Main Image: Barbour

PRShots Roundup brings you the latest retail news from White Stuff, Very, A Cold Wall, Nere, Ebebek, Boohoo, Kering, Hermes, Vinted, Mulberry and Dunelm. Plus, Poundland’s plans for its Perks app, the new Oxford Street store reinventing retail and more.  

THE LATEST RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS

Whistles owner is planning a deal to acquire White Stuff

The Foschini Group (TFG) the owner of Whistles and Phase Eight is in advanced talks to buy high street fashion retailer White Stuff.

Frasers has urged Boohoo to appoint Mike Ashley as new chief executive

Frasers Group has written an open letter to Boohoo urging them to appoint Frasers founder Mike Ashley as the retailer’s new director and chief executive following John Lyttle’s departure.

The Very Group hails “resilient” full year performance

Very’s group revenue fell by 1% to £2.13bn in the year to 29 Jun, however EBITDA was up 8.4% to £267.6m, with sales at Very UK up 0.7% to £1.84bn and Very Finance revenue up 3.1% to £435m.

Dunelm sales up 3.5% in first quarter

Dunelm’s sales for the quarter ending 28 Sept were up 3.5% to £403m, with online sales up 2% to represent 37% of total sales as consumers continued to spend money on home updates.

Luxury slowdown impacts Kering's Q3

Kering Group revenues for Q3 were down 15% to €3.8bn, with Gucci sales down 26% to €1.6bn and YSL sales down 13% to €670m mainly due to a weakened Asia-Pacific market.

Hermès Q3 sales grow amid luxury market challenges

Hermès group’s revenues to the end of September reached €3.7bn up 11% and although Greater China revenues were down, the rest of Asia Pacific minus Japan grew with sales up 7%.  

Interparfums sales up 21% in Q3

Interparfums Q3 European revenues to Sept 30 grew 21% to reach $282m, driven in large by growth in the Jimmy Choo, Montblanc and Lacoste fragrances.

Frasers Group walks away from Mulberry bid

Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group said it won’t be making any further offers for the Mulberry brand and that it remains concerned about the governance at the British label.

Vinted secures investment from TPG-led consortium

Vinted has closed a secondary share sale of €340m – the first share sale since the last fundraising round in 2021 - giving it a valuation of €5bn.

A Cold Wall owner explores sale

Brand accelerator Tomorrow Limited is working with advisors at Interpath to explore the sale of Samuel Ross’s A Cold Wall, just months after acquiring the designer brand.

British Beauty Council names Rita Ora as Global Ambassador

The British Beauty Council has named singer-songwriter and beauty industry entrepreneur Rita Ora as its new Global Ambassador as it looks to strengthen its global presence.

Usdaw urges more retailers to shut as Poundland confirms Boxing Day closures

Usdaw has urged more retailers to shut up shop on Boxing Day, as Poundland joins John Lewis, Waitrose, and Home Bargains in confirming its closure on 26 December.

TRENDS, SUSTAINABILITY, STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY

How Poundland plans to ‘Perk’ up customers with its new loyalty app

Poundland is feeling pretty chipper after its new Perks rewards app became the top free app on the Apple App Store and Google Play in the 24 hours after its launch last week.

Future Stores – the new Oxford Street store aiming to reinvent retail

Future Stores, a new £20m concept store that opens on Oxford Street next week, is looking to “reinvent” retail with a highly immersive shop.

The top social listening tools for brand monitoring

Hootsuite helps you find out what your audience thinks about your business and turn mentions into actionable insights with the right social listening tool.

Victoria Beckham launches AI bag campaign

More and more brands are using artificial intelligence in their ad campaigns and that includes luxury labels and one of the latest is Victoria Beckham.

Six UK start-ups picked for Amazon Sustainability Accelerator programme

The Amazon Sustainability Accelerator has picked six UK businesses to join its scheme and reach a new generation of environmentally conscious customers.

PEOPLE, MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Vivienne Westwood's granddaughter quits firm

Cora Corré, the granddaughter of Vivienne Westwood, has quit as campaigns manager at the late designer’s company and called for its chief executive Carlo D’Amario to be removed.

BRAND NEWS

Nere looks to the UK to drive growth and expansion

Australian fashion travel brand Nere, which launched in the UK in 2023, is scouting retail locations in the country as it looks to drive growth and reach of its colourful luggage and accessories.

Turkish children’s retailer Ebebek to open its first ever UK store

Ebebek, the Turkish retailer specialising in baby, children and family products is opening its first-ever UK store in North London, Retail Week can reveal.

The Conran Shop launches new concept for designers and interiors experts

The Conran Shop has launched a new trade concept based at their Sloane Square shop to provide a tailored experience for design and interior professionals in the UK.

Rita Ora's haircare line lands at Boots

TYPEBEA, the performance-led haircare brand founded by singer-songwriter Rita Ora and beauty entrepreneur Anna Lahey, has launched online and in-store at Boots.

Skims partners with breast cancer foundation in awareness push

Skims, has launched a breast cancer awareness campaign featuring actress Olivia Munn, marking a pivot towards health advocacy in its marketing strategy.

AND FINALLY

Why are Gen Z completely obsessed with Jellycat?

What is it about Jellycat that’s causing such a stir? And what does the phenomenon tell us about the shopping habits of Gen Z?

PRSHOTS TOP 10 SEARCHES

What were our users searching for on PRShots Week ending October 18^th 2024?

1/ AW24

2/ Christmas

3/ Leopard

4/ Halloween

5/ Boots

6/ Coat

7/ Bag

8/ Living Room

9/ Red  

10/ Scarf

NEW BRANDS TO PRSHOTS

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.

Priestleys was founded by husband and wife team James and Karen and specialises in producing little luxuries in their Lincolnshire workshop.  Their leather bags, belts, wallets and accessories are handcrafted using responsibly sourced leathers from gold and silver-rated tanneries in Europe and are supplemented with ranges of scarves and jewellery.

Sims Wear was founded by Billy Sims-Hilditch with the idea of creating British made menswear, using best-in-class natural fibres. The range is all home produced in Aberdeenshire from fibre carding and spinning, through to knitting, weaving, cutting and sewing.

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

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

Online Home Shop has new winter and Christmas-themed pyjamas, fleeces, ponchos, dressing gowns and onesies for him and her.

Barbour has new collaborations with Ganni and Baracuta and has new outdoor ranges, a gifts under £50 range, a Alexa Natalie range, plus a Flower Mountain collaboration of trainers and clothes.

Accessorize has new bridal collections, Christmas 2024 ranges of pyjamas, jumpers, bags, jewellery and accessories, plus AW24 ranges of bags, jewellery and scarves.

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

River Island has new Premium and Winter Reds collections, along with party outfits and accessories for the Christmas season for men, women and children, plus women’s footwear, clothes and bag ranges, faux leather and leather ranges.

Fable England has a new Core collection of bags and accessories, a Wolf Garden range of clothes, jewellery and bags, a new AW24 collaboration with the National History Museum, plus new jewellery ranges.

Monsoon has new bags for Christmas, October edits for women and kids, bags, shoes, jewellery and accessories, new womenswear for special occasions and children’s Christmas-themed and winter accessories.

Matalan has a new collaboration with Alder Hey hospital, Christmas women’s eveningwear, outdoor clothing, footwear, Christmas and Winter outfits for the whole family, AW24 men’s tailoring, new kids and adults sleepwear from its Cosy Shop, new AW24 lingerie ranges, shoes and boots for AW, Halloween wear for all the family.

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.

Very has new Grinch-themed pyjamas for all the family, stocking filler accessories, partywear ranges, V by Very ranges of clothes and footwear, a new Michelle Keegan collaboration, and Quiet Luxury, Everyday and Curve ranges of womenswear.

Scamp & Dude has Christmas party outfits and new womenswear.

London Grace has new nail varnish ranges.

M&S has party outfits for all the family, Christmas clothing, accessories and lingerie sets as well as post-surgery bras, Halloween clothing, the Dress the Nation range with Vernon Kay and AJ Odudu, autumn lingerie, clothing, accessories and jewellery ranges from Autograph, M&S, Jaeger and 3^rd parties for him and her.

Primark has a newFuture Projects collaboration, a Kem and Edit range, Christmas Grinch, Famjam, A Nightmare Before Christmas ranges of pyjamas, jewellery and accessories, a new maternity range.

F&F has a new Abbey Clancy collaboration, new Christmas campaign imagery, Active Kate Ferdinand collaborations, Xmas ranges including jumpers, coats and party wear in satins, gold and black metallics and sequins.

Dune London has new bag, boots and shoes, women’s hats and accessories, plus suitcases and travel luggage.

Fatface has launched a new women’s partywear label Copper & Black, plus more AW24 Edit ranges of womenswear. 

Betty&Biddy has new jewellery ranges for Christmas including earrings, bracelets and necklaces.

Celtic &Co has new statement looks for men and women for AW24.

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

Threadbare has a new AW24 and British Adventure ranges of womenswear.

Oliver Bonas has new AW24 womenswear, accessories, shoes, boots and jewellery drops for October.

Roman Originals has a new Petite range, new Ariella and Dusk ranges, plus floral outfits, and Roman Petite and Curve ranges.

Shoe Zone has new AW24 men, women and kids shoes and boots.

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

TK Maxx has its Christmas gift-guides for men, women, kids and pets, plus new menswear and womenswear ranges for AW24 including coats, jackets and hoodies, plus Leopard skin prints t-shirts and skirts.

See additional new clothing and accessories images from

TK Maxx Iolla Regatta John Lewis Joe Browns Dune London Mens

Home, garden and food

Matalan has Christmas 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.

Primark has new furniture, Christmas decorations and homeware gifts, AW24 furniture, homeware, bedding, diffusers and candles and Halloween decorations.

Online Home Shop has new foot warmers, hot water bottles, heated pads, body wraps, plus bar stools and furniture, mirrors, bedding, cuddle cushions, shaped pillows and bolsters.

Very has new soft furnishings and candles and other stocking fillers plus Christmas decorations for the home and the tree.

Home Bargains has new gift ranges for Christmas including candles.

B&M has new bedding and soft furnishings, Xmas 2024 gift guides, new Woodland Charm, Japandi and Natural Earth homeware, plus bedding and soft furnishings for AW24, Christmas 2024 ranges of decorations, Christmas mugs, cushions, candles, and things for the kitchen and the Christmas dining table. 

Habitat has new Christmas wreaths and decorations for the home and Christmas trees, plus a Willaim Morris collaboration of furniture and soft furnishings, plus new lighting, furniture for the living dining and bedroom plus new tableware.

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

Rebel Walls has new big statement First Rebels wallpaper ranges for the home based on paintings by famous artists.

M&S has a new 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, and Halloween decorations.

Arran Sense of Scotland has Christmas scented diffusers and handwashes plus Christmas gifting ranges.

Dobbies Garden Centres has new Christmas ranges including food and drink, trees, decorations and gifts for pets, RHS branded garden gift ranges, Halloween ranges, plus Snow & Sparkles, Magic Woodland, Classic Noel, Colour Pop and Festival Tales Christmas decoration ranges plus autumn homewares, playhouses and garden toys.

Treats by Mars has cans of Milky Way, Mars and Galaxy drinks, new Galaxy gluten and dairy selection boxes, and new Snickers, M&Ms and Maltesers ranges of goodies.

Cutter & Squidge has new Christmas and Halloween food gift ideas from hampers to treats.

Homesense has new AW24 homeware and Halloween decorations, Christmas gifts and decorations, plus kitchenware ranges aimed at the home and student markets.

George Home has a new Stacey Solomon Christmas, Halloween and Autumn collaborations on cookware, bedding, dining, and homeware.

Hobbycraft has new DIY decoration ideas for the Christmas dining table.

Jan Constantine has a new Christmas collection of cushions.

Cambridge Imprint has wrapping paper, coffee mugs, storage draws and a new artists' gift range.

TK Maxx has its Christmas gift-guides for the home, plus Beetlejuice-themed Halloween things for the home.

DFS has new Scandi, Coastal and Palm beds, sofas and chair ranges.

Joe Browns has new homeware ranges for Christmas and AW24 including bedding, kitchenware and the Heritage Social, Portobello Bohemian and Off the Floor ranges.

See additional new home images from

Nest Cult Furniture Next Sandberg Wallpaper John Lewis Designers Guild National Trust shop

DIARY

PRShots Retail Calendar Alerts

Days until Halloween – 7

Days until Black Friday – 36

Days until Christmas – 62
 

How to get your brand on the October media calendars

We’re into autumn, and the nights are starting to draw in, and the heating is probably on.  The media are looking for images that reflect the changes, so anything that looks cosy and warm is good; roaring fires, big jumpers, coats, hats, knitwear, scarfs and wellies in a leaf-strewn outdoors – all the cliches – are what the media are looking for. If you can do some night shots with sparklers, then you’re also ticking the boxes for Bonfire Night next month and Diwali this month. We also have Halloween at the end of the month, so if you can get a pumpkin in your images, then you’re hitting two birds with one stone.   

You should be adding Christmas images, and for those magazines with very long lead times, then start to look for the images of people working off the Christmas excesses for the January issues. 

Don’t forget to add keywords like Gifts, Christmas, Xmas, Autumn, Winter, Halloween, Fireworks night and Bonfire night, as they will be looked for from now. Also, we have a wide audience with media from around the World, so add those American holiday versions e.g. The Holidays, Fall, Pumpkin day, Thanksgiving etc and words like hygge that are starting to enter the language and are associated with the autumn.  

Media will also be searching for party outfits for Halloween, Guy Fawkes, and the office party season - which will soon be with us.  The media are also starting to look for and create Christmas gift guides, so try and be creative, do ones for every eventuality e.g. gifts guides for him/her/mum/dad/kids/teenagers/pets etc also gifts under £150/100/£50 and for guides for secret Santa’s gifts under £20.

Please put prices on everything!!! Otherwise, you stand no chance of getting into any of the features that include “Presents under £50”, “Party dresses for £150” etc.   

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.

October Diary - Weeks/Months

October is also known as ‘Stoptober’, which started as a campaign around giving up cigarettes, but is now joined by MacMillans Go Sober for October, so if you have anything non-alcoholic, then get it on PRShots and make sure you add Stoptober and non-alcoholic as keywords.

It’s also Black History Month, Wool Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Menopause Month, Vegetarian Awareness Month, Apple Month, Cookie Month, Spinach Lovers' Month, Pork Month, and National Pasta, Chilli, and Pizza Month.

Fashion and Beauty Weeks and events include - British Beauty Week (23^rd-27^th)

October - Days

23^rd-25^th – Shemini Atzeret

24^th-25^th - Simchat Torah  

25^th – World Pasta Day

25^th – 2 months until Christmas Day

26^th – National Pumpkin Day

27^th – National American Beer Day

27^th – Global Champagne Day

28^th – National Chocolate Day (US)

29^th – National Cat Day (US)

27^th – Clocks go back tonight 

31^st – Halloween

31^st – Diwali 

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). 

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