Up-to-date coverage of the latest events in UK retail.

7:40am Dixons Carphone agrees targets with providers

Dixons Carphone has sealed an agreement with mobile phone operators over contracts it said were ”unsuitable”. 

The phones retailer had reportedly been struggling to meet targets it agreed with mobile phone providers such as EE, 02, Vodafone and Three more than a decade ago when sales were higher, according to This Is Money. 

Dixons Carphone boss Alex Baldock had made solving the issue a priority when he took over the business a year ago. 

7:29am Pretty Green expected to go into administration

Pretty Green, the menswear label of ex-Oasis singer Liam Gallagher, is expected to go into administration this week according to Sky News. 

The fashion label is expected to appoint Moorfields Advisory to handle its insolvency process. 

Pretty Green filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators on Friday, and is currently seeking to secure new investment. 

7:15am Tesco apologises to Irish ‘misled supplier’

Tesco has apologised after blaming a decision to pull British products from its Irish stores on Brexit uncertainty. 

According to a report in The Times, Britain’s largest supermarket chain was accused of using “Brexit as an excuse” for taking an Irish supplier’s goods off its shelves next month. 

Tesco told The Times the decision was in fact part of routine “range simplification”. 

7:05am M&S seeks to double food sales to ÂŁ12bn

M&S is reportedly aiming to double its food business to over ÂŁ12bn over the next five years, following its delivery deal with Ocado.

According to the Mail on Sunday, M&S is aiming to leverage the home delivery service it acquired from Ocado and also offer a full range of food in more stores in a bid to “attract additional family shoppers”.

The £12bn target remains an “aspiration rather than a plan” for M&S at the minute, but if successful would see it overtake Waitrose and the Co-op and even challenge Morrisons.

7:04am Tesco launches plastic-free groceries trial

Tesco is launching a trial to remove a selection of plastic-wrapped fruit and vegetables to cut down on waste.

Tesco said the month-long pilot would run from today at two of its Extra stores, in Watford and Swindon, and would remove packaging from 45 fruit and vegetables where loose alternatives were available.

Director of quality at Tesco, Sarah Bradbury, said: “We hope this trial proves popular with customers. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the results, including any impact on food waste.”