UK supermarkets giant Sainsbury’s has announced that former John Lewis MD Paula Nickolds is to join the business in June as General Merchandise and Clothing Commercial Director and become a member of its operating board.

In a further sign of how important ethical, sustainable, and governance-linked (ESG) issues are these days, lifestyle retailer Joules has announced a renewal of its funding deal with a strong ESG element included.

​Next continued to show just how strong it has been in recent periods on Thursday as the retailer increased its guidance due to sales dipping only slightly in the latest quarter.

​Debenhams will exit the UK high street for good on May 15 as the administrators close its remaining stores. The closures will end more than 200 years in which the company has been a major name in UK retail.

Stockmann, the Finnish retail group that also owns the Lindex chain, said its consolidated revenue fell 7.1% currency-neutral in the first three months of the year, dropping to €155.7 million.

It’s a factor guaranteed to dent consumer enthusiasm. Bad weather. Footfall across all UK retail destinations declined by 2% week-on-week in the seven days between Sunday 25 April and Saturday 1 May, reports Springboard.

​Global-e, the cross-border e-commerce specialist, has launched its initial public offering that will see it listing on NASDAQ in the US. The shares will be price between $23 and $25.

They may be late to rejoin the wider reopening party, but non-essential retailers in the Republic of Ireland will have their trading restrictions lifted from mid-May.

Enough is enough. Commercial property giants British Land and Land Securities have called for time limits for their tenants to settle rent arrears accrued since the pandemic began.

Alarm bells are continuing to ring over the future of Britain’s retail industry. Despite a positive return for non-essential retail in England, Wales and Scotland so far, more store closures are due in the months ahead.

​Alibaba’s Taobao Live is investing more heavily in livestreaming, a step that should boost its revenues and increase pressure on other e-tailers around the world to increase their livestreaming offers.

​Ultra-luxe label Hermès has unveiled a newly transformed flagship in Beijing's China World Trade Centre. It covers two floors and more than 900 sqm with an “eye-catching façade that beckons from afar”.

Etsy has launched its first collaboration of 2021 and it is with none other than renowned fashion designer Prabal Gurung.

​Consumers may be returning to stores in large numbers, but new research suggests that they're still addicted to the online experience, which they find both easier and more enjoyable

Malls giant Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield has delivered a Q1 update that showed turnover still "strongly impacted by ongoing Covid-19 restrictions”. But reopenings so far suggest plenty of pent-up demand.

As expected, a poor performance from its retail operations hit the Grosvenor Group in its latest trading year as the pandemic caused the high-end property business to swing to its first loss since the financial crisis.