This weeks news
Week 21 - 2025
Warm Weather Boosts UK Retail Sales for 4th Month Straight
U.K. retail sales jumped higher than expected last month, a result of warmer weather that helped food stores bounce back.
Retail sales volumes climbed 1.2% on month in April after a 0.1% rise in March, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had expected a 0.3% increase. (Source)
Fashion under fire: How can retail fend off cyber attacks?
A recent spate of attacks has underlined the potential consequences for fashion retail. Experts weigh in on the best defences.
The potential cost of cyber attacks on a fashion retail business was laid bare this week. On Wednesday, British company Marks & Spencer (M&S) revealed that a recent ransomware incident, which forced it to temporarily suspend online trading, would cost it an estimated £300 million in the 2025/26 financial year. (Source)
How scarcity sells: New Balance's "once every 5 years" sneaker strategy
New Balance is preparing to release its Made in USA 1300JP trainer this May, marking the sixth iteration of a product strategy that has become a textbook case in scarcity marketing within the athletic footwear sector.
The Boston-based company restricts availability of the model to once every five years, a deliberate constraint that has transformed what began as a 100 dollar running shoe in 1985 into a 330 dollars (270 pounds) collector’s item that routinely sells out within hours of release. (Source)
Nike to hike retail prices and return to Amazon amid tariff uncertainty
Nike is set to hike its retail prices from 1 June amid the Trump tariffs.
The sportswear giant, which recently reported a sales drop in its first quarter, is set to raise the cost of its shoes that cost £74.50 or more by as much as £7.50, according to the BBC.
The prices of its equipment and clothes will also jump by between £1.50 and £7.50.
The price hikes have been driven by a range of internal and external factors.
Nike also revealed that it would begin selling items directly to Amazon in the US for the first time since 2019. (Source)
Chanel billionaire owners set to forgo payout amid luxury slump
The billionaire Wertheimer family behind Chanel may forgo a payout from the luxury brand’s most recent earnings cycle in a sign the industry downturn is hitting another of the world’s wealthiest dynasties.
London-based Chanel didn’t pay an interim or propose a final dividend for 2024 earnings, according to a filing. That’s the first time since the 2020 pandemic year that the maker of expensive clothes and leather goods hasn’t earmarked a windfall for the clan’s Cayman Islands-based holding company. Chanel reported a 30% drop in profit amid heavy spending on marketing and property, and weak sales in China. (Source)