Retail news and archive

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...

Featured

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...

Featured

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...

FeaturedMember

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...

Member

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...

FeaturedMember

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...

FeaturedMember

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...

Retail

Rab opens new store in Denver, Colorado as it strengthens US presence

British outdoor brand Rab has opened a new, expanded store in Colorado, the US, as it continues to strengthen its presence in the country. The new store opening comes close to two years after the brand relocated from its former location. Located in Commons Park West, Denver, the new store spans 2,320 square feet, which is more than twice the...

Retail

Lone Design Club and Hammerson launch new retail concept in Bristol

Lone Design Club (LDC), which curates immersive, short-term retail experiences, has teamed up with landlord Hammerson to debut a new innovative retail concept in Bristol’s Cabot Circus shopping centre. The new retail pop-up concept is called ‘Cache’ and aims to scale the future of retail by shifting away from rigid long-term leases and toward...

Featured

Retail|ANALYSIS

Experiential luxury vs. material purchase: New balance of brand strategies

The phenomenon is observed across the globe. Affected by the economic situation, consumers are turning away from material acquisition in favour of, at times, experience. Initiatives like 'The Louis' by Louis Vuitton in Shanghai raise the question of the effectiveness of this immersive shift. Is it a long-term brand-building exercise, or can we...