Main Image: River Island

PRShots Roundup brings you the latest retail news from Frasers, Magnet, ThredUp, Nike, Gymshark, Sofology, Leem, Nadine Merabi, Jack& Jones, JJXX, Primark and Accessorize. Plus, what shoppers really think of AI in retail, how to improve your social media engagement and more.  

THE LATEST RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS

Frasers Group could exit FTSE 100

Mike Ashley's Frasers Group will find out today if it has been relegated from the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 (FTSE), following the December quarterly review

The chancellor has admitted national insurance rise won’t be ‘easy’ for businesses

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said the increase in employers’ national insurance contributions announced in the Budget will not be “easy” for businesses to absorb.

Online spending was up 5.2% over Black Friday/Cyber Monday

UK shoppers spent £3.63bn online over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday period, a 5.2% increase year-on-year, according to data from Adobe Analytics.

Magnet offers support to Homebase employees facing redundancy

Magnet is actively recruiting for store manager positions across its nationwide stores and is looking to recruit from staff from Homebase which recently went into administration.

Christmas 'unlikely to be bumper one for all' as consumers focus on budgeting

Weak consumer confidence and rising energy bills have caused anxiety for retailers in the all-important run-up to Christmas, new figures show.

ThredUp sells its European business, Remix

Online fashion resale marketplace ThredUp has sold its European business, Remix, via a management buyout led by the general manager of Remix, Florin Filote.

Nike shuts its metaverse fashion company Rtfkt

Nike is shutting down Rtfkt, its metaverse fashion company known for digital trainers and NFTs. Its last collection will be delivered in January 2025.

TRENDS, SUSTAINABILITY, STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY

What shoppers really think of artificial intelligence in retail

Artificial intelligence is proliferating across retailers large and small, but what do consumers really think of the rise of this new, exciting, but often misunderstood technology?

How to improve your social media engagement?

Hootsuite provides pro tips, free tools, and inspiring examples to help you boost interaction with your posts.

How 3D printing is changing the fashion industry

3D printing is becoming a key tool in the fashion industry, changing the way brands design and produce garments. Is your brand prepared to face the challenges and opportunities it poses?

Asos updates on turnaround strategy

Asos’s chief of staff and strategy Michelle Wilson talks to Drapers about the company’s progress on its new commercial model.

11 retailers that went bust in 2024 – from Homebase to The Body Shop

As the year draws to a close, Retail Gazette takes a look back at the retailers that went bust over the past 12 months.

4 next-generation variety retailers making waves

Despite the collapse of Woolworths and more recently Wilko there is still life in the variety store as a new wave of lifestyle retailers hit the expansion trail.

Marks & Spencer design head on incoming fashion trends

FashionUnited talks with M&S’s head of design for womenswear, Lisa Illis, who looks at the trends to look out for in the coming year.

PEOPLE, MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Gymshark CFO exits after two years

Gymshark chief financial officer Mat Dunn has left the retailer after less than two years. Dunn joined from Asos.

Sofology’s managing director steps down

Sofology boss Emma Dinnis is set to step down alongside two other members of the senior leadership team as DFS pursues a “more simplified structure” within the group.

BRAND NEWS

Womenswear brand Leem to open first standalone UK store

International womenswear brand Leem is set to open its first-ever standalone store in Westfield London later this month.

Nadine Merabi eyes international growth

Following the opening of Nadine Merabi’s first flagship store in London, Drapers caught up with the founder of the eponymous label about the partywear season and her growth plans for next year.

Jack & Jones and JJXX open first multi-brand store

Bestseller’s Jack & Jones and its JJXX label have opened their first ‘multi-brand’ store on London’s Oxford Street, bringing the two brands together under one roof for the first time.

Understatement unveils lingerie collaboration with Ashish

Understatement, a female lead, Stockholm-based underwear brand, has unveiled a limited-edition collection in collaboration with London-based Ashish.

Accessorize partners with Deliveroo

Accessorize has joined Hurr and Ann Summers in partnering with Deliveroo for same-day delivery of its goods.

Primark brings new store concept to the UK as it eyes further global expansion opportunities

Fashion giant Primark has opened the doors to a new store in Bolton that brings its new store concept to the UK for the first time as it eyes further opportunities in new markets.

AND FINALLY

Dior to release a documentary dedicated to cruise show in Scotland

French luxury fashion house Dior will unveil a documentary delving behind the scenes of its 2025 cruise show, which took place in June in Drummond Castle gardens in Scotland.

PRSHOTS TOP 10 SEARCHES

What were our users searching for on PRShots Week ending November 29^th 2024?

1/ Christmas

2/ AW24

3/ Leopard

4/ SS25

5/ Cushion

6/ Sequin

7/ Candle

8/ Home

9/ Dress  

10/ Jumper

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 is 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.

Curlsmith was launched in 2018 and has gone from strength to strength. It was born out of a community of people with textured hair sharing their haircare tips, home remedies and frustrations with products on the market not made specifically for their needs and has grown into a product range sold worldwide.

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

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.

Fable England has new Christmas accessories and core jewellery ranges.

Matalan has a new menswear collaboration with Taylor & Wright, new last-minute Christmas gifts, transitional ranges, Valentine pyjamas, a new Disney and Lilo and Stitch Stitchmas collaboration, a menopause lingerie range plus a new collaboration with The Lion King, Marvel, and Paddington.

Dune London has new bags and accessories for early 2025.

M&S has new thermal shaping bodies, wellness products for January, 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.

Bonmarché has new Christmas outfits, jumpers and partywear, lingerie ranges, new jewellery plus accessory ranges.

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

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.

Barbour has new ranges of clothing and accessories for SS25 for men and women and new range of gift accessories for Christmas.

John Lewis has new Dream Dress Edit featuring Whistles, Sister Jane, Reiss, Phase Eight and more  clothing ranges for women, plus clothing and accessory gift ideas for all ages for Christmas.

Primark a new Rita Ora occasion wear collaboration of clothing, a new accessory and ski range plus new shoes, bags, jewellery and accessories, and new tie-ups with Wicked and The Grinch.

River Island has new spring lookbook images 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.

Oliver Bonas has new February uploads of jewellery, women’s clothing, bags, shoes and accessories as well as new ranges for the New Year and SS25.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

See additional new clothing and accessories images from

Scamp & Dude Peachaus Accessorize London Grace Deichmann Shoe Zone Online Home Shop

Home, garden and food

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

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

M&S has new furniture, soft furnishings and kitchenware for SS25, gifts for pets, a new Nordic notes Christmas decoration ranges, National Gallery collaboration, stocking filler Christmas images and new Fearne Cotton Happy Place range.

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

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.

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

John Lewis has new home gift ideas for Christmas.

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.

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

Cult Furniture has a new collaboration with Daniela Tasca.

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.

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 Christmas – 21

Days until Valentine’s Day – 72

Days until Easter - 137
 

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

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).