All articles by George Arnett – Page 2
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NewsTesco ups profit outlook, helped by warm weather and price cuts
Britain’s biggest grocer posted a 4.3% like-for-like sales increase in the first half of its financial year, with growth across all of its markets.
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AnalysisWhat have retailers been saying about tariffs ahead of the golden quarter?
Retailers selling into the US are definitely feeling the effects, but some are being specific about what they think the impact might be
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Chart of the WeekChart: Drinks deposit scheme return rates by country
British consumers will soon face higher costs on drinks, with the promise of earning money back on returning their plastic bottles and alumninium drinks cans. The mooted deposit return scheme is due to come into force in October 2027.
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NewsDFS posts stronger profits than expected in “weak market”
Revenue in the year ending 29 June, 2025, was up 4.4% on the same period last year, while underlying profits before tax increased by £19.7m.
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NewsNimbler H&M sees profits rise in third quarter
Sales in local currencies increased 2% in the three months to August 31, 2025 compared to 2024, despite a store closure programme.
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Chart of the WeekChart: Next shares its vacancy figures in warning on UK jobs market
Next sounded a warning about the UK economy alongside their results last week, pointing to rising unemployment and rising application numbers
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NewsConsumer optimism about the economy ‘sliding sharply’
The latest numbers from GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index showed a two-point drop in September, while optimism about the economy has cratered since the Labour government came to power.
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Newsletter
Intelligence Briefing: Four tech innovations driving retail execs to invest in stores
The narrative we often hear is that technology is driving customers online more and more. Two datasets released in the past couple of weeks highlight the views of both consumers and retail executives and show how the reality is a lot more complicated than that. First up are the ...
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NewsNext posts big sales and profits rise, but sounds warning on UK job market
The fashion retailer reported group sales up by 10.3% and profit before tax up by 13.8% in the six months to July 2025 from 2024.
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NewsConsumer confidence drops to lowest level since spring as food inflation rises
Consumer confidence in the economy has hit its lowest level since spring as reports of growing food prices and UK economic struggles take hold.
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Chart of the WeekChart: The customer service tasks that consumers most dread
New research by the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) reveals half of consumers feel that service is overly automated
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AnalysisFour technologies driving bricks-and-mortar growth, according to retail leaders
Retailers are placing physical stores at the heart of their investment strategies, according to a worldwide survey of retail executives by Bain and VusionGroup shared exclusively with Retail Week.
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NewsletterIntelligence Briefing: Retail sales figures galore, but what does it all mean?
Is there a German word for that disappointing feeling you get when you hear that initial estimates were wrong, you open the page to look at what has changed, and then see that the new results were worse than before?* That was how I felt when I saw the revised ...
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NewsOutgoing Dunelm boss oversees profit increase at ‘special business’
Dunlem boss Nick Wilkinson, who will hand over the reins to Clodagh Moriarty in October, said he leaves behind a “special business” as the homewares firm published its full-year results.
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Chart of the WeekThe food prices hitting UK shoppers’ wallets hardest
Nine in 10 UK adults have noticed prices becoming more expensive this year, according to figures released as part of Barclays’ latest consumer spend report
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DataONS retail sales error: what was the problem and what does it mean for retailers?
The Office for National Statistics has admitted to errors in how retail sales were presented for the first half of the year. We dig into what happened and what it means
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NewsletterIntelligence Briefing: How does UK retail sales growth compare to its European neighbours?
We are expecting the delayed July ONS retail sales on Friday after the statistics authority postponed the release for “quality assurance” issues. In the delay, I thought I would have a look at what retail sales growth has looked like in the rest of Europe, picking most of the sizable economies within the EU.
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NewsCurrys announces £50m share buyback as B2B, gaming and AI drive growth
The electronics retailer posted a 3% like-for-like revenue increase in the 17 weeks to August 30, 2025, in its UK and Ireland business versus the same period in 2024.
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NewsM&S hackers reportedly linked to Jaguar Land Rover cyber attack
The BBC reported that “Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters” claimed responsibility for the attack on messaging app Telegram and posted pictures from within the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) IT networks.
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DataHow does UK retail sales growth compare to the rest of Europe?
When stacked against comparable countries in Europe based on sales volumes change since 2021, the UK lags most of them. Germany, France and Spain have all performed better since then