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The news: Shein is set to slash its UK IPO valuation to $50 billion, down 24% from its last funding round and half its $100 billion peak in 2022, per Reuters. Why is this happening? Shein faces hurricane-force headwinds that challenge its market positioning both in the US and EU.

Online sales are back in growth in the UK, but the fortunes of key ecommerce retailers have been mixed, with some suffering a greater blow from the cost-of-living crisis than others.

Google takes aim at fake reviews: The company will improve detection and impose stricter penalties on UK businesses and individuals.

Retail crime is out of control, UK retailers say: Their concerns are shared across the pond, as US businesses struggle to stem in-store and online theft.

The British luxury label reported a smaller-than-expected drop during the holiday quarter, fueled by recovery in the Americas. Global comparable store sales fell 4% YoY, outpacing the consensus estimate for a 12% decline. Buoyant performance in the Americas, where comparable sales rose 4%, helped offset a 9% decline in the Asia Pacific region and a 2% drop in EMEIA.

In the UK, we predict that Boots, Marks & Spencer, Next, Tesco, and Sainsbury鈥檚 will grow their online sales faster than Amazon will between 2024 and 2028. But Amazon will continue increasing its share through 2028. Despite an increasingly competitive ecommerce market, Amazon will continue gaining share of ecommerce sales in France, Germany, and the UK, per our forecast.

The UK retail landscape looks increasingly bleak: Sainsbury鈥檚 and Primark owner AB Foods add to the chorus of retailers bracing for a slowdown.

For example, only three other countries will exceed even a 25% ecommerce penetration rate: the UK (30.4%), South Korea (27.2%), and Indonesia (26.6%). China will account for 50.4% of all worldwide ecommerce this year, so its weight unreasonably skews the global math. If China is excluded, ecommerce鈥檚 share of worldwide retail lands at a more realistic 12.5%.

Currys expands retail media network into stores: The electronics retailer is betting that its unique access to 80% of UK households and extensive network of digital screens will appeal to advertisers.

Building demand in the UK was always going to take time, and that challenge is all the more difficult given the precarious state of the UK economy. This article is part of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 client-only subscription Briefings鈥攄aily newsletters authored by industry analysts who are experts in marketing, advertising, media, and tech trends.

Wayfair plans to reinvest savings from the restructuring across several key initiatives, including investing in its remaining international markets鈥擟anada, the UK, and Ireland鈥攁nd doubling down on physical retail. Since the retailer opened its first physical store last year outside Chicago, online sales to customers who live near the store have increased.

Marks & Spencer, Tesco flag challenges as UK economy weakens: Confidence is slumping due to concerns over tax hikes and sluggish consumer demand.

UK retail sales grew 3.2% YoY in December: Even with a late surge, sales rose just 0.7% YoY in 2024.

Lidl delivered its most successful UK Christmas season on record: The discount grocer鈥檚 revenues rose 7% in the four weeks leading up to Christmas.