With the UK heatwave hitting footfall in June, to Asda investing in greater connectivity to support in-store services across it Express convenience formats and Bodycare accelerating its AI-led High Street return, what’s been making waves in retail this week?

June footfall hit by heatwave, down -3.4% YOY

Soaring temperatures saw declining retail footfall in June as the UK heatwave pushed shoppers indoors and kept consumers out of stores, the latest figures from the BRC and Sensormatic reveal.

According to latest BRC-Sensormatic Monitor, total UK footfall decreased by -3.4% year-on-year in June, falling from -2.6% in May. High Streets saw the biggest decline, with shopper traffic falling -6.2% compared to 2025.

“Exceptionally high temperatures are likely to have influenced behaviour, particularly in the South, where record heat and travel disruption made shopping trips less appealing,” said Sensormatic’s EMEA Retail Consultant, Andy Sumpter.

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World Cup Quarter Final set to drive +26% shoplifting spike

After instances of retail theft jumped +16% ahead of England’s World Cup match with Mexico (Mon, 06 Jul), retailers are being warned that the Three Lions’ Quarter Final clash could prompt even higher instances of shoplifting.

New data from SAI, the leading active intelligence solution for stores, suggests in-store theft could rise +26% against the daily average on Saturday as England take on Norway.

“England heading to a Quarter Final usually spells penalties on the pitch, however retailers are facing their own World Cup-related penalties in-store,” said Chris Bell, Head of Marketing & Insight at SAI. 

“England’s World Cup success is proving to be a double-edged sword for retailers. As the Three Lions’ run gathers momentum, the same excitement driving footfall and sales opportunities is also creating the perfect conditions for theft, violence and store disruption,” he added.

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Bodycare counts down to High Street return with 17 confirmed openings

Bodycare has confirmed the locations for its first tranche of store re-openings across 17 locations as it prepares for its High Street comeback.

Starting with its first store opening in The Moor in Sheffield on 18 Jul, other locations including Leicester, Merry Hill, Bradford, Blackburn, Leeds and Sunderland will be among the first series of stores to open as part of the retailer’s relaunch.

Innovation and community engagement sit at the heart of its expansion strategy, blending commerce and experiences seamlessly in-store to become an AI-first retailer. 

Working with PMC to design and deploy its tech infrastructure, this will see the retailer run all store operations through a proprietary, custom-built AI-platform.  

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K:LDN: Victoria Beckham, Casablanca & Billionaire Boys Club on personalising for customer journeys

In their efforts to perfect personalisation, retailers have focused too hard on data and not enough on dynamism.

At Klaviyo’s K:LDN event, we heard from Victoria Beckham’s Lisa Nielsen, Casablanca Paris’ Jamie Degiorgio. and Billionaire Boys Club’s Hayden Dore on how fashion brands are evolving engagement to build relationships that grow with shoppers’ needs and buying behaviours over time. They explored:

🪣 How retailers need to define customers by journeys, not by segments
📈 The role of omnichannel data in more dynamic and context-based CRM
😶‍🌫️ Why brand authenticity can’t be automated – and what this means for customer engagement efforts
📖 Strategies for engaging the future customer, from entry point expansion to brand storytelling

Read the full session write up 👉 Victoria Beckham, Casablanca & Billionaire Boys Club on personalising for journeys not segments.

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Currys taps Metapack to enhance delivery experiences

Currys has partnered with Metapack, a ShipStation Global® brand, to support its delivery operations.

Leveraging Metapack’s intelligent delivery platform, Currys will offer customers more delivery options at the checkout, while improving real-time visibility on orders, from dispatch to the doorstep.

The move will also help the retailer open up carrier connectivity, blended with data intelligence, to improve customer experiences, business performance and reduce costs.

“The technology will help us respond quickly to demand and deliver a more seamless shopping experience for our customers,” said Simon Boss, Director of Logistics and Home Delivery at Currys.

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Asda enlists Evolve for greater connectivity across its Express stores

Asda has teamed up with managed network solutions provider, Evolve, to strengthen connectivity across 500 Asda Express convenience stores, delivering faster and more reliable internet connection.

The multi-year deal, which will see 450 locations going live this year, will help the supermarket keep critical payments, security and store operations systems online 24/7.

Ashley Cowley, Head of Technology Portfolio at Asda, said the deployment would mean its “teams can focus on serving customers confidently, knowing the technology behind the scenes is working as it should.”

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Consumers spend 4 full days a year waiting for parcels

Shoppers are being left in “parcel purgatory,” as uncertain delivery windows, late parcels and poor post-purchase communications force customers to plan working days around online order fulfilment, says new research from returns network, ZigZag.

Original research of 2,000 UK consumers found that 43% take time off work or rearrange their days to wait in for deliveries every month, amounting to ~32 hours of lost time annually or four full working days.

Of these orders, its poll suggests that over a fifth (22%) either arrive late or simply don’t arrive at all.

“Waiting in for a delivery is up there with the most frustrating disruptions to daily life and consumers are now spending longer waiting for parcels than they do dealing with customer service lines,” said ZigZag’s CEO, Al Gerrie.

“Late deliveries also lead to higher return rates, which drive up costs for businesses and breed frustrations that retailers can’t afford,” he added.

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