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PRShots Roundup brings you the latest retail news from Aldi, Body Shop, Molly-Mae Hague, Primark, The Entertainer, Barbour, Home Bargains, French Connection, Superdry, Next and John Lewis. Plus, how to do social media customer service, how Asos plans to make Topshop accessible and exciting again and more.  

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THE LATEST RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS

Aldi to invest ‘unprecedented’ £800m to accelerate UK expansion

In FY23 to Dec, Aldi’s sales grew 16% to £17.9bn - its highest-ever sales growth – and pre-tax profit grew to £536.7m, up from £152.6m, and is investing £800m to fund further UK growth.

Body Shop's remaining stores rescued from administration

The Body Shop has been rescued from administration, by a consortium led by the British cosmetics tycoon Mike Jatania and includes the brand's 113 UK stores and secures 1,300 jobs.

Asos rejected a Shein £215m offer for Topshop

Asos declined a £215.5m bid for Topshop and Topman from Shein and Authentic Brands Group (ABG) in favour of a £180m bid and a joint venture with Heartland.

Molly-Mae Hague to launch brand

Love Island runner-up and former PrettyLittleThing creative director Molly-Mae Hague will launch her womenswear brand later this month.

Tesco takes aim at Ocado with new online grocery initiative

Tesco is launching a new online delivery as a service solution Transcend Retail Solutions to compete with Ocado, as it aims to help international supermarket chains develop their online operations.

Asos targets serial returners with new £3.95 fee

Asos is rolling out a £3.95 fee for customers with a high return rate from 8 October unless they keep at least £40 worth of items to avoid the charge.

Primark cost of shoplifting is ‘now bigger than our bill for rates’

Primark boss George Weston says shoplifting is costing the retailer more in losses than it pays in business rates across its 191 stores.

British Land dives even deeper into retail parks with £240m of acquisitions

British Land has invested £240m in retail parks in the last few months with acquisitions in Didcot,  Merthyr Tydfil,  Andover, Kilmarnock, Bangor, Salisbury and Speke.

TRENDS, SUSTAINABILITY, STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY

How to do social media customer service

People expect top notch social media customer service more than ever. Hootsuite explains how to wow with social customer care, no matter what your budget is.

How Asos CEO plans to make Topshop accessible and exciting again

Asos boss José Antonio Ramos Calamonte answers questions on whether Topshop has been forgotten, how it is performing and why the joint venture will make it “accessible and exciting”.

Why is John Lewis bringing back its ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ pledge?

The move by John Lewis to bring back its ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ price pledge is being driven by John Lewis Executive Director, Peter Ruis, who rejoined the retailer in January 2024.

How Social CRM can help your sales and marketing

Social CRM is an extension of traditional CRM (customer relationship management), using social media to nurture customer relationships.

10 Instagram analytics tools for better results

Hootsuite finds out how Instagram analytics tools help you track performance and pin down opportunities for improvement, and review the best options available.

How optimised landing pages can reduce ad costs

Algorithms on Google, Meta, and others evaluate an ad and its linked landing page, assigning a relevancy score that influences cost and performance.

PEOPLE, MOVERS AND SHAKERS

The Entertainer bolsters top team

The Entertainer has strengthened its executive team with the addition of Brian Proctor from TK Maxx as it looks to grow its wholesale and international business.

LVMH names UK designer Sarah Burton Givenchy as creative director

French luxury goods company LVMH named Sarah Burton, the longtime-Alexander McQueen designer, as the new creative director for its Givenchy label.

BRAND NEWS

Barbour reunites with To Ki To for new collaboration

Barbour and the renowned Japanese designer Tokihito Yoshida, aka To Ki To, have launched a new collaboration collection of outerwear and knitwear.

Home Bargains is closing all of its stores for three days over the Christmas period

Home Bargains will close all of its UK stores for three days over the festive period, allowing colleagues to enjoy time off with loved ones.

French Connection ramps up store expansion amid new Very deal

French Connection is set to launch on digital retailer Very for the AW24 season as it ramps up its store expansion across the UK.

Superdry signs Next as kidswear license partner

Superdry has signed a licensing agreement with Next to launch the brand's first kidswear range, which will be available on Next's ecommerce platform and selected UK stores

Tesco backs 16 innovative new brands as part of 2024 Accelerator Programme

Tesco has stepped up its commitment to championing new brands through the launch of a second cohort of products for its 2024 Accelerator Programme.

AND FINALLY

Why goth is back in fashion

From the red carpet to M&S and Primark, ghoulish themes are set to take over our wardrobes thanks to the latest Beetlejuice film.

PRSHOTS TOP 10 SEARCHES

What were our users searching for on PRShots Week ending September 6^th 2024?

1/ AW24

2/ Halloween

3/ Christmas

4/ Coat

5/ Denim

6/ Boots

7/ Candle

8/ Home

9/ Vase  

10/ Garden

NEW BRANDS TO PRSHOTS

Marté was founded by Victoria Angus after 20 years working in the footwear industry. Her brand’s mission is centred around Labour rights, freedom of association and freedom from discrimination, along with forward-thinking movements on environmental impact and a drive to sustainability.

Initially London are the UK's only full-service monogramming company specialising in classic accessories, home linens and gifts for all occasions and all include their fabulous embroidered and laser-etched monograms.

BHF is the biggest funder of research into heart and circulatory diseases in Europe and helps find cures and treatments to give people more time with loved ones. Their shops and online store sell everything from Christmas gifts and cards to wedding accessories, clothing and garden furniture.  

Ada Dakin is named after Founder Sophie Dakin’s grandmother, a gracefully strong yet beautifully independent woman who made her own dresses and taught Sophie how to sew. The collection is a kind and responsible collection which inspires individuality, femininity and offers ethically-minded, considered fashion choices without compromising on style.

Jan Constantine is an international home brand started by British designer Jan Constantine who is known for her bold, distinct and original collection of home textiles and her work as a designer and manufacturer of a range of home interior products.

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

New Look has new ranges of womenswear including coats, jumpers, skirts and tops, new high summer 2024 womenswear dresses, trousers and tops.

Primark has a new Rita Ora collaboration, new boucle accessories, a Harvard University range, womenswear boots and shoes, Halloween accessories and makeup, Beetlejuice movie tie-ins, Kappa ranges, and PS Sweet makeup ranges.

Fable England has a Wolf Garden range of clothes, jewellery and bags, a new AW24 collaboration with the National History Museum new jewellery ranges, AW24 small accessories ranges from scarves to purses and AW24 nightwear.

M&S has launched its autumn clothing and jewellery ranges, a new Beauty Discovery box, AW24 accessory ranges of shoes, bags, scarves and gloves, “the parent hood” baby club imagery plus AW24 M&S and Autograph ranges of womenswear and accessories.

Monsoon has new womenswear for special occasions and children’s Christmas-themed and winter accessories, plus children’s and womenswear ranges and accessories including bags, shoes, boots, jewellery and scarves plus jewellery ranges for AW24.

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

Matalan has new AW24 lingerie ranges, shoes and boots for AW, Halloween wear for all the family, a new Bing NSPCC kidswear, winter jumpers and coats, jewellery and Soluxe activewear ranges for all the family.

Peacocks has a new Michael Owen and Louise Redknapp collaboration new AW24 womenswear and jewellery, Louise Redknapp Edit, new pyjama, lingerie and swimsuit collaboration with model Caprice.

Barbour has a new menswear, plus Modern Heritage ranges of menswear and womenswear for AW24, and a new William Morris womenswear range.

George at Asda has new womenswear featuring leopard print and denim, plus a collaboration Style Stories with Erica Davies including womenswear shoes and accessories, lingerie ranges for AW24 and Style Stories by Erica Davies for George womenswear.

River Island has a new range of red and burgundy RI womenswear and accessories, plus menswear and womenswear for the autumn, plus leopard prints.

Roman Originals has new Dusk ranges, plus floral outfits, and Roman Petite and Curve ranges, SS24 womenswear and new Petite and Ariella ranges.

F&F has new Active Kate Ferdinand collaborations, Xmas ranges including jumpers, coats and party wear in satins, gold and black metallics and sequins, a new Autumn F&F Edit and athleisure outfits.

Scamp & Dude has new womenswear and accessories including t-shirts, bags and scarves, plus news kids ranges, high-summer women's wear ranges and accessories for holidays, the beach, the evening and for relaxing at home.

Very has new holiday ranges, plus Everyday, V by Very Curve and V by Very as well as occasion wear, a Michelle Keegan collaboration, airport ranges.

Fatface has new Autumn ranges of mens, womens and kidswear and accessories including boots, slippers, perfumes and soaps, scarves, hats, bags and a new jewellery range.

Dune London has new women’s boots, shoes, and bag ranges, suitcases and travel luggage, handbags and accessory ranges for high summer 2024.

John Lewis has new AW24 menswear and womenswear collections from its Kin, Anyday and JLP collections and new kids wear for AW24.

TK Maxx has 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

Iolla Dune London Mens Oliver Bonas Rebecca Rhoades Cayo National Trust shop Joe Browns Bonmarché Curvy Kate Threadbare Celtic & Co

Home, garden and food

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

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

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.

Matalan has new Christmas presents for pets.

Online Home Shop has new cuddle cushions, shaped pillows and bolsters, a selection of bar stools, new Autumn and Winter bedding ranges and themed hoodie blankets for all occasions.

Marks & Spencer has a new homeware collaboration with designer Kelly Hoppen, plus new homeware including tableware, soft furnishings, candles, diffusers, vases and planters and a new collaboration with the National Gallery.

Nest has new Hay collections of lighting and homeware.

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.

Cult Furniture has new sofas, armchairs, TV stands and tables, Arbor kitchen furniture, Bourton office furniture, Boucle and Eco Edit range for indoors.

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

Matalan has new Halloween decorations, Folk Harvest AW24 ranges for the kitchen, bathroom and the living room, Christmas gifting, new homeware (indoors and out) ranges including cushions, kitchenware, bowls, baskets, planters and gift ideas.

Next has new Chic, Scandi Collection, Rustic Romance homeware ranges for AW24 including gifts, lighting, furniture and vases, it also has Christmas decorations, gifts and soft furnishings.

Home Bargains has a new Harvest and Winter charm ranges of things for the home for the autumn and Halloween including Haunted House ranges.

Sandberg Wallpaper has a new Ett Hem Öland, Chinoiserie Garden Collections for the bedroom, dining room and lounge.

John Lewis has its Dawn & Dusk, Wisdom & wonder and Trinket & Treasure ranges of Christmas decorations for the home plus Christmas gift ranges for him and her.

TK Maxx has homeware, Beetlejuice-themed Halloween things for the home and everything for holidays from luggage to beach towels.

Cambridge Imprint has a new Six Crowns range of paper crowns, crackers and paperchains plus, Christmas card and wrapping paper ranges, Giant scrapbooks, albums, pen pots, letter trays, pen boxes, notebooks, exercise books, trays, memo books and planners.

Designers Guild has William Yeoward Khotan and Malatya ranges of fabrics for curtains, blinds and soft furnishings.

National Trust shop has new autumn-winter 2024 gifts for the home and autumnal decorations.

Oliver Bonas has new October releases of homeware, Christmas decorations, plus AW24 ranges for September and October homeware drops, plus jewellery boxes, ring holders and trinket pots.

Arran Sense of Scotland has new 2024 festive gift collections and a new After the Rain collection.

Hobbycraft has new ideas for Christmas baking and decoration, autumn and Halloween as well as home décor ideas.  

See additional new home images from

Cutter & Squidge Very Primark The Gluttonous Gardener Dunelm Furniture Village Hotel Chocolat  Teenage Cancer Trust

DIARY

PRShots Retail Calendar Alerts

Days until London Fashion Week - 4

Days until Halloween – 52

Days until Black Friday – 81

Days until Christmas – 107

How to get your brand on the September Media Calendars   

Summer is nearly over, and it’s time to look to the autumn and to the winter. Mid-September marks just 100 days to Christmas so you should be adding your Christmas images for those monthly/weekly magazines with medium lead times.  Plus, look at adding some Spring-Summer 2025 images for those titles with long lead times, as they will be starting to look at their Feb and March 2025 issues so you can help them out with previews of SS25. 

The media are going to be starting to create features around what to wear for university or college, and the office autumn wardrobe. Now the nights are drawing in, they’ll also be running features on winter wear, so add coats/jumpers/boots. Plus they’ll be looking for images for Halloween and bonfire night parties and there are decorations and gifts for Christmas and some last-minute AW images. 

Don’t forget to add keywords – Gifts, Christmas, Xmas, Autumn, Winter, and Halloween will all be looked for. It’s National Yoga Awareness Month, so you could add yoga as a keyword on any athleisure wear, floor mats, rugs 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.

September Diary - Weeks/Months

September is National Honey Month and National Yoga Awareness month and it’s second-hand September (an Oxfam initiative https://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/second-hand-september/), Self-Care September, as well as Organic, September, and Sourdough September.

September also has London Fashion Week between 13^th-17^th September and this year features men and women’s fashion and features digital and physical events see the schedule here https://londonfashionweek.co.uk/schedule.  

There’s also: the Moda trade show (1^st-4^th Sept), London Textile Fair (3^rd-4^th Sept) Top Drawer (10^th-12^th Sept) and Sustainable Fashion Week (20^th Sept to 29^th Sept).

Other weeks to celebrate this month include;

New York Fashion Week (6^th-11^th)

National Horse Race Week (7^th-15^th)

Bridal Fashion Week (8^th-10^th)

Fairtrade Fortnight (9^th – 22^nd)

Sexual Health Week (11^th- 17^th)

British Science Festival (11^th -15^th)

Jane Austen Festival (13^th-22^nd)

Open House Festival (14^th -22^nd)

Negroni Week (16^th-22^nd)

Milan fashion Week (17^th-23^rd)

Great British Beach Clean Week (20^th-29^th)

British Food Fortnight (20^th Sept - 6^th Oct)

Paris fashion Week (23^rd Sept -1^st Oct)

Shetland Wool Week (28^th Sept – 6^th Oct)

September - Days

11^th-12^th – Yom Kippur

15^th-16^th – Eid Milad un Nabi (Mawlid) 

16^th – First Day of Sukkot  (Jewish Holiday)

16^th – 100 days until Christmas

21^st – Zero emissions day

22^nd – Car-free Day

22^nd – September Equinox

23^rd – Last Day of Sukkot – Jewish Holiday 

25^th – 3 months until Christmas Day

27^th – World Tourism Day

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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