Breaking news, industry updates, and the latest developments shaping global retail, e-commerce, and commerce technology.
The next phase of the Tobacco and Vapes Act took effect across the UK on 29 October 2026, extending the age of sale of 18 to nicotine pouches and nicotine-free vapes. Shops and online sellers now face £200 fixed penalties, and free samples, promotional discounts and vape vending machines are banned.
Poundland has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, with AlixPartners lined up and around 600 shops and 12,000 jobs at risk. Here is what happens next for staff, stores and shoppers holding gift cards or refunds.
The Budget trebles the Income Tax trading allowance from £1,000 to £3,000 from 6 April 2027, lifting the Self Assessment threshold for small sellers too. Here is what changes for people selling on Vinted, eBay, Depop and Etsy, and what stays the same.
The National Living Wage will rise 3.9% to £13.20 an hour from April 2027, with 18 to 20 year olds getting the same 3.9% rise to £11.27. We set out what it means for shop workers’ pay, what it costs retailers per head and how trade bodies have reacted.
Commons committee chair Liam Byrne has written to Amazon and TikTok over their reluctance to send witnesses to a 3 November hearing on online marketplace safety. Here is what MPs have already heard, the rules coming for marketplaces and what it means for UK shoppers and sellers.
Poundland owner Gordon Brothers has declined a solvent takeover offer from Martin Property Group, pushing the 600-shop discount chain towards administration. A revised bid within 48 hours could still save the business whole.
Shop price inflation rose to 2.1% in October 2026 from 1.4%, the highest in two and a half years, as ambient groceries and furniture led the rise. The BRC wants the Chancellor to cut business costs in Wednesday’s Budget.
Which? found 40 potentially dangerous products on online marketplaces in a few hours and has taken its campaign to Westminster. Official notices show 28 of October’s 64 OPSS safety reports name a marketplace, while the government’s promised platform duty is still unpublished.
Wind-up radios, torches and power banks are selling out after the government asked UK households to keep three days of emergency supplies. Here is what the official Be Ready checklist asks for, what retailers report and how to build a kit without panic buying.
The government’s statutory Private Parking Code of Practice, laid on 20 October, freezes the £100 charge cap but adds new free cancellations for illness, childcare delays and exit queues. A BBC check finds several headline protections already existed, and the £70 debt fee survives for now.