July 2026

retail

01 Jul 2026 | Retail Gazette

Sofa.com appoints new MD to lead reset and hospitality expansion

Sunayna Azam [pictured left] has been promoted to managing director of Sofa.com, as the Frasers Group looks to drive the next phase of growth at the digitally-native furniture brand. Azam will oversee a renewed commercial agenda for the 20-year-old b...

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tech

01 Jul 2026 | UKTN

Lucida AI raises £5.3m to accelerate language coaching platform

Lucida AI has raised a $7m (£5.3m) seed round to accelerate its AI-powered language coaching platform for consumers and enterprises. Through real-time speech-to-speech conversations and instant feedback, Lucida AI helps users to improve pronunciation...

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retail

01 Jul 2026 | Retail Gazette

Denby halts online ordering following administration

Denby Pottery is no longer accepting online orders, following its administration in March and production at the 200-year old brand ending last month. In a statement to its online community, Denby said: “It is with great sadness that, following Denby ...

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retail

01 Jul 2026 | Retail Gazette

Ocean Outdoor named as British Land DOOH media partner across London portfolio

Property developer British Land has named Ocean Outdoor UK as its digital out-of-home media partner in London. The contract covers three of the firm’s London locations- Regent’s Place and Broadgate, Paddington Central and Liverpool Street. According ...

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retail

01 Jul 2026 | Retail Gazette

TG Jones rescue plan approved after landlord concessions

TG Jones has secured High Court approval for its restructuring plan, clearing the way for the former WH Smith high street business to push ahead with a rescue deal that could see up to 150 stores close. The retailer, which was acquired by Modella Cap...

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tech

01 Jul 2026 | UKTN

Competition regulator ‘falls short’ in app developer consultation

The UK’s competition regulator’s announcement of a consultation that could force Apple and Google to adopt more app developer friendly policies “falls short of what is needed” according to a prominent group of developers. The Competition and Markets ...

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retail

01 Jul 2026 | Retail Gazette

JCDecaux secures Heathrow advertising contract for another eight years

JCDecaux has renewed its advertising contract with Heathrow for another eight years, extending a partnership that has been in place for more than 25 years. The new agreement will run from January 2027 and will see the outdoor advertising giant contin...

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retail

01 Jul 2026 | Retail Gazette

DFS appoints Risilience to expand climate risk programme

DFS Group has selected climate and nature analytics company Risilience to strengthen its approach to business resilience, climate risk and reporting. The partnership will cover risks across DFS’s facilities, suppliers and raw materials, including bot...

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tech

01 Jul 2026 | UKTN

Build raises £6.4m to accelerate infrastructure projects with AI

Build, the AI-native infrastructure company helping governments, developers and investors accelerate critical projects, has raised $8.5m (£6.4m) in seed funding. The startup combines AI systems with industry expertise to automate workflows across inf...

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retail

01 Jul 2026 | Retail Gazette

ASOS completes Atlanta warehouse sale in £48m deal

ASOS has completed the sale of its former Atlanta fulfilment centre in a deal worth around £48 million, marking the end of its programme to dispose of non-core assets. The online fashion retailer said it has assigned the warehouse lease to a global c...

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retail

01 Jul 2026 | Retail Gazette

Samsung takes over London with BTS-themed experiences

Samsung Electronics UK, the official partner of BTS World Tour ‘ARIRANG’, has unveiled a series of London-wide BTS-themed Galaxy experiences. This comes as the Korean boyband perform their first London show in seven years. Fans will be able to pick u...

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tech

01 Jul 2026 | UKTN

Tapestry VC launches £60m fund to back repeat founders

London-based Tapestry VC has launched its $80m (£60.5m) Fund III to double its scale and deepen its focus on backing repeat founders across Europe and North America. At almost three times the size of the firm’s previous funds, Fund III is co-anchored...

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retail

01 Jul 2026 | Retail Gazette

Dodgy high street shops face crackdown as MPs warn town centres are being ‘hijacked’

The government has pledged to crack down on illegal high street shopfronts as MPs warned that town centres were being undermined by organised crime, empty units and weaker footfall. Speaking during a Westminster Hall debate on high street regeneratio...

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retail

01 Jul 2026 | Retail Gazette

US retailers rush Christmas stock out of China ahead of tariff threat

US retailers are reportedly pulling forward orders from China by up to six weeks to secure stock for Black Friday and Christmas before expected tariff hikes later this year. Shipping executives said that retailers had brought forward orders by four t...

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ecommerce

01 Jul 2026 | InternetRetailing

Nectar360 first UK Retail Media Network to achieve IAB Europe Retail Media Certification

Nectar360, the retail media, loyalty and insights business of the Sainsbury’s Group, is the first UK retailer to successfully achieve certification under IAB Europe’s Retail Media Certification Programme , following an independent audit carried out b...

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