Main Image: George Home

PRShots Roundup brings you the latest retail news from AO, Uniqlo, Crew Clothing, Shein, Pandora, Vinted, Primark, Antler and John Lewis. Plus the secrets of the World’s best e-commerce retailers, why email remains a powerful tool for driving real results and more.  

THE LATEST RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS

UK inflation falls to 2.8%

Office for National Statistics reported UK inflation has fallen back by more than forecast, to 2.8%, resuming a downward trajectory after an increase to 3% in January from 2.5% in December.

Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group raises AO World stake

Frasers Group has raised its stake in online electricals retailer AO World to 25.01%, up from 24.02%, according to a recent regulatory filing.

Uniqlo sees profits rocket

The European division of Uniqlo based in London saw turnover for FY to 31 Aug increase to €1.69bn from €1.30bn and pre-tax profit jumped from €186.5m to €291m.

Virgin Wines reports ‘resilient’ sales and profits

Virgin Wines revenues for H1 to Dec 27 were down to £34.1m from £34.3m but profit before tax was up 20% to reach £1.3m. EBITDA remained “in line” at £1.6m for the period.

Julian Charles rescued out of administration

Bedding and homewares retailer Julian Charles, has been rescued out of administration by Great Bedding Co safeguarding 230 out of 251 jobs and more than 25 trading sites and concessions.

Crew Clothing commits to bricks-and-mortar with new HQ and 20 store openings

Crew Clothing, has moved and upsized its HQ in a "significant investment", and will be open 20 further stores in 2025. It already operates 100 stores in the UK, as well as its e-commerce website.

Shein sees biggest market share growth

Shein is estimated to have extended its clothing market share by 0.24 percentage points in 2024, to reach 1.53%, with next biggest growth from Zara, which grew by 0.05 percentage points to 1.24%.

TRENDS, SUSTAINABILITY, STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY

The secrets of the World’s best e-commerce retailers

Amazon, Next, Coupang and Walmart have been named among the world’s biggest e-commerce trailblazers find out what their winning strategies are and how you can learn from them.

Why email remains a powerful tool for driving real results.

Keeping up with the latest channels and trends is important, but email remains one of the most effective and reliable drivers of performance.

UK shoppers ditch digital shopping to return to in-store purchases

Almost two thirds of UK shoppers (63%) would rather buy at a bricks and mortar store than online, citing the ability to try on clothes (79%), assess clothing quality (70%) and no delivery delays (54%).

What is 'recession blonde' and why is it trending?

After the 2008 financial crash, ‘recession hair’ became a new marker for assessing economic health, as many went without their regular cuts and styling appointments.

BRAND NEWS

John Lewis’ £80m Reading housing project nears approval

John Lewis Partnership is moving forward with plans to redevelop its former customer collection facility in Reading, continuing its expansion into the build-to-rent housing market.

Pandora unveils fourth Oxford Street store

Pandora has opened the doors to its fourth store on Oxford Street. The store houses its full jewellery collections, including its Lab-Grown Diamonds collection, as well as engraving services.

Vinted launches luxury fashion wardrobe online

Vinted is launching a luxury fashion wardrobe online. The “House of Vinted“ store will feature curated designer pieces from fashion creators.

Antler sets it target on commuter market

Antler wants to be more than just a premium luggage provider. Instead it’s positioning itself as “a comprehensive travel brand" with a major expansion of its bag and accessories collection.

Primark to expand US store footprint

Primark plans to expand its store footprint to the US states of Georgia and South Carolina, as well as opening another store in Texas. Taking the US store count to over 30.

AND FINALLY

Sure launches sniffable billboard

Sure has unveiled a sniffable billboard in celebration of its Whole Body Deodorant, inviting Londoners to stop and sniff the "Bunda" and "Meatballs" on show.

JOIN THE GREEN GRADS

Green Grads are looking for new recruits and sponsors

Green Grads is a platform for recent UK graduates with ideas to heal the planet and it’s now recruiting for its fifth cohort, with over 200 current grads listed on the website. It’s also a great chance for a brand to show commitment to the environment and sustainability by joining Green Grads expanding cooperative of outward-looking forward-facing stellar British brands by becoming a sponsor. Sponsorship opportunities start with the comparatively modest sum of £500 and current sponsors include such well-known names as Heal's, Anglepoise, Ercol, the Futon Company, Camira and many more. To find out more see http://www.greengrads.co.uk

PRSHOTS TOP 10 SEARCHES

What were our users searching for on PRShots Week ending March 21^st 2025?

1/ Yellow

2/ Easter

3/ Dress

4/ SS25

5/ Bedroom

6/ Picnic

7/ Garden

8/ Bathroom

9/ Living Room  

10/ Denim

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 24 hours, week, or month.

NEW BRANDS TO PRSHOTS

Plia Parasols makes wooden garden parasols, upholstered with luxury outdoor fabrics. Sewn in Cornwall, customers can either plump for one of the in-house designs, or go bespoke and supply their own fabric for a totally unique parasol.

Laura Bond was started by Laura and her husband Doug, and has been independent and family owned since 2019. They create jewellery and specialise in ear and nose piercings and use responsibly sourced or recycled solid gold.

Oriana B.  was launched in 2019 by Dublin-based Londoner Katharine Deas sourcing and selling unique furniture online, having pivoted from a 25-year international corporate career to pursue her love of design. Oriana B products include furniture, lampshades, lights, lamps, and mirrors.

Joma Jewellery was established in the UK in 2007 by Katie and Geoff who were travelling through Asia looking for inspiration and chanced on a jewellery market in China that created unique, eye-catching designs. In 2015 Joma expanded to open in Europe and now has sites in France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Norway and opened its first UK store in 2019.

Katie Loxton    Katie Loxton is the go-to online destination for beautifully personalised handbags, accessories, and gifts for all occasions including Mother’s Day. All their Designed in the UK all their products are designed in the UK with their bags all made from vegan leather.

BRANDS WITH NEW IMAGES

Clothing, beauty and accessories

Barbour has a new Crocs collaboration, a Very British Summer collaboration of clothes and accessories with Lucy Williams, and a new shoe collaboration with Wild Bunch, rainwear ranges.

Roman Originals has new Petite, Dusk and Curve ranges for the summer, plus big pattern and denim SS25 womenswear imagery.

Matalan has new men’s and women’s summer ranges with clothes for the beach, baby ranges, Peter Rabbit and Bluey collaboration of kidswear, new Et Vous Spring women’s ranges, a men’s Smart edit, new bag ranges, new nightwear & lingerie.

Fable England has new bag charms, new Alice’s Garden, Running Bunny and Bunny Blues jewellery and bags, Wonderland ranges of bags and scarves, plus new accessories and core jewellery ranges.

John Lewis has new men’s and women’s clothing, shoes and accessory ranges for the spring and summer. Plus a range of women’s bags and jewellery.

Very has a new Michelle Keegan collaboration, plus drops SS25 lookbook imagery, new Mother’s Day, a new V by Very and V by Very Curve ranges of dresses, jumpers, jackets, coats jumpsuits, swimwear, jeans, trousers and shoes.

River Island has new men’s suits, a new Pink themed range, a new women’s wear range that’s a tribute to Ibiza’s Café Del Maar, perfume ranges and new Arm Candy bags.

Iolla has new sunglasses and glasses for the summer with the option of multi-coloured lenses, plus ranges of frames and glasses based on nostalgia for a Scottish coastal summer.

Threadbare has a new Spring Romance womenswear range plus new SS25 womenswear and menswear ranges.

Monsoon has new SS25 ranges for the beach and holidays, plus women’s and kids clothing for the summer, new sandals for the beach, plus new jewellery and bags for women and kids, new wedding outfit shoes and dresses.

Dune London has new bags, sandals and shoes for him and her for the summer, bag charms, clutch bags, handbags and belts, bridal shoe ranges for casual to posh weddings.

Primark has new youth ranges, US football team kit, new baby clothes, new Rita Ora range of clothes, Edit and new childrenswear, more Keith Haring & Basquiat collaborations, a new band t-shirt music drop, new Kappa athleisure wear, beauty ranges, bridal ranges of lingerie and shoes.

Scamp & Dude has new SS25 athleisure wear, dresses, shorts, jackets, hoodies, coats, bags and scarves, plus a new collaborations with Nicky Newman and Sabrina Elba, plus new leopard print dresses.

New Look has new March drops, new SS25 clothing and more new winter outfits, winter and occasion wear outfits for women, plus ranges of womenswear including coats, jumpers, skirts and tops.

TK Maxx has new menswear and women’s wear including jackets, dresses, waistcoats, jumpsuits, t-shirts, shoes and sandals and accessory ranges, including hats, bags, jewellery, makeup and sunglasses for the summer.

Peacocks has a new Louise Redknapp SS25 Edit range, new menswear range, plus new womenswear SS25 clothing ranges including skirts, jumpers, a new Caprice SS25 lingerie range.

Cotton Traders has new men and women’s clothes, shoes and accessories including beachwear and swimsuits, plus campaign images with Will Mellor and Alex Jones.

M&S has new perfume ranges, new casual and formal menswear ranges, plus men’s and women’s Collection ranges of clothes and accessories including bags, shoes and jewellery, plus men and women’s Autograph underwear.

B&M has new children’s fancy dress costumes.

Oliver Bonas has new March, April and May 2025 uploads of jewellery, women’s clothing, bags, shoes and accessories as well as new ranges for SS25 and Mother’s Day gifting.

F&F has new Abbey Clancy top picks for the spring.

George at Asda has a new kidswear, Style Stories Kat Farmer Studio Edit collaboration, new Modern World collection and a Studio Edit of womenswear, bridal collection, Style Stories by Erica Davies and G21 Maisie Smith collection ranges, new Gym Locker activewear ranges.

Lipsy has new Love & Roses clothing and bridal ranges for SS25.

Frangipani has new menswear and jewellery.

Crew Clothing has new menswear and womenswear ranges of clothes and accessories for the spring and summer.

Tu Clothing has new SS25 womenswear ranges of clothes, shoes, bags and accessories.

Curvy Kate has new Swerve, Suspend, Suspense, Serpent, Opulence, Indulgence, Eos, Entwined, Zen, Victory, Wild One, Strawberry Crush, Ornate and more ranges of lingerie. Plus new ranges of swimwear for SS25.

See additional new clothing and accessories images from

London Grace Celtic &Co Bonmarché Regatta Deichmann Fatface Sims Wear Saywood Dune London Mens Joe Browns Lola Starr

Home, garden and food

Quorn Stone has new Chalfont and Metro tiles, new decorative tiles, Orotelli stone for the floors and Luella Powder for the bathroom, Frome white stone, Orwell Natural Porcelain Stone, and Chastleton Ivory Stone.

John Lewis has new Modern and Classic ranges of garden and outdoor entertaining furniture and tableware, plus Modern and Classic homeware collections of rugs, beds, mirrors, furniture, soft furnishings, tableware and accessories for SS25.

Online Home Shop has new curtains, cushions, duvet covers and throws, plus storage solutions, side tables and chest of drawers, rugs and bedding.

Cambridge Imprint has new postcard boxes, postcards, teatrays, lined exercise and hardback books, stamps, Easter block sets, ribbons, albums, tea towels, exercise books, notebooks, sketchbook, memo books, 3D card ranges.

Homesense has new AW25 homeware and kitchenware including dishes, chairs, art, rugs, jugs plus Christmas 2025 crackers, wreaths and decorations.

Dobbies Garden Centres has new home houseplants including orchids, garden tool ranges, Mother’s Day 2025 gifts, homeware, pet ranges, kids garden toys, a Get Set for Spring Range, new Heritage range of outdoor gardening items including throws and firepits.

B&M has new Lego kits, Garden solar lighting, Easter cuddly toys for kids, spring electrical ranges, garden decorations and Easter themed gifts, cookware and dining decorations, everything pet related from food to car seats, and new Mother’s Day gifts.

George Home has new Stacey Solomon Easter and home collaborations on cookware, bedding, dining, and homeware. New Easter ranges of table wear, new home gifts and furniture.

Sofology has new SS25 furniture ranges, including sofas, chairs and stools plus furniture for the lounge in bright spring colours.

Jellycat has a new Amuseables range of animals, flowers and food, plus books and the cuddliest soft toys and bags for SS25.

TK Maxx has new kitchenware, homeware and gifts for Easter and Mother’s Day.

Fritz Fryer has new Ribbed Hereford Cluster lights, kitchen lighting, plus new lantern and pendant lighting ranges.

Designers Guild has new SS25 outdoor ranges including rugs and cushions.

M&S has new homeware including furniture, lighting, bedding and tableware, Mother’s Day beauty boxes, new wash bags beauty and wellness ranges, Ultimate bedding sets, makeup ranges, SS25 Boho, Classic and Exquisite Earth furniture and homeware ranges, new gifts, new furniture, soft furnishings and kitchenware for SS25.

Dunelm has a new Sophie Robinson summer dining collaboration, plus new furniture and homeware, new colour drench ranges, and its SS25 range of bedroom and living room furniture, soft furnishings and kitchenware.

Matalan has new Mother’s Day gifts, Easter decorations and home ranges, SS25 homeware images for the dining room, bedroom, bathroom and garden, new Connie the Cockapoo range.

Treats by Mars has new M&M movie kits, Galaxy Pink Hot Chocolate ranges, plus more Snickers and Galaxy ranges. 

Oliver Bonas has new homeware ranges for the kitchen, dining room and lounge, plus furniture and home accessories including mirrors, lighting and tableware for SS25.

Jan Constantine has new throws and cushion ranges for Mother’s Day.

The Gluttonous Gardener has new remembrance plants, plus flower ranges for the spring and summer.

Primark has new luggage, tableware, furniture, storage, towels, bedding, plus Easter gifts plus soft furnishings, furniture and homeware for SS25.

See additional new home images from

Home Bargains Very Furniture Village Ivyline Hotel Chocolat Regatta Hobbycraft Nest Cult Furniture

DIARY

PRShots Retail Calendar Alerts

Days until Mother’s Day - 4

Days until Easter – 25

Days until Father’s Day - 81

Days until Christmas Day - 274
 

How to get your brand in the media in March

March is mostly about preparing for the big Easter holidays next month, so make sure you are starting to include relevant Easter keywords. It’s also the time people make their first big getaway abroad, so any keywords and clothes for warmer climes, loungewear, going out wear, swimsuits, bikinis, etc, should be added.

At the end of the month, there’s Mother’s Day, so try to get Mother, gifts, or Mother’s Day into your keywords for anything that seems appropriate. Also, if you have anything green, add the Keyword St Patrick's Day.

Plus, as we’re now definitely in Spring, carry on adding those spring and summer-related images and adding keywords relating to the summer, like swimwear, outdoor living, garden, garden parties and Barbecues (don’t forget to add all of the other spellings BBQ, Bar-B-Que etc) and for home it’s all about Spring cleaning and updating for Spring.   

We’re also starting to get ready for the bridal season – the peak is May to October – so If you have bridal wear or anything appropriate to weddings, then start to upload it and label it with the keyword wedding.

Lastly, it’s Oscar month, so why not upload some smart suits and dresses and create an Oscar section for an evening watching the Oscars?  

If you’re a PRShots brand user and you need more ideas, then take a look at the keywords that media are searching for on PRShots and try and add those in.

If you’re looking for more hooks to help promote your brand and products, then see the list of days, weeks and fortnights below.

March Diary - Weeks/Months

In the UK, it’s National Bed Month. Introduced by The Sleep Council and The National Bed Federation, it aims to raise awareness of the importance of sleep, so push anything sleep-related. It’s also Dechox month, which encourages people to give up chocolate – cakes and biscuits - for the month! So, any chocolate, biscuit or cake alternatives should be pushed. It’s also Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, Walk All Over Cancer Month, Endometriosis Awareness Month, Brain Tumour Awareness Month, Women’s History Month.  

Interesting Stat: National No-Smoking Day was originally on Ash Wednesday when it was started in 1984. It was moved to the second Wednesday in March as, while it’s less easy to remember, the date doesn’t move around the calendar quite so much as Ash Wednesday does.  

Other events include;

The Big Walk and Wheel (24^th – 4^th April) 

Ideal Home Show (Mar 21^st – 6^th Apr)

March - Days

26^th – Five years since the first lockdown started in the UK in 2020

28^th – Wear a Hat Day (Brain Tumour Research) 

30^th - Mother’s Day UK 

30^th – British Summertime Begins

30^th – Eid al-Fitr / End of Ramadan 

How to get your brand in the media in April

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, Coachella this month in the US, beachwear, swimwear, the garden, garden parties, outdoor living, things for the patio, and of course Barbecues. Don’t forget to add all 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 considering destinations 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. 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.  

If you’re a PRShots brand user and you need more ideas, then take a look at the keywords that media are searching for on PRShots and try and add those in.

If you’re looking for more hooks to help promote your brand and products, then see the list of days, weeks and fortnights below.

April Diary - Weeks/Months

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.  It’s also National Garden Month (so anything gardening-related should be tagged with National Garden Month), National Poetry Month and Celebrate Diversity Month.

Other events include;

World Autism Awareness Week (Mar 31^st – Apr 8^th)

Community Garden Week (1^st – 7^th)

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

International Dark-Sky Week (21^st – 28^th)

Allergy Awareness Week (24^th – 28^th)

MS Awareness Week (22^nd – 28^th)

April - Days

1^st – April Fool’s Day

6^th - Olivier Theatre Awards

7^th – World Health Day 

7^th – National Beer Day (US)

8^th – Gym and fitness searches peak

11^th-13^th – Coachella Weekend One

12^th – Passover Begins

13^th – Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

13^th – Grand National

14^th – Vaisakhi (Sikh New Year)

17^th – Running searches peak ahead of the London Marathon

18^th- 20^th – Coachella Weekend Two

20^th – Passover Ends

20^th – Easter Sunday

21^st – Easter Monday

21^st - National Tea Day

22^nd – Earth Day

23^rd  – St George’s Day

23^rd – Start of the Asparagus season

23^rd – Shakespeare Day

24^th - National Skipping Day

24^th – Gardening searches peak

24^th – Fashion Revolution Day

25^th – Staycation searches peak

25^th – World Malaria Day

25^th – National Lingerie Day

27^th – London Marathon

29^th - International Dance Day

30^th – Stop Food Waste Day

NB - All dates have been checked, but some events may change due to unforeseen circumstances or have not been fully confirmed for 2025 by the authorities controlling the event(s).