Sephora North East

 

Sephora celebrated the official opening of two highly anticipated North East stores at Eldon Square in Newcastle and Metrocentre in Gateshead. As the fourth and fifth additions to Sephora’s growing UK portfolio, these new beauty destinations have already made a significant impact, with thousands of eager customers queueing to be among the first to step inside the stores. Before the official opening time of 9:13 AM—symbolically chosen to match the Friday, 13th September date—excitement filled both locations as customers arrived as early as 5 PM the previous day.  As a special Friday the 13th twist, lucky customers received product gifts and Sephora merchandise throughout the morning. With Sephora’s continued expansion in the UK, the North East openings mark a significant milestone in bringing the brand’s world-class beauty experiences to new regions. 

Sephora North East

Microsoft Job Cuts

Xbox owner Microsoft is to cut about 650 staff from its gaming division in a new round of job losses after its $69bn (£54.3bn) merger deal. The software giant said staff working in "mostly corporate and supporting functions" worldwide would be affected. It laid off 1,900 staff in January and, in May, closed four studios bought before its purchase of Call of Duty maker Activision-Blizzard. Microsoft's purchase of Activision-Blizzard in October also included Candy Crush maker King and followed its buyout of Zenimax, which owns Fallout maker Bethesda. Mr Spencer told staff Microsoft had tried to "minimise disruption" as it brought in new teams in the months since the multibillion-dollar acquisition. Mr Spencer acknowledged the news would be "difficult" for workers and thanked those affected for their contributions to the company.The games industry has been hit by mass layoffs over the past two years following a rush of investments and acquisitions amid record profits and player numbers during the Covid-19 pandemic. PlayStation maker Sony, League of Legends creator Riot Games and Fortnite owner Epic have been among those to lay off hundreds of workers.Sales of Xbox hardware have fallen since last year though, and the company has been trying to expand its software sales. Xbox showed off a string of upcoming games from its studios in June, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. The showcase was praised as one of its best in years, but the company has also upset fans by raising the prices of its Netflix-style Game Pass service and by announcing plans to release certain games on rival consoles.

Microsoft Job Cuts

Baked in Gold

 

Greggs has released a five-piece 22 carat gold-plated collection of jewellery for its most dedicated sausage roll fans. 'Baked in Gold' is the British bakery chain's first official jewellery collection, which will be available online from 10am on September 13, coinciding with the start of London Fashion Week. The limited edition range features iconic Greggs favourites including Sausage roll earrings, a Jammy Heart necklace and a Greggs charm bracelet. Each piece is hand-crafted by contemporary British artist Dion Kitson and prices start at £36. "Greggs fans are sure to find the perfect, gloriously golden piece to take their accessory game to the next level," the bakery said. The launch follows a tease posted across Greggs' social media channels over the weekend, prompting fans to speculate what could be coming. The jewellery range follows a previous collaboration between Greggs and Primark in 2022 featuring branded tracksuits, bucket hats, sliders and trainers.

Greggs Jewellery

High Street Closures

 

Pharmacies, pubs and banks made up half of the closures on Britain's High Streets in the first six months of this year, data suggests. A total of 6,945 stores have closed so far in 2024, which is the equivalent of 38 shops per day. However, if you take into account new store openings, there's only a net closure of 12 stores a day, which is slightly higher than the same period last year. On average, 18 chemists, 16 pubs and nine banks shut down every week between January and June - according to research from accountancy firm PwC. But only three convenience stores and one café chain opened in their place, highlighting the huge changes taking place in town centres. Last year saw net store closures of 11 shops a day. The data covers businesses with more than five outlets and includes everything from retail and hospitality to gyms, banks and hairdressers. It does not include independent traders. Convenience stores were the best performing category as supermarkets like Morrisons and Asda opened new outlets. It’s also been a tough first year for takeaways and restaurants. After a year of growth, these categories were hit by dozens of closures as the hospitality sector grapples with higher costs and weaker demand. The one bright spot was retail parks where chains opened more space for the second year in a row with new drive-throughs in big demand.

High Street Closures

Apple iPhone 16 Launch

 

Apple is set to announce the new iPhone 16 line-up on 9 September in a move that will signal the tech giant’s first serious foray into the world of artificial intelligence (AI), spearheaded by a new version of Siri. The live event in Cupertino, California will be livestreamed on Apple’s site as well as on YouTube, and is expected to debut 'Apple Intelligence' - Apple’s response to rivals such as Samsung and Google which have already baked in AI features into their flagship smartphones this year. Apple is also expected to unveil new watches and Airpods as well as the usual hardware upgrades across its iPhone and Pro line. The event is billed as ‘Glowtime’, which insiders suggest refers to the boosted on-screen glow of Apple’s Siri assistant, which will receive an AI upgrade this year.

Blog Q: Will the iPhone product life cycle get shorter?

Apple iPhone

The Body Shop Rescued

The Body Shop has been rescued from administration, in a deal that appears to secure the immediate future for 1,300 shop and office workers. A consortium led by the British cosmetics tycoon Mike Jatania has acquired the ethical beauty brand's 113 UK stores which remain trading, for an undisclosed sum. Mr Jatania described the Body Shop as "a truly iconic brand" popular in over 70 markets around the world. "We plan to focus relentlessly on exceeding their expectations by investing in product innovation and seamless experiences across all of the channels where customers shop," he said. Announcing the deal, Auréa Group said it has "no immediate plans" to shut stores but that it would monitor the footprint of the estate over the coming months as it tries to manage costs. The Body Shop was founded in Brighton in 1976 by the late environmental and human rights campaigner Dame Anita Roddick. What began as a single shop in the seaside town quickly grew into a global brand known for its beauty offer, perfumes and ethical stance against animal testing. Dame Anita and her husband Gordon sold the business to French beauty giant L'Oreal in 2006. Since then it has changed hands twice, including for as much as a reported one billion euros, amid fierce competition from other natural beauty brands like Lush and Rituals.

Blog Q - Is the market for ethical beauty becoming too saturated for The Body Shop to survive?

The Body Shop

Selena Gomez Joins Billionaire Rich List

The 32-year-old actress and singer has amassed a fortune worth $1.3bn, according to Bloomberg. It said her wealth came mainly from her Rare Beauty make-up company, which she founded five years ago and retains a stake in worth more than $1bn, the publication estimated. The brand's success has made her one of the "youngest female self-made" wealthy on the list, alongside the likes of Taylor Swift and Rihanna. Rare Beauty, known for liquid blush and lip tint that have had viral success on social media, reportedly did net sales of $400m in the 12 months to February. Gomez has also brought in tens of millions of dollars from endorsement deals with the likes of Louis Vuitton, Coach and Puma, according to Bloomberg. It said she also took home "at least" $6m per season for her Emmy-nominated turn in the Hulu hit "Only Murders in the Building", which was recently renewed for a fifth season. The singer became the most followed woman in the world on Instagram last year.

Blog Q - What entrepreneurial skills has Selena Gomez shown?

Selena