Retail news and archive

Amazon founder launches AI venture Project Prometheus, signalling potential shifts for retail and fashion

Jeff Bezos is returning to the chief executive role with a new artificial intelligence venture, Project Prometheus, a move that could reshape how technology flows into sectors including retail and fashion. According to The Times, the early-stage company has secured 6.2 billion dollars in initial funding, placing it among the world’s most...

Retail

Why 25 percent of new European openings are American: Europe, a post-pandemic US hub

Retailers from the US and North America now account for a quarter of new European openings. Amid a slowdown in the domestic market and new trade conditions, the continent is once again becoming a growth area for the US. A shift confirmed by Savills and WWD According to a study by Savills, reported by WWD on November 3, 2025, American brands...

Retail

Hoff consolidates its European expansion with its first store in Amsterdam

Spanish footwear brand Hoff has formalised its registration with the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce, a first move ahead of the opening of its first store in Amsterdam during the first quarter of 2026. The move consolidates the brand's progress within its international expansion plan in Northern Europe. This market is gaining importance in its...

Retail

Gap to return to UK retail, plots three new standalone stores

Gap is set to return to brick-and-mortar retail in the UK with the opening of three new standalone stores. According to Drapers, the brand, which had shuttered its UK and Ireland stores back in 2021, has plotted new locations across London in a bid to grow and elevate its store footprint in the region. Its new sites are located in Westfield...

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Fashion|Interview

How emerging sustainable fashion brands are winning over consumers

Navigating the fashion landscape seems to have never been more challenging - especially for smaller, emerging, and upcoming designers. Characterized by ongoing economic uncertainty, the increasing use of digital tools like AI, a changing retail experience, and never-ending shifts in consumer behavior, there is one red string connecting it all: a...

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Retail

High Street fashion under pressure amid rising costs and shrinking labour pool

Retail employment in the UK has entered a troubling downturn. According to the latest report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 2.73 million jobs in retail in June 2025. The four-quarter average, which smooths out seasonal hiring variations, stood at 2.78 million jobs, some 97,000 fewer than at the same point last year, and...

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Business|In-depth

Does sustainability actually sell? The complex reality behind consumer behavior

Sustainability remains a key component for many consumers when considering a new purchase - until it is time to make the sale, that is. The ongoing gap between what consumers say they want and what they actually want and do with it could be hindering the uptake of sustainable practices - but is it truly up to the consumers? Sustainability and...

Retail

Price conscious parents rewrite the back-to-school retail calendar

Back-to-school shopping in Britain has taken on the air of a fashion season in its own right, though one dictated less by catwalks than by cashflow. New research from Fulfilmentcrowd, the logistics group, shows parents are beginning earlier each year, some as soon as April, with search activity peaking between 27 July and 2 August. Yet despite...

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Business

UK retailers lean on own websites as margins tighten

New research from Shopify suggests UK retailers are turning to their own ecommerce websites as the most reliable route to resilience in a strained retail environment. According to the Global Business Pulse Survey, 52 percent of UK retail decision-makers say their own website gives them the greatest control over operations, ahead of marketplaces...

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Business

Retail insolvencies ease in June, but fashion sector remains on edge

The latest UK insolvency statistics offer a brief respite for retailers, though underlying pressures suggest the industry is far from out of danger. Company insolvencies in the retail trade fell to 169 in June 2025, a 12 per cent drop from May’s 192 cases and 17 per cent lower than the 203 recorded in June 2024, according to official data. For...

Retail|Interview

Inside Denver’s retail reinvention: How Northfield’s overhaul reflects a sector in flux

In Colorado, as Denver’s retail vacancy rate tumbles to decade lows – sitting at just 4.3 percent in Q2 2025 – leasing momentum is heating up across neighbourhood centres, despite rent growth remaining modest and development stalling. Data collated by real estate firm Matthews showed leasing activity is being dominated by quick-service...

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Business

US fashion industry faces historic price surge following reciprocal tariffs

The retail landscape in the United States underwent a dramatic shift on August 7 as the most comprehensive tariff increases since the 1930s took effect. Thursday saw the reciprocal tariffs come into effect under the Trump administration after months of delays, with most imports into the country being hit with a baseline 10 percent duty. But with...