UK retail sales volumes rose 1.2% in May, exceeding analyst forecasts, driven by record hot weather boosting sales of fans and paddling pools, alongside strong online purchases and promotions. Supermarkets saw a slight decline.
UK retail sales volume rose 1.2% in May, exceeding analyst forecasts, due to record hot weather boosting sales of fans and pools, strong online performance, and promotions. Supermarkets were the only sector to decline.
Milena Bogojevska pleaded guilty to manslaughter after killing her 85-year-old neighbour, Lolene Whitehand, by stuffing a tea towel in her mouth. Bogojevska then dumped the body in a river and spent over $4,000 of the victim's money online.
British Heart Foundation to close ~150 shops (1/4 of UK stores) and cut jobs due to rising costs and online shift, despite overall 'healthy' financial position, to sustain funding for cardiovascular research.
Online retail in Germany is growing faster than traditional stores, with sales expected to rise 4.3% in 2026. Consumers, especially older ones, are increasingly buying daily necessities and other goods online, driven by price comparison and convenience. AI is also playing a growing role in optimizing prices, though consumers remain hesitant about fully autonomous purchases.
Online shopping in Germany is growing faster than stationary retail, with a significant increase in groceries and drugstore items. Consumers prioritize price and selection, while AI assistants are increasingly used for price comparison, though autonomous purchases are largely rejected.
German consumers are increasingly shifting to online shopping, with total online sales projected to rise 4.3% in 2026. This growth is particularly strong in groceries and drugstore items, driven by a desire for better value and convenience, according to the German Retail Association (HDE).
The Mall, a new app, aims to simplify online shopping by allowing users to create personalized virtual malls of their favorite brands, track sales, and discover new items. It uses web scraping and LLMs to aggregate product and pricing data, with plans for a B2B data analytics tool for brands.
JD.com reported a 53.2% year-on-year drop in first-quarter profit to 5.1 billion yuan as prolonged competition in e-commerce and food delivery hurt earnings. Revenue still rose 4.9% to 315.7 billion yuan.
Alibaba Group Holding is integrating its flagship AI assistant Qwen into its biggest e-commerce platforms, betting that the future of online shopping lies in fluid conversations rather than rigid search terms. Using the Qwen app, shoppers are able to find, compare and purchase products from Taobao and Tmall’s 4-billion-item inventory via text or voice chat, Alibaba said in a statement on Monday. Taobao has also launched a Qwen-powered shopping assistant, which was trained on the platform’s...
Hong Kong’s smaller grocers are bracing for pressure amid a fresh wave of price cuts by supermarkets and big retail chains, but some economists say their “neighbourhood connection” could help them stay afloat. A lawmaker also said it was unlikely the big local chains would monopolise the market citing strong competition from online shopping platforms. The latest price war erupted ahead of Mother’s Day on Sunday, with CK Hutchison-backed ParknShop and Jardine Matheson’s Wellcome each offering 12...
Hongkongers packed the aisles of supermarkets with carts full of daily necessities as the city’s major grocery chains engaged in what some were calling a “price war” ahead of Mother’s Day. Hong Kong’s two major supermarket chains, CK Hutchison Holdings-backed ParknShop and Jardine Matheson’s Wellcome, each offered 12 per cent off everything in their stores for those who bought a certain amount of goods on Saturday. HKTVmall, the city’s popular online shopping platform, entered the fray and...
SEOUL, May 4 (Yonhap) -- Online shopping sales in South Korea rose 13.3 percent ...
Claire's has shut all 154 of its UK and Ireland stores, resulting in over 1,300 job losses. The closures, confirmed in late April 2026, are attributed to a combination of online retail pressures, rising costs, and financial losses.
