Matt Holt

Marks and Spencer to build new £340m automated food distribution centre Northamptonshire in plans to double the size of its food business The facility at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal will span 1.3 million sq ft and represents M&S’s biggest #supplychain investment in its history

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What’s been happening in retail this week? · John Lewis & Partners has partnered with TOPSHOP TOPMAN to launch Topshop in 32 stores and online from Feb 2026, with Topman in six locations. Great collab! · Aldi UK rolled out InPost UK parcel lockers across 536 UK stores, enabling customers to collect and return parcels, with plans to cover 600 locations by the end of the year. · Amazon has launched its first UK sale focused on returned and refurbished items, with discounts of up to 70% across tech, gaming, home, beauty, fitness and more. · eBay has expanded its authenticity guarantee to apparel, shoes and accessories in the UK, offering a “head-to-toe” service for pre-loved fashion. · Poundland is simplifying grocery pricing nationwide, returning to three clear price points – £1, £2, £3 – as part of efforts to streamline ranges and refocus the brand. · SHEIN will host a 2nd London pop-up on Oxford Street from 26 to 28 Sep, showcasing its autumn-winter collection. · Primark opened its first standalone homeware store in GB, spanning a 12,000 sq ft in Manchester. · Holland & Barrett trialled a revamped beauty category in six stores between June and August, reporting a 7% sales uplift versus control sites. The format mixes topical products, ingestible supplements and expert advice, with rollout to larger city stores planned for 2026. · FatFace launched in Germany using Zalando’s platform. Early trading in Germany is said to have been “positive”, as the retailer eyes further European expansion. · John Lewis Partnership appointed former Tesco executive Tom Denyard as managing director of Waitrose & Partners, replacing James Bailey. Tina Mitchell will act as interim MD from late September until Denyard takes over in January. · Currys plc announced a £50m share buyback after posting a 3% rise in like-for-like sales in UK & Ireland during the 17 weeks to 30 August. Growth was driven by B2B, gaming, AI computing and services. · Sweaty Betty returned to profit with a £1.5m pre-tax profit in 2024 versus a £13.4m loss the year before. Sales slipped from £144.2m to £140.4m, with UK and US under pressure, but rest-of-world sales grew. · H&M has named Karen O’Rourke as UK & Ireland MD. With 25+ years at the retailer, she steps up to lead over 200 stores. · Mulberry England has appointed Tom Burrow (ex-End Clothing) as chief customer & digital officer to drive digital and omnichannel growth. 💥 💥 💥 We're delighted to launch our latest thought leadership research in partnership with beBettor, exploring how retailers can fix customer segmentation. We reveal that whilst retailers see customer segmentation as their most valuable dataset, they rate their level of sophistication at only 60% exposing a critical "segmentation gap". The report reveals that most segmentation frameworks still rely solely on internal datasets, leaving information such as customer spending power invisible to most retailers. Download now ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eC7Ucrwy

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📢 Marks and Spencer appoints a new CPO Marks & Spencer has appointed former Asda executive Hayley Tatum MBE, as its new Chief People Officer. Tatum will join the executive committee in October and begin her induction working alongside M&S colleagues in stores and distribution centres. Tatum brings a wealth of retail experience, having spent 14 years at Asda in senior people leadership roles and over two decades at Tesco in operational and HR positions. CEO Stuart Machin praised her hands-on, collaborative approach, noting her track record in building strong colleague engagement. Describing her appointment as a “pinch me” moment, Tatum said she was thrilled to join “the most trusted brand in the UK” and is eager to learn directly from M&S teams as the retailer continues its transformation journey. #News #Retail #MarksandSpencers #Executive #CPO

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A thoughtful piece in The Grocer this week explores what Marks and Spencer Food’s new distribution centre at DIRFT says about the direction of travel for UK warehouse logistics. Automation, scale, and visibility are all front and centre – both in terms of operations and public perception. As the logistics sector continues to modernise, it’s encouraging to see national media shining a light on the role these facilities play in keeping shelves stocked and supply chains resilient. Featuring Paul Weston and Simon Cox Article here: https://prolo.gs/4pGmOoB

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Sainsbury's CMO, Mark Given, is taking on an expanded remit as chief technology, marketing and data officer. According to the retailer, the move reflects the strategic role of AI, loyalty and personalisation in enhancing the customer experience. The sustainability part of Given's existing remit - only added in February - will move to chief commercial officer Rhian Bartlett. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eT5kkUEK

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Primark launches new standalone homeware store in Manchester "Primark has opened its first standalone homeware store in Great Britain at Manchester’s Trafford Palazzo. Spanning nearly 12,000 square feet across two floors, the store offers products such as bedding, throws, decorative items and storage solutions. The shop also has a mezzanine floor offering travel items including luggage, packing cubes and travel-friendly accessories." by The Retail Bulletin Primark Ceara Doyle Leandra Dwyer Peel Retail And Leisure #retailnews #storeopening #primarkhome https://lnkd.in/ehbMSBku

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T-Shirt and lingerie manufacturing specialist, American Phil, optimised work efficiencies by 5% with GSDCost and benefitted from an increase in orders, on-time deliveries, overall profitability and staff motivation. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ewBK_QD6 #coatsdigital #GSDCost #sustainablefashion #circularfashion #fairwage

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Here are some interesting stories from the world of UK retail for Monday, 18 August: 📦 Retailers are urging the Government to close a loophole that allows small imports under £135 to bypass customs duties. The total declared trade value of de minimis imports reached £5.9bn last year. ✈️ Retailers are outraged after the Treasury confirmed it would not review the controversial tourist tax in the upcoming Budget. Businesses argue that the absence of VAT-free shopping has hindered economic growth. 👜 In 2022, Gen Z and Millennials accounted for the entirety of the luxury market’s growth. The latest data, however, shows something of an exodus of younger buyers. 🎤 Oasis’ sell-out UK tour is set to bring in a staggering £1.1bn into the flagging UK economy, and has provided a much needed boost for struggling high streets, bars, shops and city centres. 👔 Charles Tyrwhitt opened the doors to its latest UK store in Solihull on Friday on Mill Lane in Mell Square, marking the next step in the brand’s future focused retail strategy. 🍺 BrewDog has seen its beers dropped by nearly 2,000 pubs across Britain, slashing the brewer's UK distribution by more than a third in just two years. Industry data reveals its flagship Punk IPA was hit hardest. 🫐 Blueberries have surged in popularity in the UK, with consumption reaching 53,300 tonnes annually. Introduced in the early 1990s, the fruit now outsells apples and pears at Marks and Spencer. 🐷 Undercover footage has revealed extensive animal cruelty at Somerby Top Farm in Lincolnshire, a major pork supplier to UK supermarkets. Investigators documented piglets being kicked and beaten. 🍣 Exports of Scottish salmon are on course to touch £1 billion after a 23% year-on-year leap to £528 million for the first six months, according to new HMRC data. 🍽️ TGI Fridays' new Texas Grill, Beef Short Rib, and Mother Clucker Burger have broken into its top 10 bestsellers within weeks. 🏦 Digital challenger banks have topped the latest set of banking satisfaction results published by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). #retail #retailnews #UKretail #economy #DailyRetailNews

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Our Trust Retail division has partnered with Lincolnshire Co-op to transform inventory management across their 99 stores. This cutting-edge solution will enhance stock accuracy, streamline operations, and empower store teams to focus on what matters most - their customers. "This solution will not only increase our stock file accuracy to drive sales and reduce waste but also simplify operations for our store teams," says Andrew Warman, Chief Transformation Officer at Lincolnshire Co-op. Another example of how Trust Payments and Trust Retail are driving digital transformation across the retail sector 💪 #RetailTech #InventoryManagement #DigitalTransformation

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🚀 Big ESL news from Asda!🔹 More than 250 Asda Express stores are going digital with electronic shelf labels, in partnership with HL, VusionGroup and Renovotec. "The rollout follows a successful three-month trial at Asda’s Oxford Road Store in Manchester. The trial saw colleagues freed up to spend more of their time helping customers, managing deliveries and replenishing shelves." Around 700,000 labels will make price updates faster, save time for store teams, and cut paper waste. 💪 We’re proud to have provided retail-proof ESL holders that will secure Asda's transformation at the shelf edge! Read the full story here: ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ebUibyuM

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