Main Image: Primark

PRShots Digest brings you the latest retail news from Primark, Hunter, Esprit, River Island, New Look, Seasalt, Jacamo, Fitflop, and M&S. Plus articles on how Next is using AI to boost efficiency, the retail store of tomorrow, a guide to posting on social media and more.

THE LATEST RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS

Redbus Ventures eyes swoop on struggling Planet Organic chain

Investment vehicle Redbus Ventures set up by the Lovefilm entrepreneur Simon Franks, is plotting a bid to rescue Planet Organic which has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators.

Morrisons returns to sales growth as it opens 500th convenience store

Morrisons has returned to sales growth in Q1 with revenue up 3.4% to £4.7bn and has introduced a three year £700m cost savings programme.

Primark announces pay increase for UK staff

Primark is to increase the hourly wage of its retail assistants across the UK, meaning around 26,000 colleagues will receive an average pay rise of 12%.

The auction for Hunter is reaching a critical stage

The auction for Hunter is reaching a critical stage with Toys R Us owner WHP Global, Ben Sherman owner Marquee Brands, and Ted Baker owner Authentic Brands Group bidding for the brand.

Esprit makes annual loss but stays upbeat for future

Esprit Holdings FY22 revenue fell 15% to HK$7.06bn (£727m) from HK$8.3bn (£854m) resulting in a loss of HK$642m (£66m) compared to a profit of $416m (£42.8m) a year earlier.

Farfetch Yoox Net-A-Porter deal gets UK watchdog approval

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has approved the deal between Farfetch and Yoox Net-A-Porter

Most UK consumers now have pre-owned items

Around 75% of people in the UK have pre-owned items in their wardrobes,  with 42% saying the proportion of pre-owned clothes in their wardrobes has increased over the last few years.

Brits to spend more time in their garden this summer

The latest research from eBay Ads finds that outdoor purchases are set to ramp up over the coming weeks as 24% of consumers plan to start buying items for their garden in April.

Seven in ten retailers would completely redesign shoppers’ digital experience

Over four in five (83%) businesses view an engaging customer experience (CX) as a way to stand out against competitors, but 71% are seeing significantly reduced budgets.

Government backtracks and says it has “no plans” to ban fur imports

Despite support from nearly 8 in 10 Brits for a fur free Britain, Humane Society International UK says the Government “simply isn’t listening” to public consensus to ban fur.

TRENDS, STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY

How Next is using AI to boost efficiency

Next boss Lord Wolfson revealed some practical ways that the retail giant is using artificial intelligence (AI) to carry out tasks.

How Inditex’s Marta Ortega plans to revamp Zara

A year into chairing the world's biggest fashion retailer, Marta Ortega is trying to shake up Zara owner Inditex's fast-fashion image and draw in more aspirational shoppers

The retail store of tomorrow

The retail store of tomorrow will be staffed with avatars, robots and holograms claim innovation leaders in the retail technology space.

Marketing as a conversation

At the core of all good marketing is a great conversation with your audience based on truth, authenticity and knowing who you're talking to.

A guide to posting on social media

How PRs should advise employees and clients about what they post on social media from the PR marketing experts.

What went wrong with Cath Kidston?

Internet Retailing looks at the history of the Cath Kidston brand, from its’s start up in 1993 through to its purchase by Next this week, and asks “what went wrong?”  

PEOPLE, MOVERS AND SHAKERS

River Island chief product officer steps down with immediate effect

River Island’s chief product officer Phil Cooke has stepped down from his role with immediate effect to pursue new opportunities

New Look CTO Ed Alford to depart the business

New Look chief technology officer Ed Alford will step down from his role at the fashion retailer at the end of this month.

Capri Holdings appoints Bacardi chief executive to board

Capri Holdings, the owner Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors and Versace, has appointed Bacardi chief executive Mahesh Madhavan to its board of directors.

BRAND NEWS

Seasalt moves into resale

Cornish-based women's lifestyle brand Seasalt is launching a resale platform with repair and resale provider Reskinned, six weeks after rolling out a take-back scheme.

Marks & Spencer launches timeless wardrobe staples with M&S Icons

Marks & Spencer has launched a range of timeless clothing staples called M&S Icons which will be on sale all year round with prices starting at £20

Jacamo expands formalwear offering to meet increased demand

Menswear retailer Jacamo is expanding its formalwear offering with lines from Boss, Ted Baker and Jack&Jones to meet growing customer demand.

Fitflop secures long term funding to accelerate ambitious growth plans

FitFlop has secured a new 5-year $30m revolving credit facility from the independent lender AURELIUS Finance Company (AFC)  to support its long-term growth ambitions.

Marks & Spencer expands Ghost collab with lingerie range

Marks & Spencer has again collaborated with fashion label Ghost to release a womenswear 37-piece limited edition collection for women.

AND FINALLY

Google slammed by £3.6bn class action for restricting digital ad competitors

Journalist Charles Arthur has filed a claim against Google on behalf of 200,000 website and application publishers seeking £3.6bn in damages for imposing a ‘stranglehold’ on digital ad-tech.

PRSHOTS TOP 10 SEARCHES

What were our users searching for on PRShots Week ending March 24^th 2023?

1/ Easter

2/ Garden

3/ Coronation

4/ Pink

5/ Sunglasses

6/ Blue

7/ Bathroom

8/ Dress

9/ Candle  

10/ Cushion

COLLABORATIONS ON PRSHOTS

Our PRShots brands are looking for media and influencers who want to work with them on collaborations. Register for free at PRShots new collabs service to find out more https://collabs.prshots.com/ 

NEW BRANDS TO PRSHOTS

Studio started back in 1962 and delivers everything from homewares through to clothing and footwear from top brand names as well as its own branded clothing.

Mission C founder Qes discovered that CBD oil helped his Grandad - who was living with dementia - feel calm and contented, he knew it could help others too. So he created a natural and accessible remedy for people looking to improve their quality of life.

Lavender Hill creates luxurious staples, using natural sources, with extra emphasis placed on how the clothes feel,  giving every item the softest touch imaginable and that every piece feels soft and comforting next to your skin.

Jessica Russell Flint is British designer who creates vibrant, entirely unique hand-illustrated prints, with luxury products ranging across accessories, clothing, sleepwear and homeware.

&Sons is all about vintage-inspired clothing for the modern-day Pioneer. Timeless garments for the modern man, designed by and for craftspeople, artisan makers and creative pioneers in their chosen fields of endeavour.

Damsons aim is to cater to real women who face the challenges of life with open arms. Their latest collection is influenced by vintage workwear and iconic styles, delicately transformed into contemporary feminine silhouettes.

Tweedmill is a family run business established in 1971 that creates beautiful British made blankets, picnic rugs, home accessories and more and are stocked in more than 4000 retailers UK wide.

Curvy Kate lingerie and swimwear is designed to make women feel fabulous about their curves. With sizes from D to K cups Curvy Kate lingerie and swimwear ethos is to “Fit, lift, shape and comfort.”

Imp & Maker founded by entrepreneur Sarah Louise Fairburn to bring together food, drinks & gifts from established, emerging and exciting new names in the food & drink world for both home and corporate gifting.

Scamp & Dude was created by Jo Tutchener-Sharp, founder and previous MD of Beauty Seen PR and is famous for their signature leopard and lightning bolt print and vibrant designs, which features in their mens, womens, kids and baby ranges.

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 24hours, week, or month.

BRANDS WITH NEW IMAGES

Clothing, beauty and accessories

Lipsy has a new V&A Love & Roses collaboration for SS23

Primark has new athleisure wear, summer value ranges and Paula Echevarria and NFL Dolphins collaboration, beachwear and accessories, plus an EDIT range

Barbour has new mens, womens and kids ranges

Very has new V by Very and Very Curve ranges plus Michelle Keegan collaborations

Threadbare has new mens and womens ranges

New Look has new footwear ranges, swimwear and summer clothing drops

PrettyLittleThing  has new maternity wear featuring Sophia Smith and a new Gemma Owen Occasion Edit

Bryony Bel has new jewellery ranges

Regatta has new Giovanna Fletcher and Orla Kiely collaboration ranges for the beach

Roman Originals has new spring and summer ranges in all sizes

Aspiga has new summer clothing

Dune London Men’s has new SS23 shoes and accessories ranges

Dune London has a new range of bags and kids shoe ranges for the summer

Shoe Zone has new kids ranges

TK Maxx has new clothing, shoes, make up and accessories

River Island has a new Nine range as well as swimwear and accessories, spring/summer clothing

National Trust Shop has new scarves, hats, bags and accessories

Matalan has new bags, hats and sandals

Peacocks has new womenswear ranges

Fatface has new mens, womens and kids ranges

See additional new clothing and accessories images from the last few weeks at

Monsoon Cotton Traders Oliver Bonas Radley The Morphbag by JSK Marks & Spencer NoLoGo  Dancing Leopard Crew Clothing Very Tu Clothing Teva Office

Home, garden and food

DFS has a new Feel Good Home range for the lounge, dining and bedroom

Primark Home outdoor tableware, planters, candles and more

Biscuiteers Baking has new coronation goodies as well as Smiley 50th birthday ranges plus Easter and Father’s Day

Ivyline has a new outdoor furniture, water features,  pots, planters, hanging baskets, firepits and mirrors and more 

Cuckooland has new outdoor furniture

Sofology has new furniture ranges

Cutter & Squidge has new Eid treats

Wilko has new picnic and outdoor items, plus gifts and home items

National Trust shop has new bird feeders, plant collections, Easter gifts and summer items for outdoor living

Dobbies Garden Centres has new picnic ideas, terrariums, plants, pet ranges, things for the home, and patio furniture.

Cardfactory has new mermaid themed gifts

Dunelm has new camping and outdoor ranges homeware and Easter gifts and decorations

Cambridge Imprint has new cards and gifts

Marks & Spencer has new outdoor ranges

Furniture Village has new outdoor furniture

TK Maxx has new home ranges and toys

Homesense has new gift ranges for pets, party ranges, home furniture and things for outdoor dining

The Range has Easter homeware and decorations, plus kitchen and homeware to keep you organised in 2023

Nologo has new tableware

B&M has new animal gifts

Oliver Bonas has new home ranges

See additional new home images from the last weeks from

Cult Furniture Fritz Fryer Next Branch Jewellery GettingPersonal Nest Cartwright & Butler Fatface George Home Daisy Park  Very Primark Home Cath Kidston

Looking for inspiration?

Our trends lightboxes section has lots of ideas for features and themes but If  you can't find something or you need help then email us at support@prshots.com, and we'll see if we can help

DIARY

PRShots Retail Alert

Days until Easter – 9

Days until Eid al-Fitr – 21

Days until The Coronation - 36

Days until Halloween – 214

Days until Singles Day - 225

Days until Black Friday – 238

Days until Christmas Day – 269

How to get your brand on the April Editorial Calendars, search engines and social media 

We’re now definitely in Spring, and people are thinking about the approaching summer holidays, so add any spring-summer-related images you have and add in keywords relating to summer outfits and summer events e.g. festivals, Glastonbury, beachwear, swimwear, the garden, garden parties, outdoor living, things for the patio, and of course Barbecues. Don’t forget to add all of the other spellings BBQ, Bar-B-Que etc and other related keywords like picnic, garden party, get-togethers, parties, socials, gatherings and for the young ‘gaths’.

While some people are looking to holidays abroad some are also trimming their budgets thanks to the rising costs of gas and electricity etc, and are looking closer to home, so add in keywords and phrases like “staycation”, “holistay”, “holiday at home” to your keywords and why not suggest clothing like cardigans for the colder UK evenings.

It’s also Easter and the first big break of the year, and it’s traditionally when people start to look at brightening up their gardens/patios/windowsills, so include any planting/gardening imagery and keywords as well as any of the standard Easter related items, decorations, presents, bunnies and of course eggs and chocolate.  

April Diary – Weeks/Months

As well as Easter there are lots of other big events in April. April is World Stress awareness month and National Pet Month in the UK, so if you have anything to relieve stress (massage products, recliners, diffusers, pillows, garden swings etc) and anything for pets (dog coats, cat collars, dog beds will also be looked for etc) then add them and get all the relevant keywords added.

Other events include;

World Autism Awareness Week (Mar 27th – Apr 2nd)

Community Garden Week (Apr 3rd – Apr 9th)

Discover National Parks Fortnight (Apr 4th – Apr 18th)

International Dark-Sky Week (Apr 15th – Apr 22nd)

Allergy Awareness Week (Apr 20th – Apr 25th)

MS Awareness Week (Apr 24th – Apr 30th)

April - Days

1^st – April Fool’s Day

5^th – Passover Begins

6^th – Maundy Thursday 

7^th – World Health Day  

7^th – National Beer Day (US)

7^th – Good Friday 

9^th – Easter Sunday 

10^th – Easter Monday

13^th – Passover Ends 

14th – Vaisakhi (Sikh New Year) 

14^th-16^th – Coachella Weekend One

15^th – Grand National

21^st - National Tea Day

21^st – End of Ramadan

22^nd – Earth Day

21^st- 23^rd – Coachella Weekend Two 

23rd – St George’s Day

23^rd - National Asparagus Day

23^rd – Shakespeare Day

24^th - National Skipping Day

24^th – Fashion Revolution Day

25^th – World Malaria Day

25^th – National Lingerie Day

26^th – Stop Food Waste Day

29^th - International Dance Day

Do you have any news on your brand that you want us to feature, or have a new appointee or a new event that you would like us to feature? Get in touch at news@prshots.com We don't charge, so get emailing now!!!

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