D&AD Awards: The nominations

LONDON, UK: Here are the nominations for the D&AD Awards. See this year's In Book winners and Nominations below. Yellow Pencil winners will be revealed on Wednesday 12 June at the Awards Ceremony. 22 Apr 2013 11:05

Shoppers believe private label are national brands in different packaging

LONDON, UK: Brand loyalty towards food and drink in the UK grocery market is declining at a sharp rate, research conducted by Canadean in February 2013 reveals. 6 Mar 2013 11:19

High price inflation drives highest retail growth since recession began

LONDON, UK: UK retail is set to grow by 1.8% in 2013 with total retail spend hitting £300.7 billion - though this is nowhere near the pre-recession growth levels it is the highest rate of growth since the recession began. However this is largely down to rising prices, according to a report from SAS, the leader in business analytics software and services, and Verdict called How the UK will shop in 2013. 21 Jan 2013 12:09

2013 at a glance: Five crucial consumer trends business leaders should know

[*David Mattin and Saint-Francis Tohlang] LONDON, UK / JOHANNESBURG, SA: Turbulent times were predicted on the back end of 2012. The ANC Mangaung conference precipitated very little stormy seas other than an anti-climactic conclusion. The Mayan apocalypse materialised into nothing but an ordinary day. In fact with so many forecasts for change and a chasm of chaos, one may tend to be a bit sceptical with further predictions of change. 8 Jan 2013 07:55

London strike hurts bargain hunters

LONDON, UK: Strike action heavily disrupted London's Underground train network on Wednesday (26 December), as hundreds of thousands of bargain hunters headed to the shops for the traditional Boxing Day sales held by retailers throughout the city. 27 Dec 2012 09:24

Boost website performance and retain customers

Riverbed study reveals online retailers need to increase website performance during holiday season to retain customers. 9 Dec 2012 16:41

Multiple retailers closures accelerate to average of 20 stores a day

LONDON, UK: From a net increase in 2009 of 1.2%, multiple retailers have for the second consecutive period shown a decline in their numbers, from -0.25% in 2011 to -1.4% in the first half of 2012. This is a net reduction of 953 shops in the first half of 2012 compared to 174 shops in the whole of 2011. 24 Oct 2012 11:21

ASOS catwalk looking crowded as House of Fraser steps it up

LONDON, UK: House of Fraser has knocked ASOS off top spot to become the most visible site for fashion retail-related searches, reveals the latest research from leading independent digital marketing agency, Greenlight. 9 Oct 2012 10:58

All polished up - nail make-up steals the show in UK cosmetics market

LONDON, UK: While consumers have no control over what happens with national economics, they can control their personal appearance and it seems that today, this is exactly what they are doing. Indeed, according to latest research from Mintel in to colour cosmetics, make-up displays just how recession-proof the sector is, with UK retail sales of colour cosmetics putting on a good performance in 2011, with market value up by over 8% from 2010 (when the market was valued at £1.28bn) shoring up sales of a stunning £1.38bn. 11 Sep 2012 11:12

Victoria's Secret - set to seduce UK lingerie shoppers

[Verdict Research: Opinion] LONDON, UK: Honor Westnedge, senior retail analyst, gives her expert opinion: Victoria's Secret will refresh the UK lingerie market on Tuesday with the opening of its first store in London's Westfield Stratford. Its innovative products, marketing and fashionability look set to seduce British consumers. 4 Sep 2012 13:12

Environmentally friendly purchases heat up in emerging markets

NEW YORK, US: Purchases of environmentally protective products have grown significantly in two of the world's leading markets - China and Brazil; but the widespread perception that these products are too expensive may be blocking deeper adoption. 21 Aug 2012 11:16

1 in 8 European smartphone owners conducted a retail transaction on their device

LONDON, UK: comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released an overview of mobile commerce usage across the five leading European markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) using the comScore MobiLens service. 2 Aug 2012 13:52

July sees no change to the UK's consumer confidence

LONDON, UK: Nick Moon, managing director of Social Research at GfK, comments: "According to the latest GDP figures, the economy has suffered a further 0.7% decline between April and June. This is the third quarter in a row the economy has contracted, meaning the UK is now stuck in the worse double-dip recession since modern records began. It is not surprising therefore that the Index has remained the same this month, as consumer confidence remains as stagnant as the economy." 31 Jul 2012 12:10

Verdict comment: Chanel: pop-up store will benefit from influx of Olympic tourists

LONDON, UK: Following the arrival of a number of other pop-up stores in the Covent Garden area, Chanel opened its first UK pop-up store on the main piazza on 24 July 2012 - just in time to benefit from the increased footfall in London driven by the Olympics. As well as stocking the full range of Chanel beauty products, it also boasts a first-of-its-kind nail bar. 30 Jul 2012 06:29