John Lewis signs new Usdaw agreement as IKEA invests £31.5m in UK fulfilment
A new union deal at John Lewis [TheIndustry.fashion](S26), a £31.5m IKEA supply chain investment [Retail Insight Network](S22) and inflation at 3.5% [Better Retailing](S16) lead a day of store openings and trading news.
In brief
- John Lewis has entered a new trade union agreement with Usdaw, covering consultation, health and safety, equality and training from 30 October TheIndustry.fashion.
- IKEA plans to invest £31.5m in its UK supply chain, covering automation at Peterborough and a regional distribution pilot in Doncaster Retail Insight Network.
- UK inflation has hit 3.5%, with rising fuel prices piling pressure on retailers Better Retailing.
- A new Wickes store is opening in Harrogate Retail Times.
- ONLY is set to open its first London outlet store, a 4,000 sq ft unit at Outlet Shopping at The O2 Completely Retail TheIndustry.fashion.
Jobs and people
The John Lewis agreement with Usdaw applies across John Lewis, Waitrose and John Lewis Money TheIndustry.fashion.
C-Store Collective has partnered with former Morrisons director Paul Dobson. He spent 15 years at Morrisons, where he helped establish its Morrisons Daily franchise Better Retailing.
A new reporting system has nearly doubled the retail crime solving rate. After a successful pilot, SentrySIS has been activated across all Co-op stores in Devon and Cornwall Better Retailing.
In the US, Amazon plans to recruit more than 300,000 seasonal, part-time and full-time staff across its core operations network for the holiday season Retail Insight Network.
Stores and openings
Kate Spade is set to open at London Designer Outlet later this year after signing a five-year lease for a 1,341 sq ft unit Completely Retail. Danish liquorice brand Lakrids By Bülow has opened its 50th store worldwide at Battersea Power Station in London Retail Gazette.
In Liverpool, Apple Corps Ltd, Liverpool City Council and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority have announced plans for a new 100,000 sq ft immersive 'Beatles Story' experience at St Johns Completely Retail.
Money and results
The latest inflation figures come a week before the Autumn Budget Better Retailing. On what retail wants from the Budget, fashion industry leaders named restoring consumer confidence and reducing the cost of doing business as key priorities TheIndustry.fashion.
IKEA is investing in right-sized packaging and a more regional distribution model as it looks to cut waste, delivery miles and emissions Retail Gazette. The £31.5 million is going into its UK online fulfilment as digital sales grow InternetRetailing.
Adidas has raised its full-year operating profit forecast after reporting record quarterly revenue and operating profit TheIndustry.fashion. Carrefour has lowered its full-year 2026 financial targets following social and security disruption across urban stores in France Retail Insight Network. Castore is in sale talks with Anta Sports and Li Ning, and co-founder Tom Beahon has confirmed interest from the two Chinese groups and large US footwear brands TheIndustry.fashion.
Products and partnerships
Topshop has unveiled a 17-piece capsule collection with designer Talia Byre TheIndustry.fashion. Aldi's Christmas novelty baking and serving range lands in stores from 5th November, with prices starting from £1.99 Aldi. Unitas is investing in healthier own-label and AI ranging support Better Retailing.
Our take
If you work at John Lewis, Waitrose or John Lewis Money, the new Usdaw agreement covers consultation, health and safety, equality and training from 30 October, so it is worth finding out how it applies to your role. New stores such as Wickes in Harrogate are a good reason to keep an eye on openings near you. Wickes has 77 live roles on TRAP today, out of 18,612 across the site.
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