new risk could be emerging – AI services in the sup...
Toolstation partners with British Heart Foundation for staff CPR training
Toolstation has joined forces with British Heart Foundation (BHF) to train all 5,000 of its staff in CPR. The partnership will see the DIY retailer commit to training its workers to do CPR via BHF’s RevivR tool before the end of the year and raise fu...
Footasylum opens new Glasgow store
Footwear brand Footasylum has opened a new store in Glasgow today (12 March). The new 10,305 sq ft store will be located in the Silverburn shopping centre and will create 29 new jobs for the area. According to the business , the opening “strengthens ...
Health tech group Combat Medical raises £2.6m
Medical device manufacturer Combat Medical has raised £2.6m in the first close of its Series A funding round. Combat Medical develops devices to optimise the delivery of cancer therapeutics and is currently working on a hyperthermic intravesical chem...
John Lewis Partnership reports sales growth and rising profits, rewarding partners with 2% bonus
The John Lewis Partnership has reported another year of growth . Sales, profits and customer satisfaction have all improved as the business continues its multi‑year transformation plan. In unaudited results for the 53 weeks to 31 January 2026, the Pa...
Science or subservience?
We have sleepwalked in an age where the scientific method is being dragged into the culture war. It is increasingly treated not as a rigorous process of discovery, but as a badge of political allegiance. Certainty is rewarded, nuance is dismissed as ...
AI conflict simulation firm Hadean secures bridge round
Hadean, a London-based defence startup that uses AI to simulate conflict scenarios, has secured a bridge round as it works towards its Series B. Founded in 2017, Hadean through a combination of spatial computing and AI creates simulations for defence...
Government programme launches to support women joining tech
The UK government has launched a programme to support women and girls in entering the male-dominated tech industry. It has been a well-established truth for years now that the tech industry has a serious diversity problem, with efforts to improve the...
Rising costs putting young jobseekers at risk of missing out on retail roles, MPs warned
Retailers and other UK businesses are becoming less likely to hire young workers as rising employment costs force employers to prioritise more experienced candidates, business groups have warned MPs. Industry bodies told parliament that higher labour...
Zalando reports strong 2025 growth as AI strategy drives performance
Zalando has reported strong financial results for 2025, with double-digit growth across revenue, gross merchandise value, and profit as the retailer accelerates its AI-driven strategy. The Berlin-based fashion platform recorded group revenue of €12.3...
Amazon expands AI-powered Shop Direct programme with new merchant product feeds
Amazon is expanding its AI-powered Shop Direct shopping experience by introducing third-party product feeds, allowing retailers and brands to surface their products to Amazon customers, even if they are not sold directly on its marketplace. The updat...
Zara founder Amancio Ortega to receive record €3.23bn dividend from Inditex
The billionaire founder of Zara, Amancio Ortega , is set to receive a record €3.23 billion dividend from fashion giant Inditex this year after the group reported strong trading performance. The payout surpasses the €3.1 billion dividend Ortega receiv...
An exclusive look inside M&S viral new campaign, with marketing director Sharry Cramond
On Tuesday morning (10 March), M&S’s CEO Stuart Machin named Gillian Anderson as its first chief compliments officer, as part of the next phase of its ‘Love That’ concept. The announcement was posted onto Linkedin in the form of a recorded Teams vide...
John Lewis Partnership restores staff bonus as profits rise
The John Lewis Partnership has reinstated its staff bonus for the first time since 2022 after reporting improved profits and cash generation for the year ending 31 January 2026. The employee-owned retailer, which operates John Lewis department stores...
In Pictures: Hackett’s SS26 campaign
Menswear fashion brand Hackett has unveiled a new campaign, which celebrates “a man shaped not by one achievement, but by the experiences that made him who he is”. It stars model David Gandy. Titled ‘The Journey of Man’, the marketing drive explores ...
Fortnum & Mason named official hospitality partner of The Boat Race
Luxury department store Fortnum & Mason has been named as an official hospitality partner of The Chanel J12 Boat Race 2026. As part of the collaboration, the retailer will provide dining experiences to hospitality guests at the race. It will also sup...
Revolut at last launches as an authorised UK bank
After a lengthy period of delays and regulatory scrutiny, Revolut, Britain’s most valuable fintech, has officially launched as a UK bank. Revolut announced on Wednesday that it has received approval from the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to e...
Cambridge to house world-leading IonQ quantum computer
The University of Cambridge will house what it has described as the “UK’s most powerful quantum computer” as part of a new partnership with US company IonQ. The agreement, which represents the largest-ever corporate research partnership for the unive...
Microsoft supports Anthropic lawsuit over Pentagon supply chain blacklist
Microsoft has backed a legal challenge by AI startup Anthropic against a decision by the United States Department of Defense to classify the firm as a supply-chain risk. In a filing submitted to a federal court in San Francisco, according to Reuters,...
If AI finds the product, what makes customers stay?
AI is shaping how products are evaluated, and increasingly, how they are purchased, writes Frances Dennis, chief marketing officer at Brandwidth. Agentic search is accelerating, commerce protocols are evolving and advertising inside conversational in...
UK publishing body unveils first AI licensing initiative
Publishers’ Licensing Services (PLS), a non-profit industry body representing the publishing industry, has launched an sector-led collective licensing initiative designed to ensure AI’s use of published works is done legally and fairly. The first sta...
Your strategy needs a strategy: how can retail media network leadership plan in a chaotic world?
When change is so rapid today, with each week radically different from the next, how can a one-year – or, worse, three-year – planning cycle be relevant? Good news, says Colin Lewis: there is a way. Many retail media network bosses are facing a chall...
Revolut investor backs AI cross-border merchant startup
Outpost, a startup using AI to support the international expansion of merchant trading, has secured a $17.5m (£13m) Series A investment led by Revolut backer Ribbit. Founded by a former Revolut employee, Outpost was launched to support retailers amid...
Retail media at a turning point: growth, agents, and the new rules of 2026
A lot has happened in the world of retail media over the past year. AI and agentic commerce is, of course, the centre of a lot of conversations – but it’s not the only transformational shift that’s been taking place. Marketplace-driven growth, produc...
Aquis and Eagle Labs launch UK ‘IPO academy’
The Aquis Stock Exchange, a challenger investment market based in London, has launched an IPO academy in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs, an arm of the banking giant focused on incubating startups and scaleups. The Aquis IPO Academy will serve a...
HFSS ad ban set to affect just 1% of UK food advertising spend
New UK restrictions on the advertising of unhealthy food could ultimately affect as little as 1 per cent of total industry ad spend once brands adapt their marketing strategies, according to new analysis. Research from innovation foundation Nesta sug...
Superdrug spotlights viral products in new store initiative
Health and Beauty retailer Superdrug has unveiled a new in-store initiative that aims to showcase the latest trending and viral beauty products. The ‘Next Big Thing’ has been launched in 40 stores and is set to expand to 122 locations nationwide by t...
Mother’s Day spending set to hit £18bn as premium gifting drives growth
UK retail spending for Mother’s Day is forecast to reach £18bn in 2026, as shoppers increasingly opt for premium food, drink and personalised gifts to mark the occasion. New research from shopper marketing agency Savvy Marketing suggests spending wil...
The Range, Wilko and Homebase owner taps AI forecasting platform to transform supply chain
The owner of The Range , Wilko and Homebase is turning to artificial intelligence to manage the growing complexity of its retail empire. CDS Superstores has selected RELEX Solutions to roll out AI-driven forecasting and replenishment across its store...
Primark raises hourly pay for more than 27,000 retail workers across GB
Primark has announced it will increase hourly pay for its retail colleagues across Great Britain, with more than 27,000 workers set to benefit from the change. From April 1, the retailer will raise the average hourly pay rate for retail assistants to...
Aldi to create more than 1,100 store roles as part of £370m expansion
Aldi is set to create more than 1,100 new store roles this year as it invests over £370m in the opening of 40 new shops across the UK. The retailer said the new jobs will include a mix of full-time and part-time positions, spanning store assistants, ...
Oatly’s head of food and drinks experience on turning taste, culture and conviction into a strong brand story
Few brands in the dairy alternatives category have shaped the conversation quite like Oatly. Founded in 1994 in Sweden, the oat drink pioneer has grown from a niche plant-based disruptor into a globally recognisable brand synonymous with dairy altern...
UK inches towards digital ID rollout with consultation
The government is accepting public views on how the incoming digital IDs can be used to access public services. In a new national consultation, the government will be seeking views on how digital identification could be used in areas ranging from man...
Hugo Boss profits climb amid turnaround attempt
Hugo Boss saw profits rise in its latest full year results amid its turnaround effort. The retailer’s EBIT was up 8 per cent to £337.9m over the year, as it shot up 22 per cent over the fourth quarter. Currency-adjusted sales increased 2 per cent dur...
In conversation with: Sunsave’s Alick Dru
Between soaring energy costs, made all the worse by constant geopolitical escalations, and the constant looming threat of a climate disaster, it has become generally accepted that renewable power must become the standard. But despite vocal intentions...
OpenAI pulls back from in-chat shopping as ecommerce reality bites
OpenAI has scaled back its plans to turn ChatGPT into a fully integrated shopping destination, marking a significant shift in its ambitions to reshape online commerce. The AI giant had previously launched an ‘Instant Checkout’ feature that allowed us...
What I learned failing to make small talk at the school gates – Beckie Taylor, Tech Returners
Beckie Taylor, co-founder of Tech Returners, discusses her long career in HR and how the buzzword of diversity has changed to questions about the impact of AI, how she found the journey from becoming a mum back into the workplace, and why CVs might n...
Middle East conflict knocks fragile consumer confidence as online retail growth stays muted
The war in the Middle East has dealt a heavy blow to the fragile return of consumer confidence seen in January , according to new data from Barclays. Confidence in the UK, European, US and global economies fell in early March, reversing what had look...
Expanded open banking could add £43bn to UK economy
A fully “unlocked” open banking regime could add £43bn a year to the British economy, according to new analysis from EY. Commissioned by Open Banking Limited, the analysis found that so far, the introduction of open banking into UK finance has alread...
Retail media ‘malvertising’ risk rises as advertising infrastructure becomes a cyber battleground
The digital advertising ecosystem is increasingly being treated as part of the cybersecurity landscape rather than simply a commercial infrastructure, according to a new industry report that warns malicious advertising activity is becoming more organ...
B&Q launches paint recycling trial in bid to tackle UK’s 34 million litre waste problem
B&Q has launched a new paint recycling trial across several UK stores as part of an industry-wide initiative aimed at tackling the country’s growing decorative paint waste problem. The retailer has joined the PaintCare programme, an initiative develo...
Mobile basket abandonment surges past 85% as retailers shift recovery tactics beyond email and SMS
For online retailers, there are few things more frustrating than an abandoned shopping cart – but despite improvements in technology making mobiles faster and more efficient than ever before, the number of customers abandoning their shopping baskets ...
Tandem Bank names finance veteran as new chair
Digital bank Tandem has appointed industry veteran Stephen Jones as its new chair, as it looks to secure future growth. Currently serving as the executive chair of investment banking at Panmure Liberum, Jones has spent decades in leadership roles in ...
Why Chrome’s HTTPS-first policy matters for retail media
Google Chrome’s move, announced in October last year , to make secure connections the default for web browsing might sound like a technical browser update, but it carries broader implications for the digital advertising ecosystem. From April this yea...
Pressure on tech firms grows amid government safety crackdown
The British government is increasing the pressure on tech companies to implement safety measures to protect women and girls. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall issued a warning to digital platforms reiterating the government’s position that tech compan...
Waitrose deploys AI route optimisation to improve delivery efficiency
Waitrose has partnered with AI specialist Satalia to optimise its home delivery network, improving delivery slot availability while cutting delivery mileage across its fleet. The retailer has implemented Satalia’s AI-powered route optimisation platfo...
Target, Sephora and Wayfair among retail brands dominating early ChatGPT ad trials
Retail and grocery brands are dominating early advertising activity on ChatGPT, according to new data from app analytics firm Sensor Tower. As OpenAI enters the fourth week of trialling ads on its flagship chatbot, retail and grocery promotions accou...
Merseyside Police partners with Retail Trust to tackle abuse against shop workers
Merseyside Police has become the first police force in the UK to partner with charity Retail Trust to tackle escalating levels of abuse, violence and intimidation against shop workers. The initiative will see retail staff across Liverpool city centre...
Retail among UK’s ‘riskiest’ industries to work in as accidents rise
Retail has been named one of the riskiest industries to work in the UK, according to a new workplace risk index analysing accident rates, enforcement action and employee wellbeing. The study from iHasco found that retail and construction jointly rank...
Coca-Cola unveils “bold” new track for football World Cup 2026
The Coca-Cola Company has unveiled a new anthem for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The song, which is performed by singer J Balvin, singer-songwriter Amber Mark, guitarist Steve Vai and drummer and producer Travis Barker, is a reimagining of Van Halen’s 19...
Guinness spotlights Premier League fans in new campaign
As part of its Premier League sponsorship, Guinness has unveiled a new campaign for Guinness Foreign Extra Stout. The marketing drive aims to put “real” Premier League fans at the heart of the story and strengthen brand recognition of Guinness as the...
AI is rewriting the rules of ecommerce discovery, but that hinges on trust
Retailers have spent years refining the digital shopping journey, optimising search, polishing product pages and investing heavily in performance marketing to capture consumer attention at the point of intent. But increasingly, that intent is being s...
Tech platforms avoid scrutiny in new fraud strategy
The UK’s new National Fraud Strategy launched on Monday offering a three pillar approach to tackle what has become the most common crime in the country. The strategy, launched by Minister of State Lord Hanson, explains how the UK plans to disrupt the...
Premium heat‑and‑eat is just getting warmed up
Premium convenience food is on a strong upward trajectory, with heat-and-eat expected to grow steadily during 2026, according to British bake brand The Original Baker. The company expects 2026 trends to include expanded offerings across all meal occa...
London-based AI hyperscaler raises billions in massive Series C
Nscale, a rapidly growing large-scale cloud provider specialising in AI data centres, has raised $2bn (£1.5bn) in a Series C funding round. Founded in 2023, Nscale has surged intensely, landing itself with a $14.6bn valuation less than three years af...
In pictures: House of Fraser rebrands to Frasers and launches Cat Deeley edit
House of Fraser has rebranded to Frasers and launched a spring edit with television presenter Cat Deeley. As part of its rebrand, the retail giant has teamed up with Deeley to be the face of its 2026 spring campaign, which marks the brand’s first col...
Lily Collins stars in her first Zalando campaign
Online shopping platform Zalando has unveiled its new summer campaign featuring Emily in Paris star Lily Collins, celebrating Europe’s “diverse fashion” during the warmer months. Devised by creative agency W+K Amsterdam, the marketing drive is part o...
Britain faces a trillion-dollar tech challenge
Recently techUK and TheCityUK co-hosted a summit on a crucial issue – how UK-based tech firms can expand their access to capital markets. Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby emphasised the importance of tech firms choosing not just to start...
Saks Global to axe 15 more shops amid restructuring
Saks Global is reportedly set to close 15 more stores as part of its restructuring. The luxury department store retailer announced on 6 March that it would be shutting 12 Saks Fifth Avenue shops as well as three Neiman Marcus stores. The news comes a...
British ‘sovereign AI platform’ raises £11m
Augur, a defence-focused AI startup has secured a $15m (£11.2m) investment round. The Augur platform was created in 2024 to meet the evolving threats of the modern geopolitical landscape, with its founders identifying that legacy camera and sensor sy...
Manufacturing startup Isembard raises £37m
Isembard, a British manufacturing startup the builds components for aerospace, defence and robotics, has raised a $50m (£37.5m) Series A round. The manufacturing group’s hefty new funding round comes less than a year after it raised $9m (£6.7m) for i...
John Lewis bets on AI-powered shopping and TikTok Shop in £800m investment
John Lewis today announced that it is accelerating its digital transformation with a major investment in AI-powered shopping and social commerce, as the retailer looks to position itself at the forefront of the next wave of omnichannel retail. The de...
BCC warns ending low-value import tax break could push up prices
Ending the UK’s tariff exemption on low-value imports could drive up prices for consumers and create new pressures for small businesses, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has warned, as it urged the government to take a phased approach to scrapp...
John Lewis partners face anxious wait over first bonus since 2022
John Lewis Partnership staff are set to discover this week whether they will receive their first annual bonus since 2022, as the employee-owned retail group prepares to unveil its full-year results on Thursday. The business, which operates the John L...
6 retailers celebrating International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day (IWD) is around the corner (8 March), and a host of retailers are launching campaigns to celebrate the occasion. It comes after the latest MBS Group and BRC report on tracking progress on diversity and inclusion in UK retail...
Aldi expands long-term supply deals with British growers
Aldi UK is increasing the number of long-term supply agreements with British produce and horticulture suppliers as it looks to strengthen domestic sourcing and provide greater certainty for growers. The UK’s fourth-largest supermarket has committed t...
Beauty Bay rescued in pre-pack sale to international investor
The future of Beauty Bay has been secured after the business was sold to an international investment group through a pre-pack administration. Administrators from Interpath completed the sale of the Manchester-based online beauty retailer and its asse...
Retail Technology Show preview: River Island on unified journeys, modern stores and the next wave of AI
There’s no doubt that retail is at a pivotal point, battered by headwinds from all directions – rising costs, new legislation, disappearing footfall, and rapidly changing markets, to name but a few. Many retailers are looking to technology to provide...
UK tech funding roundup: This week’s deals from Oxa to Mutable Tactics
This week’s UK tech funding deals include autonomous vehicle company Oxa, biomaterials group Shellworks and more. UKTN tracked £99.37m worth of UK tech investment this week (2 March to 6 March), a 91% week-on-week decrease across five funding rounds....
Matalan secures further £25m funding as store revamp programme delivers results
Matalan has secured a commitment for a further £25m in funding from its core investor group as the business looks to accelerate investment across stores, product and digital. The funding, provided by investors Invesco, Tresidor, Man Group and Napier ...
Cloud firms call for rapid competition regulation
The majority of cloud providers support regulatory intervention in the UK industry, according to research conducted by industry advocacy group the Open Cloud Coalition. The research comes as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) prepares to dec...
Paul Smith losses widen as sales stumble
Fashion brand Paul Smith saw losses widen in its annual results as its sales declined over the period. The company pulled in a pre-tax loss of £16.7m from June 2024 to the end of June 2025, rising from its £5.4m loss the year before. The retailer att...
Strait of Hormuz disruption to threaten fertiliser supplies and food prices
Disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is raising concerns about global fertiliser supply and the potential for higher food prices, after tensions in the Middle East halted much of the traffic through the key waterway. It is understood t...
Mango profits climb as retailer plans 15 UK store launches
Mango saw profits and sales rise in its annual results, as the Spanish fashion brand unveiled plans to open 15 new UK shops in 2026. Operating profit was up 13 per cent year on year (YOY) to £627.3m, as net profit also jumped 11 per cent YOY to £210....
OPINION: Hooked on you – how fandom strategies can drive youth loyalty
As Tesco opens up Clubcard access to under-18s, Nick Rudd, director of strategy and consulting at MSQ DX, examines how loyalty programmes are targeting younger audiences. With Tesco’s decision to widen Clubcard access to under‑18s, loyalty programmes...
Veremark founder: It is a marathon, not a sprint
Daniel Callaghan is the co-founder and chief executive of Veremark, a company specialising in background screening for prospective employees. In this week’s Founder in Five Q&A , Callaghan discusses why you need to be prepared that your company might...
Scottish tech investment surges in new Techscaler report
Scottish tech founders have raised £257m in investment since joining Techscaler, an initiative launched in partnership with the Scottish government to grow the nation’s startup ecosystem. According to findings from the Scottish government, its founde...
John Lewis launches “hilarious” Mother’s Day campaign
John Lewis has unveiled a “hilarious” content series starring actress and writer Daisy May Cooper, ahead of Mother’s Day 2026. The new series highlights what mums actually want as gifts for Mother’s Day . It follows Cooper as she shares her worst Mot...
Retailers urged to prepare for new family-friendly leave and sick pay changes from April
Retailers are being urged to review employment policies and workforce planning ahead of significant changes to employee rights coming into force in April. Reforms under the Employment Rights Act 2025 will introduce new family-friendly leave entitleme...
Net-a-Porter workers ballot for strike action over London Living Wage dispute
Workers at luxury fashion retailer Net-a-Porter are set to vote on potential strike action after the company was accused of breaking a pledge to pay the London Living Wage. More than 100 staff at the retailer’s Charlton warehouse will take part in a ...
Frasers Group takes stake in Puma as Mike Ashley circles struggling sportswear giant
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has taken a 5.77 per cent stake in sportswear giant Puma, positioning the retail billionaire alongside the brand’s largest shareholder as the German company attempts to recover from a difficult year. The investment, disclo...
Lords warn against AI threat to ‘powerhouse’ creative sector
A House of Lords committee has warned that the UK must not sacrifice its “powerhouse” creative sector by allowing “opaque” AI models to be trained unrestricted on human work. The Communications and Digital Committee within the Lords has been running ...
Wendy’s $100k ‘Chief Tasting Officer’ role is a masterclass in viral marketing
“Do you hate your job? Are you too iconic to be opening PDFs for your boss?” That’s how fast-food giant Wendy’s has decided to open recruitment for its newest role, Chief Tasting Officer. The job, which comes with a $100,000 salary, is not a traditio...
More high street retailers go cashless as fraud fears and costs mount
A growing number of UK retailers are abandoning cash payments as businesses grapple with fraud concerns, security risks and the rising costs of handling physical money, new research from the UK’s ATM network LINK has revealed. Based on a survey of 1,...
Wet February keeps shoppers at home as UK footfall falls 4.7%
UK retail footfall declined sharply in February as heavy rainfall and continued economic pressures kept shoppers away from stores, according to new data from the British Retail Consortium and Sensormatic. Across February 2026, total UK footfall fell ...
Retailers turn to new international markets as UK and US growth slows
With UK retail growth tightening and the US no longer offering the “easy win” it once did, retailers are increasingly exploring new international markets – but where should they be looking, and how do they make this work? These were the key questions...
Waitrose reopens Haslemere store after multi-million pound revamp
Waitrose Haslemere has reopened its West Street store after a multi-million pound refurbishment designed to deliver a better experience for shoppers. The seven week transformation brings a host of new concepts and improvements to the 10,000 sq ft sho...
Revolut names US CEO as it seeks new banking licence
Revolut has named a US chief executive officer to run the firm’s operations across the Atlantic following its submission for a US banking licence. The London-headquartered fintech giant confirmed on Thursday that it has applied to the US Office of th...
M&S Food deploys RELEX tech to boost availability and cut waste
Marks & Spencer (M&S) Food is partnering with RELEX Solutions in a bid to improve product availability and reduce waste. The grocery retailer has deployed the retail and supply chain platform’s forecasting and replenishment technology across its food...
The rise of insider cyber threats
Cyber threats have become a daily reality for businesses in 2026, with a common reason suggested being surging geopolitical tensions driving rates of state-sponsored attacks. But while international threat actors in hostile states are legitimate conc...
InPost’s Paul Selvey on the hidden cost of ‘cheap’ home delivery
Missed deliveries are becoming a routine frustration for UK shoppers and a growing cost for retailers. That is the warning from parcel locker giant InPost, which argues that the ecommerce sector has spent years optimising delivery for speed and cost ...
Lewis Capaldi celebrates “laid-back” living in Heydude’s latest campaign
Global footwear brand Heydude has unveiled a new campaign fronted by singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi, celebrating “laid-back” living. The hero spot follows Capaldi as he escapes everyday chaos by visiting “Heydude Country”. According to the brand , ...
Morrisons convenience and GM reshuffle places 100 jobs at risk
Roughly 100 positions are at risk at Morrisons’ head office, under a restructure of its convenience and general merchandise teams. The plans will see the retailer’s Morrisons Daily commercial and support functions, which are currently separate from i...
WHSmith travel business bucks highstreet uncertainty as TGJones struggles
WHSmith has reported a “solid” first-half trading performance, with growth driven largely by its international travel arm, as the retailer continues to distance itself from the struggling UK high street business now operating under the TGJones name. ...
Abercrombie & Fitch profit drops despite ‘record’ Q4 sales
Abercrombie & Fitch saw profit decline in its annual results, despite witnessing record sales in Q4. The fashion retailer’s operating income fell 6 per cent year on year to £524m from January 2025 to the end of January 2026. Net sales climbed 6 per c...
Government throws weight behind space-manufactured drugs
The UK government has committed to advancing the nascent industry of space-based pharmaceutical manufacturing with a package of measures for businesses in the field. There is a lot of excitement around the concept of in-orbit drug development. The un...
Will Britain’s first trillion-dollar spinout be led by a woman?
When I was 17 and wrestling with A-levels, my school careers advisor had a suggestion. “You like science,” she said. “Have you considered nursing?” Nursing is an admirable career choice. But the presumption that a working-class girl from Reading who ...
Primark announces leadership restructure with new CFO and chief executive
Associated British Foods (ABF) has announced two senior leadership appointments, confirming Joana Edwards as group chief financial officer while formally appointing Eoin Tonge as chief executive of Primark. Edwards takes on the CFO role with immediat...
BBB commits £20m to Northern Irish PE firm
British Business Bank has committed £20m to the latest fund from Northern Irish private equity group Cordovan Capital Management. The deal from the UK development bank was made as part of its recently adopted growth equity strategy, which encourages ...
EE retail director Asif Aziz on leadership, purpose and what it means to be an exemplar
It’s safe to say that Asif Aziz is one of the most recognisable and respected retail leaders within the industry. And for good reason. Since joining EE as retail director at the beginning of 2023, he’s overseen a decisive shift in how the brand appro...
Businesses cleared for Trump’s tariff turmoil refunds after court ruling
A US federal judge has ruled that thousands of businesses are entitled to refunds for tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump last year, marking a significant development in an ongoing trade dispute that has implications for global retailers and...
Emerging tech is making business leaders’ jobs harder
The vast majority of UK business leaders believe their role has become significantly more complex in the past six years amid the rise of AI and rapidly changing risks and opportunities. As many as 73% of senior decision-makings within UK businesses f...
OPINION: The algorithmic shelf: why retailers need to shape what shoppers see
James Taylor, CEO, Particular Audience, looks at how to harness algorithmic attention so that retailers can ensure product visibility and discovery. Picture a shop assistant who remembers the behaviour of every one of the customers that visit a store...
Drone defence startup secures pre-seed investment
Mutable Tactics, a robotics company developing a new approach to managing the operation of military drones, has secured a $2.1m (£1.57m) pre-seed investment. While unmanned systems have become the norm for modern defence forces, Mutable Tactics claim...
UK Space Agency unveils £30m satellite funding pot
British companies developing satellite communications technology are set to receive a share of £30m of government funding from the UK Space Agency. Announced on Wednesday by Space Minister Liz Lloyd, the move from the government agency comes as the U...
Boots to open first beauty-only store outside London
Boots is set to open its second beauty-only concept store in Bristol this spring, bringing its “most innovative beauty retail experience” outside of London for the first time. The store will offer an “elevated and experiential way” to discover the la...
Fixing the UK’s dangerous reliance on foreign batteries
At a time of intense geopolitical tension, any reliance on foreign imports exposes a country to some risk. But as the British government attempts to use advanced technology to lift the country out of its economic slump, its longstanding dependence on...
‘Heartbroken’ BrewDog founder James Watt speaks out after £33m sale
BrewDog co-founder James Watt has said he is “heartbroken” following the sale of the craft beer brand he launched in 2007, after Tilray Brands acquired the business in a £33m deal earlier this week. Writing on LinkedIn , Watt reflected on the end of ...
Biomaterials startup seeks US expansion after £11m raise
Shellworks, a biomaterials startup that has developed a sustainable plastic alternative, is preparing to expand into the US and Europe off the back of a $15m (£11.2m) Series A round. The company’s flagship creation is Vivomer, a material developed ov...
Build or buy? The subscription infrastructure question retailers are pondering
With the subscription market projected to reach $492 billion in 2024 and $1.5 trillion by 2033 , many retailers face a vital decision: should they build their subscription infrastructure or buy it? Of course, subscriptions aren’t a guaranteed revenue...
Megarounds soar as VCs pump billions into UK AI
VC funding into British businesses is increasingly concentrating into larger bets on fewer firms, with the AI sector being a top beneficiary. According to new research from NatWest, UK startups raised £17.5bn across more than 2,000 deals last year, w...
Spotify closes out 2025 with record user growth and rising profitability
Spotify delivered a strong fourth quarter in 2025, achieving one of its best performances to date, with record user growth. The company met or exceeded guidance on all major metrics, reflecting the effectiveness of its focus on product innovation, en...
Greenwashing has just become a much more serious issue – are you ready?
For retail brands, 2026 looks to be a continuation of the regulatory scrutiny of greenwashing that we have seen in recent years, writes Katrina Anderson, principal associate, and Rachel McDonnell, partner at national law firm Mills & Reeve. Rachel Mc...
Iceland ditches decade-long trademark battle with Iceland and promises “rapprochement discount”
UK frozen food retailer Iceland has ended its decade-long trademark dispute with the country of Iceland, with executive chair Richard Walker pledging a “rapprochement discount” for Icelandic shoppers instead of pursuing further legal action. The move...
Tesco reappoints media agency and revamps slogan in shake-up to marketing strategy
Tesco has re-appointed EssenceMediacom as its media agency partner across the UK and Central Eastern European markets, following a closed review process run by Tuffon Hall Consultancy. The agency , which is part of WPP Media, will be responsible for ...
Asda chairman plans to promote next CEO from within
Asda chairman Allan Leighton has claimed that the government has become “more and more difficult” to deal with and less supportive of business, as he plans to promote the retailer’s next CEO from within. Leighton said that decisions made in Westminst...
NEW PODCAST: Euroshop 2025, the best bits with Toshiba
Euroshop 2026 is once again behind us, and this year over 81,000 visitors descended on the show from 141 countries. The show, which takes place in Düsseldorf, Germany, featured over 1,840 exhibitors from 61 nations. It’s a dizzying affair with so muc...
UK government to launch new £40m AI research lab
The British government is launching a new UK AI research lab backed by up to £40m to host new breakthroughs. Part of its ambition to elevate and maintain the country’s position in global AI, the lab will see researchers invited to pitch ideas, secure...
Scribbler: How to use the right balance of humour to cut through the noise
For smaller retailers, cutting through the noise is not about outspending bigger rivals or chasing every new channel. It is about being memorable. For greeting card and gift retailer Scribbler, that memorability has long come from humour – funny, on-...
How can retailers use micro-influencers?
Creators no longer need to have hundreds of thousands of followers to land a brand partnership. Brands and retailers are selecting ‘micro-influencers’ to help support their campaigns and reach their target audiences. Micro-influencers often only have...
Autonomous driving firm Oxa raises £77m
Oxford-based autonomous vehicle technology company Oxa has announced a new $103m (£77.2m) Series D funding round that will support the company’s commercialisation of its product. While many prominent autonomous driving tech firms are developing consu...
Streaming growth resets as the “Streaming Wars” era comes to an end
Antenna’s newly published Q1 2026 State of Subscriptions report confirms a decisive market shift in the Premium SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) sector: after years of rapid expansion and aggressive customer acquisition strategies, the subscriptio...
L’era’s founder on how TikTok livestream contributed to the brand’s success
TikTok has become a go-to for many brands as a point of sale. According to E-marketer, TikTok Shop accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the social commerce market in 2025. Another study from Sprout Social found that UK TikTok shop sales accounted for 2...
Spring Statement 2026: retailers brace for higher costs amid modest optimism
As widely expected, Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement delivered a message of stability rather than shock – but for retailers, the implications are far from neutral. The OBR (Office of Budgetary Responsibility) has revised economic forecasts ...
M&S raises pay by 6.4% in £70m investment
Marks & Spencer (M&S) is increasing pay for UK retail colleagues by 6.4% from 1 April, in what chief executive Stuart Machin described as an “inflation-beating pay award”. The high street retailer will invest more than £70m in the uplift, taking hour...
Supermarket pay 2026: Who’s top of the league?
M&S has become the latest supermarket to unveil a pay rise in 2026, becoming the second-best-paying supermarket inside the M25 and third nationally. However, it is not the only grocery retailer to have upped its pay, with Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose and Sai...
Welsh biotech raises £7m for AI-designed antibodies
Antiverse, a biotech company based in Wales, has secured a $9.3m (£7m) Series A investment in support of its AI-designed therapeutic antibody technology. The Cardiff-based company was launched to tackle the healthcare challenge of treating diseases w...
Greggs profit slides as revenue momentum slows in early 2026
Greggs saw annual profit drop 18% , as weakening consumer sentiment and slower revenue growth weighed on the high street bakery chain. Pre-tax profit fell to £167m in the year to 28 December 2025, including the impact of a restatement relating to val...
Spring Statement leaves retailers facing sluggish growth and stubborn costs
Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement offered UK retailers a steadier set of economic forecasts, but little immediate relief on the costs squeezing margins, as the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned that geopolitical shocks could quickly derail ...
Tech’s never-ending diversity problem – Sue Black OBE, computer scientist
This week’s podcast guest is Sue Black OBE, a legendary British computer scientist, who discusses her inspirational journey into computing, why too little has changed when it comes to sexism in the tech industry and her hopes and fears for the global...
Holland & Barrett sales boosted by TikTok trends, as losses widen
Holland & Barrett saw sales soar in its latest annual results, driven by TikTok-led health trends and weight-loss jabs. The health and wellness specialist claimed that online trends boosted its total annual sales by 11 per cent year on year to £981m ...
Rising Middle East instability: what UK retailers should prepare for next
As tensions between the USA, Israel, and Iran escalate across the Middle East, British retailers are preparing for further challenges in an already difficult economic climate. Food inflation increased to 4.3% in the four weeks to 22 February, up from...
Criteo joins OpenAI advertising pilot
Criteo will be the ‘first’ advertising technology partner to integrate with OpenAI’s advertising pilot in ChatGPT Free and Go in the United States. According to the platform, aggregated insights from its US clients show that users referred from LLM p...
UK businesses issued cyber warning amid Middle East conflict
UK organisations have been urged to review all cybersecurity practices by authorities amid an increased threat level caused by recent conflicts in the Middle East. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued a warning to UK organisations stating...
McDonald’s CEO marketing misstep shows authenticity and ‘corporateness’ don’t mix
When the CEO of McDonald’s, visibly uncomfortable with a carefully arranged selection of his own food in front of him, took a cautious bite of his company’s latest burger and called it a “delicious product”, the internet had a field day. Such was the...
Reeves faces fresh retail headwinds as gas hits three-year high and markets slide
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver her spring forecast today against a dramatically worsening economic backdrop, as surging oil and gas prices triggered by escalating conflict in the Middle East threaten to reignite inflation and pile fresh pressu...
DFS beats expectations in subdued market as UBS backs recovery story
DFS has outperformed expectations in a subdued UK retail market, with UBS reiterating its ‘buy’ rating and 230p price target after the sofa specialist delivered a stronger-than-expected first-half update. The broker said DFS Furniture plc stood out a...
Google Cloud and Nexi to build agentic commerce infrastructure
Nexi Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with Google Cloud to develop infrastructure for agentic commerce across Europe. The partnership will combine Google Cloud’s AI and data capabilities with Nexi’s European payment network and acquirin...
OPINION: Resale isn’t a sideshow anymore — it’s reshaping digital fashion retail
Olivia May, Partner at OC&C Strategy Consultants, looks at what the explosion of the fashion resale market means for traditional retail. For a long time, “second-hand” sat in a different mental box to “retail”. It was charity shops, car-boot bargains...
UK quantum group tapped to join DARPA project
Phasecraft, a British quantum algorithms company, has began work on a contract for the US’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The UK firm will work alongside the University of Maryland’s Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence a...
AI crop protection startup secures new funding
Bindbridge, an agtech startup using an AI discovery platform to support crop resilience, has secured a $3.8m (£2.8m) investment. The Cambridge-based company has developed an AI platform, called BRIDGE, that is used to design new agricultural molecula...
Rituals launches four boutiques in continued retail expansion
Rituals is opening four new boutiques, marking a “significant milestone” in its UK and IE expansion strategy. The luxury wellbeing brand is launching its first new boutique in Wilton Shopping Centre in Cork on 4 March. The opening will be followed by...
Tilray acquires BrewDog in £33m deal
Tilray Brands has acquired BrewDog in a £33m deal aimed at creating a global craft beer and beverage platform worth around $500m in annual revenue. The transaction includes BrewDog’s global brand and intellectual property, its UK brewing operations a...
£2.1bn of grocery sales at risk due to out-of-stock products, warns DHL
Product availability has overtaken price as the biggest driver of customer loyalty in UK grocery retail, with stock-outs putting an estimated £2.1bn in sales at risk, according to new research from DHL supply chain and Retail Economics. The new repor...
Availability now key driver of grocery loyalty, new report finds
Product availability has become one of the most powerful drivers of customer loyalty in UK grocery retail, according to new research from DHL Supply Chain and Retail Economics. The Availability Effect report finds that convenience and reliability now...
BCS adds two new directors to leadership team
The British Computer Society (BCS) has appointed two new directors to join the leadership team of the Chartered Institute for IT. Harpreet Panesar is set to join the group as its director of membership and volunteer engagement, while Adam Thompson ha...
TG Jones owner appoints advisers to draw up restructuring plan for retailer
TG Jones owner Modella Capital has appointed advisers from Teneo to put together a restructuring plan designed to put the stationery retailer on a more sustainable footing. The move, which comes less than a year after Modella took over the company, i...
Dr Martens chief product officer departs
Dr Martens chief product officer Adam Meek has departed from the shoe retailer after four years. The exec joined the business in December 2021, after a two year stint at Canadian outerwear and clothing retailer Canada Goose. Meek also worked for Nike...
ISBA responds to consultation on protecting children on social media
The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) has welcomed the launch of the UK government’s consultation on measures to protect children on social media. The consultation was published today (2 March) and asks for views from parents, carers...
Wise strengthens its board with new appointment
Fintech group Wise has announced the appointment of Scott Hill, a long-time tech executive, to its board of directors. Hill, who will join the board of Wise as an independent non-executive director, has held a number of prominent roles in the interna...
Discovery gap widens performance divide in homeware, suggests new research
Homeware retailers are experiencing a performance divide as discovery changes the purchase journey, according to MediaVision’s latest homeware report. Shoppers now browse multiple channels before making a purchase – and retailers who do not follow su...
Wickes connects UK businesses with ‘home-improvement’ audience
Wickes has unveiled a new media network designed to connect brands with the UK’s “home-improvement audience”. The platform, titled ‘Wickes Connected Retail Media’, was developed in partnership with Epsilon and is powered by the marketing agency’s COR...
From Bletchley to Delhi: Keeping AI global by design
Four years ago, the UK convened the first global AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park – a symbolic setting that reminded the world of Britain’s computing heritage and of the responsibility that comes with leadership. Last month, that conversation conti...
Delivery failures are now ‘systemic’ in UK retail, says InPost CEO
Missed parcel deliveries have become a structural issue in UK ecommerce, with consumers facing ‘parcel anxiety’ after losing hours each month waiting in for orders that often fail to arrive the first time, according to new research from InPost UK. Th...
WATCH: Sofology celebrates fussiness in new campaign film
Furniture retailer Sofology has unveiled a new campaign film celebrating those “who know exactly what they want”. The spot, devised by creative agency TBWA\MCR, is part of the firm’s ‘So Fussy, Sofology’ brand platform. It follows on from the brand’s...
John Lewis gears up to buy back Waitrose supermarkets
John Lewis is gearing up to buy back some of its Waitrose supermarkets under a renewed retail push. Bosses are looking into the option of buying out landlords after building up £1.5bn in cash, as they remain confident that the retailer’s turnaround i...
UK Private Capital calls for scaleup reinvestment relief
UK Private Capital, an industry group representing the country’s private equity and venture capital firms, has called on the government to introduce a new form of relief to encourage late-stage investments. The group has urged for the introduction of...
Consultation could radically change UK AI and social media
The UK government has launched an expansive consultation on the subject of how technology is impacting the safety of children, the results of which could have far-reaching consequences in the AI, social media and video game sectors. Described by the ...