Retailer

Hong Kong flotation at $26bn by firm once valued at $100bn follows failure to list in US and UKShares in the fast-fashion brand Shein slumped by as much as 10% as the China-founded company made its long-anticipated trading debut on the Hong Kong stock exchange.The Singapore-headquartered company, once valued at almost $100bn (£74bn), went public on Tuesday pricing shares at HK$48.56, valuing the business at just over $26bn. Continue reading...

• Designer Kunal Rawal has officially launched his contemporary menswear collections on the e-commerce platform Tata CLiQ Luxury. • The partnership aims to capitalize on the increasing consumer demand for premium designer fashion and high-end occasionwear available through online channels. • This move expands the accessibility of Rawal's luxury designs to a wider digital audience seeking curated luxury retail experiences.

Chancellor says the government wants to prevent shoppers being ‘taken for a ride’ at the pump or tillThe chancellor, John Healey, has said the government is standing by to prevent the public from “being taken for a ride at the pump or the till” as the Iran war continues to hit prices.While he said there had been “no significant evidence of so-called price gouging” during the crisis, he used a weekend column to tell the big retailers that ministers were “watching closely” for any signs of profiteering. Continue reading...

• A severe market crash in South Korea has resulted in significant financial losses for approximately 700,000 retail traders. • The rapid decline occurred over a 48-hour window, causing widespread panic among household investors who were previously encouraged to enter the market. • This volatility has created intense political pressure for the government to intervene and implement market rescue options to stabilize the economy.

• Aarhus-based martech startup Serpier has raised €1.4 million in a funding round led by True Collective and the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO). • The company utilizes an AI agent named Navi to automate content generation, analysis, and publication, helping e-commerce retailers increase their visibility across search engines. • This investment allows Serpier to scale its AI-driven visibility tools, addressing the growing need for automated marketing optimization in the competitive online retail sector.

About 150 jobs have already been lost in Bolton as company reports 145% rise in profits and hands £20m to shareholdersBusiness live – latest updatesThe online electrical goods seller AO World has revealed it is outsourcing up to 200 UK call centre roles to South Africa blaming rising labour costs, as it handed £20m to shareholders.As the retailer reported a jump in profits, it said it was shifting the majority of call centre jobs overseas “in response to ongoing inflationary cost pressures, and particularly rising employment costs”. It expects to save about £4m a year as a result of the change. Continue reading...

• Only 10% of Australian retailers report the ability to deliver AI-driven personalisation at scale, highlighting a significant gap between technological ambitions and current capabilities. • The struggle is driven by fragmented data systems, with 73.3% of retail leaders describing their marketing technology and data environments as only partly integrated. • Operational hurdles remain high, as over 80% of leaders state that critical work on identity resolution and establishing a single customer view is still under development.