From June’s heatwave seeing online sales sizzle, to Korean Beauty moving from social trend to strategic growth category, and Very Group turning to AI to overhaul pricing, what’s been making waves in retail this week?

Online sales hot up in UK heatwave

Record breaking temperatures across the UK last month saw online sales rise, figures from BRC-KPMG showed, with digital non-food sales increasing +5.1% year-on-year and tracking ahead of the 12month average of 1.5%.

“While in-store sales were stifled by soaring temperatures, the proportion of sales online was the highest of 2026, bolstered by well-timed promotions,” said the BRC’s Helen Dickinson.

Despite the boost to ecommerce, the uplift wasn’t enough to materially impact total UK retail sales, which remained flat against the 12-month average at 1.9% last month, while non-food store sales fell by -1.1% year-on-year.

Footfall also faltered amid soaring temperatures, with Sensormatic Solutions’ data revealing that total store visits dipped -3.4% year-on-year in June.

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Very Group taps UiPath for AI pricing revamp

The Very Group will deploy AI pricing from UiPath as it looks to build and scale its agentic capabilities.

Working with UiPath to implement agentic pricing, the fashion retailer will bring faster and more transparent pricing decision-making across its retail brands. This will enable Very to optimise gross margin and stock management, whilst improving pricing agility.

“We have a range of over 200,000 products and pricing is one of the most powerful levers in retail,” Sam Wright, Chief Customer & Commercial Officer at The Very Group, explained.

“Our partnership with The Very Group demonstrates how agentic AI can fundamentally reshape retail pricing,” said Catherine Frame, Director of Retail Solutions at UiPath. “By combining automation with intelligent, explainable decision-making, retailers can better access a strategic, data-led approach that drives both profitability and customer value.”

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Global K-Beauty sales rise +53% YOY, says NIQ

K-Beauty has cemented its place on the global beauty stage, according to a new report by consumer intelligence firm NIQ.

Its data shows international sales of Korean Beauty products surged +53% year-on-year and +131% over the past two years.

“K-Beauty has moved beyond trend status to become one of the clearest examples of how regional beauty innovation can translate into global growth,” said Tara James Taylor, SVP of Global Beauty Personal Care at NIQ.

Social commerce has proved a key catalyst in the growth of the K-Beauty category, with TikTok Shop searches for Korean Beauty rising +125% in the UK last year.

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Guest Post | Is AI becoming its own scapegoat?

As a third of retail AI projects struggle to move beyond pilot stage, the technology risks getting a bad rap for its own failures, but often the AI itself isn’t to blame.

In our latest guest article, SymphonyAI’s Jonathan Tye-Walker explores three reasons AI projects fail – and why none of them actually involve AI – including:

1️⃣ Data feeds that break on contact with reality
2️⃣ Agents multiplying without shared commercial context
3️⃣ The internal build that never ends

Read more: Guest Post | SymphonyAI’s Jonathan Tye-Walker on 3 ways AI projects die (& none involve AI).

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LEGO & Primark confirmed to speak at NRF Europe 2026

With younger cohorts of shoppers increasingly choosing ultra-personalised experiences over brands’ product offerings, retailers are having to adapt how they engage and nurture their next generation of customers.

This mindset shift will be a key theme explored at NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show Europe, as brands look to build relationships with Gen Z and Alphas through the creation of micro-communities, affinity platforms and targeted collaborations.

Speaking on its conference programme, LEGO’s Rossana Mastrosimini and Primark’s Sarah Jackson will discuss cultural relevancy.

They will outline how retailers are making engagement and experience strategic priorities, leveraging imagination, play and co-creation to win share of mind among next-gen consumers.

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The Perfume Shop overhauls loyalty programme

The Perfume Shop relaunched its loyalty scheme as The Perfume Club, aiming to deliver simpler rewards, clearer value and enhanced personalisation to shoppers.

Already 6 million members strong, the Perfume Shop’s loyalty programme helps customers discover new perfumes alongside offering access to exclusive benefits.

The changes will offer key perks, including points to put towards future purchases, exclusive rewards delivered each week and more engaging experiences, from early access to new releases, promotions and events.

The updates to The Perfume Club will also strengthen the retailer’s focus on building long term relationships with customers, using insights and data to better understand how people shop for perfume.

“This next chapter is about making our community feel part of something special while giving them more reasons to shop their favourite perfumes with us,” said Thea Wilson, Head of Customer at The Perfume Shop.

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Decathlon hurdles past 700 ESL-equipped stores

Decathlon has surpassed a key connected store milestone, announcing it is now live across 700 global stores with electronic shelf labels (ESLs) from Vusion.

The Vusion ESLs automate pricing to help the sportswear retailer optimise the efforts of its store teams, freeing them from time-consuming tasks so colleagues can focus on customer service.

“Thanks to ESLs, we have further enhanced the in-store experience while improving our operational efficiency,” Xavier Dété, VP of Innovation at Decathlon, said.

“We are proud to support Decathlon, a global retail leader highly valued by its customers and recognised for both the strength of its brand and its commitment to sustainability,” added Sébastien Fourcy, SEVP EMEA at Vusion.

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