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PRShots Roundup brings you the latest retail news from Fenwick, Victorian Plumbing, Sainsbury’s Zalando, Mulberry, Oliver Sweeney, Tesco, Hobbs, River Island, Harvey Norman, RM Williams, and Debenhams. Plus, why AI investment is a top retail priority for 2025, the top SEO tools for analysing backlinks and more.
THE LATEST RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS
Fenwick drops to £38.1m loss as sales slide
Fenwick sales were down 7% to £184.2m and posted a loss before tax of £28.4m in the year to 26 Jan, down from a profit of £57.1m in 2022 thanks to a “challenging retail environment”.
Victorian Plumbing to shut rival Victoria Plum following £2m loss
Victorian Plumbing is set to close Victoria Plum, the rival it acquired in May, after incurring a nearly £2m loss since the purchase.
Sainsbury’s has launched an overhaul of its ‘Local’ c-store estate
Sainsbury’s is launching a range improvement programme across its convenience store estate as part of a wider strategy to deliver a ‘Next Level’ shopping experience.
Victorian Plumbing benefits from “robust” customer demand
In a trading update Victorian Plumbing saw a revenue increase of around 4% and has said its adjusted EBITDA to 30 Sep 2024 to be in line with market expectations.
Profits halved at Gucci as ‘high competition’ eats into sales
Gucci UK’s results for 2023 show turnover fell from £206.3m to £184.6m with a pre-tax profit down to £4.8m from £9m after “high competition” impacted its sales.
Zalando upgrades guidance as Q3 sees stronger demand
Zalando Q3 update shows gross merchandise volume (GMV) was up 7.8% to €3.5bn, and revenue grew 5% to €2.4 bin with adjusted EBIT up to €93m from €23m.
Mulberry's owner has rejected an increased bid from Frasers Group
The owner of luxury fashion brand Mulberry has rejected a revised bid from Frasers Group and said it has “no interest” in selling its shares to the retailer.
Oliver Sweeney gets menswear boost
Oliver Sweeney results for the year to the end of April show turnover up 18.5% to £9.06m and EBITDA up 16% to £654,000, with its new growth down to its move into men’s clothing.
Keir Starmer says listings like Shein’s to face labour rights scrutiny
All companies looking to sell shares in London will face scrutiny over workers’ rights, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Bloomberg Television.
TRENDS, SUSTAINABILITY, STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY
Why AI investment is a top retail priority for 2025
Investment in AI will be central to retail strategies next year, with 35 CEOs revealing to Retail Week they are spending on various applications of the tech in a major new research paper.
The UK’s top grocery innovators and the key to their success
As the most competitive retail sector in the UK, nothing comes easy for the grocers, making innovation and transformation an essential part of super.
The top SEO tools to Analyse backlinks
External backlinks, especially from trustworthy sites, remain a key ranking factor and generate clicks and engagement. PracticalEcommerce shows you the best backlink analysis tools.
How social listening increases customer advocacy
Learn how social listening can turn satisfied customers into brand advocates and authentically build brand awareness.
Who will win the health and beauty battle this golden quarter?
With high street giants like John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Boots upping their beauty game in the run-up to Christmas, Retail Week looks at who is winning the health and beauty battle.
7 retailers that have lost their CEOs in recent months
There has been a revolving door in retail’s boardrooms with a swathe of CEOs exiting in recent months. Retail Gazette takes a look at some of the biggest CEO departures.
Tesco to launch location-based self-scanner adverts in stores
Tesco is set to serve customers brand adverts based on their location within its supermarkets as it ramps up its retail media offer.
PEOPLE, MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Poundstretcher raids Morrisons as it bolsters leadership team
Poundstretcher has raided Morrisons senior management team for a raft of senior appointments across its commercial and store operations.
BRAND NEWS
River Island unveils festive collection with Nephthys Foster
British fashion retailer River Island has launched a Christmas knitwear collection with London-based artist Nephthys Foster.
Hobbs owner TFG to open largest multi-brand flagship at Liverpool One
TFG London, the owner of Hobbs, Whistles, Phase Eight and homeware retailer Inside Story, is set to open its largest store at Liverpool One.
Australian bootmaker RM Williams eyes UK expansion
Australian bootmaker RM Williams is targeting the UK’s affluent regions as its owner looks to boost its international presence and add to the three UK stores it has currently.
Deliveroo and Wilko team up to deliver 3,000 home and garden products
Wilko has become the latest retailer to partner with Deliveroo, enabling customers to have garden, home, kitchen, DIY, cleaning, petcare and storage products delivered in as little as 25 minutes
Debenhams launches Runway London 1.8.1.8 collection
Debenhams has launched a new collection Runway London 1.8.1.8, “honouring the UK's most iconic department store” with the name a reference to the opening of its first store in 1818.
Superdrug launches Christmas recruitment drive
Superdrug has kickstarted its golden quarter with a drive to recruit an additional 1,000 sales assistants to support stores over the festive period.
Harvey Norman opens first store in England at Merry Hill
Harvey Norman, the Australian lifestyle, technology and home appliance retailer, has opened its first store in England at the Merry Hill shopping centre.
AND FINALLY
Oxford Street’s pedestrianisation: how history lessons can shape its future
As London mayor Sadiq Khan resumes his ambition to pedestrianise parts of Oxford Street, Drapers follows the journey of past attempts and looks at schemes in New York, Berlin and Paris.
PRSHOTS TOP 10 SEARCHES
What were our users searching for on PRShots Week ending October 11th 2024?
1/ AW24
2/ Christmas
3/ Halloween
4/ Leopard
5/ Bag
6/ Coat
7/ Shoes
8/ Sequin
9/ Candle
10/ Earrings
NEW BRANDS TO PRSHOTS
Priestleys was founded by husband and wife team James and Karen and specialises in producing little luxuries in their Lincolnshire workshop. Their leather bags, belts, wallets and accessories are handcrafted using responsibly sourced leathers from gold and silver-rated tanneries in Europe and are supplemented with ranges of scarves and jewellery.
Sims Wear was founded by Billy Sims-Hilditch with the idea of creating British made menswear, using best in class natural fibres. The range is all home produced in Aberdeenshire from fibre carding and spinning, through to knitting, weaving, cutting and sewing.
Initially London are the UK's only full-service monogramming company specialising in classic accessories, home linens and gifts for all occasions and all include their fabulous embroidered and laser-etched monograms.
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 24 hours, week, or month.
BRANDS WITH NEW IMAGES
Clothing, beauty and accessories
Fatface has launched a new women’s partywear label Copper & Black, plus more AW24 Edit ranges of womenswear.
Monsoon has new October edits for women and kids, bags, shoes, jewellery and accessories, new womenswear for special occasions and children’s Christmas-themed and winter accessories.
Peacocks has new Christmas jumpers and fashion, Caprice Christmas pyjama collections, new womenswear, a new Louise Redknapp AW and Christmas Edit, a Michael Owen collaboration and new AW24 womenswear and jewellery.
Betty&Biddy has new jewellery ranges for Christmas including earrings, bracelets and necklaces.
Primark has a new Edit range, Christmas Grinch, Famjam, A Nightmare Before Christmas ranges of pyjamas, jewellery and accessories, a new maternity range, a Pau Eche range of AW24 womenswear and accessories, and Halloween outfits.
Very has new partywear ranges, V by Very ranges of clothes and footwear, a new Michelle Keegan collaboration of winter coats, Quiet Luxury ranges of womenswear, Everyday, and V by Very Curve.
M&S has Christmas clothing, accessories and lingerie sets as well as post-surgery bras, Halloween clothing, the Dress the Nation range with Vernon Kay and AJ Odudu, autumn lingerie, clothing, accessories and jewellery ranges from Autograph, M&S, Jaeger and 3rd parties for him and her.
Celtic &Co has new statement looks for men and women for AW24.
New Look has new winter and occasion wear outfits for women, plus ranges of womenswear including coats, jumpers, skirts and tops.
Matalan has a new collaboration with Alder Hey hospital, Christmas women’s eveningwear, outdoor clothing, footwear, Christmas and Winter outfits for the whole family, AW24 men’s tailoring, new kids and adults sleepwear from its Cosy Shop, new AW24 lingerie ranges, shoes and boots for AW, Halloween wear for all the family.
Dune London has new women’s hats, boots, shoes, accessories and bag ranges, suitcases and travel luggage, handbags and accessory ranges.
George at Asda has women’s and menswear for Christmas occasions and parties, Children in Need Christmas outfits, a new Roksanda and Tickled Pink collaboration clothing ranges, a new collaboration Style Stories with Erica Davies.
River Island has new women’s footwear, clothes and bag ranges, faux leather and leather ranges, a new range of red and burgundy RI womenswear and accessories, plus menswear and womenswear for the autumn, plus leopard prints.
Threadbare has a new AW24 and British Adventure ranges of womenswear.
Barbour has a gifts under £50 range, an Alexa Natalie collaboration, new Flower Mountain collaboration of trainers and clothes, new menswear, plus Modern Heritage ranges of menswear and womenswear for AW24.
Accessorize has new Christmas 2024 ranges of pyjamas, jumpers, bags, jewellery and accessories, plus AW24 ranges of bags, jewellery and scarves.
Oliver Bonas has new AW24 womenswear, accessories, shoes, boots and jewellery drops for October.
Roman Originals has a new Petite range, new Ariella and Dusk ranges, plus floral outfits, and Roman Petite and Curve ranges.
Shoe Zone has new AW24 men, women and kids shoes and boots.
Cotton Traders has new cosy womenswear and menswear for AW24 including jumpers, cardigans and coats.
Fable England has a Wolf Garden range of clothes, jewellery and bags, a new AW24 collaboration with the National History Museum new jewellery ranges, AW24 small accessories ranges from scarves to purses and AW24 nightwear.
Bonmarché has new lingerie ranges, new jewellery and accessory ranges for Christmas and the winter and AW24 clothing ranges.
F&F has new Christmas campaign imagery, Active Kate Ferdinand collaborations, Xmas ranges including jumpers, coats and party wear in satins, gold and black metallics and sequins.
TK Maxx has its Christmas gift-guides for men, women, kids and pets, plus new menswear and womenswear ranges for AW24 including coats, jackets and hoodies, plus Leopard skin prints t-shirts and skirts.
See additional new clothing and accessories images from
Iolla Regatta Scamp & Dude John Lewis Joe Browns Dune London Mens
Home, garden and food
Online Home Shop has new hot water bottles, mirrors, cuddle cushions, shaped pillows and bolsters, a selection of bar stools, new Autumn and Winter bedding ranges and themed hoodie blankets for all occasions.
Habitat has new Christmas decorations for the home and Christmas trees, plus a Willaim Morris collaboration of furniture and soft furnishings, plus new lighting, furniture for the living dining and bedroom plus new tableware.
Rebel Walls has new big statement First Rebels wallpaper ranges for the home based on paintings by famous artists.
Primark has new Christmas decorations and homeware gifts, AW24 furniture, homeware, bedding, diffusers and candles and Halloween decorations.
M&S has a new National Gallery collaboration, stocking filler Christmas images and new Fearne Cotton Happy Place range, Christmas homeware including tableware, soft furnishings, candles and diffusers, Christmas decorations, homeware and bedding ranges, and Halloween decorations.
Arran Sense of Scotland has Christmas scented diffusers and handwashes plus Christmas gifting ranges.
Dobbies Garden Centres has new Christmas ranges including food and drink, trees, decorations and gifts for pets, RHS branded garden gift ranges, Halloween ranges, plus Snow & Sparkles, Magic Woodland, Classic Noel, Colour Pop and Festival Tales Christmas decoration ranges plus autumn homewares, playhouses and garden toys.
Treats by Mars has cans of Milky Way, Mars and Galaxy drinks, new Galaxy gluten and dairy selection boxes, and new Snickers, M&Ms and Maltesers ranges of goodies.
Cutter & Squidge has new Christmas and Halloween food gift ideas from hampers to treats.
Matalan has Christmas decorations, a new Connie the Cockapoo range, AW24 soft furnishings and gifts, a new AW Cosy Shop range of bedding and soft furnishings, Christmas bedding ranges and presents for pets.
B&M has new Xmas 2024 gift guides, new Woodland Charm, Japandi and Natural Earth homeware, plus bedding and soft furnishings for AW24, Halloween and Christmas 2024 ranges of decorations, Christmas mugs, cushions, candles, and things for the kitchen and the Christmas dining table.
Quorn Stone has new natural stone and tumbled herringbone cobbles outdoor ranges, marble ranges for the bathroom and kitchen and Limestone cobbles for outside.
Homesense has new AW24 homeware and Halloween decorations, Christmas gifts and decorations, plus kitchenware ranges aimed at the home and student markets.
George Home has a new Stacey Solomon Christmas, Halloween and Autumn collaborations on cookware, bedding, dining, and homeware.
Hobbycraft has new DIY decoration ideas for the Christmas dining table.
Jan Constantine has a new Christmas collection of cushions.
Cambridge Imprint has wrapping paper, coffee mugs, storage draws and a new artists' gift range.
TK Maxx has its Christmas gift-guides for the home, plus Beetlejuice-themed Halloween things for the home.
DFS has new Scandi, Coastal and Palm beds, sofas and chair ranges.
Joe Browns has new homeware ranges for Christmas and AW24 including bedding, kitchenware and the Heritage Social, Portobello Bohemian and Off the Floor ranges.
See additional new home images from
Nest Cult Furniture Next Home Bargains Sandberg Wallpaper John Lewis Designers Guild National Trust shop
DIARY
PRShots Retail Calendar Alerts
Days until Halloween – 16
Days until Black Friday – 45
Days until Christmas – 71
How to get your brand on the October media calendars
We’re into autumn, and the nights are starting to draw in, and the heating is probably on. The media are looking for images that reflect the changes, so anything that looks cosy and warm is good; roaring fires, big jumpers, coats, hats, knitwear, scarfs and wellies in a leaf-strewn outdoors – all the cliches – are what the media are looking for. If you can do some night shots with sparklers, then you’re also ticking the boxes for Bonfire Night next month and Diwali this month. We also have Halloween at the end of the month, so if you can get a pumpkin in your images, then you’re hitting two birds with one stone.
You should be adding Christmas images, and for those magazines with very long lead times, then start to look for the images of people working off the Christmas excesses for the January issues.
Don’t forget to add keywords like Gifts, Christmas, Xmas, Autumn, Winter, Halloween, Fireworks night and Bonfire night, as they will be looked for from now. Also, we have a wide audience with media from around the World, so add those American holiday versions e.g. The Holidays, Fall, Pumpkin day, Thanksgiving etc and words like hygge that are starting to enter the language and are associated with the autumn.
Media will also be searching for party outfits for Halloween, Guy Fawkes, and the office party season - which will soon be with us. The media are also starting to look for and create Christmas gift guides, so try and be creative, do ones for every eventuality e.g. gifts guides for him/her/mum/dad/kids/teenagers/pets etc also gifts under £150/100/£50 and for guides for secret Santa’s gifts under £20.
Please put prices on everything!!! Otherwise, you stand no chance of getting into any of the features that include “Presents under £50”, “Party dresses for £150” etc.
If you’re a PRShots brand user and you need more ideas, then take a look at the keywords that media are searching for on PRShots and try and add those in.
If you’re looking for more hooks to help promote your brand and products, then see the list of days, weeks and fortnights below.
October Diary - Weeks/Months
October is also known as ‘Stoptober’, which started as a campaign around giving up cigarettes, but is now joined by MacMillans Go Sober for October, so if you have anything non-alcoholic, then get it on PRShots and make sure you add Stoptober and non-alcoholic as keywords.
It’s also Black History Month, Wool Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Menopause Month, Vegetarian Awareness Month, Apple Month, Cookie Month, Spinach Lovers' Month, Pork Month, and National Pasta, Chilli, and Pizza Month.
Fashion and Beauty Weeks and events include - British Beauty Week (23rd-27th)
National School Lunch Week US (14 th-18th)
National Baking Week (14th-20th - TBC)
Wrap’s National Recycle Week (14th-20th)
National Chocolate Week (15th-21st - TBC)
October - Days
16th – First Day of Sukkot
16th – UN World Food Day
16th – Department store day
18th – National Chocolate Cup Cake Day (US)
18th – World Menopause Day
19th – International Gin & Tonic Day
20th – National Office Chocolate Day (US)
22nd-23rd – Hoshana Rabbah
23rd – Last Day of Sukkot
23rd-25th – Shemini Atzeret
24th-25th - Simchat Torah
25th – World Pasta Day
25th – 2 months until Christmas Day
26th – National Pumpkin Day
27th – National American Beer Day
27th – Global Champagne Day
28th – National Chocolate Day (US)
29th – National Cat Day (US)
27th – Clocks go back tonight
31st – Halloween
31st – Diwali
NB - All dates have been checked, but some events may change due to unforeseen circumstances or have not been fully confirmed for 2024 by the authorities controlling the event(s).
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