Main Image:  Oliver Bonas

PRShots Digest brings you the latest retail news from AllSaints, Evans, Percival, Clarks, Swarovski, Dufry, Zara, eBay, Harrods and M&S. Plus articles on how Love Island helped pre-loved fashion, how to create a social media calendar, AI content curation tools and more.  

THE LATEST RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS

AllSaints posts record results as product focus pays off

AllSaints has reported its best-ever annual sales and profits with a 36% increase in total sales to £457.m in the year to Jan 28, with the increase due to product development and its online sales.

Card Factory upgrades profit expectations

Greeting cards retailer Card Factory has reported strong trading in the first half of its financial year, with the retailer saying trading to 31 July was materially ahead of what its board expected.

Wilko would need £70m investment from a new owner

Wilko, which is teetering on the edge of administration, would need investment of £70m from any new owner with £30m required to provide stock and £40m to repay debt to lender Hilco.

Clintons considers closing 38 stores

Greeting cards retailer Clintons is planning to close 38 stores (around a fifth of its 179 stores) to help keep it afloat.

Evans acquired by M&Co owner AK Retail

City Chic Collective has sold plus-size retailer Evans to M&Co owner AK Retail for £8m. The deal also includes all inventory in the Australian fashion group’s EMEA business.

Return to global travel boosts Dufry duty free stores

Duty-free retailer Dufry has lifted its full-year profitability after half-year turnover almost doubled to 5.72bn Swiss francs (£5.13bn) with EBITDA reaching 491.8m Swiss francs (£440m).

Retail sector accounted for 16% of administrations in 2023

The retail sector accounted for 16% of administrations in the first six months of 2023 - the highest of any industry in the UK - a 22% increase compared to 2022.

Frasers plan to merge Studio Retail and Missguided sparks job fears

Concerns over redundancies at Studio Retail have been triggered by a potential merger of the company with brands Missguided and I Saw It First.

Retail sales increase in July despite damp weather

Despite wet weather, July’s BDO’s latest High Street Sales Tracker saw a 3.6% increase in total like-for-like retail sales compared with the same time last year.

Amazon profits climb as cost-cutting pays off

Amazon Q2 ending June 2023, saw sales increase by 11% to $134.4bn producing a profit of $6.7bn up from the net loss of $2bn it made in Q2 2022.

Salvatore Ferragamo sales and profit decline in H1

H1 sales to June 30  at Salvatore Ferragamo were down 4.8% to €600m and EBITDA profit was down 25.6% to €134m.

Apple revenue falls for third straight quarter as iPhone sales drop

Apple has posted its third consecutive quarter of declining revenues as sales fell 1.4% to $81.8bn although it made a profit of $19.9bn, higher than analysts forecasts.

Zara is the top UK fashion retailer

Zara is the dominant clothing retailer in the UK with M&S second, followed by H&M, Next and Boohoo according to the 2023 Salience Search Marketing report which looks at the top 300 brands.

Marks & Spencer reveals £13m investment plan for the North East

Marks & Spencer has announced a £13m investment in the North East including the transformation of its Newcastle city centre store along with a brand new store in Washington Galleries.

Harrods blames tourist tax for lack of airport sales

Harrods has reshaped “the whole of the price architecture” in its airport stores because of a drop in tourist spending blaming Rishi Sunak’s tourist tax for deterring wealthy overseas customers.

Shopify Q2 gross merchandise volume up 17%

Shopify’s GMV for Q2 ending June 30 was up 17% to $55bn with revenue up 31% to $1.7bn but made an operating loss of $1.6bn - which included a $1.7bn one-time item due to its logistic sale.

UK needs to significantly reduce textiles going to waste

To deliver on waste targets and Net Zero commitments, England will need to significantly reduce textiles going to residual waste, reveals the government’s new Waste Prevention Programme.

TRENDS, STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY

How Love Island helped eBay’s pre-loved fashion push

eBay saw +1,400% growth in searches for ‘pre-loved fashion’ during season nine of Love Island in December, compared to the eighth season - the first to feature the partnership.

What went wrong with Wilko?

Wilko has filed a notice of intent to appoint administrators, placing 12,000 jobs at risk but how did it get to this point?

AI-based content curation tools

AI-driven platforms can locate, analyse, summarise, and repurpose content. Here are five handy tools to get started.

How to create a social media calendar and stay organised

Social media content calendars are the best way to plan and organise your content. Build one in 4 easy steps or use one of Hotsuite’s free templates.

Why you need to know about UTM parameters

UTM parameters are short text codes that you add to URLs (or links) to help you track the performance of a webpage or a campaign.

Goosedown out, Bulrush in

BioPuff, a new plant-based material manufactured by the startup Saltyco, could replace goosedown lining for clothing at a fraction of the environmental footprint as traditional stuffing.

BRAND NEWS

Umbro teams up with Percival for collection

Menswear brand Percival has become the latest fashion label to team up with heritage British sportswear brand Umbro for “The Academy of Footballing Excellence” capsule collection.

Aldi trials sensory-friendly shopping hours

Aldi is trialling sensory-friendly shopping hours in select stores. From next week until the end of October, almost 100 stores across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.

Pentland Brands to streamline global business and invest in London creative hub

Pentland Brands, owner of brands including Ellesse, Berghaus and Speedo, plans to invest in streamlining its global business including creating a new central London Hub, located in Farringdon.

Clarks gets Raheem Sterling in for back-to-school campaign

Clarks has unveiled its children's school footwear campaign starring England national team and Chelsea FC forward Raheem Sterling.

AND FINALLY

Swarovski reinvents Cinderella’s glass slipper for Disney’s 100th anniversary

Swarovski is joining forces with Disney to create a crystal rendition of Cinderella’s glass celebration - in celebration of the film company’s 100th year.

PRSHOTS TOP 10 SEARCHES

What were our users searching for on PRShots Week ending August 4^th 2023?

1/ AW23

2/ Christmas

3/ Bikini

4/ Beach

5/ Swimwear

6/ Halloween

7/ Candle

8/ Red

9/ Bedroom  

10/ Bathroom

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

Fable England produces bags, accessories and delicate hand-painted jewellery with each piece made with positivity and kindness to uplift the human spirit and to bring joy to their owners.

Neem London produces sustainable, stylish and classic menswear pieces with low emissions, and according to the Guardian is “a label to consider for your wardrobe staples.”

Rebecca Rhoades is a successful and well-acknowledged Leeds-based womenswear designer who specialises in slow fashion featuring beautiful designs that are well known across the globe with influence in the UK, UAE, AU & EU.

Amelia Scott is a new London-based accessories brand created by Jane Hebden, an award-winning watch and jewellery designer. The jewellery range celebrates individuality and embraces the wonderful world of colour.

Lola Starr ranges are designed with the environment and functionality in mind. They source only the highest quality recyclable materials designed to be recycled, recreated and remoulded again and again. They are a British brand that champions local expertise and keeps the carbon footprint to its lowest level.

Arran Sense of Scotland puts quality and fragrance first, so you can be sure that each of their Bath, Body & Home products have been expertly crafted and manufactured with the greatest care on the Island home of Arran.

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 a new AW23 clothes for men with the KEM range, women and kids, shoes and bags, makeup, new Click and Collect Exclusives, Flexi Formal range plus the Edit AW23 range, monogram bag ranges, back-to-school ranges.

Oliver Bonas has new clothing and jewellery drops for November, as well as jewellery boxes, accessories, footwear and jewellery ranges.

Dune London has new shoes and bags for going out, and new ankle and cowboy boots, sandals, trainers, shoes and luggage.

Monsoon has new back-to-school kids clothing ranges and womenswear, including bags, scarves, dresses, kaftans, jackets and jumpers, accessories and jewellery.

Radley has new bag and shoe ranges for releases in August/September/October AW23 and a 25^th anniversary special.

PrettyLittleThing has a new La La Anthony edit.

Dune London Mens has new AW boots and shoe collections.

Shoe Zone has new boots and shoes for the autumn and winter.

Accessorize has new jewellery ranges.

Peacocks has new back to school ranges.

Matalan has back-to-school ranges, plus pink and Barbie ranges and summer accessories and a new 20 outfits for £20 or less online range.

Threadbare has more summer clothing with a RHS collaboration, cool womenswear and menswear in its Urban Renaissance and Luxe ranges.

Regatta has new kids AW23 and back to school jackets - including the Beamz insulated jacket – bags, torches and new womenswear winter ranges.

Very  has new V by Very and Fig & Basil womenswear ranges for going out, staying in and for the beach plus womenswear from the Everyday range.

New Look has further July drops of womenswear, footwear, bags and jewellery.

Barbour has new dresses, coats, bags, gloves and scarves plus gift ranges for Christmas and new menswear, and womenswear for AW23, and bags, scarves and back-to-school ranges.

Bonmarché  has new Autonomy womenswear ranges for AW23.

Cardfactory has back to school backpacks

Deichmann UK has new winter shoes and boots as well as evening wear and a Barbie collaboration of shoes and bags.

George at Asda has new George clothing, bags, boots and accessories.

Scamp & Dude has new bags, dresses and headbands.

National Trust shop has new jewellery and fashion ranges for Christmas plus summer outdoor gifts plus autumn and winter accessories.

TK Maxx has new mens, womens and kids clothing and back to school ranges for AW23

Tu Clothing has new AW23 womenswear clothing, coats, shoes, boots, bags and accessories.

Curvy Kate has new Balcony, Heart, Plunge, Non-Stop, Key to the Peep Show, Elementary, Frill Me, Amaze, Centrepiece, Authority, Retro Wave, High Waist, Happy Boobs ranges.

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

Roman Originals From my mother’s garden Fatface Joe Browns Aspiga Cotton Traders River Island Lipsy Teva Daisy Park

Home, garden and food

Dunelm has new back to university student homeware starter packs, autumn Halloween homewares, sewing , Disney, Harry Potter and Winnie the Pooh home and gift, pets, and furniture ranges, and collaborations with Star Wars, the Natural History Museum and Christmas decorations.

Oliver Bonas has new homeware, household gifts and accessories as well as furniture for the bedroom and the lounge and decorations for the tree.

Hobbycraft has made and DIY Christmas decorations.

TK Maxx has new Christmas gift and AW23 home ranges.

B&M has new ranges for the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom plus autumn, Halloween and Christmas decorations and homeware.

Biscuiteers Baking has a Natural History museum collaboration, and new goodies for Christmas from gifts to edible decorations.

Homesense has new AW23 homeware for the bedroom, lounge, kitchen and bathroom and Halloween decorations as well as gifting ranges.

Cartwright & Butler has new Christmas hamper ranges.

Hotel Chocolat has new summer gifting chocolate collections including vegan collections and liqueurs.

Cambridge Imprint  has new envelope and paper ranges.

Cult Furniture has new Urban Loft home ranges and dining and office chairs, cushions, and new furniture and lamps.

Next has new homeware and Christmas gifts and decorations and new Natural Rustic furniture ranges plus new bedding and homeware ranges and Halloween homeware.

Cutter & Squidge has Christmas hamper and Christmas food ranges.

Dobbies Garden Centres has new Christmas wreaths, and Christmas gifts and decorations, plus house plant and outdoor living collections.

Primark Home has click and collect exclusives, new AW23 home ranges for kids and adults bedrooms, as well as the kitchen and dining room.

The Range has new Halloween decorations and gift collections.

Very has Christmas decorations.

National Trust shop has new Christmas gifts, decorations and cards plus National Trust Vango camping ranges and things for the garden and home.

Matalan has new decorations for Christmas as well as accessories for the lounge and dining room.

George Home has new things for the home for the lounge, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.

Cuckooland  has an innovative 2-person roof-mounted tent.

See additional new home images from the last weeks from

Marks & Spencer Sofology Wilko Tweedmill Ivyline Imp & Maker Furniture Village  Daisy Park Designers Guild

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 Calendar Alerts

Days until Halloween – 85

Days until Singles Day – 96

Days until Black Friday – 109

Days until Christmas Day – 140

Days until Valentine’s Day - 191

How to make your products attractive to the media in August    

Summer is in full-swing and hopefully the weather will improve – ie stop raining in the north and stop being so damn hot in the south. So, there are just a few weeks left to boost your summer-related images before the AW23 images fully kick in.

Plus tag anything relevant with summer/high-summer, and push anything to do with the outside; garden furniture, anything for a garden party, or a picnic or barbecue. Plus, don’t forget to add all of the other spellings BBQ, Bar-B-Que etc and other related keywords like picnics, garden party, garden parties etc and if you have them then firepits and chimineas for the colder UK evenings would be good.

It's also a good time to start uploading your AW23 images. So jumpers, scarves, coats, boots along with raincoats, hoodies, and cardigans will all start to be searched for by the media.

It's also not too early to be thinking about back-to-school items - Scottish schools start again end of August – and university students will be getting ready to sort out their wardrobes and rooms so add fresher(s) and university as keywords to anything relevant.

It’s also still time to add Halloween ideas and Christmas gifts if you have them. 

August Diary - Weeks/Months

Music festivals are still on, so add any festival wear and camping-related things you have and keyword them with festival, particularly in the weeks running up to the August bank holiday weekend with Reading/Leeds festivals 25-27^th August. 

The 24^th marks 3 months until the Black Friday/Cyber Monday (24-27^th Nov) weekend so start preparing for those sales now.

Weeks to celebrate this month include; World Breastfeeding week (1-7^th August) the Edinburgh Festival (5-28^th August)

August - Days

7^th – Summer bank holiday Scotland

8^th – International Cat Day

9^th – Book Lovers Day

10^th - National Shapewear Day

11^th – National Bakewell Tart Day

12^th – International Youth Day

12^th – National Vinyl Records Day

13^th – International Lefthanders Day

13^th – National Prosecco Day

15^th – VJ (Victory over Japan) Day

16^th – National Rum Day

17^th – UK Cupcake Day

18^th – National Grooming Day

20^th – World Honey Bee Day

21^st – World Senior Citizens Day

23^rd - International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition 

24^th – 3 Months until Black Friday

24^th – National Burger Day

25^th – National Second-hand Wardrobe Day

25^th – Christmas in August (4 months until Christmas Day)

26-28^th – Notting Hill Carnival

26^th - Women's Equality Day

28^th – August Bank Holiday

28^th – National Red Wine Day

30^th - Raksha Bandhan

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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