Main Image: Very

PRShots Roundup brings you the latest retail news from Pets at Home, Gymshark, Karen Millen, Sosandar, Miniso, JD Sports, Abercrombie & Fitch, Urban Outfitters, Frasers, Secret Sales and Next. Plus, how marketers can stop fuelling customer churn, the best brand safety practices to inform your marketing plan and more.  

THE LATEST RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS

Pets at Home cuts profit expectations

Pets at Home sales for the 28 weeks to October 10 were up 1.9% to £789.1m, despite operating in a “subdued” retail market.

Gymshark launches innovation lab

Gymshark is looking for start-ups with ‘game-changing solutions’ for a newly launched innovation programme it’s funding.

Supermarket loyalty schemes do offer ‘genuine’ savings

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) probe into UK supermarkets’ pricing practices has found “very little” evidence that shoppers are being treated unfairly with loyalty programmes.

JD Sports acquires French trainer maker Courir

JD Sports has completed the acquisition of French trainer retailer Courir in a €520m deal, as the group continues to expand its presence in Europe.

Urban Outfitters defies retail woes on Anthropologie sales gains

Urban Outfitters group Q3 sales were up 6.3% to $1.36bn with a net income of $102.9m with Anthropologie sales up 5.8% balancing a 8.9% reduction in Urban Outfitters sales.

Abercrombie & Fitch posts ‘record’ Q3 sales

Abercrombie & Fitch has reported “record” Q3 sales to Nov 2 up 14% to $1.2bn with operating income at $179m, up from $138m.

Frasers acquires South African sportswear retailer Holdsport

Frasers Group has snapped up South African sporting and outdoor retailer Holdsport from Old Mutual Private Equity and Holdsport’s management.

Secret Sales acquires H&M’s Afound

Off-price fashion marketplace Secret Sales has acquired H&M Group-owned digital outlet Afound as part of its European expansion drive.

Black Friday spend 'to rise' 3% in UK - report

A new survey predicts Black Friday retail sales to be up 3% on Black Friday and expects Black Friday spending for the week (starting 25 Nov) to be 15% higher.

BNPL schemes see consumers spend 10% more

Buy now pay later offerings increase the amount customers spend by around 10%, according to research by Imperial College Business School.

UK consumers rely on online reviews

Over two thirds (68%) of consumers use online reviews as their primary source for purchasing decisions, with recommendations from family and friends second at 24%.

TRENDS, SUSTAINABILITY, STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY

How marketers can stop fuelling customer churn

Customer churn isn’t just a sales problem - it’s a marketing one, too. Martech shows you how to avoid these mistakes to help build sustainable growth.

The best brand safety practices to inform your marketing plan

Protecting your brand’s online reputation means getting proactive about brand safety, especially when it comes to social media. Hootsuite picks out the 6 best practices for brand safety.

The 9 Instagram metrics you need to track in 2025

Overwhelmed by all the different Instagram metrics you could possibly track? Stick to these Hootsuite recommended top insights for maximum impact.

What are the top retailers doing to mitigate the Budget?

As anger at the recent Budget turns to, if not quite acceptance, at least reflection, Retail Week looks at how leaders and senior teams might mitigate its effects

BRAND NEWS

Next to take over House of Fraser space at Bluewater

Next is to significantly grow its presence at Bluewater by taking on the former House of Fraser space and tripling its footprint at the shopping centre.

Karen Millen launches in-store rentals at Selfridges & John Lewis

Karen Millen has announced a partnership with leading fashion rental platform, HURR, marking a significant expansion in the brand’s rental offerings.

Sosandar to open more stores

Sosandar is looking to open more stores after the success of its initial few stores, and wants to strike further deals to sell through other retailers.

Miniso is opening its debut outlet store in London

Miniso is to open its debut outlet store in the UK at the London Designer Outlet (LDO), located at Wembley Park, later this week ahead of the peak Christmas trading period.

AND FINALLY

Greggs launches limited-edition Top Trumps card game for Christmas

Greggs has partnered with Top Trumps to create a limited-edition Greggs version of the card game based on the Greggs menu.

PRSHOTS TOP 10 SEARCHES

What were our users searching for on PRShots Week ending November 22^nd 2024?

1/ Christmas

2/ AW24

3/ Leopard

4/ SS25

5/ Sequin

6/ Candle

7/ Cushion

8/ Bathroom

9/ Lighting  

10/ Sofa

NEW BRANDS TO PRSHOTS

Ernest Jones the jewellers came from modest beginnings, launched in 1949 it has grown from a single store in London's Oxford Street to a national chain of 100+ jewellery stores.

H Samuel are a jeweller with a long history. Started in 1862 the brand continues to this day with a mix of jewellery and watches, that are affordable and feature trend-led styles.

Frangipani was established in 2010, and produces men’s shirts and accessories crafted from high-quality materials and featuring bold prints or subtle contrasts. With each shirt embodying a perfect balance of comfort and elegance.

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.

Saywood was created in 2020 by Harriet Saywood-Bellisario, who graduated from the London College of Fashion before working at Paul Smith, Richard Nicoll and Label/Mix. The brand specialises in beautiful edits of wardrobe essentials and classics contemporised with unexpected details made to be worn and re-worn.

Jellycat is the brand of the moment and has been around for a quarter of a century. Over this time, their unmistakable characters have gained the affection of millions across 77 countries.

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.

BRANDS WITH NEW IMAGES

Clothing, beauty and accessories

Matalan has new Valentine pyjamas, a new Disney and Lilo and Stitch Stitchmas collaboration, Taylor & Wright collaboration of menswear, a menopause lingerie range plus a new collaboration with The Lion King, Marvel, Paddington and Alder Hey hospital.

Cotton Traders has new SS25 outfits,  Christmas jumpers, cosy womenswear and menswear for AW24 including jumpers, cardigans and coats.

National Trust has new accessories including socks, hats, jewellery, scarves, bags and sunglasses for SS25.

Primark has new accessories, a new ski range, a new Rita Ora collaboration of clothing, shoes, bags, jewellery and accessories, and new tie-ups with Wicked, The Grinch, Sonic the Movie and Ashleigh Huish.

Roman Originals has more AW24 imagery, new Petite, Curve and Dusk campaign ranges of womenswear for cosy evenings and big events, new nightwear ranges with pyjamas and cosy dressing gowns.

Fable England has new core jewellery ranges.

M&S has new menswear and womenswear from its Christmas adverts, a Bella Freud bag collaboration, the Christmas beauty advent calendar, party outfits for all the family, Christmas clothing, accessories and lingerie sets as well as post-surgery bras, the Dress the Nation range with Vernon Kay and AJ Odudu.

TK Maxx has SS25 clothing, accessory and makeup ranges including crochet outfits, Christmas gift-guides for men, women, kids and pets, plus new menswear and womenswear ranges including coats, jackets and hoodies.

Very has new V by very ranges of clothes and footwear including metallics, sequins and faux fur, a new Michelle Keegan collaboration, new Grinch-themed pyjamas for all the family, stocking filler accessories, and partywear ranges.

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

Monsoon has new designer ranges, plus clothes, shoes, boots, bags and accessories for Christmas, new edits for women and kids, bags, shoes, jewellery and accessories.

River Island has a Christmas Gift Guide and Christmas jumpers, plus new Premium and Winter Reds collections, along with party outfits and accessories for the Christmas season for men, women and children.

George at Asda has a Children in Need range, women’s and menswear for Christmas occasions and parties, Children in Need Christmas outfits, a new Roksanda and Tickled Pink collaboration clothing ranges.

Peacocks has new Christmas jumpers and fashion, Caprice Christmas pyjama collections, new womenswear, a new Louise Redknapp AW and Christmas Edit, a Michael Owen collaboration and new AW24 womenswear and jewellery.

Fatface has a new Copper & Black range of womenswear, new menswear, and kids clothing, plus Christmas clothing, accessories and jewellery for all the family plus gifts for under £50, plus more AW24 Edit ranges of womenswear. 

Celtic &Co has new Christmas accessories, jumpers and cosy outfits from the winter.

Oliver Bonas has new women’s clothing, bags, shoes, accessories and jewellery for the New Year and SS25.

Bonmarché has new Christmas jumpers and partywear, lingerie ranges, new jewellery and accessory ranges for Christmas and the winter and AW24 clothing ranges.

Scamp & Dude has Christmas party outfits and new AW24 womenswear ranges.

Peachaus has new sleepwear and lingerie for AW24 and SS25.

Dune London has new shoes, boots and bags.

See additional new clothing and accessories images from

Accessorize Barbour London Grace Deichmann Shoe Zone Online Home Shop

Home, garden and food

Online Home Shop has new side tables and chest of drawers, rugs, bedding, foot warmers, hot water bottles, heated pads, body wraps, plus bar stools, mirrors, cuddle cushions, shaped pillows and bolsters.

Quorn Stone has new natural stone and tumbled herringbone cobbles outdoor ranges, marble ranges for the bathroom and kitchen and Limestone cobbles for outside.

National Trust has new gifts for the home and the garden for SS25, plus decorations for Easter.

Dunelm has a new Sophie Robinson collaboration and its SS25 range of bedroom and living room furniture, soft furnishings and kitchenware.

Sofology has new SS25 Serene, Premiere and Westwood ranges of sofas, chairs and recliners.

Fritz Fryer has new antique lighting ranges, kitchen lighting ranges, as well as lamps and lights for every room in the home.

TK Maxx has a new 1960s-inspired summer range of kitchenware and furniture for the office, plus new gifting ranges, a wellness range for the New Year, Christmas gift-guides for the home.

Designers Guild has new Studio Stripes patterns for SS25.

Jan Constantine has new cushions for SS25 and Valentine’s day.

M&S has a new Nordic notes Christmas decoration ranges, National Gallery collaboration, stocking filler Christmas images and new Fearne Cotton Happy Place range, Christmas homeware including tableware, soft furnishings, candles and diffusers, Christmas decorations, homeware and bedding ranges.

Ivyline has new planters, pots for its indoor living ranges.

Cult Furniture has a new collaboration with Daniela Tasca.

Oliver Bonas has new furniture and home accessories including mirrors, lighting and tableware for the New Year and SS25.

Fatface has a collaboration with homeless charity Shelter, Christmas decorations for the Christmas tree and homeware gifts.

George Home has a new Christmas decorations for the tree, tableware, soft furnishings and trees, Stacey Solomon Christmas and Autumn collaborations on cookware, bedding, dining, and homeware.

Primark has new Wicked and Grinch themed gifts for kids and pets, furniture, Christmas decorations and homeware gifts, AW24 furniture, homeware, bedding, diffusers and candles.

Matalan has SS25 homeware images for the dining room, bedroom, bathroom and garden, plus Christmas gifts and decorations, a new Connie the Cockapoo range, AW24 soft furnishings and gifts, a new AW Cosy Shop range of bedding and soft furnishings, Christmas bedding ranges and presents for pets.

Treats by Mars has new Galaxy ranges of hot chocolate. 

Cutter & Squidge has a new boxed cookie range.

Homesense has new Christmas gift ideas for family and pets as well as new Christmas decorations.

See additional new home images from

Hobbycraft The Gluttonous Gardener Arran Sense of Scotland Monsoon Habitat Home Bargains Very B&M Rebel Walls Dobbies Garden Centres Cambridge Imprint

DIARY

PRShots Retail Calendar Alerts

Days until Black Friday – 2

Days until Christmas – 28

Days until Valentine’s Day – 79

Days until Easter - 144
 

How to get your brand on the November media calendars

We are well into autumn and the Christmas season, and the media are looking for images that help them fill all those “what to buy on Black Friday” features, the endless Christmas gift guides, and all those “What to wear for the Christmas party season” articles.  

You should be uploading Black Friday and Christmas images for most media, but long lead-time magazines will be looking at January issues, so anything that helps illustrate the inevitable “New you for 2025” issues will also be welcomed. So, any athleisure, outdoor, healthy, sporty images will all be useful. 

As always, don’t forget to add keywords – Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving, Gifts, Christmas, Xmas, Winter, plus all those words beloved of home and women’s magazines like cosy, cosiness, hygge and wellbeing.

Clothing-wise the media are looking for party wear, party dresses, nightwear, going-out outfits, Christmas Jumpers, jumpers, scarves, bobble hats, beanies, cardigans, coatigans, jackets, and coats. So, make sure you have plenty of images in those categories uploaded and labelled with as many of those words as you can.    

Also, make sure that if your clothing is made from a fabric associated with winter that it’s flagged up somewhere in the title/keyword or in more information. Wool (woolovers are a thing), cashmere, fur (faux obviously), velvet, plus the year’s big trends of sequins, metallics, red and gold.     

If you’re aiming at being included in Christmas Guides, then make sure you have added prices. Guides are normally price-led eg “Presents under £50”, “Party dresses for less than £150” and without prices, your items won’t be included.     

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.

November Diary - Weeks/Months

Events to add to your marketing diary for November include.

Movember which centres around men’s health issues and moustaches, so beard and shaving-related things might be useful. It’s also World Pancreatic Cancer Month, World Vegan Month, Men’s Health Awareness Month, and in the US, it’s also National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month, Sweet Potato Month and Candy Month.

Weeks to celebrate in November include;

Transgender Awareness Week (13^th-19^th)

November - Days

28^th – Thanksgiving (US) 

29^th – Black Friday 

30^th – US Small Business Saturday 

30^th – St Andrew’s Day (Bank Holiday Scotland)

NB - All dates have been checked, but some events may change due to unforeseen circumstances or have not been fully confirmed for 2024 by the authorities controlling the event(s). 

How to get your brand in the media in December

Christmas is nearly over by now for the media; there are just a few dailies, weeklies, websites and influencers doing last-minute gift guides for Christmas but for most print media it’s the New Year, and what’s happening in 2025.  

You should be uploading SS25 outfits and home goods for those “A new you for 2025” and “Redecorate for 2025” issues, so athleisure, outdoor healthy sporty images will all be useful, plus anything for the home. 

As always don’t forget to add keywords – New Year, Gifts, Spring, Christmas, Xmas, Holidays, Winter plus all those words beloved of home magazines like cosy, cosiness, hygge, wellbeing.

Clothing wise the media are still looking for going out outfits for Christmas and New Year, so party wear, party dresses, nightwear and also winter clothing like jumpers, scarves, bobble hats, beanies, cardigans, coatigans, jackets, coats are still being looked for. So, make sure that you have plenty of images in those categories uploaded and labelled with as many of those words as you can.

You can also start to look at holiday clothing and outfits for when the weather gets a little warmer so make sure SS25 is flagged on your drops even if they’re not yet available until 2025 – If they’re not on sale until Jan or Feb then use the On Sale date field to flag this up. You can either add a specific date, 2/2/25 or if you’re not sure then you can use the text “available first week in Feb.”  

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.

December Diary - Weeks/Months

December is all about Christmas and New Year events, but it’s also AIDS Awareness Month, Universal Human Rights Month, Decembeard, and No Gender December.

Additionally, the 1st week (2nd-6th) is UK Charity Week, and Kwanzaa (26th - 1st Jan).

December Diary - Days

1^st – World AIDS Day

1^st – Advent Sunday/First Sunday of Advent 

2^nd – St Andrew’s Day (Scotland)

2^nd – Cyber Monday

2^nd – Four years since the second-lockdown ended in the UK 

2^nd – English Breakfast Day

3^rd – National day of giving (US) 

6^th – St Nicholas Day

7^th – Returns will start to come back from Black Friday sales – be ready for them

7^th – UK Small Business Saturday

10^th – Human Rights Day

12^th – Christmas Jumper Day (See https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/christmas-jumper-day)

18^th – Stilton Day

19^th – National Regifting Day 

21^st – Winter Solstice 

21^st – Super Saturday/Panic Saturday

25^th – Christmas Day

25^th – Hanukkah begins

26^th – Boxing Day

31^st – New Year’s Eve

NB - All dates have been checked, but some events may change due to unforeseen circumstances or have not been fully confirmed for 2024 by the authorities controlling the event(s).