The Commerce Brief: Fri 15th August

Welcome to another exciting week in the world of eCommerce and retail 🛍️

🗓️ This week’s industry updates

📈 Growth Stories

• On Running upgrades its sales forecast after a strong Q2, driven by sneaker demand in Europe & Asia. (source)

• Zalando adds 3.1M customers YoY (now 52.9M total) and launches a new feed to boost engagement. (source)

• Faire doubles down in Europe — now in 14 countries, with EU growth outpacing North America 2:1. (source)

• Douglas rebounds with +3.2% sales in Q3 after a weak start to the year (French market still lags). (source)

• Ralph Lauren smashes expectations with +30.7% profit, but warns tariffs may bite later this year. (source)

🚀 New Plays & Expansions

• Amazon rolls out fresh grocery same-day delivery to 1,000+ cities (Prime orders $25+), aiming for 2,300 by year-end. (source)

• Iceland Foods partners with Olio & Gander to push real-time yellow-sticker discounts across 900+ stores. (source)

• Zara unveils its UK flagship 2.0 — 32K sq ft of fashion, automation, and “elevated” in-store tech at Manchester’s Trafford Centre. (source)

📉 Challenges & Shake-ups

• River Island warns 100 jobs at risk following its restructuring plan. (source)

• Very Group faces a change of hands as Carlyle preps to take control from the Barclay family. (source)

• Fat Face exits US physical retail to focus solely online. (source)

💼 Deals & Financing

• Waterstones secures £125M financing for future growth. (source)

• Frasers Group acquires tech retailer Ebuyer out of administration. (source)

🎤 Culture Meets Commerce

• Oasis reunion tour delivers an unexpected £1B boost to UK high street spending and footfall. (source)

• Walmart jumps into the Labubu collectibles craze via StockX, with items selling for $200+. (source)

The Commerce Brief