July Retail News Roundup - Editor's Picks

The UK retail industry is taking new strides to stand out and offer freshness to its customers. Find out the initiatives they are putting in place to expand their offering and appeal to different consumers. All this and more in this month’s retail news roundup – editor’s picks.

Next is the most searched fashion brand

Retailer Next is the most searched fashion brand in the UK, with a huge 82 million searches between May 2018 and April 2019. This was 20 million more searches than their closest rival John Lewis. Even though Next is primarily a physical retail store, it beat out solely online stores such as Asos, which was searched 50.1 million times.

Greggs see profits jump

Greggs have seen a huge 58% jump in underlying pre-tax profits in the six months until June 29th. The retailer has put their success down to the launch of their vegan sausage rolls at the end of 2018. Greggs are on track to open 100 stores during the current financial year.

Zara clothes to be 100% sustainable by 2025

Zara, and the clothes brands under the same parent company such as Bershka and Pull & Bear, are promising to only sell sustainable clothes by 2025. They will only make clothes with cotton, linen, and polyester that is organic, sustainable, or recycled. From next year, the stores will have containers that you can drop your old clothes into to be recycled.

IKEA are putting gender equality at the forefront

IKEA are making great strides in promoting gender equality and are setting goals of reaching a 50:50 workforce in all functions and levels of the organisation by 2020. The furniture giant have also set the same date as the target for equal pay.

Sephora are introducing freshness

In an attempt to reimagine their stores, Sephora are opening their doors to up and coming cosmetic brands. In recent years, there have been a surge in sales for new and independent cosmetic brands, so Sephora are taking advantage. They will have three different areas in store for new skincare brands, makeup brands, and haircare brands.

Looking for more retail news? Read our  June Retail News Roundup or visit Autumn Fair, our September, show for retail insights, trends, and business tips.