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NEXT has officially opened the doors to a brand-new store at Newcastle’s Eldon Square, bringing with it an expanded product offering and elevated customer experience, as part of the retailer’s latest concept store design. The 33,694 sq ft space spans all key categories, including Womenswear, Menswear, Kidswear and Homeware. Enhancements include a new suit and shoe department in Menswear, now extended by over 200 sq ft and a Home section that has doubled in size. Jayne Punshon, Store Manager, said: “We are so excited to open this new and exciting store in Newcastle, bigger, brighter, bolder than ever! We look forward to welcoming our customers and are committed to providing them with a great experience!” The store also sees the arrival of Newcastle’s first Bath & Body Works, housed within a 1,458 sq ft retail space adjacent to NEXT’s offer. Jo Part-Doig, Brand Manager UK & Ireland at Bath & Body Works, added: “We are thrilled to announce the grand opening of Bath and Body Works at Eldon Square. “Our team has been phenomenal, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to our new location. Join us as we embark on this exciting journey together!” Helen Cowie, Centre Director at Eldon Square, added: “We’re delighted to welcome NEXT’s latest concept store to Eldon Square – a stunning addition that brings more choice, enviable style, and a truly elevated experience for our visitors. “With a beautifully designed space and exciting features like Newcastle’s first Bath & Body Works store, this opening reinforces Eldon Square’s position as the heart of city centre shopping. It’s an exciting milestone, and we look forward to seeing our shoppers enjoy everything this new flagship store has to offer.” To celebrate the opening, the first 150 customers were gifted a free goodie bag, and scratch cards offering in-store discounts will be distributed throughout the opening week and weekend. This follows the recent opening of NEXT’s flagship concept store at Lakeside Shopping Centre, which spans 83,000 sq ft and introduced several new features, including the first-ever FatFace concession within a NEXT store, a dedicated Costa Coffee and an expanded Bath & Body Works presence. Together, the two openings signal NEXT’s strategic push to redefine its physical retail experience with large-format, experience-led destinations that blend fashion, lifestyle, and wellness.

From informing shoppers at the research stage to triggering a Super Bowl campaign, Reddit is becoming a gold mine for consumer insights and conversions alike.

From Kering to Nike to Everlane, fashion and beauty companies are turning to fixers to get back on track — with mandates to steady finances, reset culture and reignite consumer desire.

Michelle Ngonmo’s talent incubator, founded in Italy in 2015, platforms and supports BIPOC fashion talent and creatives while building bridges between hubs in Cameroon, Rwanda and Ghana to fashion capitals like Milan, and soon, Paris. BoF sits down with Ngonmo to explore the association’s mission and impact.

British leather goods brand Cambridge Satchel has opened a new store in the historic Georgian city of Bath, marking its sixth retail location in the UK as part of its ongoing expansion. The new opening also reflects the brand’s fourth new store in 2025, following successful launches in Windsor, Edinburgh and Paris. Located on New Bond Street, Cambridge Satchel occupies a restored Georgian townhouse with two floors of retail space. Under CEO Carine De Koenigswarter’s creative direction, and designed by Atelier A&D, the interior takes inspiration from the city’s architecture, featuring Bath stone tones, walnut panelling, and handcrafted steel display pieces made in Sheffield. It features the brand’s full collection of bags – such as crossbodies, satchels, handbags, totes, backpacks, briefcases, and trunks – showcased throughout the space in carefully curated displays. Carine De Koenigswarter, CEO of Cambridge Satchel, said: “Cambridge Satchel’s devotion to craftsmanship and made-in-the-UK is reflected in our sixth UK retail location. We are thrilled to open in the historic city of Bath and this store is a key milestone in our strategic retail expansion both in the UK and internationally.”

UK retailers saw sales lift higher in June as warmer weather encouraged shoppers, according to new figures. Fresh data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed shopping activity swung higher for the month as sales of fans and sportswear rose sharply due to the recent hot spell and sporting events such as Wimbledon. The monthly BRC-KPMG retail sales monitor revealed that total UK retail sales increased by 3.1% in June year-on-year, compared with a 0.2% in the same month a year earlier. This was also particularly buoyed by an increase in food sales, which grew by 4.1% for the month on the back of accelerating price inflation. The BRC found that non-food sales increased by 2.2% in June, with similar rates of growth across online and in stores. Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the BRC, said: “Retail sales heated up in June, with both food and non-food performing well. “The soaring temperatures increased sales of electric fans while sports and leisure equipment was boosted by both the weather and the start of Wimbledon. “Food sales remained strong, though this was in part driven by food inflation, which has risen steadily over the course of the year.” Nevertheless, similar spending data from Barclays painted a slightly different picture, pointing towards a marginal dip in monthly spending. It reported that consumer card spending was 0.1% lower in June, as essential spending dropped for the month. Barclays said essential spending was down 2.1% for the month, according to its card data, despite the improvement in weather. It, however, highlighted that sporting events and festivals helped drive an uptick of non-essential spending, with entertainment, hotels and travel spending all higher. The figures also showed that furniture retailers saw a strong month, with an 8.2% increase in sales. The overall dip came despite surveyed customers indicating that their confidence about their finances is at its strongest level for four months. Karen Johnson, Head of Retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the warm weather, which usually boosts non-essential sectors such as retail and hospitality, consumers spent cautiously in June, prioritising value as they navigate economic uncertainty. “Encouragingly, entertainment, beauty and furniture stores bucked the trend, while confidence in household finances improved, showing consumers’ willingness to spend on the things that matter most to them.”