From Asda launching a new scheme to support career starters, to John Lewis marking a quarter of a century since it launched online, and social media increasingly shaping Halloween spending, what’s been making waves in retail this week?
Asda launches ‘Asda Roots’ apprenticeship scheme
Asda has announced the launch of Asda Roots, its new apprenticeship programme that gives young people not currently in work or education a permanent job, combined with training and a recognised qualification.
The Asda Roots programme will initially welcome 16 young people into roles across 8 stores, with plans to take on more recruits next year.
Aimed at 18 to 21-year-olds who are not currently in employment, education or training (NEET), Asda Roots will be delivered through the Government’s flagship Foundation Apprenticeship programme and has been developed in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Inspiro Learning.
“Too many young people are held back because they haven’t had the opportunity to gain the skills and experience employers look for,” James Goodman, Chief People Officer at Asda, said. “Asda Roots aims to break that cycle by combining a permanent job with training, mentoring and a recognised qualification.”
Calvin Klein & Tommy Hilfiger team up with TruRating
TruRating has partnered PVH brands, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, rolling out its payment entry device (PED) data capture technology in their North American stores.
U.S. shoppers at both brands will now be able to answer one anonymous question at checkout.
These data points will then be linked to individual purchases, giving store teams extra granularity on customer experience insights, letting store teams “see what customers experienced, store by store and shift by shift.”
John Lewis marks 25 years of ecommerce with rapid delivery rollout
John Lewis is celebrating an ecommerce milestone, marking 25 years since johnlewis.com first launched its website. Its webstore now handles an average of 55,000 daily orders and generates an average of 1.6million daily page impressions.
This comes as JLP extends its rapid delivery capabilities, teaming up with Deliveroo and Uber Eats to make ~10,000 products available for q-commerce.
John Lewis said it planned to continue to invest in its digital services as part of its multi-year £800m transformation programme.
Dom McBrien, Chief Digital and Omnichannel Officer at John Lewis, said that “by expanding our rapid delivery option alongside major website upgrades, we are giving customers ultimate convenience and flexibility without ever compromising on the service they expect.”
Klarna goes live on M&S.com as demand for BNPL grows
M&S is offering shoppers flexible payment options online, rolling out Klarna across its Fashion and Home & Beauty offering.
Shoppers on M&S.com and the M&S app can now pay with Klarna, allowing them to split the cost of fashion, home and beauty buys into three equal, interest-free payments.
“People deserve flexibility without paying interest for it, so our goal is simple: meet them wherever they shop,” said Raji Behal, Head of UK, Ireland & Western & Southern Europe at Klarna.
With consumers’ disposable incomes remaining squeezed, demand for Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) continues to rise. Data from Lloyds Merchant Services showed that 84% of merchants are experiencing increased demand for flexible payment options at the checkout.
Its research also showed that six in ten (61%) consumers are more likely to shop with a retailer offering BNPL, with half (50%) now comfortable using flexible payments for mid-ticket purchases between £100 and £500.
Brompton upgrades B2B CX with BigCommerce
Foldable bicycle brand, Brompton, has teamed up with Commerce, rolling out a new portal to enhance ordering experiences for its wholesale network of independent retailers.
Launching its Brompton Partner Portal on BigCommerce B2B Edition, the system runs on the same BigCommerce instance and product catalogue that powers the company’s Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) business.
With wholesale now accounting for ~75% of the bike company’s total sales across over 1,000 retail partners worldwide, the move will modernise buying experiences for its network of independent retailers, from search to order.
“Our retail partners are central to Brompton’s success,” said Oliver Boardman, CTO at Brompton. “The new Partner Portal gives them a modern, intuitive way to explore our product range, place orders and access the information they need to support our joint customers.”
Social media shapes Spooky Season as Halloween spend rises
Retailers are set for a Halloween weekend boost, with consumer spending around the event set to reach £705m this year, up +6% on 2025, says new research from Savvy.
With the event falling on a Saturday this year, more consumers are said to be planning parties or intend to spend on fancy dress or home decorations, its poll revealed.
Original research of over 1,000 UK shoppers by Savvy showed that almost half (46%) plan on marking Halloween, rising to 78% among families.
“With Halloween landing on a weekend, more shoppers are making the most of the event, decorating their homes and gardens, attending parties and getting dressed up in fancy dress,” Alastair Lockhart, Insight Director at Savvy, commented.
Matalan boosts app orders with Apadmi
Matalan said it has seen a jump in in-app purchases following the go-live of its fully native app two months ago.
The retailer said its new app has already recorded 1.76million downloads, with monthly active users growing 10% month-on-month.
Matalan said it had seen “strong early results” – in-app orders in August rose +20%, while September saw an even higher lift of 28% year-on-year. It also said conversions were tracking ahead of target, while Average Order Values grew +14% higher than its website basket sizes.
Recent research by Apadmi, which developed the app with Matalan, showed that a quarter of brands now rank mobile apps as the number one channel for CRM responsiveness, over and above email, social media or even in-store experiences.
“What makes apps so powerful is their ability to combine multiple touchpoints including payment, promotions, personalisation and customer service, into a single, seamless experience,” Sarah Toms, Retail Growth Director at Apadmi, said.
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