Thu.Mar 06, 2025

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AI in omnichannel retail: How technology is shaping consumer behavior

Retail Customer Experience

The role of AI is not only to act as a tool but also to mark a complete revolution in the omnichannel space. Streamlining the processes and amplifying personalization ultimately empowers AI to present seamless experiences and helps meet customer expectations accurately.

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John Lewis boosts staff pay with £114m investment

Retail Gazette

John Lewis Partnership is increasing pay for its 65,000 Partners, with shop floor colleagues set to receive up to a 9.4% boost from April. The 114m investment will see the standard hourly rate rise to 12.40 outside London and 13.85 within the M25. Those in specialist roles will earn 13.39 per hour, increasing to 14.96 in London. The high street giant said Partners who make an “exceptional contribution” will receive an additional 2% increase, taking the total potential pay rise to 9.4

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Australian retailer Ally Fashion collapses, will shutter 51 stores immediately

Inside Retail

Retailer Ally Fashion has been ordered into liquidation after an application by a landlord for outstanding rent. Founded in 2001, the company expanded its national footprint to 160 stores. Now, 51 stores will close immediately, resulting in the loss of 250 jobs. Staff members of the 109 remaining stores will continue to work in the short term. The Federal Court of Australia appointed Jeff Marsden and Duncan Clubb of BDO Australia as liquidators on February 28.

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Budget tax hikes force HMV to pause UK expansion

Retail Gazette

HMV has put its UK expansion on hold and will instead open new stores in Ireland and Belgium, citing rising wage costs set to take effect next month. Phil Halliday, MD of the entertainment retailer, said the company had hoped to open up to 10 more UK stores this year but had to pause those plans as it worked to maintain profitability despite strong sales growth.

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Smart Tools & Strong Teams: A People-First Approach to AI in Sales

Speaker: Matt Sunshine, CEO at The Center for Sales Strategy

AI isn’t replacing salespeople—it’s empowering them. The most forward-thinking sales organizations are using AI to enhance human performance rather than eliminate it. From coaching and messaging to prospecting and pipeline accountability, artificial intelligence is giving managers and SDRs the new tools they need to work smarter, sell better, and close more.

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Sustainability, traceability, and trust: A new standard for Australian brands

Inside Retail

As sustainability becomes a driving force in the retail sector, Australian brands are under increasing pressure to provide transparent, verifiable assurances of their environmental and socially responsible contributions. Conscious consumers demand more than just ethical promises they want proof. This is where Testex and the Oeko-Tex Made in Green label add immense benefits.

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What does Barry Williams’ return mean for Poundland?

Retail Gazette

Former Poundland boss Barry Williams was parachuted back onto the board of the discount chain at the start of the year as owner Pepco looked to address its struggling performance. Williams stepped back from the helm of the value retailer in September 2023, when Pepco moved him across to head up and turnaround the group’s European sister chain.

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The Story Behind Verizon’s Ambition to Become a ‘Local Community Brand’

Retail TouchPoints

Given its primary role as a telecommunications provider, it can be easy to overlook the fact that Verizon also is one of the most ubiquitous retailers in the U.S. With more than 8,000 stores, Verizon ranks among the top six largest retailers in the country by store count, outpacing even Walmart. And that number continues to grow last year, Verizon added 1,000 stores, and 1,000 more are on the way this year at a pace of two to three openings per day.

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Wesfarmers to book up to $130 million profit from BPI structure wind up

Inside Retail

Wesfarmers expects to book a $80 million to $130 million one-off pre-tax profit related to its winding up of its BPI No 1 property structure in September. The company said the surplus reflects the estimated fair value uplift associated with the asset and the unwinding of the structure. The wind-up will result in Wesfarmers taking full ownership of the 15 Bunnings warehouse properties in the structure, repaying all BPI noteholders when the notes mature in September.

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Combating Brand Impersonation in the Digital Age

Retail TouchPoints

In retail brand impersonation attacks, cybercriminals pose as trusted retailers or brands to deceive consumers into revealing sensitive information, making payments for fake products or downloading malicious content. Considering that almost every brand today has a strong digital presence, including website(s) and/or social media profile(s), there have never been more opportunities for bad actors to copy brands identities.

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AliExpress emerges as Australia’s most downloaded shopping app

Inside Retail

AliExpress has become Australia’s most downloaded shopping app, surpassing Amazon, as shoppers become more budget-conscious amid rising cost of living. “Australians are seeking smarter ways to shop, and AliExpress is delivering on that demand with faster delivery, exclusive app deals, and an unmatched variety of products,” said Alfy Zhang, country manager of AliExpress Australia and New Zealand. “Our dedication to streamlining logistics, delivering cross-border orders in

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AI In The Aisles: The Executives Guide To Better In-Store Experiences

Speaker: Steve Worthy, MBA

The rapid rise of AI-powered displays, touchless technology, and sensory marketing is reshaping the future of in-store engagement. Yet for many retail executives, the real challenge is not identifying new tools - it is knowing which signals to trust, which inputs to prioritize, and how to architect decisions that elevate in-store leadership rather than dilute it.

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How to Stage Your Home to Attract Buyers

365 Retail

Selling your home may be a daunting task, but with the right staging methods, you can manage to stand out and attract potential buyers. Home staging is the process of fitting a property for sale by enhancing allure appearance, making it more attractive, and allowing buyers to visualise themselves filling a place the scope. Whether youre working with estate agents in Mansfield or selling independently, staging your home right can significantly impact the speed and achievement of the deal.

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The Home Depot Launches New Suite of Gen AI Tools for Customers

Retail TouchPoints

The Home Depot has unveiled Magic Apron, a proprietary suite of generative AI tools designed to help customers with their home improvement needs and projects. Magic Apron is available 24/7 on homedepot.com and the Home Depot mobile app. It is embedded into millions of product pages to summarize product reviews, answer specific how-to questions as well as inform customers about specific products to support the browsing and buying journey.

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Letting Agents in Cheltenham: Helping Landlords and Tenants Navigate the Rental Market

365 Retail

The rental market in Cheltenham, a historic spa town known for its exquisite regency architecture, thriving cultural scene, and first-rate services, has grown significantly. It can be difficult for both landlords and tenants to navigate this competitive market given the growing demand from families, professionals, and students. Professional Cheltenham renting agents are essential in this situation, providing knowledge and assistance to guarantee a smooth rental process.

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Giving Students Real-World International Business Experience

LS Retail

iStock/Tippapatt The Knauss School of Business course International Management Consulting was designed with one specific goal in mind: give students real-world international business experience right from home. How? By working with San Diego-based businesses that are expanding into global markets. The course was uniquely created in response to the challenges of global mobility during the pandemic, and offers an immersive, hands-on experience with actual clients, company data and global industry

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New Research-Backed Strategies to Empower Managers as Culture & Engagement Leaders

Speaker: Beth Sunshine, SVP, Up Your Culture

When culture isn’t consistently lived out across the organization, engagement suffers—and it often starts with a disconnect at the top. In this session, Beth Sunshine, SVP of Up Your Culture at The Center for Sales Strategy, will reveal how HR and executive leaders can close the gap between vision and execution by equipping frontline and mid-level managers to become culture carriers.

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Dollar Tree Hires Next Finance Chief

Retail TouchPoints

Dollar Tree has found its new Chief Financial Offer. Starting March 30, 2025, Stewart Glendinning will take the role after initially joining the company in a senior role to support Dollar Tree’s enterprise-wide transformation. Earlier this year, Glendinning supported key initiatives within the company’s finance organization and helped review and establish strategic alternatives for the broader business.

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Primark Home Opens First-Ever Standalone Store in Belfast

365 Retail

Primark has officially opened its first-ever standalone Primark Home store today, 6th March, in Belfast. The launch marks a 2 million investment in the city centre and has created 43 new jobs, bringing Primarks total workforce in Belfast to over 400 and more than 1,300 across Northern Ireland. The store, located in Fountain House on Donegall Place, sits just a short distance from Primarks flagship Bank Buildings store.

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Elon Musk Suggests USPS, Amtrak Should Be Privatized: ‘We Should Privatize Everything We Possibly Can’

Retail Wire

Elon Musk floated the notion that Amtrak and USPS should be privatized.

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Selfridges Launches ‘Obsessions’ Campaign for SS25 Across UK Stores

365 Retail

Selfridges has unveiled its new biannual campaign, Obsessions, a celebration of the most irresistible ideas and objects of the season. Launching across its London, Manchester, and Birmingham stores, as well as online, Selfridges Obsessions curates a mix of trending cultural fascinations, niche interests, and enduring classics. A long-time champion of discovery and innovation, Selfridges introduces 12 Obsessions for Spring/Summer 2025 (SS25), ranging from chess and martinis to matchsticks and hot

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Breaking The Commerce Bottleneck: Your SAP Exit Plan Starts Now

Speaker: Jason Cottrell and Gireesh Sahukar

Retailers know the clock is ticking–legacy SAP Commerce support ends in 2026. Legacy platforms are becoming a liability burdened by complexity, rigidity, and mounting operational costs. But modernization isn’t just about swapping out systems, it’s about preparing for a future shaped by real-time interactions, AI powered buying assistants, and flexible commerce architecture.

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Lincoln Recall: Over 35,000 Navigators Recalled Due to Fire Risk

Retail Wire

Lincoln is recalling the dangerous Navigators.

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Royal Mail Partners with NewRiver to Roll Out Nationwide Parcel Locker Network

365 Retail

Royal Mail has announced NewRiver as the first company to support the rollout of its new parcel locker network across a portfolio of shopping centres and retail parks. This partnership combines Royal Mails position as the UKs largest parcel delivery company with NewRivers extensive retail footprint, enabling a rapid and large-scale expansion of this new service.

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Jack Daniel’s Parent CEO Calls Canada’s Ban on US Alcohol an Overreaction to Tariffs

Retail Wire

CEO of Jack Daniel's parent company Brown-Forman called Canada's response to tariffs "disproportionate.

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GAIL’s Expands Travel Retail Presence with London Bridge and Liverpool Street Openings

365 Retail

Network Rail Property has introduced two new GAILs bakeries at London Bridge and London Liverpool Street stations, marking GAILs expansion into travel retail. The London Liverpool Street station store, which opened in February, occupies 2,730 sq ft of retail space in a key location within one of Londons busiest transport hubs. The bakery provides an all-day dining experience featuring coffee, handmade bread, pastries, sandwiches, and other freshly prepared options.

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Humans + Agents = Rethinking Enterprise Commerce with AI

AI agents already analyze trends, draft content, and trigger actions across leading commerce platforms. Yet most organizations still rely on workflows built for human‑only teams, losing speed, margin, and customer loyalty. Humans + Agents: Rethinking Enterprise Commerce in the Age of AI Collaboration shows how to close that gap. In one concise read you’ll see where agent gains surface first, how early adopters prove ROI, and which lean controls keep innovation moving without risking data or bran

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Southwest Airlines To Close Down 2 Crew Bases in Texas & Florida. Here Are the Details

Retail Wire

Southwest Airlines continues its downsizing efforts.

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David’s Bridal wants to be a retail, AI and media powerhouse. And named a new CEO to lead the way

Retail Dive

Kelly Cook is now chief executive as the bridal retailer evolves into an asset-light company and enters its “Aisle to Algorithm” era.

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Scoop Up Happiness: Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day Returns

Retail Wire

Ben & Jerry's free cone day returns on Tuesday, April 8.

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Adaptability: The Must-Have Skill for Network Engineers in the AI Era

Cisco Retail

Discover how you can embrace the AI era and thrive as a network engineer in "The AI Break," a new blog series from the mind of Kareem Iskander, Lead Technical Advocate.

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5 Tips for a Winning Category Management Strategy in 2025

Category Management is a cornerstone of a successful retail strategy. While it promotes collaboration between manufacturers and retailers to optimize category performance, challenges persist in its effective implementation due to hurdles in communication and collaboration across teams and partners, and more. In this guide, we outline five essential strategies for success in 2025 that will touch on all the essential pieces of a successful strategy and implementation.

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Big Savings Alert: Shake Shack Introduces Combo Meal Deal

Retail Wire

Customers can now get a combo meal at Shake Shack for under $10.

ATS 130
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Macy’s stores on the chopping block weigh on holiday sales

Retail Dive

Thanks to revamped locations and gains at Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury, though, the department store continues its turnaround with some strength.

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Pi Day at 7-Eleven: Discounts Extend Beyond Pizza

Retail Wire

7-Eleven has great Pi Day discounts for customers on March 14.

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Boots owner strikes $10bn takeover deal with US private equity giant

Retail Gazette

Boots is set to be sold to US private equity firm Sycamore Partners as part of a $10bn deal that will take its parent company, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), private. The transaction, expected to be completed by the end of 2025, raises significant questions about the future of Boots and its almost 2,000 stores across the UK. Under the terms of the agreement, Sycamore will acquire WBA at $11.45 per share, an 8% premium on the companys closing price.

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Cut Costs & Complexity: Smarter Fulfillment for Home, Furniture & DIY Brands

Late deliveries. Split shipments. Spiraling freight costs. For home, furniture, and DIY brands, fulfillment has never been more complex—or more critical. This report outlines how a smarter, AI-ready order management system (OMS) helps you reduce shipping costs, streamline project-based fulfillment, and ensure accurate inventory across every channel.