Main Image: M&S

PRShots Roundup brings you the latest retail news from WHSmith, Hugo Boss, Zalando, Castore, Arne, Skechers, White Stuff, Dunelm, New Look, Nobody's Child, Specsavers and John Lewis. Plus, how to get your products on ChatGPTs Shopping channel, 8 influencer marketing campaigns that drive real results and more.  

THE LATEST RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS

John Lewis to end lifetime staff perks as early retirement surges

John Lewis plans to eliminate lifetime perks for long-serving staff who leave the partnership, as Britain experiences a surge in early retirement.

M&S suspends meal deals amid ongoing cyber attack disruption

M&S has been forced to suspend several of its popular meal deal offers due to a prolonged cyber attack that continues to disrupt the retailer’s operations.

WHSmith buyer Modella restricted from mass shop closures for 12 months

The new owner of WHSmith’s high street stores, Modella Capital, has been restricted from carrying out widespread store closures for at least 12 months.

Hugo Boss Q1 revenue beats estimates

Hugo Boss Q1 profits were down to €61m from €69m in Q1 2024 and revenues dipped to €999m down from €1.01bn but beat analysts estimates of €974m.

Zalando’s Q1 revenue beats forecasts

Zalando’s Q1 gross merchandise volume (GMV) increased by 6.5% to €3.5bn, while revenue grew 7.9% to €2.4bn and active customers were up by 2.9m to 52.4m.

Castore and Arne among fastest-growing UK businesses

Sportswear brand Castore and men's and minimalist clothing label Arne are among the UK's 100 fastest-growing businesses in executive search firm Oresa's annual Growth Index.

UK consumer confidence at lowest level since December 2022, says Which?

The Which? consumer confidence tracker fell by seven points to -53, the lowest point since December 2022

Skechers acquired by 3G Capital

Footwear brand Skechers will be taken private after it agreed to be acquired by investment firm 3G Capital in a deal worth $9.42bn (£7.08bn).

Global Luxury Retail Report 2025: More openings, rents rise again

The latest Savills Global Luxury Retail 2025 Report shows that global luxury retail continued to withstand economic challenges, with core markets experiencing strong rental growth in 2024.

Brand damaging cyber-attacks will become more common

Cyber-attacks which can “harm brand reputation overnight” will only increase, says retail experts at audit, tax and consulting firm RSM UK.

TRENDS, SUSTAINABILITY, STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY

Will ChatGPT's new shopping feature boost impulse buying?

As artificial intelligence weaves its way into the fabric of daily life, new technologies and features have taken a decidedly retail turn.

How to get your products on ChatGPT Shopping

ChatGPT recommends products directly in search results for prompts with clear purchase intent.

8 Influencer marketing campaigns that drive real results

Hootsuite looks at 8 real-world influencer marketing campaigns plus practical tips, examples, and strategies to help your next collab drive real results.

Why your loyalty program isn’t working

Done well, loyalty programs focus on psychological impact and behavioural science not discounts alone.

How to market to consumers under stress

How should marketers approach consumers stressed out by economic uncertainty, tariffs and political turmoil?

Hugo Boss introduces NovaPoly as a yarn made from recycled textile waste

Hugo Boss has unveiled NovaPoly an innovative recycled polyester yarn co-developed with the company’s suppliers Jiaren Chemical Recycling and NBC LLC.

PEOPLE, MOVERS AND SHAKERS

White Stuff boss exits after seven years at the helm

The chief executive at fashion retailer White Stuff Jo Jenkins has announced her departure after seven years at the business.

Former Laura Ashley CEO joins Dunelm as non-exec

Former chief executive of Laura Ashley, Katharine Poulter, has joined Dunelm as a non-executive director.

BRAND NEWS

ebay unveils first Watchlist trend report

ebay has unveiled its first Watchlist trend report revealing that nearly 40% of all clothing, shoes, and accessories sold on the platform in 2024 were listed as pre-loved.

New Look onboards 100% of core suppliers to traceability platform

New Look has successfully onboarded 100% of its core supplier base onto digital traceability platform TrusTrace as of the end of April.

Nobody's Child unveils collaboration with Poppy Delevingne

British womenswear brand Nobody's Child has unveiled a collaborative collection with Poppy Delevingne, drawing inspiration from the English model and actress’ eclectic taste.

Mango signs up Kaia Gerber as latest brand ambassador

Mango is linking up with supermodel and actress Kaia Gerber for a brand ambassadorship and “collaboration” that will run throughout the year.

Specsavers to launch Elton John eyewear collection

Music superstar Elton John is about to launch a signature range of eyewear with Specsavers. The range launches globally, and online from 7 May, with prices starting at £130.

AND FINALLY

Stars come out for Met Gala, showcasing Black dandyism

The 2025 Met Gala has come to a close, marking another year of exquisite outfits and... more questionable choices.

JOIN THE GREEN GRADS

Green Grads are looking for new recruits and sponsors

Green Grads is a platform for recent UK graduates with ideas to heal the planet and it’s now recruiting for its fifth cohort, with over 200 current grads listed on the website. It’s also a great chance for a brand to show commitment to the environment and sustainability by joining Green Grads expanding cooperative of outward-looking forward-facing stellar British brands by becoming a sponsor. Sponsorship opportunities start with the comparatively modest sum of £500 and current sponsors include such well-known names as Heal's, Anglepoise, Ercol, the Futon Company, Camira and many more. To find out more see http://www.greengrads.co.uk

PRSHOTS TOP 10 SEARCHES

What were our users searching for on PRShots Week ending May 2^nd 2025?

1/ SS25

2/ Embroidered

3/ Garden

4/ Swimsuit

5/ Picnic

6/ Sandals

7/ Denim

8/ Lantern

9/ Rug  

10/ Coastal

HELP WITH YOUR IMAGE SEARCHES

The latest images on PRShots are found here https://www.prshots.com/whatsnew why not bookmark the page for a regular feed of the latest images on PRShots!! You can select the latest images from the last 24 hours, week, or month.

NEW BRANDS TO PRSHOTS

Boux Avenue is a UK lingerie, nightwear and swimwear brand. Their clothes are designed in London to be flattering, flirty and feminine, from signature lace and exclusive embroideries in bridal outfits, to the stylish and comfortable lounge and swimwear.  

Sketched by Siena is a unique card design company founded in 2020 by Siena, a graphic design graduate from Ravensbourne University who creates the cards by hand with the help of her sister Ellie.

Cave Cove was born from the rhythm of the tides and the wonder of the wild. Founded by three women, the brand is at its heart a female-led business created for the benefit of the many, not the few. Every embroidered detail, every flowing pattern, and every delicate texture on its clothing ranges is a reminder to embrace the elements and live with gentle joy.

Ruggable all started at the kitchen table. That's where Jeneva Bell first conceived of a rug you could put in your washing machine. After years of development, they launched the original Ruggable machine-washable rug and the brand has gone on to be hugely successful ever since.

Oriana B.  was launched in 2019 by Dublin-based Londoner Katharine Deas sourcing and selling unique furniture online, having pivoted from a 25-year international corporate career to pursue her love of design. Oriana B products include furniture, lampshades, lights, lamps, and mirrors.

BRANDS WITH NEW IMAGES

Clothing, beauty and accessories

Primark has everything for the beach and the outdoors from suntan lotions to flip flops, new denim ranges, Pau Eche collaboration of summer and beach clothing, accessories and jewellery, new childrenswear for the summer, Tanlines makeup and skincare, Krispy Kreme, Hello Kitty and Guinness collaborations.

Roman Originals has new summer dresses, tops and trousers including crochet and embroidery ranges, plus Petite, Dusk and Curve ranges for the summer, plus big pattern and denim SS25 womenswear imagery.

M&S has a new swimsuits and bikini ranges, Autograph underwear, suede-themed range of clothing, a Collection range of women's clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery, and accessories, new Per Una clothing ranges, as well as new perfume ranges and casual and formal men’s wear ranges.

Monsoon has new wedding and bridal ranges, new SS25 ranges for the beach and holidays, plus women’s and kids clothing for the summer, new sandals for the beach.

Accessorize has new beachwear including shirts, shorts, bikinis and dresses, plus accessories including makeup sandals, bags, card holders and jewellery.

Peacocks has a new summer womenswear, plus a Louise Redknapp Linen Edit for summer, a SS25 Edit range, and a new menswear range.

Scamp & Dude has new stripey clothes and accessories, new SS25 athleisure wear, dresses, shorts, jackets, hoodies, coats, bags and scarves, plus new collaborations with Nicky Newman and Sabrina Elba.

Barbour has new festival outfits, mens summer outfits including a range of festival wellies, plus a new Crocs collaboration, a Very British Summer collaboration of clothes and accessories with Lucy Williams.

River Island has new Latin-American flavoured summer ranges of womenswear and menswear ranges, a new women’s wear collaboration with Latin-Australian brand Del Maar, including dresses, sarongs, sandals, bikinis and swimsuits, plus new linen outfits and jewellery.

Oliver Bonas has new May and June 2025 uploads of jewellery, women’s clothing, bags, hats, shoes, sunglasses and accessories as well as new ranges for SS25.

George at Asda has new summer holiday wear modelled by Yasmin Le Bon, including bikinis, swimsuits, shorts, trousers, dresses and accessories, plus new athleisure outfits and accessories.

Iolla has new sunglasses and glasses for the summer with the option of multi-coloured lenses, plus ranges of frames and glasses based on nostalgia for a Scottish coastal summer.

Threadbare has a new menswear, Spring Romance and Another Sunday ranges of clothing and new summer footwear and beachwear, plus a Spring Romance womenswear range, plus new SS25 womenswear and menswear ranges.

Matalan has a new Et Vous and Taylor & Wright collaborations, Father’s Day kidswear clothing, Holiday Shop collections for all the family, men’s and women’s summer ranges with clothes for the beach.

TK Maxx has new womens, mens and kids clothing and accessories for the spring and summer, as well as haircare products and makeup.

Lipsy has a new Love & Roses V&A museum collaboration of womenswear.

Curvy Kate has its range of swimwear for the spring and summer, including swimming costumes and bikinis. 

Fable England has new bag charms and jewellery based on the Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit characters, new Alice’s Garden, Running Bunny and Bunny Blues jewellery and bags, Wonderland ranges of bags and scarves, plus new accessories and core jewellery ranges.

Celtic & Co has new smart cool summer midi dresses and sandals for the holidays and the beach.

F&F has new F&F Active sportswear and athleisure collaboration with Kate Ferdinand, new summer beachwear campaign imagery and has Abbey Clancy top picks for the spring.

Bonmarché has a new Dash collaboration of summer outfits with Lisa Snowdon.

Joe Browns has new SS25 menswear, polo tops, t-shirts, shorts, shoes, hats and accessories plus womenswear including dresses, shorts, skirts, beachwear, shoes, jewellery, towels, sarongs, scarves, purses, handbags, shopping bags and beach bags for the summer.

See additional new clothing and accessories images from

John Lewis Very Dune London New Look Cotton Traders Joma Jewellery Katie Loxton Crew Clothing  

Home, garden and food

Cambridge Imprint has new wrapping paper, memo books, pencils, labels, tea towels, box files, envelopes, postcard boxes, postcards, tea trays, lined exercise and hardback books, stamps, ribbons, and albums.

Primark has new outdoor ranges from picnic blankets to thermoses, bedding and tableware Edits, new Krispy Kreme and Hello Kitty collaborations for packed lunches, new paisley pattern soft furnishings and bedding.

M&S has new homeware including dining ware, furniture, lighting, bedding and tableware, new wash bags beauty and wellness ranges, Ultimate bedding sets, makeup ranges, SS25 Boho, Classic and Exquisite Earth furniture and homeware ranges.

Arran sense of Scotland has a new mum and bride scent range.

The Gluttonous Gardener has new ranges of plants and food. 

Nest has new Hay Traverse and Pallisade garden furniture, including tables, chairs and loungers, new Vitra office furniture, living room furniture including lounge chairs, plus Ferm Living and a Tom Dixon collaboration.

Home Bargains has new Father’s Day gifts, Wickford & Co candle jars and diffusers, plus luxury candles, diffusers and room sprays from The Vault.

Oliver Bonas has new Father’s Day gifts, new June/July/August/September/October drops of homeware ranges for the kitchen, dining room and lounge, plus furniture and home accessories including mirrors, lighting and tableware for SS25.

Jellycat has a Bartholomew Bear collaboration with department store Liberty, new Amuseables range of animals, flowers and food, plus books and the cuddliest soft toys and bags for SS25.

Dobbies Garden Centres has new Father’s Day gifts, garden furniture, sheds and outside storage solutions, home houseplants including orchids, garden tool ranges, homeware, pet ranges, kids garden toys.

Online Home Shop has furniture for the garden including tables, chairs, benches, swings and hanging chairs.

Habitat has a new home collaboration with Scion including furniture, shelving, lighting, candles, diffusers soft furnishings and bedding.

Sofology has new SS25 furniture ranges, including power recliners, sofas, chairs and stools plus furniture for the lounge in bright spring colours.

Treats by Mars reveals a new Galaxy honeycomb snack.

TK Maxx Has new kitchenware ranges and things for the garden.

Matalan has new tableware and kitcheware.

See additional new home images from

Homesense Jan Constantine B&M Quorn Stone Designers Guild George Home Hobbycraft John Lewis  Fritz Fryer Dunelm

DIARY

PRShots Retail Calendar Alerts

Days until Father’s Day – 40

Days until School holidays start (23rd July) – 78

Days until Halloween - 178

Days until Christmas Day – 233
 

How to get your brand in the media in May

We’re now well into Spring, and there are two long bank holiday weekends to enjoy this month, and with a bit of luck, we’ll have great weather for at least one of them.

To get the best chance for a download, add images that are related to the summer, and make sure they’re accompanied by any keywords relating to being out of the house and into the garden and the great outdoors, including garden, garden parties, barbecues (don’t forget to add all of the other spellings BBQ, Bar-B-Que, etc.) picnics, outdoors.

Summer holidays are on the horizon, so campaign images that include the beach or the outside world will be used. Upload any images you have of summer outfits, holiday clothes, festival clothes, sandals, beachwear, swimsuits, bikinis, linen, and sandals.

Not everyone will be going abroad so still keep keywords and phrases like “staycation”, “holistay”, “holiday at home”, to your keywords, also think about uploading images more appropriate to a UK holiday, like cardigans and hoodies for the colder UK evenings.

May is also the start of wedding season, so if you have any wedding-related items, then get ready to promote them along with any wedding keywords, bridal, bride, groom, hen party, stag do, etc.

If you’re a PRShots brand user and you need more ideas, then take a look at the keywords that media are searching for on PRShots and try and add those in.

If you’re looking for more hooks to help promote your brand and products, then see the list of days, weeks and fortnights below.

May Diary - Weeks/Months

May is National Walking Month, National Smile Month (12^th May – 12^th Jun), and Skin Cancer Awareness Month.

It’s also:

Small Business Week – (May 4^th - 10^th)

Dementia UK Time for a Cuppa Week (1^st-8^th)

National Doughnut Week (10^th – 18^th)

National Stationery Week (12^th –18^th)

Cannes Film Festival (13^th – 24^th)

Sandwich Week (19^th – 25^th) 

RHS Chelsea Flower Show (20^th – 24^th)

National Barbeque Week (May 26^th – Jun 1^st )

May - Days

8^th – VE day

9^th – Europe Day

9^th – Whit Monday / Pentecost 

10^th – Searches of Prom dresses peak

11^th- World Fairtrade Day

11^th – Mother’s Day (US and Australia) 

12^th – International Nurses Day

13^th – World Cocktail Day

15^th – International Day of Families

15^th - Father’s Day gift searches rise / BBQ searches rise

15-16^th – Lag BaOmer 

17^th – Eurovision Final in Basel Switzerland

17^th – World Whisky Day 

17^th - Men’s FA Cup Final

18^th – Women’s FA Cup Final 

20^th – World Bee Day

21^st – International Tea Day

22^nd – World Goth Day

22^nd – Craft Distillery Day (US)

25^th - Geek Pride Day

25^th – National Wine Day (US)

25^th – Camping-related searches rise

26^th – Spring Bank Holiday 

26^th – Memorial Day 

29^th – National Biscuit Day

29^th – Ascension Day 

30^th – BBQ searches peak

31^st - UEFA Champions League Final

 NB - All dates have been checked, but some events may change due to unforeseen circumstances or have not been fully confirmed for 2025 by the authorities controlling the event(s).