Grace Bowden
Grace is head of content for Retail Week.
She covers a variety of sectors including value, sports & leisure, health & beauty and lingerie, as well as wider technology developments across retail.
She is interested in new appointments, store formats and how retailers are keeping pace with the myriad of technological developments across the industry, from their boardrooms to shop floors.
Contact info
- Tel:
- +44 (0)20 3033 4338
- Email:
- grace.bowden@retail-week.com
NewsJohn Lewis boss Wicks: Christmas trading to be ‘as good or better’ than last year
John Lewis’ new boss Pippa Wicks believes the department store will be able to match or surpass last year’s festive sales performance despite ongoing disruption sparked by the coronavirus.
- Analysis
Profile: Amazon’s new UK boss Boumphrey – not your average Amazonian
Amazon has named its EU fashion chief John Boumphrey as its new UK boss – and it is far from the first time that the long-standing Amazon executive has turned his hand to something new.
- Photo gallery
Store gallery: Apple unveils floating flagship store in Singapore
Apple has launched its first store sitting directly on water, in the Marina Bay in Singapore.
- News
Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group ‘sorry’ amid redundancy pay U-turn
Fashion empire Arcadia has said it is “extremely sorry” after reversing a decision that would have seen the firm pay head-office staff facing redundancy half their notice pay.
- News
‘Visionary’ retail entrepreneur Sir Terence Conran dies aged 88
Sir Terence Conran, the British designer and retail entrepreneur who ‘revolutionised the way we live in Britain’, has passed away.
- News
Boohoo eyes New Look as crunch CVA vote looms
Boohoo is understood to be planning a swoop on New Look if its CVA is not voted through by landlords this week, with the fashion retailer warning it could collapse without rent cuts.
- News
Matalan reshuffles board as CEO Jason Hargreaves steps down
Matalan’s chief executive Jason Hargreaves is stepping down from the fashion and homewares retailer after a seven-year tenure at the helm.
- News
& Other Stories launches cosmetics vending machine
H&M Group chain & Other Stories has debuted a vending machine in its Paris branch in a bid to drive contactless cosmetics sales.
- News
More than 125,000 retail jobs axed so far this year
Nearly 15,700 retail jobs have been lost each month since beginning of the year as coronavirus and enforced store hibernations deal ‘hammer blow’ to the sector.
- Photo gallery
Store gallery: Rolling Stones launch Carnaby Street flagship store
The Rolling Stones have opened their first permanent store on London’s Carnaby Street with product ranging from limited edition artwork to plectrums and face masks.
- News
The Hut Group aims to raise £1.9bn as it confirms IPO
The Hut Group has confirmed its intention to launch a £4.5bn stock market listing that would give the etail group a £5.4bn market capitalisation.
- Analysis
Analysis: How coronavirus has shifted JD Sports boss Cowgill’s priorities
JD Sports has made a name for itself as one of UK retail’s star performers. And despite the hammer blows coronavirus has delivered to swathes of the sector, the sports fashion giant has emerged bruised but still swinging.
- News
Amazon pays £293m in direct UK tax despite £13.7bn revenue
Amazon paid out £293m in “direct taxes” on its UK operations in 2019, despite the group’s UK revenue surging to £13.7bn that year.
- News
Fortnum & Mason chief executive to step down
Fortnum & Mason’s long-standing chief executive Ewan Venters is set to step down from his role in the new year.
- News
JD Sports half-year profits slide as online sales costs mount
JD Sports has delivered a fall in pre-tax profit at the half-year mark despite a minimal sales decline due to steep costs associated with fulfilling its online orders.
- News
Halfords records sales acceleration but warns of ‘significant uncertainty’
Halfords has posted a surge in sales during the pandemic period driven by a spike in demand which has seen both its cycling and motoring divisions deliver growth.
- Analysis
Where are the new battlefields in urban grocery fulfilment?
The coronavirus pandemic has sent hordes of shoppers online for all their needs, and grocery is the category where the shift has been felt most profoundly.
- News
Amazon fashion chief takes reins as UK boss
Amazon has appointed vice president of its European fashion division John Boumphrey to lead its UK business.
- News
John Lewis adds 30 new brands to ‘modernise’ offer
John Lewis has added more than 30 third-party brands to its autumn/winter range across clothing, accessories and beauty.
- News
Amazon set to create 10,000 new UK jobs this year
Amazon is on course to create 10,000 new permanent jobs during 2020 across its UK operations in order to meet growing consumer demand.
