The Commerce Brief: Fri 6th March

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

🏃 On reports gross profit up +34.7% to CHF 1.9bn (£1.8bn) for the year ended 31 December 2025, with sales rising across all markets, channels and categories. The brand also announced a multi-year partnership with Kith centred around running, combining performance innovation with lifestyle design. (source)

👟 Schuh saw profits fall more than 90% in the year to 1 February 2025, declining from £16.08m to £1.49m compared with the previous 12 months. (source)

🌍 Chalhoub Group confirmed it will keep stores in Bahrain closed as air strikes in the Middle East disrupt tourism and retail operations. The group operates 900 stores for brands including Versace, Jimmy Choo and Sephora, with a number of stores in Dubai and elsewhere either closed or operating at reduced capacity. (source)

💊 Holland & Barrett recorded 11% sales growth to £981m (€1.148bn) in the fiscal year ending September, supported by health trends on TikTok and demand for weight-loss injections. Despite the revenue increase, profitability remained under pressure due to higher operating costs and accelerated investment. (source)

📉 Abercrombie & Fitch forecast muted annual sales as it accounts for the 15% tariff announced by Donald Trump after the Supreme Court struck down most of his earlier tariff measures. (source)

🏬 House of Fraser is being rebranded to ‘Frasers’ by Frasers Group as part of efforts to reposition the business within the premium fashion and lifestyle segment. (source)

🤖 Santander and Mastercard announced the completion of Europe’s first live, end-to-end payment executed by an AI agent, enabling an artificial intelligence system to securely initiate and complete a transaction using existing payment networks. (source)

📈 Adidas reported attributable net profit of €1.34bn for FY2025, up 75.4% year-on-year. Sales rose 8% in Europe to €8,136m, increased 5% in China to €3,623m, grew 6% in Latin America to €2,926m, rose 5% in Japan and South Korea to €1,406m, and increased 6% in emerging markets to €3,510m, while North America declined 1% to €5,087m. (source)

⚖️ Nike filed an opposition with the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board against Shein over its application to register a stylised “COUREZ” trademark for apparel and footwear, citing conflict with Nike’s CORTEZ name. (source)

📺 Tesco reappointed EssenceMediacom as its media agency partner across the UK and Central Eastern Europe following a closed review run by Tuffon Hall Consultancy. The agency will oversee media planning and buying, as well as tech and data integration, using WPP’s Open platform. The move follows Tesco’s launch of its new slogan, “Need Anything From Tesco?”. (source)

💄 Lookfantastic opened a 3,000 sq ft concept store at Cabot Circus in Bristol, stocking skincare, haircare, fragrance, body care and cosmetics as part of its evolving omnichannel strategy. (source)

📢 Criteo will be the first advertising technology partner to integrate with OpenAI’s advertising pilot in ChatGPT Free and Go in the United States, testing how brands can participate in advertising within conversational AI environments. (source)

🥐 Greggs reported an 18% drop in annual pre-tax profit to £167m for the year to 28 December 2025, including the impact of a VAT-related restatement, as weakening consumer sentiment and slower revenue growth weighed on performance. (source)

🛠️ Wickes launched ‘Wickes Connected Retail Media’ in partnership with Epsilon, with the network powered by COREid to connect brands with home improvement audiences. (source)