George MacDonald

London

Executive editor of @RetailWeek. Great Ayton and Harringay enthusiast. Most tweets will be about retail but this is a personal feed so all views my own etc

Articles

Asda sales fall but Leighton sees ‘green shoots’ as turnaround strategy plays out

1 week ago | retail-week.com | George MacDonald

Asda sales fall but Leighton sees ‘green shoots’ as turnaround strategy plays out By George MacDonald2025-05-29T13:01:00 As Asda unveils first-quarter trading, chair Allan Leighton talks price-competitiveness, inflation, availability, and George stores potential
Asda sees potential for 100 standalone George stores

1 week ago | retail-week.com | George MacDonald

Asda sees potential for 100 standalone George stores By George MacDonald2025-05-29T13:01:00 Asda could open as many as 100 standalone George clothing stores, Retail Week can reveal. Asda executive chair Allan Leighton told Retail Week: ”It’s quite exciting. Its early days have been very good, as you’d expect.”
Shein switches IPO focus to Hong Kong rather than London

1 week ago | retail-week.com | George MacDonald

Shein switches IPO focus to Hong Kong from London By George MacDonald2025-05-28T15:12:00 Fast-fashion powerhouse Shein is likely to seek a listing in Hong Kong instead of London. Shein’s focus on Hong Kong follows a failure to win approval for a London IPO from Chinese regulators.
Pets at Home profits climb after ‘outstanding year’ for vets business

1 week ago | retail-week.com | George MacDonald

Pets at Home profits climb after ‘outstanding year’ for vets business By George MacDonald2025-05-28T06:33:00 Specialist retailer Pets at Home has recorded a big rise in full-year profits after a period of “profound transformation”. Performance was driven by Pets at Home’s vets business, while the retail arm took a hit last year.
Kingfisher posts sales rise as strong seasonal performance powers B&Q

1 week ago | retail-week.com | George MacDonald

Kingfisher posts sales rise as strong seasonal performance powers B&Q By George MacDonald2025-05-28T06:18:00 DIY giant Kingfisher has reported an increase in quarterly sales after good demand for seasonal lines at B&Q. Kingfisher – which also owns French business Castorama, which also trades in Poland – notched up a 2.2% constant currency group sales advance to £3.31bn in the first quarter.
John Lewis wins approval for Ealing store and housing redevelopment

1 week ago | retail-week.com | George MacDonald

John Lewis wins approval for Ealing store and housing redevelopment By George MacDonald2025-05-27T17:40:00 The John Lewis Partnership has won a planning appeal opening the way to redeveloment of its Waitrose West Ealing store in London and the associated construction of new housing.
Marks & Spencer appoints Thinus Keeve to new retail director role

1 week ago | retail-week.com | George MacDonald

Marks & Spencer appoints new retail director By George MacDonald2025-05-27T10:04:00 Marks & Spencer has hired a new retail director, Retail Week can reveal. M&S has appointed Thinus Keeve to the role, which is newly created.
Retail sales advance in April as warm weather boosts food and DIY

2 weeks ago | retail-week.com | George MacDonald

Retail sales advance in April as warm weather boosts food and DIY By George MacDonald2025-05-23T06:16:00 Retail sales climbed last month, according to official data. Sales volumes increased 1.2% in April 2025, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported. The improvement followed a rise of 0.1% in March 2025 – a figure revised down 0.4%.
Marks & Spencer boss Stuart Machin on cyber attack experience, lessons and action

2 weeks ago | retail-week.com | George MacDonald

M&S has just reported a stellar year but hit turbulence after being targeted by cyber-criminals. Chief executive Stuart Machin explains what happened and how he aims to turn disruption to opportunity While M&S may be in the “best financial health” its been in in the last 30 years, recent coverage of the retailer has been dominated by the ongoing fallout from last month’s cyber-attack. Today, boss Stuart Machin outlined what M&S is doing to recover and what will happen next.
‘While some will strike it rich, not all will be lucky in the new retail media gold rush’

2 weeks ago | retail-week.com | George MacDonald

‘While some will strike it rich, not all will be lucky in retail media gold rush’ By George MacDonald2025-05-21T05:30:00 As retailers rush to establish themselves as retail media players, the most successful companies have shown it takes serious investment and data sophistication, observes George MacDonald Another week, another retail media initiative – two, in fact.