This week's retail news 'you may have missed'.....
At mdj2, we’re passionate about retail and always looking to share our news, views, and insights. With so much information out there, we wanted to share just a small selection of retail news headlines from last week that we found interesting…?
?Retail’s best April Fool’s gags: From Currys selling curries to Toolstation’s perfume for tradies.
April Fool’s Day is in full swing, and many retailers have jumped at the chance to play a joke. Retail Gazette looks at the companies fooling shoppers below.
Currys sells curries
Currys has unveiled a new “Currys for Tech” initiative to mark 1 April, allowing shoppers to swap their unwanted e-waste for a spicy dish from its purple food truck.
The retailer?joked that the launch had followed a high number of consumer requests for the retailer to actually stock curries.
Brand and marketing director for the business Dan Rubel said: “Many customers come to us looking confused and asking for a curry, but Lamb Rogan Josh lovers and Chicken Faal fans often leave empty handed.
“We decided enough is enough of feeling like the fool so we are trialling our Curries for Tech scheme, allowing shoppers to help save e-waste from landfill whilst also getting their curry kick for free, at Currys.”
Poundland lets shoppers ‘click-and-sniff’
Poundland has debuted new “click-and-sniff” technology, claiming shoppers on its website will be able to experience the aroma of its new fragrance ranges from home.
The?discount retailer?said its impressive new tech was powered by an AI algorithm, as each of the fragrances in its ranges had been digitised so they could be smelled by shoppers with a simple click.
Poundland & Dealz director of digital Tom Hill said: “In just a few short months we’ve put thousands of Poundland customers’ favourite items online for home delivery – and our new click-and-sniff opens up a whole new opportunity for us to replicate the in-store experience online.
“Our fragrance ranges are well known for being incredible value with similar scents to the big brands. We’re now letting customers experience that for themselves.”
Ryman’s tasty new pens
Stationery retailer Ryman has unveiled a range of breakfast-scented gel pens for 1 April, with fragrances including Smoky Bacon Pink, Burnt Black Pudding and Bright Baked Bean.
The retailer insisted the pens contain real extracts of bacon, sausage, fried egg and more, and even needed to be kept in the fridge once opened and used within three days.
Ryman head of marketing Chloe Danskin said: “Get ready to make your pencil case as delicious as a morning fry-up, as we’ve cooked up a tasty new stationery range that smells good enough to eat.
“Breakfast is officially the UK’s number-one meal, so we’re helping Brits enjoy an all-day buffet of their favourite morning meal. Who wouldn’t enjoy a whiff of grease and meat as they sizzle and scribble through the workday?”
She added: “We’re confident that our new Breakfast Scented Gel Pens reek of success, offering Brits a hearty sniff of breakfast with every pen stroke.”
Toolstation launches perfume for tradies
Toolstation has opted for another scent-based gag as it launches a new range of perfumes for tradies – with fragrances including Sawdust Seduction, Plumbers Paradise, and Welding Whisper.
The retailer wrote on social media: “Bask in elegant tones of fragrances that transcend time itself. Awaken your soul with notes of sawdust, unveil a captivating journey through the rich scents of plumbing, and ignite the flames of desire with whispers of welding.”
Leon debuts aioli-flavoured toothpaste
Aioli moly! Leon has introduced its new Aioli Brite toothpaste for garlic lovers everywhere.
Switching up classic minty flavour for with extra bite, the casual dining chain promises this toothpaste with “take your breath away” and leave you with the taste of garlic all day long.
?B&Q report shows rise of social media home improvers.
B&Q has released its?The Way We Live Now – 2024?report today revealing a high demand for tradespeople and more women feeling confident at doing home improvement projects.
The study of over 2,000 consumers aims to highlight how the approach and attitudes towards home improvement continues to adapt and evolve, including the role social media has to play.
The retailer, owned by?Kingfisher Group, found DIY content has become a driving force in empowering?a generation of young women, with 82% of Gen Z women responding that seeing other women do complex home DIY has inspired them to do more themselves.?
In fact, 77%?said that watching videos of people doing DIY has made them realise they can do projects themselves, when previously they have hired tradespeople. What’s more, 26%?Gen Z women have used TikTok videos for very complex DIY tasks such as installing a bathroom or building an extension.
Women now are just as likely as men to have used a nail gun and a floor sander, with over?nine in 10 having made their own home improvements in the last year.
Meanwhile, men are also challenging stereotypes, as men show they are equally as house proud. A third of both men and women say it’s important that their home décor is on trend, and one in five of all cushions bought last year were by men with no involvement from others.
The report also showed that people are having difficulty booking tradespeople and this is a motivator to do projects themselves, particularly simpler projects.?Some 81% of?tradespeople are booked up in advance, whilst?66%?of their customer base say it’s getting more difficult to find tradespeople.?
Graham Bell, CEO of B&Q, said: “We want everyone to feel empowered to improve their homes and it’s fantastic to see that younger people, and more women, are feeling more confident to do DIY projects and are enjoying making their homes their own.??
“Social media videos and DIY influencers are a driving force in helping to build skills as well as confidence. We’re also seeing how high demand for busy tradespeople is leading some home improvers to decide to do projects themselves.”
?Fast fashion retailer Shein doubles profits as it awaits IPO approval.
Shein, the online fast fashion retailer founded in?China, has more than doubled its profits to more than $2bn (￡1.6bn) as it awaits approval for a stock market listing in New York or London.
The company, which is growing rapidly around the world by using social media to promote its goods, recorded sales of about $45bn last year, according to a report in the Financial Times based on information from sources close to the company.
Shein, which has moved its headquarters to Singapore, is among the most profitable fashion companies in the world, the figures suggest, making more than the Swedish fashion group H&M and the UK’s Primark and Next. However, profits at Inditex, the Spanish owner of Zara, Bershka and Massimo Dutti, remain higher at €6.9bn (￡5.9bn) last year.
The UK chancellor, Jeremy Hunt,?reportedly held talks?with the Shein boss, Donald Tang, in February to try to persuade him to float the company on the London Stock Exchange. The company is thought to be considering a London listing because it believes that the US Securities and Exchange Commission is unlikely to approve its initial public offering (IPO). If it were to go ahead, it would be one of London’s biggest ever corporate listings, valued at up to $90bn.
The rapid rise of Shein, which bought the Missguided online brand from Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group last year after recording sales of ￡1.1bn in 2022 for its UK entity, has piled pressure on UK online fashion specialists including Asos and Boohoo. The new competitor is gaining ground just as the UK online groups grapple with a squeeze in the market after the pandemic boom.
Shein partly benefits from sending goods directly to shoppers, including to the UK and US, from China so they attract fewer taxes. The tactic has proved controversial, prompting calls for a change in tax rules.
Founded by the entrepreneur Chris Xu, the company continues to run most of its operations from China but sells all its goods outside the country. It reached a valuation of $100bn in an April 2022 fundraising round, making it the third most valuable startup in the world.
By May last year the company’s value had dropped to just over $60bn, but Shein has reportedly told investors it is hoping for a valuation of as much as $90bn if it goes ahead with a public listing. Shein declined to comment.
?Wilko returns with new tool and equipment rental service Wilkohire.
Wilko has launched a new tool and equipment hire service. The?Worksop-based high street chain?collapsed into administration in August 2023, which saw the closure of hundreds of stores across the UK, including?10 stores in the county.
Just over six months on, the home and garden retailer is offering a new service called Wilkohire. It aims to make handling jobs, whether they're big or small, easy and?affordable.
The new service, operated in partnership with easyToolhire, is live now and will give customers the ability to hire everything they need for their jobs, whatever they are. Customers can visit?Wilkohire's website and select the tools they require and the dates they need them for.
The tools are then delivered to the home or site for use and collected once the job is done - and customers can benefit from 15 per cent off their first hire in March. A statement from the retailer says: "Wilko has been helping hardworking families with the things they need to get their jobs done at home for over 90 years, everything from quality Wilko own-brand and branded home and garden products they know and trust.?
"But this is the first time that the business has been able to offer specialist equipment to get even the most ambitious DIY projects done." Wilkohire is the latest development from Wilko since it relaunched in autumn 2023 and opened stores?in a handful of locations.
?Celebrating a year of successful store openings with One Stop.
One Stop?has experienced yet another year of growth with 27 brand-new company stores across the country opening their doors between March 2023 and March 2024.
This is the most stores the convenience retailer has opened in a single year for the past five years! This milestone showcases One Stop’s unwavering commitment to providing convenient and affordable shopping experiences for their customers, whilst creating over 300 new jobs in local communities.
Over the past year, One Stop has embarked on an ambitious expansion journey. From bustling communities to busy roadside locations, each new store has been carefully chosen to meet the needs of customers in each area.
Nick Riches, Store Acquisitions Lead at One Stop said: “Our success is not only built on strong partnerships and collaboration, but also securing spaces in the right place at the right time. We remain committed to delivering exceptional service and value to customers in every community we serve.”
One Stop stores have been serving local communities throughout the UK for almost 50 years. During that time, they’ve built a reputation for operating quality convenience stores that add real value to their communities.
With a portfolio of over 1,000 company owned and franchise stores located all across the UK, One Stop continues to be a trusted destination for customers seeking convenience, quality, and value.
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