Main Image: Primark

PRShots Digest brings you the latest retail news from Puma, Cerruti 1881, Kent&Curwen, THG, PLBY, Monic Vinader, New Look, Vans, Castore, and Superdry. Plus articles on 9 ways to improve your email marketing, how engaged employees give better customer experiences, why you shouldn’t ignore accessibility and more.

THE LATEST RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS

Fashion retail struggles in March

BDO High Street Sales Tracker (HSST) said “March was a challenging month for UK retail”  with fashion suffering “its worst performance in over two years,” with in-store sales down 0.4%.

UK online spending falls 2.9% in March to £8.2bn

UK online spending fell by 2.9% in March to £8.2bn, as the cost-of-living crisis continues and essential items spike in price.

Chinese retailer snaps up Cerruti 1881 and Kent & Curwen

Chinese clothing firm Biem.L.Fdlkk Garment Co has bought Cerruti 1881 for $62.18m and former David Beckham collaborator Kent & Curwen for $41.45m from Chinese business Shandong Ruyi

UK footfall is weak in chilly March as consumer caution kicks in

Springboard figures for UK retail footfall saw footfall drop in March by 2.8% over February, but forecasts Easter Weekend footfall will be 5.4% higher than Easter 2022.

THG inks 10-year partnership with online beauty brand Maximo Group

THG has signed a new 10-year partnership with online beauty retailer Maximo Group and will re-platform its allbeauty.com and fragrancedirect.co.uk to the Ingenuity platform.

Monica Vinader gets £8m investment after private equity deal

Jeweller Monica Vinader has received an £8m reinvestment from UK-based consumer brands investor Piper the funds will enable the brand to focus on growth in the UK and around the world.

PLBY Group offloads Yandy brand

PLBY Group has sold Yandy, a retailer of lingerie and costumes, for $3m to concentrate on its core brands Playboy and Honey Birdette.

TRENDS, STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY

Six key capabilities you need in your marketing team

The business-as-usual approach to marketing is no longer sufficient. To succeed in modern marketing, professionals must develop broad skillsets and prioritize collaboration.

6 tactics to create recession-proof email marketing

These recession-proof tips let you adjust your email marketing program for short-term gains and long-term success.

3 ways to drive sales with email

Is your email marketing not yielding the results you were hoping for? These three tactics will help you make more sales with your emails.

18 new social media apps & platforms to look out for

Not all new social media apps will blow up like TikTok. But they do reveal how social media is changing in 2023.

Why engaged employees create better customer experiences

Why companies should find ways to connect employees and customers regardless of whether “customer service” is in their job description.

Is the sneaker trend running out of steam?

The luxury trainer market appears to be losing inertia with Retviews showing a significant 33% decrease in trainers in the footwear category between 2021 and 2022.

Is there a future for Digital Product Passports

The EU’s Digital Product Passport (DPP) project will enable shoppers to monitor compliance with eco-design regulations by using the DPP to see a product's sourcing and manufacturing info.

Has the marketing industry overlooked accessibility?

With around 1.3bn people in the world’s largest minority group, Meltwater UKI’s Jess Smith asks why accessibility isn’t a marketing priority.

Fashion for Good unveils Dyestuff Library pilot to boost use of eco dyes

Fashion for Good (FFG) has unveiled the Dyestuff Library, a pilot digital tool to enable partners to choose dyestuffs based on environmental metrics and performance.

Puma opens up its supply chain to young environmental changemakers

Sports company Puma is offering four, young, environmental “voices” from across Europe and the US a “seat at the table” to review its sustainable practices and hold the brand accountable.

PEOPLE, MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Asos appoints head of corporate responsibility

Asos has appointed Nicholas Mazzei as head of corporate responsibility and will join from Zalando, where he was head of corporate citizenship and environmental sustainability for two years.

New Look department heads exit the business amid head office lay-offs

New Look’s has seen the exit of department heads Mark Hopkins, Michele Lockwood, and Claire Ralphson-Cook as part of the 70 redundancies New Look has made at its head office.

BRAND NEWS

ebay unveils Love Island’s Tom Clare as Pre-Loved ambassador

ebay has named Love Island star Tom Clare as its latest Pre-Loved Ambassador in an effort to try an convert the 51% of men who have never or rarely bought second-hand clothing.

Rapper Little Simz fronts Vans ‘This is Off the Wall’ campaign

Vans has partnered with global action sports athletes, musicians and artists - headed up by British rapper Little Simz - for its new ‘This is Off the Wall’ campaign.

Simply Be unveils campaign challenging the fashion industry to end ill-fitting clothes

Simply Be, has launched a new campaign with the strapline ‘No More Bad Fit’ focused on challenging the fashion industry and calling for an end to bad fit.

Castore launches new golf collection

Castore has launched a new specialist golf collection with Malaysian two-time Olympian and professional golfer, Gavin Green ahead of the 2023 Masters starting tomorrow.

 Wren Kitchens launches fitted bedrooms

Kitchen retailer Wren Kitchens has extended its product range with the launch of a fitted bedroom collection.

Superdry launches unique print collab with Japan's Pagong

Superdry has taken an unusual approach to print with the launch of a new collection in collaboration with one of Japan’s oldest silk printing houses, Pagong.

AND FINALLY

Ralph Lauren debuts crypto-friendly Miami store

Fashion retailer Ralph Lauren will accept cryptocurrency payments at its newly opened store in Miami’s Design District, in an effort to “combine digital innovation and immersive experiences.”

PRSHOTS TOP 10 SEARCHES

What were our users searching for on PRShots Week ending March 31^st 2023?

1/ Coronation

2/ Easter

3/ Bathroom

4/ Garden

5/ SS23

6/ Jug

7/ Yellow

8/ Bag

9/ Rug  

10/ Stripe

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

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

Roman Originals has new spring and summer ranges in all sizes

Bryony Bel has new jewellery ranges

Barbour has new mens, womens and kids ranges

Peacocks has new womenswear and teen ranges

Oliver Bonas has new women’s ranges

Radley has new images but check the dates before downloading

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

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

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

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

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

Shoe Zone TK Maxx River Island National Trust Shop Matalan Fatface Monsoon Cotton Traders Radley The Morphbag by JSK Marks & Spencer NoLoGo  Dancing Leopard Crew Clothing

Home, garden and food

Habitat has new homeware

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

Cuckooland has new outdoor furniture and garden pods

Daisy Park  has new Emma Bridgewater coronation gifts and homeware

Cardfactory has new coronation and mermaid themed gifts

Next has a new Restore collection for the home

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

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

Oliver Bonas has new home ranges

Furniture Village has new indoor and outdoor furniture

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

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

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

TK Maxx has new home ranges and toys

See additional new home images from the last weeks from

Homesense The Range Nologo B&M Cult Furniture Fritz Fryer Next Branch Jewellery GettingPersonal Nest Cartwright & Butler Fatface George Home Very Primark Home

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 – 3

Days until Eid al-Fitr – 15

Days until The Coronation - 30

Days until Halloween – 208

Days until Singles Day - 219

Days until Black Friday – 232

Days until Christmas Day – 263

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;

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

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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