The Retail Recap – 21 November 2025 – what’s been making waves in retail this week?

From Currys completing its estate-wide ESL rollout to Clarks up-ing its marketplace game with third-party partnerships including SHEIN and Secret Sales, and Debenhams deploying agentic AI to keep up with festive demand, what’s been making waves in retail this week?

Christmas light switch-ons spark longtail spend & footfall

Christmas light switch-ons help to significantly boost consumer spending, extend dwell time and draw in shoppers from a wider catchment area, even after the event itself, says research from data specialist, CACI.

On average, retail spending on ‘switch-on’ days rose by +11%, with shoppers visiting +2.1% more stores per trip in the week after. Meanwhile, customer ‘drive time’ increased by up to +3.2%, suggesting that these festive occasions create appeal beyond just local audiences.

“Major festive events such as Christmas light switch‑ons aren’t just for show, they play a vital role in driving engagement and spend, not only on the day itself but in the surrounding trading weeks,” said Alex McCulloch, Director at CACI.

Currys completes ESL rollout to all 295 UK&I stores

Currys has now completed its estate-wide rollout of electronic shelf labels (ESLs) to all 295 UK&I stores in partnership with Solum and Vestcom, as it looks to improve CX and free up staff to focus on customer service.

Already, the retailer has saved over 400,000 labour hours in manual pricing tasks through the ESLs, which has enabled greater pricing agility, while giving more time back to its colleagues to serve shoppers.

The ESLs also power dynamic digital displays, providing Currys‘ shoppers with real-time pricing and clearer product information. “By delivering real-time pricing and clearer product information, we’re making shopping for customers simpler and smarter,” said Lindsay Haselhurst, COO at Currys.

B&Q expands Deliveroo on-demand delivery trial

B&Q has extended its on-demand delivery partnership with Deliveroo to 29 additional UK cities and towns.

The extension is part of B&Q’s commitment to testing faster, more flexible fulfilment options, moving on-demand services to more major cities and towns across the UK, including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Cardiff and multiple sites across England.

“By expanding our trial with Deliveroo to cover major UK cities and towns, we’re offering customers easier and speedier access to ~10,000 B&Q products to help them get their home improvement projects done,” said Amelie Gallichan-Todd, Supply and Logistics Director at B&Q.

“Home improvement has become one of the most popular retail categories on Deliveroo, as more consumers seek out quick and convenient delivery during those DIY emergencies,” added Suzy McClintock, VP of New Verticals at Deliveroo.

Clarks targets third-party marketplace growth

Clarks has announced a series of partnerships with global marketplaces, including SHEIN, Secret Sales and TikTok Shop, to expand its international digital presence and omnichannel customer reach.

Having already announced plans to launch its first owned UK digital marketplace in 2026, which will offer ‘trusted’ brands alongside its own ranges, Clarks will extend its marketplace strategy to include additional third-party platforms.

In the UK, this will include presence on SHEIN, Secret Sales and TikTok Shop. Meanwhile, in the U.S., Clarks will build upon its existing partnerships with eBay, SHEIN and Walmart, and will go live on Target in December 2025, while continuing to build momentum across the TikTok Shop platform.

“Expanding into new digital spaces helps us meet customers where they are,” said Joe Ulloa, President of Clarks UK, ROI & Europe. “We’re making Clarks even more accessible while continuing to offer fantastic products at great prices.”

Levi’s to launch an AI ‘super agent’ in 2026

Levi Strauss & Co will leverage a suite of new AI tools to support its operations, staff and customers. The new integrated agentic AI orchestration platform, built around a single super agent, will simplify and automate task-oriented work across the business.

Developed in-house, the agent is embedded within Microsoft Teams and powered by Azure, integrating multiple AI powered sub-agents deployed across IT, HR and operations as well as other business units.

“AI represents a tremendous opportunity and is key as we rewire how we work,” said Michelle Gass, President & CEO, Levi Strauss & Co. “Our teams will gain faster access to insights that help them work more efficiently and, ultimately, serve our fans better across every channel, every day.”

The super-agent is currently being built and tested – it will be rolled out in early 2026, with expansion to global offices throughout the year.

Debenhams adopts Peak’s AI to stay ahead of festive demand

Debenhams Group has deployed a new AI solution in partnership with Peak.ai to help manage sales, stock and pricing more effectively across its brands during festive trading.

The technology enables faster, data-driven decision-making during its busiest trading period. Combining stock, pricing and promotions data, it gives teams a clearer view of demand and performance, allowing them to react more quickly as shopping patterns shift.

“This technology will transform how we manage stock and pricing – especially during the busy festive season – and help us continue to deliver great value and service across our brands,” said Dan Finley, CEO of Debenhams Group.

“By bringing this level of agentic AI innovation to market, Debenhams Group is setting the benchmark for how tech can transform retail performance,” Peak’s CEO, Richard Potter, added.

Retailers risk loyalty lull ahead of Peak Trading

Brand relationships are being put to the test in the run up to Peak Trading, as loyalty dips -4 percentage points year-on-year, according to the latest data from customer engagement company, Reward.

Analysis of 1.4billion transactions across 4,000 retailers showed that 61% of consumers re-purchased from the same retailer in 2025, a four point dip from 2024 (65%), with squeezed household incomes a main cause for brand switching.

Separate research from Pricer also points to the impact of price-sensitivity and cost vigilance on loyalty, with cross-channel pricing consistency now a yardstick of brand trust and a driver of repeat purchase behaviour.

79% of the consumers it polled said price consistency now directly impacts loyalty. Price integrity has become a “hygiene factor” for shoppers, said Finn Wikander, Pricer’s CPO. He added that “retailers who fail to unify prices and promotions across channels actively push their customers to competitors.”

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