Alex Papayannis

🗞 What’s been happening this week? ·      Retail sales saw a modest uplift in sales in July, however volumes remain below pre‑pandemic levels. Great to share insights with The Telegraph, This Is Money's Angharad Carrick, InternetRetailing's Amanda Whyte and others. Read more from me on the delayed figures from the Office for National Statistics through the link in the comments below. ·      Fantastic to attend the John Lewis Partnership breakfast briefing on Wednesday, with Peter Ruis, Vikki Kavanagh and Michelle Wilson discussing John Lewis & Partners’ hopes to attract nostalgic middle-aged and younger shoppers through a new partnership with TOPSHOP TOPMAN. This will see the debut of Topshop in 32 John Lewis stores and online from February 2026, with Topman in six locations. Ruis says it will “exemplify the new John Lewis” under Rachel Morgans’ fashion direction. ·      Personalisation is a key battleground in retail, but an execution gap exists in segmentation according to Retail Economics and beBettor research shared with Retail Week. Read more on how to close this gap through the link in my comments below. ·      Aldi UK rolled out InPost UK parcel lockers across 536 stores, enabling customers to collect and return parcels, with plans to expand to 600 locations by 2026. Over 115 million retail parcels are now delivered or returned through lockers, representing 7% of online orders and 12% of returns, according to our latest Retail Economics research with InPost – further details are linked in the comments. ·      Oxford Street will be traffic-free on 21 September from Orchard Street to Oxford Circus to demonstrate potential pedestrianisation plans. ·      Primark opened its first standalone homeware store in Great Britain, spanning 12,000 sq ft in Manchester. The concept forms part of a wider investment including refurbishments of Market Street and Trafford Palazzo. ·      Holland & Barrett trialled a revamped beauty category in six stores between June and August, reporting a 7% sales uplift compared with control sites. The format mixes topical products, ingestible supplements and expert advice, with rollout to larger city stores planned for 2026. ·      Currys plc announced a £50m share buyback after posting a 3% rise in like-for-like sales in UK & Ireland during the 17 weeks to 30 August. Growth was driven by B2B, gaming, AI computing and services. ·      In a trading update, Watches of Switzerland Group PLC recorded “strong trading” in the 18 weeks to 31 August, particularly in the US despite new tariffs on Swiss imports. UK growth remained stable.   🚨 🚨 🚨 This is just a selection of news this week. If you want to hear more, subscribe to our free weekly podcast below, covering all major retail news every Monday at 6am ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eZNDVfZ7   ____________________________________ ⤴ Follow me for weekly retail, consumer and economic insights. ____________________________________

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GenAI creative production is levelling the playing field for SMEs to make great ads faster, better and more affordably. ITV Media launched its GenAI creative production service almost a year ago with Sheepbridge Interiors and Travel House as our launch advertisers and with creative effectiveness measurement from System1... and the demand has been phenomenal, helping our creative producers to spend more time on coming up with ideas and enabling SMEs testing TV for the first time to have more effective ads for less. Great to contribute to this article with Emmett Lindner in The New York Times to share more on this - where he reports too that nearly 90 percent of marketers who spent more than $1 million on digital video ads last year are using or have plans to use generative A.I. to create video advertisements. Link to the article in the comments below. Simon Farnsworth Stefan Hoejmose Clive Santamaria Paul Kerrison Alan Hall Kelly Williams Rhys McLachlan Kate Waters Jonathan Moffie Burhan Hamid Anant Joshi Peter Grose George Buschman Greg Worthington Nigel Cummings John Kearon Jon Evans Chiara Manco Peter Fergusson Laura Wootton

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We are excited to launch a new dedicated hub for Digital Catapult’s Advanced Media Production (AMP) studios, showcasing our work in advanced media production, immersive technologies and the UK’s creative sector. The new website curates what matters most with:  → Tailored packages designed for industry and academia   → Flexible options for training, events and production  → Inspiring resources to showcase creative sector innovation     🚀 This launch builds on our success in helping hundreds of deep tech startups and SMEs in the creative industries to scale faster and facilitating over £50 million of investment into creative tech pioneers since 2018.     🥽 The AMP hub reflects our commitment to equip the UK to be future ready, supporting innovators, researchers and industry partners in shaping the future of virtual production and strengthening the UK’s position at the forefront of immersive technology adoption.    I invite you to explore the hub, discover the packages, and book the space at both Gateshead and Dock Street in London to unlock new opportunities in advanced media production, working in partnership with Target3D Ltd | The Mechanics Behind Creativity .   🔗 Discover more: https://lnkd.in/e2XM62Eq   #AdvancedMediaProduction #5GInnovation #OpenRAN #ImmersiveTech #FutureOfMedia    Digital Catapult Target3D Ltd | The Mechanics Behind Creativity | Innovate UK

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New UK data law changes are creating fresh opportunities for marketers. Download our practical implementation guide: https://lnkd.in/e89EWFKT Changes in UK data law are opening doors for better user experiences, streamlined compliance and more effective marketing strategies. We've created a comprehensive guide to help you understand exactly how these changes can benefit your business and marketing efforts. 🎯 Key opportunities our guide covers: Simplified cookie consent requirements that reduce user friction New GA4 configurations that enhance privacy and performance Strategies for international campaigns and compliance Building stronger customer trust through transparent data practices These regulatory updates present a genuine opportunity to enhance your marketing measurement whilst maintaining user privacy standards. Our guide provides clear, actionable steps with no legal jargon - just practical advice to help you implement these changes effectively. What questions do you have about navigating these new opportunities? 👇

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Retail media is growing up, but the roots matter. I had a brilliant conversation with Tom Limongello and Todd Sawicki on The Middlemen Podcast. We covered a lot, but a few things stuck: 🔄In the UK, retail media started in-store. Tesco. Loyalty cards. Coupons at checkout. That foundation still shapes how we think at SMG: holistic campaigns that enhance the shopper experience, not channel-by-channel plans. 🎯The best campaigns don’t start with "We want *insert media channel*." They start with KPIs, "We need to drive penetration," or "This SKU isn’t getting picked up enough." And then we use every tool in the kit: media, promo, price, etc. to make it work. 🧠Merchandising and media must move together. If they’re misaligned, one of two things happens: either nothing moves, or the wrong metric does. ✈️ And travel retail? Hugely underutilized (for now). SMG North America is proud to power WHSmith North America Media Network to unlock the value of high-intent, high-spend airport shoppers. No e-commerce. No endless scroll. Just real-world attention for brands. It’s always refreshing to step outside the echo chamber and have an honest chat about what’s working (and what’s not). Link to the podcast episode in the comments below! Would love to hear what you think. Cheers to Tom and Todd for the invite. #retailmedia #themiddlemen #thoughtleadership

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