All Feature articles
Most recent first.
-
FeatureTikTok Shop: why are some retailers yet to take the plunge?
Four years on from TikTok Shop’s launch in the UK, Retail Week explores how it has gone from an entertainment app to a revenue driver, which brands have dived in, and which are worried about the murky waters.
-
FeatureIdeal world: What would retail look like in the world’s best EV service stations?
If you started from scratch and redesigned service stations and forecourts to deliver a world-class shopping experience, what would they look like?
-
FeatureTrimming fat or cutting muscle? How retailers can preserve their brand story in an era of cost-cutting
In the early 1990s, as sky-high interest rates, falling house prices, and an overvalued exchange rate sent the economy into a tailspin, McDonald’s famously slashed its brand marketing budget in a bid to cut costs. Just as famously, it lived to regret that decision.
-
FeatureThe age of agentic AI: The next big tech trend in retail
The retail industry has only just wrapped its head around chatbots and AI-powered search, but newer iterations of AI keep emerging
-
FeatureFrom browsing bliss to tedious clicks: Has online shopping lost its spark?
According to research by Criteo, 76% of people think that ecommerce is functional, but not fun, almost 80% find shopping online lonely, compared to an experiential in-store experience, and nearly a third even view it as a chore.
-
FeatureCustomer loyalty – what will the next three decades of evolution mean for retail?
In 1995, a little card fundamentally changed how retailers would understand their customers for decades to come.
-
FeatureCotswolds Designer Outlet: The new retail destination aiming to be accessible to everyone
A brand new designer outlet has opened in the English countryside in what has been described as the “only major retail destination opening in the UK in 2025”. Retail Week was the first to visit the Cotswolds Designer Outlet shortly after its launch to discover what it has to offer shoppers.
-
FeatureCybersiege: are retailers sitting ducks?
Days without sleep as cybersecurity teams scoured systems. Store colleagues forced to work in ways they hadn’t for 30 years, clocking up extra hours “to keep the show on the road.” Online orders halted for weeks. So, what’s going on? Why is retail such a target? And what can the sector do to fend off future attacks?
-
FeaturePull the lever: where are smart retailers finding fresh growth?
From opening new customer segments and sales channels, to expanding overseas and diversifying their offers, Retail Week explores the ways retailers are getting back into growth and highlights some of the biggest success stories so far.
-
FeatureConnected stores: Is this the future of physical retail?
Most online shopping experiences aim to be seamless and convenient with as little faff as possible, so it makes sense that the same would be asked of brick-and-mortar stores
-
FeatureThe secrets of successful staff suggestion schemes
Initiatives such as M&S’ Straight to Stuart suggestion scheme can help unlock smart business ideas from retail’s frontline. George MacDonald looks at how they can be used most effectively.
-
FeatureDrag queens and meatballs: First look inside Ikea’s Oxford Street store
Ikea is primed to open the doors to its highly anticipated Oxford Street store this week, ahead of what is set to be a bumper bank holiday shopping weekend. Retail Week speaks to Ikea market manager, London City, Matt Gould and tours the new store before it opens to the public
-
FeatureAsda: What went wrong and how can it be fixed?
How did the Issa brothers’ ownership of Asda go so wrong? And what do new chairman Allan Leighton and his team need to do to get the beloved supermarket chain back on track?
-
FeatureThe changing face of the British high street
The high street is an ever-evolving destination and that has never been more apparent than now
-
FeatureFifteen years, 150 million shoppers – how AliExpress became an ecommerce giant
In total, AliExpress has attracted more than 150 million shoppers worldwide across multiple categories
-
FeatureRetail Week Awards 2025 – the winners
Check out the profiles of all the winners from the Retail Week Awards 2025 – and what the judges had to say.
-
FeatureUniqlo universe: Inside Japanese fashion powerhouse Fast Retailing and its plans for the UK
Uniqlo, the retailer that’s rapidly emerging as the go-to place for timeless wardrobe staples with high street prices, is the jewel in the crown of parent company Fast Retailing
-
FeatureShow me the money – what incentives make staff act like they own the company?
What sort of schemes are operating, and which might be most effective? And will such schemes change as basic pay – powered by rising minimum wage costs – rises and the overall cost of employing people goes up?
-
FeatureAutomation: What does retail look like in a post-Budget world?
As retail navigates a world post-Budget, Retail Week looks at who is looking at automation as an aid, and how this will impact both customers and millions in the workforce.
-
FeatureRetail’s 101 favourite stores as chosen by the bosses of M&S, John Lewis, Ikea, Boots and more
From hometown heroes to international inspiration, we asked retailer leaders, commentators and our journalists to name their favourite store in the world. The result is 101 stores that show bricks-and-mortar retail at its very best.