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Global strategy and design studio Dalziel & Pow has created a new store for retail giant Next at Eldon Square this week, Newcastle’s oldest, most iconic shopping centre. The Eldon Square store launch follows Next store openings in Stratford City, Canterbury and Ripon, also designed by Dalziel & Pow. The launch is part of a roll-out of the retail design concept in Next stores across the country this year, with additional store openings planned for 2026 and beyond.
Melissa Minkow, Global Director of Retail Strategy at CI&T A lot has happened in the first half of 2025, so for to kick off the new season of the Retail Remix podcast, we decided to bring in one of the most broad-reaching, analytical retail minds in the business — Melissa Minkow, Global Director of Retail Strategy at CI&T. We asked her about everything from tariffs and recent bankruptcies to resale, retail media and agentic AI, and as you can imagine she had ample insights to share on a
To raise your business plan, it’s essential to explore effective strategies that can drive growth and improve customer satisfaction. Start by conducting a SWOT analysis to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses, then adopt a value-based strategy that focuses on what customers truly value. By examining successful companies like Best Buy and Nike, you can identify practical approaches that may work for your business.
In event marketing, the giveaway has long served as a reminder of a brand after the event is over. As consumer expectations evolve, so must the strategy behind the branded giveaway. The era of mass-produced pens, tote bags and plastic trinkets is over. Today’s attendees are looking for more than just freebies; they are seeking meaningful, personalized experiences.
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.
M&S has become the first UK supermarket to roll out invisible UV tags to some of its milk bottles to track them through the recycling system. The tags, developed by software firm Polytag, have been printed onto the labels of the retailer’s four-pint milk bottles in a bid to increase recycling rates. Once shoppers have recycled the bottles, the tags will be scanned by Polytag’s plastic detection units, if the recycling facility has been retrofitted with the technology.
As you look toward 2025, focusing on key strategic growth initiatives is vital. Embracing digital transformation will streamline operations, whereas leveraging automation tools can improve productivity. Improving customer experience through personalized engagement is critical for building loyalty. Furthermore, investing in employee development will prepare your workforce for evolving challenges.
Waitrose has introduced a subscription service for customers who order their groceries online or via its app. The ‘Waitrose Delivery Pass’ gives shoppers the option to pay upfront for their deliveries over a one-, six-, or twelve-month period. An individual delivery slot without a pass costs between £2 and £4, while a one month pass will cost customers £8, a six-month pass will cost £45, and an annual pass £85.
Waitrose has introduced a subscription service for customers who order their groceries online or via its app. The ‘Waitrose Delivery Pass’ gives shoppers the option to pay upfront for their deliveries over a one-, six-, or twelve-month period. An individual delivery slot without a pass costs between £2 and £4, while a one month pass will cost customers £8, a six-month pass will cost £45, and an annual pass £85.
Key Takeaways Effective Customer Communication: WhatsApp for Business enables real-time interaction, allowing businesses to connect with customers on a platform they already use daily. Key Features for Enhanced Engagement: Utilize business profiles, quick replies, labels, automated messages, and messaging statistics to streamline customer support and optimize communication strategies.
Mango posted a 12% increase in revenue during the first half of 2025, which the fashion retailer said reflected a sustained growth in its business. Sales for the Spanish brand topped £1.5m ($1.7m), with like-for-like growth across all its channels driven by a good reception to its collections by shoppers. Mango’s international business accounted for 78% of total turnover during the first half of the year, with Spain, France, Turkey, Germany and the US delivering the highest sales figures.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has taken legal action against Japanese noodle eateries, Shinya, for their failure to pay their employees’ minimum wages. Operators Shinya Geelong and Shinya Torquay have been issued with compliance notices after four employees, three of whom were visa holders from China and Vietnam, reported that the company failed to pay minimum wages for ordinary hours, weekend rates, and public holiday rates, and accrued but untaken annual leave between November 2020 and July 2023, af
Dartmouth, Mass. — PREIT has signed leases with five new tenants at Dartmouth Mall, a 671,000-square-foot regional mall in Dartmouth. Western and work wear retailer Boot Barn will open a 15,000-square-foot… The post PREIT Signs Leases with Five Tenants at Dartmouth Mall in Massachusetts appeared first on Shopping Center Business.
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.
Lululemon (Vancouver, B.C.) has unveiled plans to open its first store in Italy, in Milan. The space, on Vittorio Emanuele II in the city’s central shopping district, opens July 19. “The Milan store’s full concept will span approximately 5700 square feet across two floors, offering a thoughtfully curated environment for guests with distinct spaces dedicated to lululemon’s signature technical innovations,” the retailer said in a news release.
The UK’s financial regulator is enforcing stricter affordability checks for shoppers using buy now, pay later services under new rules coming into force next July. It means that some consumers will be refused this type of credit and unable to spend money on something they may not be able to afford. Buy now, pay later is currently unregulated, which means that lenders do not need the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) approval to operate.
In a significant breakthrough for artificial intelligence technology, Intel Labs, in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute of Science, unveiled a new technique known as speculative decoding at the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) in Vancouver. This development promises to enhance the speed and efficiency of large language models (LLMs), addressing a critical inefficiency that could revolutionize applications for small businesses.
Two high-profile luxury department store enterprises have hired new CFOs, typically the number-two post in a company’s c-suite hierarchy, reporting to the CEO. They are: Nordstrom Inc. (Seattle), which has named Kelly Dilts CFO, effective Aug. 29. Dilts joins Nordstrom from Dollar General, where she has served as EVP/CFO since 2023. Prior to that, Dilts held the same titles at Francesca’s Holding Corp., and before that served as SVP of Finance at Tailored Brands (formerly The Men’s W
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.
Key Takeaways Targeted Local Networking: Alignable is designed specifically for small business owners to connect with local entrepreneurs, enhancing community relationships and collaboration. Referral Opportunities: The platform encourages referrals among users, allowing businesses to grow through mutual support and increased visibility. Engagement through Discussion Groups: Users can participate in specialized discussion groups, sharing insights and advice tailored to their industry, fostering
Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Leading health and beauty retailer, Superdrug, has announced the promotion of Simon Comins to Chief Operating Officer (COO), marking a significant milestone in both the company’s journey and Simon’s career. Comins has been with Superdrug for 38 years, having joined the business at just 15 years old as a part-time colleague in his local Superdrug store. [
Salesforce has unveiled a groundbreaking tool designed to streamline the quoting process for sales teams, an area often riddled with inefficiencies. With the introduction of Agentforce for Revenue, powered by Revenue Cloud, small businesses can expect to transform how they handle quotes and ultimately drive sales. The pressing challenges for sales representatives frequently involve navigating complex pricing structures and time-consuming manual tasks.
Tesco has returned to court this week seeking to overturn a legal decision in its ongoing £4bn equal pay dispute. The supermarket giant is facing claims from around 49,000 current and former store workers, mainly women, who allege they are paid less than male-dominated distribution centre staff for work of equal value. The case, which first launched in 2018 by law firms Harcus Parker and Leigh Day, has already passed through several Employment Tribunal stages.
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.
Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Generation X are set to be the biggest spenders for Christmas 2025, with 25% saying their festive outgoings will be £500 or more. This compares to 18% of millennials and baby boomers planning to spend the same amount, 10% of the silent generation and 1% of Generation Z (see note 1).
This content first appeared in our sister publication Shop Eat Surf Outdoor (SESO) Uncertainty. Challenge. Change. These words define the landscape for brands and retailers in 2025. But with uncertainty comes opportunity, and there’s nothing more valuable than learning directly from the leaders who are also navigating these waters in unprecedented times.
Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Pottery Barn, a portfolio brand of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM), the world’s largest digital-first, design-led and sustainable home retailer, announced today that the brand will launch in the United Kingdom during the Autumn of 2025.
Rent the Runway has reportedly increased its subscription prices by approximately $2 per item, effective Aug. 1, according to Glossy. Subscribers currently paying $119 to rent five styles per month will now pay $129 , with the cost of a 10 -style subscription rising from $144 to $164. An email sent to the retailer’s subscribers and quoted by Glossy said, “Over the last several years, we’ve watched steep price increases unfurl across the board in fashion due to inflationary pressures and tariffs.
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
Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! SuperAwesome, the leader in technology for safely engaging Gen Alpha and Gen Z, has released its Holidays Unwrapped 2025 Report, revealing that this year’s festive shopping is set to kick off earlier than ever, with kids and teens driving purchase decisions and powering a ‘second wave’ of seasonal spending that goes beyond December 25th.
Just in time for summer, Brazilian fashion brand FARM Rio has opened a vibrant new pop-up boutique at Bicester Village, offering a 40% discount across the store – plus an exclusive edit of full-price pieces from its latest collection. Opened on the 10th of July, FARM Rio will be at the premier luxury designer outlet shopping destination Bicester Village , in Oxfordshire, just under one hour from London.
Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Today’s company insolvency statistics shows that retail trade insolvencies were up 16% to 192 in May 2025 from the previous month (165) and up 20% year-on-year from 160 in May 2024. Gordon Thomson, restructuring partner at leading audit, tax and consulting firm RSM UK, said: “The latest figures show a marked uptick in insolvencies as we had […] If
The future of Boots has been thrown into doubt as the retailer’s owner Walgreens has approved a $10bn takeover offer by private equity firm Sycamore Partners. Around 96% of votes from shareholders were cast in favour to take Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) private, which is expected to complete in the third or fourth quarter of this calendar year following regulatory approval.
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.
Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Get your baskets at the ready! Yesterday (Thursday 17 July), leading Scottish convenience retailer Scotmid officially opened the doors to its brand-new store in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh- metres from the original headquarters of the former St Cuthbert’s Co-operative.
Your product is dialed in. Your packaging is shelf-ready. Your RangeMe profile is polished—and buyers are starting to take notice. You’re almost retail-ready. But before that exciting “yes” from a retailer turns into a signed PO, there’s one essential step many small brands overlook: business insurance. Whether you’re selling vegan skincare, cold-pressed juices, organic supplements, or keto granola bars, insurance isn’t just a legal checkbox—it’s a smart business move.
Greenacres, Fla. — Atlantic Commercial Group has negotiated the $8.4 million sale of Buttonwood Plaza, a 60,000-square-foot retail center located in Greenacres, approximately 12 miles outside West Palm Beach. Built in… The post Atlantic Commercial Group Negotiates $8.4 Million Sale of 60,000-Square-Foot Retail Center in South Florida appeared first on Shopping Center Business.
Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Authentic Mexican food brand, Gran Luchito, is pleased to announce the launch of its new Taco Seasoning Sachets available in Medium and Spicy varieties. Designed for ease and flavour, each single-use sachet offers a convenient way for UK shoppers to create vibrant, high-quality tacos at home in just 15 minutes.
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.
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