Tue.Mar 11, 2025

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5 Simple Steps to Create a High-Impact Brand Sweepstakes

Retail TouchPoints

Looking to increase brand engagement, boost awareness and grow customer loyalty? It might be time to run a brand sweepstakes! By offering participants a chance to win a fun prize through this type of consumer promotion, you can create excitement for your brand, attract new customers and keep existing consumers coming back for more. But to plan a successful sweepstakes, youll need more than just an enticing prize.

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Why retailers must rethink their Meta and Google ad strategies in 2025

Inside Retail

The digitalisation of media has seen advertising budgets diverted towards social media campaigns and search engine marketing in Australia, 70 per cent of digital advertising spend goes to Meta and Google. For many retailers, these platforms have grown to consume the whole marketing funnel and their templated options have become the default. Metas advertising revenue in 2024 grew year-on-year, with ad impressions up 6 per cent across all platforms, however, price per ad increased by 14 per cent

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Lowe’s Teams with OpenAI to Develop Agentic AI Assistant for Homeowners

Retail TouchPoints

Lowes has a new sales associate Mylow , a conversational AI agent available anywhere, anytime for MyLowes loyalty members. Mylow is designed to help customers navigate the many questions that come with owning a home, from project planning to how-to advice to product searches. Developed in collaboration with OpenAI and leveraging Lowe’s expert advice, Mylow provides customers with clear steps and practical solutions for home projects ranging from lawn care to home renovations and maintenan

Planning 208
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Town & Country kickstarts interstate growth in WA

Inside Retail

Victorian-based Town & Country Pizza & Pasta has unveiled its first interstate location, in the Margaret River area of Western Australian. Joe Rossi, managing director and son of the founder, said it was a strategic decision to secure a site in the tourist region. A low-key introduction for the restaurant brands first interstate location was also deliberate, Rossi told Franchise Executives.

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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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Retail Trendcaster: Turning Hot Topics and Trends into Actionable Insights

Retail TouchPoints

Q1 is always a whirlwind for the retail space. Once New Years Day is behind us, analysts and industry experts get busy analyzing holiday sales results to set their predictions for the year ahead. Simultaneously, retail executives and practitioners ramp up their travel plans, venturing to major events like the NRF Big Show and Shoptalk, to generate buzz around their major plans and priorities.

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How Mosaic Brands’ rapid expansion led to its devastating collapse

Inside Retail

For an all too brief period, the Alceon investment house achieved its ambition to be the largest womens fashion specialty retailer in Australia. The only problem was the nine retail brands trading from around 1350 stores were a house of cards with a flawed investment play without retail smarts. Alceon and the investors it brought to the table for the 2014 acquisition of a struggling Noni B might well blame the current situation on flat retail conditions or the Covid pandemic, but the real proble

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Can Debenhams’ rebrand save Boohoo Group?

Retail Gazette

Debenhams is back. Well, at least that’s what Boohoo Group CEO Dan Finley hailed this morning after unveiling its bold rebranding. After acquiring the distressed department store in 2022, Boohoo Group has pivoted the once-beloved high street favourite into a new direction, reintroducing it as what it claims to be Britains leading online department store with a marketplace model.

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CVS to Open 12 Small Pharmacy-Focused Stores

Retail TouchPoints

Over the next year, CVS will open a dozen small-format stores in locations throughout the U.S. that will include full-service pharmacies but very limited selections of non-healthcare retail, according to the Wall Street Journal. The stores will average less than 5,000 square feet not even half as large as a typical CVS store. These stores will stock health-related products such as first aid and over-the-counter cough and pain medications but none of the groceries, cosmetics and greeting cards t

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Moleskine’s CEO on how the brand balances heritage with smart innovation

Inside Retail

Italian luxury stationery brand Moleskine is navigating the complexities of a digital-first world while staying rooted in its legacy of analogue expression. Under the leadership of CEO Christophe Archaimbault, the brand is executing a multi-faceted strategy to ensure relevance, drive international expansion and deepen its technological integration, all while maintaining its commitment to sustainability.

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Lowe’s Teams with OpenAI to Develop AI Assistant for Homeowners

Retail TouchPoints

Lowes has a new sales associate Mylow , a conversational AI agent available anywhere, anytime for MyLowes loyalty members. Mylow is designed to help customers navigate the many questions that come with owning a home, from project planning to how-to advice to product searches. Developed in collaboration with OpenAI and leveraging Lowe’s expert advice, Mylow provides customers with clear steps and practical solutions for home projects ranging from lawn care to home renovations and maintenan

Planning 130
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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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Iceland launches digital screens in stores amid retail media push

Retail Gazette

Iceland is preparing to introduce thousands of digital screens across its store estate as part of a major push into retail media. The frozen food specialist has promoted category trading manager Adam Smith to head of retail media, who will head up the retailers first dedicated in-house team, The Grocer reported. The department will be responsible for all elements of the retailers retail media, including screens, online advertising and traditional PoS across Iceland and Food Warehouse.

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Essential Knowledge for Streamlining Your Retail Audit Process

Wiser

Essential Knowledge to Optimize Your Retail Audit Process A well-executed retail audit provides critical visibility into everything from shelf conditions and associate performance to customer sentiment and promotional effectiveness. However, each channel presents its own challengesboth operationally and in terms of data access. Below, well explore seven major retailer types, the unique hurdles they pose, and how you can leverage crowd-based or third-party audits to stay ahead.

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Boohoo rebrands to Debenhams Group as it shifts to marketplace model

Retail Gazette

Boohoo Group boss Dan Finley has unveiled his turnaround plan for the fashion giant as he looks to shift the entire business to a marketplace model. Finley, who was named group chief executive in November, has spent the last three years leading the transformation of the companys Debenhams brand into a very profitable and highly cash generative marketplace-led business model.

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Stop & Shop Avoided Teamsters Strike by Agreeing to These Terms

Retail Wire

Stop & Shop workers who were part of the Teamsters union were threatening to strike.

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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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Waitrose unveils £500k net zero fund for British farmers

Retail Gazette

Waitrose has launched a 500,000 fund to support British farmers transition to its net zero emission standards. The net zero farm scheme will finance projects,by farmers and suppliers, that will reduce the carbon emissions associated with the products supplied to Waitrose. It will also help to boost resilience to combat the effects of climate change.

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Auntie Anne’s Debuts Pretzelria Delivery: Pizza Bites and Ranch, Perfected

Retail Wire

Auntie Anne's Pretzelria Delivery Service will be coming to the major pizza capitals in the U.S.

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Foodex Japan 2025: Businesses Beyond Borders

LS Retail

2025 Secret Aardvark Trading Co. All rights reserved. As one of the worlds premier food and beverage trade shows, FoodEx Japan brings together global buyers, suppliers, and innovators shaping the future of food. For these local companies, the event presents a unique opportunity to showcase high-quality products, expand into international markets, and build partnerships that drive growth in the evolving food industry.

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Sicilian Avenue Central London’s Pedestrianised Hospitality and Retail Hub Opens Summer 2025

365 Retail

Real estate investment firm Tristan Capital Partners announces the availability of 12 commercial units on Sicilian Avenue, an iconic, Grade II listed pedestrianised street found in the heart of Bloomsbury, 90 seconds from Holborn station – Londons 11th busiest tube station out of 272. The units vary in size, from 485 sq ft to 2,357 sq ft, for a mix of food and beverage and retail occupiers.

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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.

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Facebook Marketplace Is Keeping the Platform Relevant Among Young Users

Retail Wire

Young adults often use Facebook Marketplace to find and buy goods.

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Retail Incubators vs. Retail Accelerators: Key Differences for Product Startups

Retail Bound

Starting a product-based business is exciting but incredibly challengingparticularly when navigating the competitive retail landscape. For many startups, retail incubators and accelerators offer a path to growth, providing guidance, resources, and access to a network of industry professionals. But whats the difference between the two? And how do you decide which is the best fit for your venture?

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CVS Is Opening Pharmacy-Only Stores in Select Communities

Retail Wire

CVS has a plan to improve the pharmacy experience with small, dedicated stores for filling prescriptions.

Planning 147
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Swizzels refreshes Easter range with launch of Squashies Drumchick

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! British sweet maker Swizzels has revealed new, limited-edition Squashies Drumchick. Ahead of Easter, Swizzels has given its popular treats a seasonal twist, inspired by the success of Squashies the No.1 sugar confectionery brand in the market*.

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What Your Financial Statements Are Telling You—And How to Listen!

Speaker: David Worrell, CFO, Author & Speaker

Your financial statements hold powerful insights—but are you truly paying attention? Many finance professionals focus on the income statement while overlooking key signals hidden in the balance sheet and cash flow statement. Understanding these numbers can unlock smarter decision-making, uncover risks, and drive long-term success. Join David Worrell, accomplished CFO, finance expert, and author, for an engaging, nontraditional take on reading financial statements.

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Pizza Hut Just Threw Shade at Domino’s for Its Delayed Stuffed Crust Offering. Here Are the Details

Retail Wire

Pizza Hut has offered stuffed crust pizza for a while.

ATS 147
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How brands can connect with Gen Z – without sounding cringe

Inside Retail

Weve loosened the tie with many brands, following a society-wide trend towards being more casual. How did we get here? Perhaps the shift traces back to the year 2005, when laptops first outsold PCs in the US, and the word wifi was added to the English dictionary. This was the beginning of the end of the traditional workplace. Years of start-up culture, the gig economy and hoodies in the office shortly followed.

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Wingstop’s Iconic Ranch Hits the Auction Block — Score a Year’s Worth

Retail Wire

Wingstop fans can't do without their beloved ranch dressing.

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Data and efficiency among top reasons for warehouse automation upgrades

Inside Retail

With industrys need to hone efficiency to keep competitive, warehouse automation systems have been a game changer for companies specialising in retail, food and beverage, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, e-commerce, e-grocery, spare parts, and a broad range of industrial applications. Whether its a smaller picking automation solution or a large-scale fully automated warehouse, maximising the return on investment in these systems is always top of mind.

Planning 130
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State of AI in Sales & Marketing 2025

AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.

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Firehouse Subs Turns Up the Heat With Spicy New Hot Ones Collaboration

Retail Wire

Firehouse Subs is turning up the heat via a Hot Ones collaboration.

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Seasalt chief information officer steps down

Retail Gazette

Seasalt chief information officer Mel Wilcox has stepped down after less than two years. Wilcox, who joined the lifestyle brand in the newly created role in June 2023, has left to seek new challenges and opportunities, Drapers reported. Wilcox had previously spent four years at Specsavers, first as its director of technology portfolio management and then as its technology director.

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Dick’s Sporting Goods Chairman Cites ‘Uncertain World,’ Tariff Concerns as Profit Forecast Falls Below Expectations

Retail Wire

Dick's Sporting Goods is expecting soft profits in 2025.

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Lorraine Kelly to celebrate opening of first Bonmarché store in High Wycombe

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Bonmarch is excited to announce the opening of a new store in High Wycombe’s Eden Centre. The store will officially open at 9:30 am on Thursday, 20th March 2025, with TV personality and brand ambassador Lorraine Kelly making a special appearance on Friday, 28th March.

ATS 59
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SEO vs. PPC: Which Strategy Is Best for Your Business?

When it comes to driving traffic and growing your online presence, businesses often ask: SEO or PPC—what’s the better choice? This guide breaks down the key differences between search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, highlighting their pros, cons, and best use cases. Whether you’re looking for long-term organic growth or immediate visibility through paid ads, we’ll help you determine which strategy—or combination of both—is right for your business.