Including the hot weather bringing differing fortunes for John Lewis and Waitrose.
The Source rounds up some of the key retail stories of the week.
John Lewis saw its sales hit by the spell of hot weather in the week to August 27. The department store chain posted a decline of 3.5% in sales to £78.9 million. Fashion sales were the most impacted, dropping 9.9%.
However, sister retailer Waitrose benefitted from the sunshine, saying that total sales rose 8.2% to £130.2 million for the same period. Perhaps unsurprisingly, ice lolly sales jumped 108% and handheld ice cream sales were up 100%. Rosé wine and gin, as well as BBQ-related products, also performed well.
The new Qatari owner of BHS‘ international and online divisions could bring the name back to the UK high street. According to The Guardian, Al Mana is looking for a partner to operate the UK business, perhaps as a franchise. Al Mana operates stores for the likes of Harvey Nichols, Mango and Zara. It acquired the BHS international business back in June.
Etailer Notonthehighstreet.com has secured £21 million from its investors, as it looks to expand in the UK and internationally. The funds will be used to grow its categories, develop online and offline customer experience and expand internationally. It will also continue to develop its core gift category.
Video games retailer GAME has appointed fashion specialist Guy Lister as its new chief operating officer. Guy spent some 16 years at M&S, before taking roles at River Island, New Look and, most recently, Office.
High street fashion retailer River Island has partnered with Snapchat to develop a range of branded bespoke filters. Customers can use these on their Snapshot stories when they are shopping in the stores across the UK and Republic of Ireland. The filters highlight key brand and cultural messages, varying across the season to keep content timely.
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