Christmas news and archive

John Lewis opens Christmas shop as consumer appetite for nostalgia drives early trading

UK department store group John Lewis has officially launched its in-store Christmas shop across the country. Opening a little over 13 weeks ahead of the festive season, the physical pop-up destinations follow an early online roll-out as the retailer moves to capitalize on rising consumer demand across core seasonal categories. Early trading...

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Business

Freemans.com reports continued Christmas growth

British digital department store Freemans.com has reported strong Christmas trading in 2025, defying a wider retail slump in the UK, as sales rose across home and fashion, as well as significant customer growth. For the four weeks to Christmas 2025, Freemans reports that sales rose 12 percent, boosted by the launch of its first online-only...

Retail

Festive footfall sees YoY uptick as activity intensifies ahead of Christmas

New figures by MRI Software have shown a year-on-year increase in footfall across all UK retail destinations as shopping activity intensified ahead of a later Christmas Day. According to the platform, footfall rose 3.9 percent compared to the same week last year, despite declining 12.8 percent week-on-week, reflecting the disruption of Christmas...

Retail

Germany: Sluggish Christmas trade awaits final rush

The German retail sector is navigating a challenging festive period, with many companies resorting to aggressive discounting to stimulate demand. German fashion chain Peek & Cloppenburg (P&C) launched a significant advertising campaign during the final weekend of Advent, offering price reductions of up to 50 percent on coats, jackets and...

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Retail|Interview

Why loyalty, not discounts, is shaping retail’s next growth phase

As the festive rush fades and discount fatigue sets in, many retailers are entering the new year questioning whether traditional promotional playbooks are still fit for purpose. While deep discounts continue to generate short term spikes in traffic, they are increasingly failing to deliver what brands need most: repeat engagement, loyalty and...

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Retail

UK retail sales edge up as fashion outperforms in a subdued Golden Quarter

UK retail sales painted a nuanced picture in November as the Office for National Statistics data showed modest resilience beneath a soft monthly headline. While total sales volumes dipped slightly over the month, fashion and non food categories continued to hold steady, reinforcing the sense of selective rather than broad based consumer spending...

Fashion|In Pictures

5 stylish designer Christmas trees in London

This holiday season, fashion brands and designers aren’t just content with taking over the windows at luxury department stores but instead dressing Christmas trees for luxury hotels across London. Claridge’s unveiled a 16-foot tree decorated with bows designed by Burberry’s Daniel Lee, while The Londoner embraced the ethereal aesthetic of Susan...

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Retail

Panic Weekend set to inject over 3 billion pounds into UK retail as shoppers leave Christmas buying to the wire

After a subdued build-up to Christmas, the UK retail sector is bracing for a sharp late surge. Panic Weekend, taking place on 20–21 December, is forecast to deliver 3.43 billion pounds in sales, up 12.8 percent year-on-year, as consumers delay festive purchases until the final possible moment. According to the latest Shopping for Christmas...

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Retail

Why Britain’s busy Christmas shopping season hides a more cautious consumer

Visit any high street in the run-up to Christmas and you’d be forgiven for thinking the downturn never arrived. Shops are packed, tills are ringing and there is a genuine sense of seasonal joy in the air. But beneath the bustle, UK consumers are making far more calculated decisions than the crowds might suggest. According to new Deloitte...

Retail

Snapchat launches festive AR retail experience

Social media platform Snapchat, which has more than 900 million monthly active users, has unveiled a festive retail experience in augmented reality (AR), designed to bring holiday shopping to life through immersive and interactive digital boutiques. The inaugural Snapchat Winter Village launches in collaboration with luxury fashion brand Boss,...

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Retail|Report

6 Takeaways for Retailers to Achieve a Winning Holiday Season

The kick-off for the holiday shopping season has begun, with Black Friday well underway and Cyber Monday just around the corner. As shoppers across the nation get into the festive season and begin the hunt for the perfect gifts for their loved ones, one key message emerges. While it’s not secret that shoppers receive countless marketing...

Retail

Up to 10 billion pounds in festive sales at risk as consumer confidence dips

New analysis from Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) suggests UK retailers could see between six and 10 billion pounds in potential lost sales this festive season, as consumer confidence weakens and uncertainty around the Autumn Budget weighs on spending. The findings indicate that retail sales have fallen steadily throughout 2025, declining 2 percent...