Lidl is investing £500m into the British pork sector as it doubles down on its 100% everyday fresh meat promise. The discounter said its funding commitment will ensure the continued production of high-quality British meat “at the best possible prices for customers”. As part of its investment, the supermarket chain has moved its pork producers to an open-book model that includes the on-farm cost of production and includes a fixed margin for farmers. Dubbed the Lidl Pork Producer Group, the discounter will fund research and development projects aimed at mimicking the natural behaviours of pigs t ..read more

Moonpig experienced its worst day of trading in three years as private equity backers cashed in significant stakes at a double-digit discount. The decision sent shares plunging resulting in what became the greetings card retailer’s worst day of trading as a listed company. The group of investors, led by private equity firm Exponent, sold 25m shares in the FTSE 250 retailer at 160p apiece, more than 10% below Wednesday’s closing price of 178p. Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free  Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning  The sale cut Exponen ..read more

Shoplifting in England and Wales in 2023 reached the highest level since records began in 2003, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). More than 430,000 offences were recorded last year – up by 37% in the year ending 31 December 2023, compared to in 2022, the latest Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) published shows. This is the highest figure since current police recording practices began for the year ending March 2003, the ONS said. Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free  Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each mornin ..read more

UK consumer confidence improved in April as falling inflation helped boost consumer optimism about their personal finances. The latest GfK Consumer Confidence Index rose two points to -19, marking an improvement from -21 points in both March and February. While its major purchase index also strengthened, up 2 points at -25. GfK client strategy director Joe Staton said: “While the overall index score remains negative, all of the underlying five measures this April are significantly better than they were last April. Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free  Sign up here to get the latest ..read more

Sainsbury’s stellar food performance was central to the supermarket beating expectations this week – and it has high hopes for the year ahead as it eyes £1bn of retail profit. Sales jumped an impressive 9.4% in its grocery business in its year to 2 March. CEO Simon Roberts says: “We said we’d put food back at the heart of Sainsbury’s and that’s what we’ve done. Our food business is firing on all cylinders.” “We’re determined…to become the first choice for food.”  Retail Gazette takes a look at the reasons behind Sainsbury’s booming food business below. 1. Nectar Prices “Nectar has deliver ..read more

Ted Baker’s European arm is at risk of entering administration , putting 149 roles at risk of redundancy. The businesses operating the fashion retailer’s physical retail locations in the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain are at risk, with the process depending on each country’s systems, Drapers reports. This includes two stores and seven concessions in the Netherlands, two stores in Belgium, one store and 15 concessions in Spain. This affects around 149 employees, who have been informed. Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free  Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox e ..read more

WHSmith is to expand its Toys R Us shop-in-shops to 30 more stores by the end of its financial year in August. The rollout follows the opening of nine Toys R Us concessions last year, which WHSmith said had performed well, according to Retail Week. The exact locations of the new shop-in-shops has not yet been disclosed. The first Toys R Us concession opened in June last year at WHSmith’s Monks Cross Retail Park store in York and marked the toy retailer’s return to the high street after a five year absence following its administration. Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free  Sign up here&nbs ..read more

Former Matches Fashion boss Nick Beighton has branded the company’s administration as “unnecessary”. The ex-chief executive, who left the business last month, believes there was still a chance to turnaround the luxury ecommerce platform before owner Frasers Group placed it into administration. “Frasers did what Frasers did. It’s their choice as shareholders. It wasn’t necessary in my opinion,” he told the audience at the Retail Technology Show. “It’s no secret that Matches was struggling for four or five years. We took it and I brought a team in because it was a great British ecommerce busines ..read more

Ebay is launching its first ever eBay Live event in the UK, hosted by comedian Katherine Ryan and the marketplace’s pre-loved style director Amy Bannerman. The livestream, which premieres at 8pm on 1 May, will allow consumers to shop for exclusive pre-loved clothing in real time, will all funds being donated to the Women’s Health Information & Support Centre (WHISC) charity. The shopping experience will include a range of outfits from Ryan’s own wardrobe, with fans able to purchase looks worn at her comedy shows, on the red carpet, and on her TV show The Duchess. All of the garments will b ..read more

Frasers Group is shutting its Manchester office, placing roughly 100 jobs at risk across Studio Retail and I Saw It First. The Sports Direct owner is set to close its Trafford office, according to Drapers, with affected staff members reportedly being given the chance to move to Frasers’ other offices depending on their role functions. In an email to workers, Frasers Group said: “Due to the challenging economic and trading climate, there is a need to continue to review resources and operations to ensure that all group companies are operating efficiently and cost effectively. “It is against this ..read more