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Currys Business expands business hub network retail
14 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

Currys Business expands business hub network

Currys Business is developing its business hub network following 20 per cent year-on-year growth, as UK SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) “continue to balance rising costs with an increasing reliance on technology”. The technology retailer ha...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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Birmingham Tech Week set for strongest international presence to date tech
14 Jul 2026 UKTN

Birmingham Tech Week set for strongest international presence to date

Birmingham Tech Week will return this October with its strongest international presence to date amid growing global interest in the West Midlands as a destination for technology investment and innovation. In 2025, the festival welcomed delegates from...

Operator impact

Technology changes can affect platform choice, automation plans, data ownership and the systems retailers depend on day to day.

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Beauty Pie replatforms to Shopify to support growth ecommerce
14 Jul 2026 InternetRetailing

Beauty Pie replatforms to Shopify to support growth

British brand Beauty Pie has moved its ecommerce operations to Shopify as the subscription-based beauty retailer readies for its next phase of growth, including international expansion and potential retail store openings. The online brand’s membershi...

Operator impact

E-commerce updates may influence marketplace performance, customer experience, fulfilment expectations and conversion priorities.

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Why unchecked third-party suppliers are becoming a board-level risk for retailers retail
14 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

Why unchecked third-party suppliers are becoming a board-level risk for retailers

Third-party supplier oversight is now one of retail’s biggest compliance risks, according to Vantify Retailers are facing a compliance landscape where some of the greatest threats increasingly sit outside their direct control. From greenwashing rules...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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Barnsley Tech Town’s £800k AI skills fund opens for applications tech
14 Jul 2026 UKTN

Barnsley Tech Town’s £800k AI skills fund opens for applications

The government is to open applications for the AI Upskilling Challenge Fund, inviting organisations to deliver innovative AI training to help Barnsley workers, businesses and residents build AI skills. In February, Barnsley was named by the governmen...

Operator impact

Technology changes can affect platform choice, automation plans, data ownership and the systems retailers depend on day to day.

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Pure Data Centres Group signs Finland deal worth up to £6.4bn tech
14 Jul 2026 UKTN

Pure Data Centres Group signs Finland deal worth up to £6.4bn

Hyperscale cloud and AI data centre platform Pure Data Centres Group (Pure DC) has signed a deal worth up to £6.4bn to build an AI data centre in Seinäjoki, Finland. Designated SJK01, the full campus is set within 370 acres and targeted to support ov...

Operator impact

Technology changes can affect platform choice, automation plans, data ownership and the systems retailers depend on day to day.

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Lululemon accelerates international expansion with first store in Austria and India debut ecommerce
14 Jul 2026 InternetRetailing

Lululemon accelerates international expansion with first store in Austria and India debut

Lululemon is set to open its first physical store in Austria, in partnership with Arion Retail Group. The store on Kärntner Straße will open on 4 September 2026, alongside a programme of promotional events including curated in-store experiences and g...

Operator impact

E-commerce updates may influence marketplace performance, customer experience, fulfilment expectations and conversion priorities.

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Beyond Uptime: The 2026 Connected Retail Blueprint retail
14 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

Beyond Uptime: The 2026 Connected Retail Blueprint

No customer praises a store for its Wi-Fi. But everyone notices when it stops working. A customer who was ready to buy becomes a customer who is ready to leave. Beyond Uptime is a new report from Retail Gazette and Gamma , built on interviews with re...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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What will the Sky-ITV deal do to UK retail media? ecommerce
14 Jul 2026 InternetRetailing

What will the Sky-ITV deal do to UK retail media?

Most of the discussion surrounding Sky’s proposed acquisition of ITV’s Media & Entertainment business has understandably centred on television – but that may be missing what it could really mean for advertising in general and retail media in particul...

Operator impact

E-commerce updates may influence marketplace performance, customer experience, fulfilment expectations and conversion priorities.

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Rituals to revamp 1,500 boutiques in 30 working days retail
14 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

Rituals to revamp 1,500 boutiques in 30 working days

Rituals Cosmetics is set to launch one of Europe’s largest retail transformations in August, renewing 1,500 boutiques across 30 countries with an investment of €40 million (£34.09 million). Rather than renewing its boutique concept in phases over sev...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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‘It’s a good time to be a European company’ – Michael Herron, Atos tech
14 Jul 2026 UKTN

‘It’s a good time to be a European company’ – Michael Herron, Atos

This week’s podcast guest is Michael Herron, the chief executive of Atos UK and Ireland, who discusses what keeps him awake at night, how Atos is moving towards a human/AI agent world, and why he is an optimist about his sons’ futures in the job mark...

Operator impact

Technology changes can affect platform choice, automation plans, data ownership and the systems retailers depend on day to day.

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Watches of Switzerland profit surges as shoppers fuel luxury boom retail
14 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

Watches of Switzerland profit surges as shoppers fuel luxury boom

Watches of Switzerland has posted a sharp rise in annual profit as booming demand from wealthy US shoppers helped the Rolex retailer defy the wider slowdown gripping the luxury market. The group’s statutory pre-tax profit jumped 76 per cent to £133m ...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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TOAST brand director: “responsible operations and commercial growth are not mutually exclusive” retail
14 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

TOAST brand director: “responsible operations and commercial growth are not mutually exclusive”

Welsh clothing and lifestyle brand TOAST , which has had “ great success in the UK” and is looking to replicate it responsibly in the US, has stressed “overproduction has to be the focus”. Following the news that 99 per cent of its 2025 clothing coll...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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Quantinuum, Rolls-Royce, University of Edinburgh and Riverlane sign quantum agreement tech
14 Jul 2026 UKTN

Quantinuum, Rolls-Royce, University of Edinburgh and Riverlane sign quantum agreement

Quantinuum, Rolls-Royce, Riverlane and EPCC, the UK National Supercomputing Centre based at the University of Edinburgh, have signed an agreement to explore the quantum computing capabilities needed in future industrial workflows, such as gas turbine...

Operator impact

Technology changes can affect platform choice, automation plans, data ownership and the systems retailers depend on day to day.

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Furniturebox co-founder: “There’s no manuscript” for building ecommerce success retail
14 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

Furniturebox co-founder: “There’s no manuscript” for building ecommerce success

Monty George was 17-years-old when he evolved his skill for selling on marketplaces into a dedicated ecommerce business, with his school-friend Dan Beckles. Just over a decade later and Furniturebox has recently rebranded; has grown into the States; ...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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Prolo raises £4.2m to boost procurement for SME construction firms tech
14 Jul 2026 UKTN

Prolo raises £4.2m to boost procurement for SME construction firms

Prolo, an AI-powered procurement platform designed to support SME construction firms source materials, equipment and hire at the best market rates, has secured £4.2m in seed funding. Procurement within the construction industry remains analogue and i...

Operator impact

Technology changes can affect platform choice, automation plans, data ownership and the systems retailers depend on day to day.

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TikTok helps drive shoppers back to the high street, boosting sales for local businesses ecommerce
14 Jul 2026 InternetRetailing

TikTok helps drive shoppers back to the high street, boosting sales for local businesses

Social media is driving footfall to Britain’s high streets and boosting retail sales, with 4.3 million people visiting an independent shop in their local area after discovering it on TikTok, according to a new report by EY and public policy research ...

Operator impact

E-commerce updates may influence marketplace performance, customer experience, fulfilment expectations and conversion priorities.

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Retailers handed $81bn tariff lifeline after Trump duties ruled illegal retail
14 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

Retailers handed $81bn tariff lifeline after Trump duties ruled illegal

US businesses have received $81bn (£61bn) in tariff refunds after the Supreme Court struck down a large part of Donald Trump’s import tax regime. The US government has returned the money during the current fiscal year, which began in October 2025, ac...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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Dulux owner rejects £6.5bn bid for decorative paints business retail
14 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

Dulux owner rejects £6.5bn bid for decorative paints business

Dulux owner AkzoNobel has rebuffed a €7.5bn (£6.5bn) approach from Nippon Paint for its decorative paints division, arguing the offer significantly undervalues the business. The company confirmed it had received several conditional and non-binding pr...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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It’s coming home… Iceland renames stores ‘England’ as retailer backs Three Lions retail
14 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

It’s coming home… Iceland renames stores ‘England’ as retailer backs Three Lions

Iceland has temporarily renamed three of its supermarkets “England” in support of the national team during the World Cup. The retailer has changed the signage at stores in the hometowns of England stars Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Jordan Pickford...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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Post Office launches concept stores to bring services back to high streets retail
13 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

Post Office launches concept stores to bring services back to high streets

Post Office is rolling out new concept stores designed to bring more services back to UK high streets. The Post Office Plus launch follows consumer demand for more in-person support for important life moments, according to the business. Selected Post...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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Spirit Health raises £2m from Midlands Engine Investment Fund II tech
13 Jul 2026 UKTN

Spirit Health raises £2m from Midlands Engine Investment Fund II

Spirit Health, a UK healthcare services and products provider, has secured a £2m debt finance package from the British Business Bank’s Midlands Engine Investment Fund II (MEIF II). Spirit Health works with the NHS, patients and healthcare providers t...

Operator impact

Technology changes can affect platform choice, automation plans, data ownership and the systems retailers depend on day to day.

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Trump declares US is ‘taking over’ the Strait of Hormuz as Iran warns of wider war retail
13 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

Trump declares US is ‘taking over’ the Strait of Hormuz as Iran warns of wider war

Donald Trump has said the United States will “take over” the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions with Iran as fighting between the two countries entered its 135th day. Speaking to Fox News , the US president said America would become the “guardian ...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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WRAP appoints Tesco and M&S bosses as new Packaging Pact chairs retail
13 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

WRAP appoints Tesco and M&S bosses as new Packaging Pact chairs

The UK Packaging Pact has appointed five new industry experts to lead groups that will help shape the future of sustainable packaging across the UK. The appointments come three months after the ten-year programme was launched by the environmental cha...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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H&M to axe stores around the world under organisational strategy, says report retail
13 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

H&M to axe stores around the world under organisational strategy, says report

H&M has been shutting stores around the world, with its latest six month report for 2026 revealing that more closures were on the way, according to Inc.com . The fashion company pulled in net sales of approximately 54.8 billion kronor (£4.23 billion)...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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AI-assisted writing tool Marker secures £9.7m tech
13 Jul 2026 UKTN

AI-assisted writing tool Marker secures £9.7m

Marker, an AI-assisted writing tool, has raised a $13m (£9.7m) seed round led by Index Ventures, with participation from LocalGlobe. Marker is a writing tool for ‘people who believe in writing’. The startup describes the tool as a reimagined word pro...

Operator impact

Technology changes can affect platform choice, automation plans, data ownership and the systems retailers depend on day to day.

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BNPL comes under FCA regulation: what online retailers need to know ecommerce
13 Jul 2026 InternetRetailing

BNPL comes under FCA regulation: what online retailers need to know

Significant changes are underway in BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) regulation, as the sector falls directly under the supervision of the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) from 15 July 2026. Under the new regulations, lenders will need to be FCA-author...

Operator impact

E-commerce updates may influence marketplace performance, customer experience, fulfilment expectations and conversion priorities.

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UK government promises £500m to back innovative SMEs and scale ups tech
13 Jul 2026 UKTN

UK government promises £500m to back innovative SMEs and scale ups

The UK government has announced £500m in new funding to support innovative SMEs and scale ups grow, invest and create jobs across the country. The gap between the SME demand for finance and the amount available is estimated to be between £1.6bn to £4...

Operator impact

Technology changes can affect platform choice, automation plans, data ownership and the systems retailers depend on day to day.

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Urban Outfitters launches Reskinned take-back: Is second-hand fashion going mainstream? retail
13 Jul 2026 Retail Gazette

Urban Outfitters launches Reskinned take-back: Is second-hand fashion going mainstream?

Urban Outfitters has become the latest retailer to partner with second-hand fashion platform Reskinned, as the collaboration launches a take-back scheme. Customers can now hand over their pre-loved Urban Outfitters pieces and get £10 to spend on some...

Operator impact

Retail developments can signal shifts in customer demand, supply chain pressure, store-to-online operations and commercial planning.

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The UK is getting the search for sovereignty wrong tech
13 Jul 2026 UKTN

The UK is getting the search for sovereignty wrong

Wherever you go in the UK technology industry right now, one word comes up again and again: sovereignty. It is a priority for government, and increasingly a focus in boardrooms. For good reason. The world has become more uncertain. Geopolitics, trade...

Operator impact

Technology changes can affect platform choice, automation plans, data ownership and the systems retailers depend on day to day.

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