Back to PRShots News 
Main Image: Oliver Bonas
PRShots Roundup brings you the latest retail news from Rent the Runway, Waitrose, Mamas & Papas, H&M, Co-op, Hobbycraft, Uniqlo, Primark and John Lewis. Plus, 10 proven ways to hack the Instagram algorithm, understanding customer experience in business and more.
THE LATEST RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS
Consumer confidence weak but rate cuts offer some reprieve
GfK’s consumer confidence survey overall index score remained in negative territory at minus 17, which represented a small increase from July.
Retailers warn chancellor that prices will rise if more tax is imposed in autumn Budget
Over 60 of the UK’s largest retailers have written a letter to chancellor Rachel Reeves warning her that prices will rise if additional tax hikes are introduced in the upcoming autumn Budget.
Rent the Runway to swap debt for equity in revival effort
Rent the Runway will hand over a controlling stake in the company as part of a plan to cut debt and grow, after residual effects of the Covid-19 pandemic pushed the firm to the brink of bankruptcy.
Over half of brits now use ChatGPT to help with their shopping
More than half of Brits (55%) are using AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT, to help them with online shopping, according to new research from Omnisend.
Kering staff called back to the office four days a week
Kering, which owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, will order UK staff back to the office four days per week from January 2026.
UK flash PMI signals fastest growth for a year in August
Faster growth of UK business activity was reported in August, suggesting that economic growth has accelerated over the summer after an especially weak patch in the spring.
TRENDS, SUSTAINABILITY, STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY
10 proven ways to hack the Instagram algorithm
Here are eight curated tips from Later to hack the Instagram algorithm, making it a powerful platform for brands and creators alike in 2025.
Understanding customer experience in business
CX is more than support, it’s the full customer journey. Martech highlights what customer experience means, why it matters, and how to improve it across every touchpoint.
How fashion brands are future-proofing fulfilment
As volatility becomes the norm, flexibility is emerging as a core pillar of supply chain resilience. Vogue Business breaks down the levers to keep fashion businesses agile in 2025 and beyond.
It is not all doom and gloom on the high street: some fashion retailers are expanding and opening new stores. Drapers keeps you up to date with all the latest store openings here.
UK retailers face £146m annual losses without net zero upgrades
UK retailers are losing over £146 million every year by failing to upgrade their buildings’ services to meet net zero targets, according to new research from Mitsubishi Electric.
UK shoppers more hesitant about AI in retail than international consumers
A survey of shoppers in five key Western markets has shown that UK consumers are the most likely to express hesitation about the rollout of AI features by retailers.
YouTube usage outpaces social media rivals over past year
YouTube saw the biggest increase in use across all social media platforms, with 28% of UK social media users say they use YouTube, ahead of Instagram (25%) and TikTok (21%).
PEOPLE, MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Waitrose managing director James Bailey will leave his role in September after more than five and a half years at the helm.
Mamas & Papas CEO departs after seven years
Mamas & Papas CEO Nathan Williams is stepping down from the brand after seven years to pursue non-executive and advisory opportunities.
BRAND NEWS
John Lewis launches its 2025 beauty advent calendar
John Lewis is set to launch its Beauty Advent Calendar, packed with over£1000 worth of premium brands, including Trinny London, Chantecaille, and Le Labo, all for £235.
H&M’s equestrian brand rolling out across Europe
H&M’s All In Equestrian, is expanding across Europe, offering its range of products for both horse and rider online in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Austria.
Co-op debuts ‘tap to join’ membership scheme feature on ESLs
Co-op has updated its electronic shelf labels (ESLs) to allow shoppers to tap their mobile phones to the labels to join its membership scheme.
Just Eat pilots AI robots for doorstop deliveries
Just Eat is collaboration with Swiss robotics company Rivr is piloting an AI-powered robot doorstep delivery service in Zurich, Switzerland.
Hobbycraft launches TV shopping channel
Hobbycraft is set to launch its own TV shopping channel as demand for arts and crafts video tutorials rise.
Uniqlo names Cate Blanchett as global brand ambassador
Actress Cate Blanchett is joining tennis star Roger Federer as a global brand ambassador for Japanese apparel retailer Uniqlo, part of the Fast Retailing group.
AND FINALLY x2
Primark renamed ‘Preemark’ to celebrate Scottish anniversary
Primark is celebrating its 50th anniversary in Scotland by temporarily rebranding its Scottish stores as ‘Preemark’ in homage to how the fashion retailer is referred to locally.
OnlyFans owner paid $701m in dividends
The owner of UK-based OnlyFans was paid £523m in dividends last year as the streaming platform best known for offering adult content readies for a potential multibillion-pound sale.
PRSHOTS TOP 10 SEARCHES
What were our users searching for on PRShots Week ending Aug 8th 2025?
1/ AW25
2/ Christmas
3/ Bathroom
4/ Halloween
5/ Cushion
6/ Denim
7/ Dress
8/ Bag
9/ Vase
10/ Candle
PRSHOTS DIARY
PRShots Retail Calendar Alerts
Days until School holidays are over (3rd Sept) – 12
Days until Halloween – 70
Days until Black Friday - 98
Days until Christmas Day – 125
How to make your products attractive to the media in August
Our August PR toolkit and content calculator is here to help PRs and marketers forward-plan campaigns and pitches armed with some timely and topical angles, plus it’s a checklist for potential campaign hooks.
Summer is in full swing, and hopefully the weather has improved – i.e. stopped raining in the north and stopped being so damn hot in the south. So, there are just a few weeks left to boost your summer-related images before the AW25 images fully kick in.
There’s still time to tag anything relevant to summer/high summer and push anything related to the outside: garden furniture, anything for a garden party, or picnic or barbecue. Plus, don’t forget to add all of the other spellings, BBQ, Bar-B-Que, etc., and add any other related keywords like picnics, garden parties, etc. If you have them, then firepits and chimineas for the colder UK evenings would be good.
It's also a good time to start uploading your AW25 images. So jumpers, scarves, coats, boots, raincoats, hoodies, and cardigans will all start to be searched for by the media.
It's also not too early to start thinking about back-to-school items - Scottish schools start again in mid-August - and university students will be getting ready to sort out their wardrobes and rooms in September, so add fresher(s) and university as keywords to anything relevant.
There’s also still time to add Halloween ideas and Christmas gifts if you have them.
If you’re a PRShots brand user and you need more ideas, then take a look at the keywords that media are searching for on PRShots and try and add those in.
If you’re looking for more hooks to help promote your brand and products, then see the list of days, weeks and fortnights below.
August Diary - Weeks/Months
Music festivals are still on, so add any festival wear and camping-related things you have and keyword them with festival, particularly in the weeks running up to the August bank holiday weekend with Reading/Leeds festivals 21st-24th August.
The 28th marks 3 months until the Black Friday/Cyber Monday (28th Nov – 1st Dec) weekend so start preparing for those sales now.
Weeks to celebrate this month include;
Edinburgh Festival (1st - 24th)
National Horse Race Week (23rd-31st)
August - Days
23rd - International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
23rd-25th – Notting Hill Carnival
25th – National Secondhand Wardrobe Day
25th – Christmas in August (4 months until Christmas Day)
25th – August Bank Holiday
26th - Women's Equality Day
26th – Ganesh Chaturthi - Hindu holiday
28th – National Burger Day
28th – National Red Wine Day
28th – 3 Months until Black Friday
29th – Blackpool Illuminations start
How to make your products attractive to the media in September
Our September PR toolkit and content calculator is here to help PRs and marketers forward-plan campaigns and pitches armed with some timely and topical angles, plus it’s a checklist for potential campaign hooks.
Summer is nearly over, and it’s time to look to the autumn and to the winter. Mid-September marks just 100 days to Christmas so you should be adding your Christmas images for those monthly/weekly magazines with medium lead times. Plus, look at adding some Spring-Summer 2026 images for those titles with long lead times, as they will be starting to look at their Feb and March 2026 issues so you can help them out with previews of SS26.
The media are going to be starting to create features around what to wear for university or college, and the office autumn wardrobe. Now the nights are drawing in, they’ll also be running features on winter wear, so add coats/jumpers/boots. Plus they’ll be looking for images for Halloween and bonfire night parties and then there are titles looking for decorations and gifts for Christmas and some last-minute AW images.
Don’t forget to add keywords – Gifts, Christmas, Xmas, Autumn, Winter, and Halloween will all be looked for. It’s National Yoga Awareness Month, so you could add yoga as a keyword on any athleisure wear, floor mats, rugs etc.
If you’re a PRShots brand user and you need more ideas, then take a look at the keywords that media are searching for on PRShots and try and add those in.
If you’re looking for more hooks to help promote your brand and products, then see the list of days, weeks and fortnights below.
September Diary - Weeks/Months
September is National Honey Month and National Yoga Awareness month and it’s second-hand September (an Oxfam initiative https://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/second-hand-september/), Self-Care September, as well as Organic September, and Sourdough September.
September also has London Fashion Week between 18th-22nd September and will features men and women’s fashion and includes digital and physical events. The schedule will be available here https://londonfashionweek.co.uk/schedule, other fashion weeks include New York Fashion Week (11th-16th), Milan Fashion Week (23rd-29th) and Paris Fashion Week (29th Sept -7th Oct)
There’s also: the Moda trade show (7th-10th Sept), London Textile Fair (2nd-3rd Sept), Top Drawer (14th-16th Sept) and Sustainable Fashion Week (27th Sept to 5th Oct).
Other weeks to celebrate this month include;
Sexual Health Week (8th- 14th) (Second week in September)
British Science Festival (10th -14th)
Jane Austen Festival (12th-21st)
Open House Festival (13th -21st)
Bridal Fashion Week (14th-16th)
Great British Beach Clean Week (19th-28th)
Wrap’s National Recycle Week (22nd-28th)
Negroni Week (22nd-28th)
Fairtrade Fortnight (22nd –5th Oct)
British Food Fortnight (26th Sept – 12th Oct)
Wool Week (28th Sept – 4th Oct)
September - Days
1st – National Tofu Day
1st – Labor Day US
3rd – Schools start going back
4th-5th – Eid Milad an-Nabi (Mawlid)
5th – International Charity Day
6th – Read a Book Day
12th -14th – The Goodwood Revival
7th – National Beer Lovers Day (US)
7th – Great North Run Newcastle
16th – 100 days until Christmas
21st – Zero Emissions Day
22nd – Car-free Day
22nd – September Equinox
22nd-25th – Rosh Hashanah
22nd – Navaratri Starts
25th – 3 months until Christmas Day
27th – World Tourism Day
For more diary dates for this year see the Marketing Retail Diary
NB - All dates have been checked, but some events may change due to unforeseen circumstances or have not been fully confirmed for 2025 by the authorities controlling the event(s).
WANT TO GET YOUR IMAGERY IN FRONT OF OVER 20,000 MEDIA?
If you’re a brand looking to get your imagery on PRShots then get in touch with our sales team at sales@prshots.com We have solutions and pricing for all sizes and types of business from small startups to large multi-nationals.
NEW BRANDS TO PRSHOTS
Gardena has been producing products and solutions for the garden for more than 50 years and operates in more than 100 countries. Products and services include watering, lawn care, tree and shrub care and soil cultivation.
Flymo invented the hover mower more than 50 years ago, and since then Flymo have become the market leaders in the design and innovation of unique gardening products, which makes gardening easier.
Villeroy & Boch manufactures everything from crockery for the table to bathroom fittings including vanity units, bathrooms and taps and they’ve been around since 1748, and are available in 140 countries.
Salts Cashmere is launching 1st September with a unisex range of cashmere jumpers and tops that are made in Yorkshire.
BRANDS WITH NEW IMAGES
Clothing, beauty and accessories
Roman Originals has new AW25 Dusk, Curve and Petite ranges, plus outfits with this year’s must-haves, crochet and embroidery/broderie anglaise, big-pattern midi-length dresses and Bardot tops.
Barbour has new Heritage ranges, September clothing ranges plus new outfits and footwear for the festival season.
Joe Browns has new AW25 for men and women including clothes, jewellery and accessories; large patterned maxi and Midi-dresses big coats, khaki and camouflage trousers and lots of warm outfits for the autumn and winter.
Inspecs has new Regen Optics glasses to reduce glare, blue light, plus lenses to enhance gaming, as well as campaign imagery of sunglasses for men and women from Radley, Superdry and Botaniq.
Monsoon has new AW25 clothing, jewellery and accessories, including bags, sunglasses, shoes, boots, scarves and jewellery, new wedding and bridal ranges, new SS25 ranges for the beach and holidays, plus women’s and kids clothing for the summer.
Oliver Bonas has new autumnal womenswear including jumpers, cardigans, trousers, scarves and shoes, plus jewellery and clothing for September, new accessory drops including bags, hats, shoes, sandals, scarves and sunglasses.
Matalan has new men and women’s autumn winter ranges including denim ranges, AW25 menswear including casual and formal evening wear, Disney Villains family outfits including Halloween ranges.
Primark has new Performance athleisure ware, a viral products clothing range, Conscious Clothing ranges, Wednesday Core themed clothing and accessory ranges, new back-to-school ranges of clothes, backpacks and shoes.
Fable England has a new range of scarves, bags, and jewellery plus Agnes jewellery, nightwear, scarf and bag range for the autumn.
River Island has new Suede season handbags, Summer Darks ranges of clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories, back-to-school ranges, summer denim ranges, Rococo Revival and Perfect Prints range of summer clothing.
Peacocks has new AW25 ranges, a new Louise Redknapp Edit of summer womenswear, plus her Linen Edit for summer, a new SS25 Edit range, and a new menswear range.
Bonmarché has new Dash and Autonomy ranges of AW25 clothing, new Lisa Snowdon and Lorraine Kelly collaborations for AW25, plus new women's wear ranges including coats, blouses, jackets and jumpers.
M&S has new accessories and jewellery, ballet shoe ranges, new back-to-school ranges including clothes and shoes, summer menswear and womenswear campaign imagery.
New Look has new AW25 clothes, bags, shoes, boots and accessories, back-to-school ranges, new womenswear outfits and cowboy core womenswear drops.
Accessorize has new AW25 womenswear, new jewellery, charms, socks, hats, scarves and wraps for Christmas, a new Palma range of womenswear shoes and accessories, a new SS25 beachwear, bags, and scarves.
John Lewis has new AW25 kidswear and womenswear lookbook images, plus bags, shoes, boots and accessories, a John Lewis x Rejina Pyo new collection and a new back-to-school kids range of uniforms.
F&F has new autumn womenswear ranges, a new Kate Ferdinand active wear collaboration and Abbey Clancy festival imagery, new summer band t-shirts and beachwear, new F&F Active sportswear.
Iolla has new Healy, Aitkin ranges of glasses in all shades and colours.
Very has new V by Very August drops of womenswear for high-summer from suedette dresses, lace, crochet and Bardot tops to midi skirt dresses, jeans and ra-ra skirts.
Scamp & Dude has new leopard print and stripey clothes and accessories, new SS25 athleisure wear, dresses, shorts, jackets, hoodies, coats, bags and scarves.
Tu Clothing has new AW25 clothing ranges.
See additional new clothing and accessories images from
TK Maxx National Trust George at Asda Dune London
Home, garden and food
George Home has new AW25 Cosy Autumn, Autumn Revival, French Fancy and Serene ranges of tableware, tables, lights, candles, cushions, and soft furnishings.
The Orchard has new Miami Corner Group sofa, new autumn and Halloween decorations, new furniture ranges for indoors and outdoors from garden tables and chairs to sofas and chairs for the lounge.
Oliver Bonas has new furniture, Christmas decorations, gifts and things for the home, plus new August/September/October drops of homeware ranges for the lounge, bedroom, kitchen, dining room and lounge for AW25.
Primark has a new Viral Product range, Halloween decorations and gifts, back-to-college ranges, harvest festival ranges of decorations, and Edit homeware ranges.
Oriana B has new furniture ranges including side tables, sideboards.
B&M has Frosted Night, Nordic Glow, Peaceful Wishes, Snow Much Fun and Festive Folklore Christmas decorations, home ware for back to college, university Halloween decorations and accessories, plus AW25 Warm Earth, Natural Calm, Quiet Luxury for the home, from bedding to hosting to laundry.
Joe Browns has new homeware including lights, faux plants, signs, lamp shades, dinning and drink ware, trays, coasters, stools, side tables soft furnishings, prints and throws.
Dobbies Garden Centres has a new RHS collaboration range of gifts, plus Christmas decorations, gifts and food, Halloween decorations, new summer pots, pet toys and accessories for the garden.
Jellycat has new Halloween themed cuddly toys and amuseables plus new designs and bag charms.
Cambridge Imprint has Christmas and New Year cards, back-to-school stationery, notebooks, exercise books, new clipboards, tissue boxes, postcard boxes, pencil pots, letter trays, portfolios and magazine files, plus Christmas paperchains, coronets, banners, and plus mug ranges.
Ivyline has a selection of Autumn and Halloween decorations, Christmas trees, tree decorations, lights and decorations for the home plus candle holders, pots and vases.
Home Bargains has new autumn and Halloween things for the home as well as Christmas decorations and homeware.
Quorn Stone has new marble and decorative effect tiles, Parisian Manoir, Lullington, Chalfont and Orotelli decorative tiles, plus new natural stone and Canyon Terrazzo effect porcelain tiles and chequered decorative tiles for the bathroom.
Dunelm has a new homeware for the autumn, plus festive Kitschmas collaboration with designer Sophie Robinson, a new AW25 Modern Nostalgia, Into the Wild, Harvest Hues and Quite Luxury collections of homeware including furniture, bedding, curtains, soft furnishings.
Designers Guild has new Trevenna, AW25 ranges of big patterned print material for curtains and soft furnishings.
M&S has new Christmas decorations for the tree and the home.
John Lewis has a new collaboration with John Cooper and AW25 lookbook images from its Heritage, Modern Luxe and Timeless range of homeware collections.
Matalan has Christmas decorations and gifts, AW25 homeware for the autumn including Halloween and Harvest Festival themed soft furnishings.
Arran Sense of Scotland has 2025 Christmas gift packs and an advent calendar, new refill packages, home fragrances, scented candles, After the Rain summer fragrance and a new mum and bride scent range.
Habitat has new AW25 Festive Fairground, Alpine Retreat, Jazz Bar and Moorlands ranges of home furniture, lighting and accessories for the lounge, dining room and bedroom, plus dinner sets and glassware.
Homesense has new home furniture and accessory ranges for the kitchen and living room, including soft furnishings, dishes and glassware. Plus Halloween and Christmas decorations for the home.
Nest has new Knoll Studio dining tables and chairs, new Tradition Icons furniture, new HKLiving furniture and rugs, Audo Copenhagen and Norwegian designer furniture for the home plus Hay Traverse and Pallisade garden furniture.
Sofology has a new Modern Classic Christmas range of sofas and chairs and a new Texturalism and Materiality, Rural Refined and Get Yer Freak On range of chairs and settees.
See additional new home images from
TK Maxx National Trust Hobbycraft Ruggable
WANT TO GET YOUR IMAGERY IN FRONT OF OVER 20,000 MEDIA?
If you’re a brand looking to get your imagery on PRShots then get in touch with our sales team at sales@prshots.com We have solutions and pricing for all sizes and types of business from small startups to large multi-nationals.
NEWSLETTER SECTIONS
THE LATEST RETAIL INDUSTRY NEWS
HOW TO GET YOUR BRAND NOTICED BY THE MEDIA IN AUGUST
NEW IMAGERY ON PRSHOTS IN FASHION/BEAUTY/HOME
Related articles
