Facial recognition firm Facewatch sent more than half a million real-time offender alerts to retailers in 2025, more than doubling the number issued the previous year. Source

UK retail footfall fell by 2.9% YoY in December, with high street visits down 0.9%. According to the latest data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic, retail footfall was down 0.8% YoY across the UK. It fell 1.5% in Scotland, 1.7% in Northern Ireland and 3.1% in England and Wales. In retail parks,……

Sainsbury’s has won grocery market share for the sixth consecutive Christmas period after delivering its biggest festive trading performance to date. Source

Just Eat has delivered a strong December, as consumers leaned on the platform festive takeaways, forgotten essentials and New Year celebrations. Source

Sportswear retailer New Balance has named former Frasers Group exec Ger Wright as its new VP sales for the EMEA region. Source

Very Group owner Carlyle is reportedly planning to sell the business for £2bn after its acquisition from the Barclay family last year. Source

Next has joined forces with stock clearance specialist Retail Realisation as it seeks a takeover of Russell & Bromley. Source

According to Ocado Retail, 78% of UK adults believe hydration is as important in winter as it is during the summer months. New research, published yesterday (29 December), highlighted 22% have replaced caffeinated tea or coffee. This figure rises to 36% for Gen Z and Millennials. It also stated 38% of respondents find it more……

New data has highlighted that Christmas Day has become a “meaningful” trading day. Source

Technology retailer Currys has collaborated with programmable financial services firm Stripe to install the Fintech company’s payment terminals across its 300 UK and Ireland stores. The partnership forms part of the retailer’s store transformation programme, which has introduced employee headsets and electronic shelf edge labelling in stores. According to Currys, these upgrades will improve customer……