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UK retail sales rebounded as hot weather lifted demand. BRC-KPMG data shows May sales up 3.7%, with food, clothing, footwear, online non-food, and summer goods benefiting.
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A new UK payments scheme has entered the market. UKPI’s launch gives commercial variable recurring payments a framework to challenge cards and direct debit in recurring transactions.
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Banking access is back on the government’s regulatory agenda today. The Treasury review will examine whether branch closures and reduced face-to-face services are harming consumers, communities, and businesses.
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Frasers is considering a major move into regional retail property. A potential £500m Metrocentre bid would extend the group’s strategy of owning destination retail assets.
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Asda is turning to Ocado for online grocery infrastructure upgrades. The partnership will use Ocado’s Smart Platform across ecommerce, store fulfilment, delivery planning, and aggregator orders from 2027.
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More grocery shoppers are using AI before reaching retailer platforms. Rithum research says 36% of consumers have used AI tools to help buy groceries, with price comparison the most common use case among those already using the technology.
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UK consumers increasingly ignore legitimate business calls from unknown numbers. MaxContact says scam anxiety and poor transparency around AI are creating a serious operational problem for businesses.
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Amplify brings full online ranges into stores without bespoke builds. One iota’s Shopify-native kiosk app lets shoppers browse the full catalogue in-store and complete purchases on their own phones.
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Crescendo expands into Europe with an AI-native customer experience platform. The company is using the UK as its regional base for a broader push into AI-led service operations.
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Payment failures are putting retail and hospitality sales at risk. FreedomPay’s latest study found fast-rising losses during outages, alongside pressure on staff and customer patience.