Wed.Apr 23, 2025

article thumbnail

Google Calls Off Cookie-Crumbling Efforts Amid Shifts in Privacy Landscape, Antitrust Trial

Retail TouchPoints

Since 2019, Google has been working on plans to eliminate, or at least minimize, the use of digital tracking cookies on its popular Chrome browser, but now the Privacy Sandbox initiative seems to have run its course. Google has announced that it will maintain its current position, offering users third-party cookie choice in Chromes privacy and security settings, but will not roll out a standalone prompt for these cookies.

Planning 222
article thumbnail

Baby Bunting CEO talks new store concept, small-format foray and more

Inside Retail

On Saturday, Baby Bunting officially unveiled its first store of the future in what CEO Mark Teperson is calling a revolution of the companys retail experience. Located in the Melbourne suburb of Maribyrnong, the 2000sqm space features a completely new store architecture with products organised by activities, such as sleep, feeding and travel, as opposed to categories, and thoughtful touches like a table where parents can feed hungry toddlers and recharge their phones.

Shopping 214
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Walgreens to Pay up to $350 Million to Settle DOJ Opioid Lawsuit

Retail TouchPoints

Walgreens will pay $300 million to settle a U.S. Department of Justice civil suit, filed in January 2025 , that had accused the retailer of dispensing millions of unlawful prescriptions for opioids. The pharmacy retailer will have to pay an additional $50 million if the company is sold, merged or transferred prior to the 2032 fiscal year, according to a statement by the DOJ, which had filed a similar suit in December 2024 against Walgreens competitor CVS.

Planning 147
article thumbnail

Inmates go to Iceland as supermarket opens UK’s first ‘in-prison’ store

Retail Gazette

Iceland has opened the UKs first in-prison convenience store at HMP Oakwood, the largest prison in England, offering inmates the opportunity to gain work experience while aiding their rehabilitation. The frozen food specialist ‘s store, which is part of a new marketplace within the prison, allows inmates to use Monopoly-style money earned through good behaviour to purchase groceries, including branded products such as Chicago Town pizzas and Ben & Jerrys ice creamitems typically unavai

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Harsh Returns Policies Push Retailers to Plan for New Types of Returns Fraud

Retail TouchPoints

Retailers understandably want to create strict returns policies to reduce instances of fraudulent or abusive claims. At the same time, a rigid strategy like no receipt, no returns can sour loyal customers as well as drive fraudsters toward new criminal tactics, forcing loss prevention teams to continually change strategies. Case in point, retailers with a no receipt, no returns policy might begin to see more attempts at fraudsters using counterfeit receipts, causing loss prevention practitioners

Returns 162
article thumbnail

How Just Jeans is rebranding for the modern age with a single store

Inside Retail

More often than not, when a retailer looks to rebrand, it starts with their social posts or e-commerce design, but in the case of Just Jeans, it started with a single store. Store design is one of the most powerful selling tools that you can have as a retailer, Anthony Hoffman, director at Melbourne-based interior design firm ACRD, told Inside Retail.

Apparel 130

More Trending

article thumbnail

Cettire sees major sales drop amid tariff war

Inside Retail

Online luxury fashion retailer Cettire has reported a third-quarter loss of $4.7 million, its first deficit in three years. Investors were quick to react to the bleak news: The companys share price had plunged 24.42 per cent to 49 cents by 5pm on Wednesday. The companys sales revenue grew by 1 per cent from $191 million in the third quarter of 2024 to $192.5 million in the third quarter, and saw an 8 per cent increase in its active customer base to 695,738.

Fashion 165
article thumbnail

MORI acquires KIDLY in children’s retail move to supercharge its growth

A1 Retail

As MORI celebrates 10 years, the beloved babywear brand sets sights on preschool market and accelerated retail rollout, with over five stores open by end of 2025 MORI, the award-winning baby and childrens clothing brand, is excited to announce its first acquisition, KIDLY, a respected name in the UK childrens retail space. This strategic acquisition brings together two trailblazers in the baby and kids D2C space as well as marking a significant milestone in MORIs vision to become one of the best

article thumbnail

How Chinese tea chain Chagee brewed a $6.2 billion Nasdaq debut 

Inside Retail

In a week when geopolitical tension flared and investor confidence in Chinese listings on Wall Street remained fragile, one unlikely contender steeped in tradition broke through the noise. Chinese tea chain Chagee closed its first trading day on the Nasdaq with a 14 per cent gain. Its shares, priced at US$28 for the IPO, opened at US$33.75 and touched US$41.50 before settling, pushing its market valuation to US$6.2 billion.

Marketing 130
article thumbnail

Crisp Acquires Atheon Analytics and ClearBox Analytics to Unlock Global Retail and CPG Data to Optimise Retail and Food Service Supply Chains

Retail Focus

Crisp , the leading collaborative commerce platform for retail data, has announced the acquisition of two separate entities: Atheon Analytics (SKUtrak) and ClearBox Analytics (ClearView). Both companies are based in the United Kingdom and connect supply chain data across major retail chains and their consumer packaged goods (CPG) suppliers. Similar to Crisp, SKUtrak helps CPGs and other retailer vendors improve their business with actionable demand intelligence.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Fanatics Collectibles’ flagship Regent Street store to officially open on April 25th

A1 Retail

Fanatics Collectibles ‘ first-ever permanent global flagship store will officially open at 1pm on 25thApril on the iconic Regent Street in London. Sports fans and collectors will be treated to a range of exciting soon-to-be-announced activities and celebrations to mark the official opening of the store. The focus of the much-hyped store will be sports and entertainment trading cards and trading-card games, featuring Fanatics Collectibles brands.

Apparel 71
article thumbnail

How Miss Amara turned a playmat into a design-led success

Inside Retail

Unable to find a playmat that balanced function and aesthetic, Miss Amara founder Alexandra Tanya Weller set out to design her own. The result was Rollie Pollie, a category-redefining creation that looks like a designer rug but performs like a nursery essential. I wanted something that would seamlessly complement your home just like a rug would truly nothing available on the market fit the brief, Weller told Inside Retail.

article thumbnail

Dalton Park announces Red Sky Foundation as Charity Partner for 2025

A1 Retail

Dalton Park Outlet, the North East outlet shopping destination, is proud to announce Red Sky Foundation as its official charity partner for 2025. Since its launch in 2020, Red Sky Foundation has been making a profound impact across the North East, providing vital support to individuals and families affected by heart conditions. The charity is dedicated to improving cardiac care by supplying life-saving defibrillators, delivering CPR and defibrillator training, and raising awareness about heart h

article thumbnail

Who Believes In Angels?

LS Retail

Who Believes In Angels? Stories From The Edge Of Creation featuring Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt is a candid, 30-min film series capturing thousands of hours of raw footage and ultimately documenting the album's entire creation. Offering fans an unprecedented, searingly honest insight into the emotionally turbulent creative process - breakdowns, breakthroughs, tears, torn up lyric sheets and all.

105
105
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Castore co-founder slams London Stock Exchange as ‘sub-optimal’ for British IPOs

Retail Gazette

Castore’s co-founder Tom Beahon has criticised the London Stock Exchange, and said it needs to offer something different to drive British-founded businesses like the sportswear retailer to float in the UK. Speaking on an upcoming episode of City AM’s Boardroom Uncovered podcast, Beahon explained that it would be a “shame” if the retailer ended up completing an initial public offering (IPO) overseas rather than in London.

article thumbnail

How retailers can unlock financial efficiency with AI and automation

Inside Retail

Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping the core of how retail businesses forecast, manage risk, and drive profitability. Customer expectations are growing as supply chains become more complex and margins tighten, forcing finance leaders across Australias retail sector to recognise that data is their most valuable currency. Retail finance teams must evolve from scorekeepers to strategic enablers to remain competitive, armed with intelligent tools and accurate insights to suppor

article thumbnail

M&S updates shoppers following ‘cyber incident’

Retail Gazette

M&S has issued an update to customers following a technical glitch which left shoppers across the UK unable to use contactless payments or click-and-collect services over the Bank holiday weekend. In a message which was sent out to customers, the supermarket’s CEO Stuart Machin explained M&S had been “managing a cyber incident” over the last few days.

article thumbnail

The Entertainer Expands Toy Offering to Over 2,000 Tesco Express Stores Across the UK

365 Retail

The Entertainer has announced a major expansion of its partnership with Tesco, bringing a selection of its popular toy lines to more than 2,000 Tesco Express stores across the UK from April 2025. The move will significantly increase the accessibility of The Entertainers products, offering a new level of convenience to customers of the UKs largest supermarket.

article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Sainsbury’s ramps up Aldi Price Match range to drive summer sales

Retail Gazette

Sainsbury’s has strengthened its Aldi Price Match offer with the addition of more than 100 products as it looks to supercharge summer value. The move takes the number of the supermarket’s items price matched to those on sale at Aldi to 800, which the grocer’s claims is more than any other retailer. The new price matched products include everyday essentials, such as shower gel, handwash, cotton wool and period care products.

article thumbnail

Gucci sales plunge 25 per cent. Kering says no signs of improvement in sight

Inside Retail

The crisis at Kering’s flagship Gucci label deepened in the first quarter, the company said on Wednesday as it flagged possible job cuts with no signs of improvement in sight. Kering’s first-quarter sales, marked by a 14 per cent annual decline with a 25 per cent drop at Gucci came in below analyst expectations and added to evidence the luxury sector is headed for another tough year as shoppers in the US and China, the sector’s two most important countries, cut down on lush pur

Boutique 147
article thumbnail

Pets at Home unveils ‘easy repeat’ subscription service to lock in savings for pet owners

Retail Gazette

Pets at Home is launching a new in-store subscription service, dubbed easy repeat, as part of its focus on customer experience and value. The service for essentials allows shoppers to receive regular orders of their pets favourite products, backed up by a best price guarantee. Under the service, staff members are able to set up subscriptions offering “market beating savings” for customers in three steps on handheld devices and the customers Pets Club details.

ATS 59
article thumbnail

Yodel strengthens employee wellbeing offering in partnership with the Retail Trust

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Independent parcel carrier Yodel has strengthened its partnership with the Retail Trust, the industry charity protecting the health and happiness of people working in retail through wellbeing support. Supporting colleagues since 2018 The partnership which dates back to 2018, has seen the Retail Trust support almost 1,000 Yodel colleagues, equating to 34%

40
article thumbnail

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

article thumbnail

Asda Foundation donates £3.2m to local community groups

Retail Gazette

The Asda Foundation has awarded 3.2m in grants for local community groups, as part of its 2024 programme. The charity’s 2024 impact report revealed that it had given out 2,603 grants totalling 3,229,392 of funding to allow community groups to address the issues that mattered most in their local communities. The retailer also highlighted that the Asda Foundation had awarded more than 57m of funding throughout its 36-year history.

article thumbnail

Whitestone Begins Redevelopment of Lion Square in Houston’s Asiatown District

Shopping Center

Houston Whitestone REIT is underway with the redevelopment of Lion Square, a 117,592-square-foot shopping center located in Southwest Houstons Asiatown District at the intersection of Bellaire Boulevard and Wilcrest Drive.… The post Whitestone Begins Redevelopment of Lion Square in Houstons Asiatown District appeared first on Shopping Center Business.

article thumbnail

How online casinos became unexpected pioneers in mobile-first customer journeys

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! While much attention in digital innovation has focused on e-commerce and social platforms, a quieter transformation has taken place within the online casino industry. By necessity and competition, online casino operators refined mobile-first strategies years before many other sectors.

article thumbnail

The Entertainer to launch in over 2,000 Tesco Express stores

Retail Gazette

The Entertainer is expanding its partnership with Tesco as it prepares to launch a selection of toys in 2,010 of the grocer’s Express convenience stores. The toy shop, which has concessions in 850 Tesco supermarkets nationwide, will introduce a collection of its popular toys and a handful from its seasonal lines, with prices ranging from 1.50 to 7, Toy World Mag reported.

Grocer 82
article thumbnail

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.

article thumbnail

Sainsbury’s supercharges value with the biggest ever Aldi Price Match

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Sainsbury’s is set to make the start of summer more affordable, significantly boosting its commitment to value with the expansion of its hugely popular Aldi Price Match with the introduction of even more everyday essentials and exciting products to help customers celebrate the warmer weather and plan ahead to summer.

article thumbnail

Cinnabon makes Melbourne return under new license holder

Inside Retail

American cinnamon roll bakery Cinnabon will relaunch in Victoria, with a new store opening in Melbournes Watergardens Shopping Centre on May 10. Family-owned hospitality business Always Hungry Club has taken over the rights to Cinnabon in Victoria. This will be the 23rd Cinnabon in Australia, the first of three new Cinnabons planned in Victoria for 2025, as part of the brands strategy to refocus on growing its footprint across the state.

Returns 214
article thumbnail

SOLUM Accelerates ESG Strategies with Sustainable Retail and Energy Innovation

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! SOLUM a global leader in retail technology and power solutions, is accelerating the transition toward sustainable operations through its innovations in Electronic Shelf Labels (ESL), power infrastructure, and display technologies.

52
article thumbnail

THG rejects ‘undervalued’ £400m+ offer for Myprotein

Retail Gazette

THG has rejected an unsolicited takeover bid from Selkirk, the investment vehicle led by former director Iain McDonald, for its Myprotein brand, calling the offer wholly unsolicited, largely unfunded, highly conditional, and non-binding. The offer, which valued Myprotein at between 400m and 600m on a cash-free, debt-free basis, was primarily structured through newly issued shares from Selkirk.

article thumbnail

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.