A visit to the high street taught me this: hell is shopping with other people

After years of buying clothes online, I wondered if there was more to shopping than collecting squashy parcels from forecourt lockers. I soon got my answer, says journalist Nell Frizzell

Uniqlo, Gymshark and Lush stop hiring UK workers via gig economy apps

TUC criticise retailers for endangering workers’ rights by using apps such as YoungOnes and Temper

‘We have a lot more to do’: no pats on the back at M&S despite blockbuster year

Turnaround is in full swing and bearing fruit, but bosses are only too aware of a history of revamps that failed to stick

Biden blocks Nippon Steel’s $15bn bid for US Steel over national security fears – as it happened

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news as the US president uses his final days in office to block a $15bn bid for US Steel

Laura Ashley bought by US owner of Ben Sherman

British clothing and home furnishings brand sold by Gordon Brothers to Marquee Brands

‘Drab December’ caps another year of declining footfall on UK high street

Visitor numbers at retail sites down 2.2% compared with 2023, raising fears of disappointing Christmas sales

Brompton profits plunge more than 99% amid bike industry turmoil

Boss of bicycle maker says discounting after Covid boom means ‘sad state of affairs’ in global market is likely to go on

‘Left to rot’: Glasgow’s crumbling heritage comes into focus for 850th anniversary

Pressure grows to do something about city centre’s decaying buildings and empty shops in ‘year of urgency’

Lidl enjoys record £1bn UK sales in run-up to Christmas

Discount grocer records 7% increase in four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve

UK lost 37 shops a day in 2024, data suggests

Almost 13,500 retail stores closed, a rise of 28% on previous year, according to Centre for Retail Research

Former bosses of HSBC and Rolls-Royce knighted in new year honours

Noel Quinn and Warren East, as well as Chanel chief Leena Nair among business figures to be honoured

End of the lines? QR-style codes could replace barcodes ‘within two years’

Retailers already trialling next-generation codes that can show sell-by dates, product instructions and ingredients

Trump Bibles, Rudy coffee, Tucker nicotine pouches: the rightwing knick-knack racket

Republican figures are using their influence to sell a variety of goods, preying on people’s political affiliations

Nearly 170,000 UK shop workers lost their jobs in 2024

Collapse of chains such as Homebase and Body Shop contributed to big rise, and another tough year is on the cards

Many happy returns: sustainable startups are turning a profit from your unwanted clothes

Now that half of our clothing purchases are sent back, reverse logistics – or the returns industry – has become big business, with companies finding ways to reduce waste