Main Image: Crew Clothing

PRShots Digest brings you the latest retail news from Primark, Jigsaw, John Lewis, M&S, H&M, Currys, Yoox, Waitrose, Adidas, and Rixo. Plus articles on how Nudie are getting shoppers into repairs, how beauty deals with deinfluencers, using ChatGPT for keyword research and more.

To see the latest news go to our Twitter account @prshotsr

THE LATEST RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS

Rixo sales and profits rocket

Rixo sales grew by almost 70% to £17.4m for the year to 30 June 2022 with EBITDA up to £4.8m from £3.7m on the back of store takings and wholesale to independents and department stores

Primark trading well ahead of expectations

Primark trading has been better than expected and “good” in all markets and expects total Primark sales to be 16% ahead driven by a 10% uplift in like-for-like sales with the UK seeing a 14% uplift.

Jigsaw unveils ambitious store expansion plan

Jigsaw is opening three new stores this year in Manchester, Islington and Kingston and CEO Beth Butterwick said the retailer could open about 20 new sites in the next few years

Adidas and Kanye West reach agreement to sell $500m worth of leftover Yeezy stock

Kanye West and Adidas have reportedly reached a new agreement to sell the remaining $500m in Yeezy sneaker inventory.

LloydsPharmacy to sell ‘significant number’ of stores

LloydsPharmacy is understood to be offloading a “significant number” of its standalone stores amid concerns over government funding for the industry, with several branches sold in recent weeks.

Shoppers spent more than in previous years on Black Friday and Boxing Day

ONS study shows online spending across channels on Black Friday and Boxing Day 2022 was higher than it was a year earlier and “consumer spending was more resilient than expected.”

Amazon warehouse workers to strike for two more days as pay dispute escalates

Amazon workers in Coventry are set to take two more days of strike action this week as the first-ever industrial action the online giant has faced in the UK escalates.

European clothing imports exceed pre-crisis levels

EU – not UK - clothing imports rebounded by 36% in 2022 to €98bn, up 11.6% on 2019. European exports – to the UK and RoW - are also up 33.46% on 2019 to €38.7bn.

Europe’s 1.7m ton textile problem

Europe’s export volume of used textiles (shoes & footwear) tripled in the last two decades to 1.7m tons a year with Africa and Asia taking the bulk much of which ends up downcycled or in landfill.

TRENDS, STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY

How Nudie Jeans is getting customers to repair their clothing

Since 2012, every Nudie Jeans retail store has allowed customers to drop off damaged denim for free fixes and this month, has increased its efforts in the UK via a partnership resale service ACS.

How beauty brands are dealing with deinfluencing

The new deinfluencing trend is leaving many beauty brands worried about their reputation, here are some key steps to take to navigate the new anti-consumer trend.

Keeping your sustainability promises

Here are the ways brands and businesses can become uncompromisable on their sustainability promises in 2023 (arguably one of the most challenging years for the climate on record).

Using AI chat for keyword research

ChatGPT, Jasper, and other AI-powered tools are handy idea generators for SEO keywords, including query intent, entities, search volume, and more.

Dunnhumby releases new tool to forecast impact of price and promos on sales

Dunnhumby has released a new machine learning-powered tool, enabling retailers to predict a year's worth of sales based on various pricing and promotion scenarios. 

AR 'Magic Mirror' from Vyking launches for UK retailers

Virtual try-on startup Vyking.io has launched its new in-store augmented reality (AR) solution, ‘Magic Mirror’ which enables shoppers to easily visualise footwear using an in-store smart mirror.

PEOPLE, MOVERS AND SHAKERS

John Lewis hires former Ikea design director to lead new homeware vision

John Lewis has appointed a former Ikea designer Charlotta Elgh to lead on its new direction and vision for its home range.

Marks & Spencer appoints new non-exec director

Cheryl Potter will be joining Marks & Spencer’s board as a non-executive director, effective March 1. Potter is the former head of the global consumer team at private equity firm Permira,

BRAND NEWS

H&M Group in UK gets renewables boost

Two H&M-funded solar power station projects in Leicestershire are online and providing the retailer with renewable solar electricity, reducing CO2 emissions by 10,500 metric tonnes each year.

Currys touts “incredible” results from viral TikTok video

Currys has seen “incredible results” for a TikTok video it launched for Shrove Tuesday, the video has over 9.5m views and over 370K likes and shows how to make pancakes in an Airfryer.

Waitrose says farewell to Heston from Waitrose range

After 12 years of culinary partnership between it and chef Heston Blumenthal, Waitrose will be ending the Heston from Waitrose range.

Victoria’s Secret to pilot loyalty programme

Victoria’s Secret, together with its own brand Pink, is set to pilot a new loyalty programme “The VS & Pink Collective” that will allow customers to earn rewards while shopping.

Yoox to launch pre-owned category

Marketplace Yoox is launching a pre-owned category in a bid to become a new destination for second-hand shopping.

AND FINALLY

Supermarkets all out of turnips after shoppers told to eat them amid veg shortage

Asda, Aldi, Morrisons, Tesco and Waitrose have all run out of turnips following comments from the UK’s environment secretary Thérèse Coffey

PRSHOTS TOP 10 SEARCHES

What were our users searching for on PRShots Week ending February 24^th 2023?

1/ Mother’s Day

2/ Easter

3/ Garden

4/ Vase

5/ Coronation

6/ Mirror

7/ Bedroom

8/ Cushion

9/ SS23  

10/ Jacket

COLLABORATIONS ON PRSHOTS

Our PRShots brands are looking for media and influencers who want to work with them on collaborations. Register for free at PRShots new collabs service to find out more https://collabs.prshots.com/ 

NEW BRANDS TO PRSHOTS

Curvy Kate lingerie and swimwear is designed to make women feel fabulous about their curves. With sizes from D to K cups Curvy Kate lingerie and swimwear ethos is to “Fit, lift, shape and comfort.”

Imp & Maker founded by entrepreneur Sarah Louise Fairburn to bring together food, drinks & gifts from established, emerging and exciting new names in the food & drink world for both home and corporate gifting.

Scamp & Dude was created by Jo Tutchener-Sharp, founder and previous MD of Beauty Seen PR and is famous for their signature leopard and lightning bolt print and vibrant designs, which features in their mens, womens, kids and baby ranges.

Hobbycraft was founded in 1995, and has since grown to be the largest arts and crafts retailer in the UK with over 100 stores across the UK, and has everything you need for art, knitting and crochet, haberdashery, papercraft, wedding and party, baking, jewellery making and more.

Silk & Lawn are a Brighton-based accessories brand creating beautiful handmade headbands, hair ties & turbans for little and grown-up people made from silk and Tana lawn cottons.

HELP WITH YOUR IMAGE SEARCHES

The latest images on PRShots are found here https://www.prshots.com/whatsnew why not bookmark the page for a regular feed of the latest images on PRShots!! You can select the latest images from the last 24hours, week, or month.

BRANDS WITH NEW IMAGES

Clothing, beauty and accessories

Crew Clothing has new menswear and womenswear, accessories, and shoes

Very has V by Very swimwear and dresses plus Everyday womenswear ranges, handbags, shoes and accessories

Freemans has new Star by Julien Macdonald ranges

Peacocks has new womenswear

Roman Originals has new spring and summer ranges

Monsoon has a new SS23 womenswear and accessories, kids swimwear and summer clothing and new eco fabric Lenzing clothes

Matalan launches the Papaya Curve range of clothes as well as new shoes and bags

Bryony Bel  has new jewellery ranges

Lipsy has new SS23 clothing including Friends Like These, Love & Roses, plus accessories and shoes for women and bridesmaid outfits

Tu Clothing has new SS23 clothing, shoes, bags and accessories

New Look has new swimwear and summer clothing drops

Regatta has new kids beach and summer wear

Dune London has new kids shoe ranges for the summer

PrettyLittleThing  has a new ranges and collabs

Dune London Men’s has new SS23 ranges

Barbour has new kids clothing and womenswear ranges

Marks & Spencer has a new denim collection and lingerie for its “Love your Boobs” campaign

Primark has new summer clothing, makeup, women and kids clothing, accessories and new KEM, bridal, Denim, and Varsity ranges.

River Island has new summer clothing and wedding outfits for him and her

Office has new men and womens ranges

TU Clothing has new ranges

Cotton Traders has new men’s and women’s wear

NoLoGo  has new ranges for spring and summer

Fatface has the Fletchers in its new campaign

Radley has new ranges but check the embargo

See additional new clothing and accessories images from the last few weeks at

Cath Kidston Threadbare Joe Browns Aspiga Oliver Bonas From my mother’s garden TK Maxx  Night Store John Lewis F&F Bonmarché Deichmann UK George at Asda

Home and food

Dobbies Garden Centres has new things for the home, edible planting, patio furniture, house plants, chimeneas, pizza ovens, firepits.

Furniture Village has new outdoor furniture for the garden and patio

Sofology has a new Sapporo, Hetty and Fellini ranges

Cardfactory has new Mother’s Day gifts

Cartwright & Butler has new Easter and Mother’s Day hampers and gift boxes

Cuckooland has new furniture

Dunelm has new homeware and Easter gifts and decorations

The Range has Easter homeware and decorations, plus kitchen and homeware to keep you organised in 2023

Wilko has hundreds of new kitchen, dining, bed, bath and living room items

National Trust shop has new Easter gifts

B&M has their new Ocean Tide and Simply Home ranges for the bedroom, bathroom, dining room and lounge

Next launches Easter collections as well as a new Tahiti, Stockholm, Arches, Valencia and Medley collections

Homesense has new SS23 home and garden items plus gifts for Easter and Mother’s day

Biscuiteers Baking has new ranges for Easter, Mother’s day and Father’s Day

Cutter & Squidge has Mother’s day and Easter hampers and goodies

National Trust Shop has new puzzles,  gifts and things for the garden

Fritz Fryer has new lighting solutions

Cult Furniture  has new tables and chairs

See additional new home images from the last few weeks from

Nest  Fatface George Home Daisy Park  Very Primark Home Oliver Bonas Cath Kidston TK Maxx Hotel Chocolat John Lewis Marks & Spencer Cambridge Imprint  Designers Guild Matalan NoLoGo Avalana Dune London Luxdeco Designers Guild White Stuff Monsoon

Looking for inspiration??

Our trends lightboxes section has lots of ideas for features and themes but If  you can't find something or you need help then email us at support@prshots.com, and we'll see if we can help

DIARY

PRShots Retail Alert

Days until Mother’s Day – 20

Days until Easter – 41

Days until Eid al-Fitr – 53

Days until Halloween – 246

Days until Singles Day - 257

Days until Black Friday – 270

Days until Christmas Day – 301

How to get your brand on the March Editorial Calendars, search engines and social media 

March is mostly about preparing for the big Easter holidays in April so make sure you are starting to include relevant Easter keywords, plus it’s also the time people make their first big getaway abroad so any keywords and clothes for warmer climes, loungewear, going out wear, swimsuits, bikinis etc should be added.

At the end of the month there’s Mother’s Day so try and get Mother, gifts, or Mother’s Day into your keywords for anything that seems appropriate. Also, if you have anything green then add the Keyword St Patricks Day.

Plus, as we’re now definitely in Spring, carry on adding those spring and summer-related images and adding keywords relating to the summer like swimwear, outdoor living, garden, garden parties and Barbecues (don’t forget to add all of the other spellings BBQ, Bar-B-Que etc).   

We’re also starting to get ready for the bridal season – the peak is May to October – so If you have bridal wear or anything appropriate to weddings then start to upload it, and label it with the keyword wedding.

Lastly, it’s Oscar month so why not upload some smart suits and dresses and create an Oscar section for an evening watching the Oscars.  

If you’re looking for more hooks to help promote your brand and products then see the list of days, weeks and fortnights below.

March Diary - Weeks/Months

In the UK it’s National Bed Month - Introduced by The Sleep Council and The National Bed Federation, it aims to raise awareness of the importance of sleep so push anything sleep-related. it’s also the British Heart Foundation Dechox month which encourages people to give up chocolate – cakes and biscuits - for the month! So, any chocolate, biscuit or cake alternatives should be pushed.   

Interesting Stat: National No-Smoking day was originally on Ash Wednesday when it was started in 1984. It was moved to the second Wednesday in March as, while it’s less easy to remember, the date doesn’t move around the calendar quite so much as Ash Wednesday does.  

Other events include;

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Fairtrade Fortnight (Feb 27^th – Mar 12^th)

British Pie Week (6^th-12^th)

British Science Week (10^th-19^th)

Butchers Week (6^th-12^th)

World Autism Awareness Week (Mar 27^th – Apr 2^nd)

Ideal Home Show (Mar 17^th – Apr 2^nd)

London Bridal Fashion Week (19^th-21^st)

National Fragrance Week (20^th-26^th)

March - Days

1^st – St David’s Day

2^nd – Dr Seuss Day (US)

2^nd – World Book Day

3^rd – World Wildlife Day

3^rd – World Hearing Day

4^th – World Obesity Day

5^th - Passover Begins 

7^th – Holi Hindu Festival

8^th – International Women’s Day

8^th – No Smoking Day

12^th – The Oscars 

13^th – Commonwealth Day

13^th - Passover Ends 

15^th – Spring Budget Day

17^th – St Patrick’s Day

17^th – World Sleep Day

17^th - Red Nose Day for Comic Relief

18^th – Global Recycling Day

19^th - Mother’s Day UK

20^th – First Day of Spring 

21^st – International Day of Forests

21^st – World Poetry Day

22^nd – World Water Day

22^nd - Start of Ramadan

25^th – National Bridesmaids Day

26^th – British Summertime Begins 

26^th – Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

31^st – Wear a Hat Day (Brain Tumour Research)  

Do you have any news on your brand that you want us to feature, or have a new appointee or a new event that you would like us to feature? Get in touch at news@prshots.com We don't charge, so get emailing now!!!

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