Thu.May 01, 2025

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The Trade War that Restructures What Sells and Why

Retail TouchPoints

The U.S. economy may not have officially entered a recession, but consumers are nonetheless navigating rising prices, dwindling savings and a near-constant stream of financial anxiety. Now, with the onset of widespread global tariffs, consumer confidence has hit its second-lowest point since 1952. Even unconventional indicators of economic health reflect the mood: salon owners have reported a rise in recession blond as clients opt to let their natural roots grow out, and Google searches for pres

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Tuchuzy has been acquired after a second administration, can it rebuild again?

Inside Retail

After Tuchuzy fell into administration for the second time in five years, the industry was quick to point out where the Bondi-based fashion brand went wrong but after its appointed administrators, Antony Resnick and Henry Kwok from dVT Group, announced a successful sale, experts are weighing in on the enduring value of the brand. Tuchuzy has a reputation in the Australian fashion industry for curating a mix of high-end and accessible pieces.

Fashion 189
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Amazon Invests $4 Billion to Expand Rural Delivery Network

Retail TouchPoints

Amazon will invest $4 billion to enhance rural delivery capabilities, a move that will expand the number of rural delivery stations to 200 and create an estimated 100,000 new jobs. When the expansion is complete, Amazon will be able to deliver 1 billion additional packages annually to customers living in 13,000 zip codes spanning 1.2 million square miles an area the size of Alaska, California and Texas combined.

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Shein launches Australian fashion label Aralina

Inside Retail

Online fast fashion label Shein has launched Aralina, a new brand inspired by the Australian lifestyle. Aralina, which distinguishes itself with minimalism and sustainability goals, offers a take on casual wear, loungewear, swimwear, and athleisure designed with comfort, confidence and authenticity in mind, the company says. Created by an Australian team led by Tara Skene-Haygarth, Aralina has committed to making 20 per cent of its range with preferred materials by the end of this year, with cur

Fashion 194
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A Roadmap For Modernization: How To Break Free From Your Monolith Before July 31, 2026

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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Sustainability is the Lifeblood of British Heart Foundation’s New ‘Store of the Future’

Retail TouchPoints

A brand new Store of the Future concept store, a thrift shop operated by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), opens today in Scotlands capital Edinburgh, and its a model of both charity and sustainability. For example, the cash desk countertop is produced using waste textile direct from the BHFs 675 shops across the UK. Waste plastic, bubble wrap and plastic bags are being formed to manufacture unique lampshades above the cash desk, and the stores entire lighting system is produced via a 3D print

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How Airi Sutherland went from fashion sales to e-commerce powerhouse

Inside Retail

Inside Retails Top 50 People in E-Commerce , presented by Australia Post, is an annual ranking of the most impressive and inspiring leaders in Australias online retail industry. Over the coming weeks, we will be profiling this years Top 10. Here, we speak with #9, Airi Sutherland, VP of e-commerce and technology at Outcast Clothing, about discovering a passion for retail and digital, her proudest career achievements to date and the true purpose of e-commerce professionals.

Fashion 147

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Material Innovation: Sheep Inc. Unveils FIBREGEN™ a revolutionary 100% regenerative material with new collection of hoodies & sweatshirts

Retail Focus

Sheep Inc Unveils FIBREGEN a revolutionary 100% regenerative material alongside a collection of FIBREGEN hoodies & sweatshirts developed over two years of R&D and extensive trials. This is the first product release since completing their series A investment last month. Developed in collaboration with Inovafil in Portugal, FIBREGENTM was created over two years of meticulous development.

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Kohl’s CEO Ousted for Questionable Vendor Transactions

Retail TouchPoints

Ashley Buchanan, now former CEO of Kohl’s. (Image courtesy Kohl’s) Kohls Board of Directors has terminated CEO Ashley Buchanan for cause and has appointed current board Chair Michael Bender as Interim CEO while a permanent replacement is sought. According to a statement from the company, Buchanan was terminated for engaging in vendor transactions that involved undisclosed conflicts of interest following an investigation conducted by outside counsel and overseen by the board.

Planning 147
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Mango leads run of new openings at The Lexicon

Retail Focus

The Lexicon, owned in a joint venture between Schroders Capital and Legal & General Capital, has secured 23,039 sq ft of new retail, F&B, and leisure lettings with Mango, Rituals, and Jamaica Blue all arriving at the Bracknell retail destination. International fashion brand Mango has opened a new 19,210 sq ft store at The Lexicon in what is a flagship letting for the scheme.

ATS 147
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DSW Debuts In-Store Protection Kiosks to Help Shoe Shoppers ‘Get More Wear from Every Pair’

Retail TouchPoints

DSW has rolled out Imbox Protection machines at nearly 500 locations, allowing customers to protect their newly purchased footwear in just 60 seconds. Using a water-based spray, the enclosed Imbox machine coats shoes with a protective shield that repels water, stains, dirt, mud and fading without the use of harsh chemicals. The touch-free, in-store service costs $8.99 and provides up to eight weeks of invisible protection (longer with light wear).

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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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NO SAINT: The revolutionary vaping brand bringing good taste, safety and responsibility to the industry

Retail Focus

NO SAINT, a groundbreaking new vaping brand and technology platform dedicated to redefining vaping experiences, is launching this May as a sophisticated, safer alternative that prioritises quality, innovation, and responsibility. Built with cutting-edge technology and premium ingredients, NO SAINTs vaporiser can last up to two years and eliminates hazardous flavours and harmful chemicals found in many existing brands.

Consumer 147
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James May launches gin in Waitrose

A1 Retail

From travelling the world and road-testing the worlds greatest cars as part of the presenting team on Top Gear and The Grand Tour, to co-owning a pub in Wiltshire, from being sacked from every job hes ever had, to eating bulls bits with Gordon Ramsey, hes now popping up in your local Waitrose with a gin he has made from wait for it British parsnips.

Shopping 102
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Morrisons tests aisle roaming bots to check products

Retail Gazette

Morrisons is testing out aisle-roaming “tally” robots in its stores to monitor how goods are being displayed on shelves. The supermarket chain is trialling the robots, which are said to be the world’s first autonomous inventory bot, across its Wetherby, Redcar and Stockton stores, The Grocer reported. The bots use computer vision and AI to independently move through supermarket aisles multiple times per day to collect data.

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Cheers! Happy National Small Business Month!

LS Retail

iStock/EyeEm Mobile GmbH It's time to celebrate National Small Business Month. May is a month to applaud and recognize the contributions of small businesses to the economy. And right now, they (myself included) are experiencing a tough time due to our current economic environment. Yet, because we are hard working, fierce, resilient and brave, we are the backbone of our economy.

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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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M&S pauses recruitment following cyberattack

Retail Gazette

M&S has paused recruitment as it grapples with the impacts of an ongoing cyberattack. The food and fashion giant has taken down all of its online job adverts and paused recruitment following the ransomware attack, The Telegraph reported. The M&S website said that it was hiring for 232 positions throughout its warehouses, stores and offices as of 22 April.

Fashion 74
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Scaling the Cisco AI Assistant for Support with Splunk

Cisco Retail

Cisco needed to scale its virtual support engineer that assists its technical support teams around the world. By leveraging its own Splunk technology, Cisco was able to scale the AI assistant to support more than 1M cases and free up engineers to concentrate on more complex cases, creating a 93+% customer satisfaction rating, and ensuring the critical support continues running in the face of any disruption.

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Co-op staff told to keep cameras on in meetings after hack attempt

Retail Gazette

Co-op has informed employees to keep their cameras on during remote work meetings as the company deals with an ongoing cyberattack. The convenience store chain urged its 70,000 workforce to remain vigilant as its IT teams work to protect their systems. Co-op also told staff not to record or transcribe calls, or post any sensitive information into Teams chats, the BBC reported.

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Mango Leads New Wave of Retail Openings at The Lexicon Bracknell

365 Retail

The Lexicon, a retail destination in Bracknell jointly owned by Schroders Capital and Legal & General Capital, has expanded its line-up with 23,039 sq ft of new retail, food and beverage, and leisure lettings. The latest arrivals include international fashion brand Mango , personal care and homeware retailer Rituals , and coffee shop chain Jamaica Blue.

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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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Embracing a Passwordless Future: Cisco’s Journey to Seamless Authentication with Duo Passwordless

Cisco Retail

Cisco IT needed to secure its workforce in a zero trust, user-friendly way that would allow its 130,000 users to securely work anywhere, from any device, without friction. By leveraging its own Duo Passwordless, the team was able to eliminate phishable multi-factor authentication factors, improve usability and productivity, reduce authentication actions by 93%, and secure its workforce from anywhere.

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Puma relocates UK head office from London to Manchester

Retail Gazette

Puma is set to relocate its UK head office from London to the new Circle Square development in Manchester. The sportswear brand has signed a 20,000sq ft workspace at the 87m development located on the Oxford Road Corridor. Puma said its new base in Manchester “is already home to a growing community of retail tech and digital-first businesses, making it a future-facing base for Puma’s UK operations and a strategic step in its ongoing transformation” The relocation comes as the b

Fashion 65
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Brits tuck into roast lamb and fresh veg to celebrate a sunny Easter weekend

A1 Retail

Total Till sales grew 9.6 percent in the last four weeks, with sales peaking at +19.8 percent week ending Easter Saturday Seasonal offers drove shopper spend with a sharp increase in sales (+11.6 percent) of fresh foods. Sales of general merchandise like outdoor accessories and clothing also grew (+11.7 percent) as shoppers ring in Spring. In-store sales (+9.4 percent) continue to pull ahead of online (+6.3. percent), over the last four weeks with 1 in 4 GB households (27 percent) opting to shop

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Sports Direct Launches Flagship Store at Westfield Stratford

365 Retail

Sports Direct has launched a new flagship store at Westfield Stratford City , spanning 20,000 sq ft across two floors, marking a key milestone in its expansion across London. The opening strengthens its footprint in the capital, coming as part of the ongoing Elevation Strategy by parent company Frasers Group. Located on the first floor of the shopping centre, the new store offers a broad range of sports apparel, footwear and equipment across menswear, womenswear and childrenswear.

ATS 64
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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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Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival celebrates 65 years, with visitor registration now open

A1 Retail

Registration is now officially open for the sourcing event of the summer the Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival ! Returning to Harrogate from 20 th 23 rd July 2025, the festival is thrilled to announce its 65 th year of supporting the retail industry, cementing themselves as the Norths go-to summer sourcing trade event. As UK retails premier summer trade show, this vibrant summer showcase is the ultimate destination for retailers and designers looking to source, network, and celebrate in a

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The Real and Current Opportunities of Artificial Intelligence in Retail

365 Retail

How can AI turbocharge retail and what are the benefits? Tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek have attracted a lot of press attention, but the coverage they get only paints half of the picture of AI. Predictive, problem-solving AI, which analyses data to provide insights and enable powerful automations, is arguably more transformative. Ultimately, the three biggest goals of any retailer are driving revenue, increasing profit, and improving customer experience.

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Space NK owner puts beauty chain up for sale

Retail Gazette

Space NK owner Manzanita Capital has launched a formal sale process of the beauty chain, more than a year since it appointed bankers to handle the sale. According to Sky News , prospective bidders have been approached in recent weeks. Manzanita Capital drafted in bankers at Raymond James last April to oversee an auction that could see the retailer fetch between 300m and 400m.

ATS 57
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Choosing the Right ESL Partner: Elevating the retail experience without risking credibility

365 Retail

With the retail industry growing more competitive than ever, businesses are looking to gain a competitive edge by deploying the latest technological advancements. Industry leaders are looking to increase efficiency through electronic shelf labels (ESL), digital displays, data-driven insights and digital monitoring. The transformation of in-store retail experience has just begun.

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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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How Yum China is building growth on thin margins

Inside Retail

At first glance, Yum Chinas latest earnings look like a modest win. Operating profit rose 7 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025 to US$399 million, restaurant margins expanded and the company opened nearly 250 net new stores. Revenues surged 1 per cent year on year to US$3 billion. We achieved a solid first-quarter performance amid an uncertain market environment, said Joey Watt, CEO of Yum China.

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Chipotle Gives Back: $2M in Free Burritos for Teachers and Healthcare Workers

Retail Wire

Chipotle gives free burritos to teachers and healthcare workers.

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Kohl’s CEO crisis and the lessons other retailers must learn: PR experts

Inside Retail

After less than 100 days in the role, the firing of Kohls CEO Ashley Buchanan could not have come at a worse time for the discount department store chain. Buchanan was Kohls third leadership hire in just four years. The odds are not looking good for the department store chain, which is dealing with underperforming stores and abysmal sales numbers. While not related to business performance, this disruption and distraction is the last thing that Kohl’s needs as it tries to turn itself around

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McDonald’s Reports Decline in US Same-Store Sales, Marking the Largest Decrease in 5 Years

Retail Wire

A cautious consumer and less store traffic led to declining same-store sales for McDonald's.

Consumer 130
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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.