‘Is this what people wear now?’ Sewing Bee host criticises M&S jumpers and socks Patrick Grant says rise of low-cost retailers means new clothes ‘haven’t got cheaper, they’ve just got worse’
UK’s garden centres hope sunshine and Chelsea flower show will help them rebound from the rain A cold, damp spring depressed plant sales in the UK, but help is at hand from the ‘Glastonbury festival of the gardening world’
Sharp rise in cost of British lamb in UK due to rising demand and import issues Cold and wet weather also thought to have led to more lambs dying in early season, as Morrison drops 100% British lamb pledge
M&S teams up with recycling tech group to trace plastic packaging Polytag system prints invisible tag on to containers, which can be picked up by readers located at recycling centres
Burberry profits slump by 40% as demand for luxury goods slows British fashion retailer hit by drop in sales in Asia and Americas, and expects challenging first half of 2025
Brexit border IT outages delay import of perishable items to UK by up to 20 hours Lorries carrying meat, cheese and cut flowers held up by new checks, with retailers rejecting some orders
Tesco CEO’s near £10m pay a ‘slap in the face’ for struggling workers, union says Package for Ken Murphy more than double previous year’s, with more than half relating to long-term bonus
Charities attack Tesco rules for evening-only collection of unwanted food Groups warn they can’t find enough volunteers at night or distribute the food to homeless people effectively
British asparagus back in supermarkets after criticism over imports Unseasonably cold weather had slowed UK season, but sunny spell has helped crop ‘grow like stink’
Feeling the pinch: why are so many Australian businesses failing? The high cost of living and the ‘bullwhip effect’ have had a deleterious effect, particularly on food services and building, resulting in a decade-high 10,000 collapses
John Lewis owner cut 3,500 jobs last year yet hired chief on £1.2m pay deal Further job cuts likely as JLP says it is investing in automation as part of ‘simplifying the way we work’
Opening of Ikea’s Oxford Street store put back to spring 2025 Company says latest delay at central London site bought for estimated £378m is due to water leaking into basement
Fraud rife on secondhand marketplaces Depop, Preloved, and Shpock Survey of 1,300 buyers found 32% scammed on secondhand marketplace in two years, highlighting scale of APP fraud
Boohoo dives into debt as losses soar to £160m and sales slump Online fashion retailer cut over 1,000 jobs in year to February amid competition from rival Shein and resurgent high street
‘It’s the brand speaking to you’: the scent firms making smells for Subway, Abercrombie and more As brick-and-mortar retail stores compete with e-commerce, chains are spending heavily to immerse customers in bespoke fragrances