Landsec is to invest £1 billion in growing its major retail platform over the next one-to-three years as the commercial property giant highlighted its “undoubted portfolio quality” in another “very strong” trading performance.

News of the fresh investment comes after Landsec spent £610 million in the year acquiring the rest of major malls Liverpool One and Bluewater in Kent, although the company has yet to specify how the extra £1 billion investment will be allocated.

And that “very strong” performance for the year to 31 March saw like-for-like net rental income grow an ahead-of-guidance 5% with 8% rental uplifts on relettings/renewals in London and major retail. It’s also seen continued strong leasing momentum since the year-end, it noted.

Meanwhile, EPRA (measuring the underlying operational performance) earnings lifted £3 million to £374 million. Profit before tax rose to £393 million as strong 4.2% ERV (estimated rental value) growth supported a £119 million uplift in portfolio value. That rose 3.4%, “reflecting [the] attraction of high-quality, growing income”.

It also noted that the Q4 period, which coincided with the first three months of 2025, was “the company’s best quarter of the year in retail”, with 6% total sales growth and 2% footfall growth.

That helped end the year with a 3.4% year-on-year rise in sales and a 0.4% increase in footfall across all of its retail locations.

Chief executive Mark Allan said that owning the right real estate “has never been more important” and with a very healthy pipeline of occupier demand, “this trend looks set to continue, providing a clear trajectory for further near and medium-term EPS growth.”

Premium British lifestyle brand Crew Clothing Thursday opened its latest store, in Chiswick, West London, becoming its fourth location in the capital, with ambitious plans to open many more country-wide by year-end.

The new 1,200 sq ft space takes its place on Chiswick High Road, and follows last month’s announcement of a further store opening in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

The new store brings “a slice of coastal inspired style to the capital”, with the brand’s SS25 collections.

Head of Marketing, Naomi Parry, said: “It’s a really exciting time for the brand, with all-new ranges, our world-class sponsorship programme, and an ambitious store opening strategy that should see us open 20 new stores by the end of 2025.

“Our investment in new locations within the capital is a true reflection of our belief in the British High Street”, with its physical retail stock now having surpassed 100 stores.

Last month, Crew Clothing also moved into the women’s athleisure space, launching a collection called SuperLuxe.The 38-piece collection includes a SuperLuxe Half Zip sweatshirt, Slim Jogger with a split hem, and Relaxed Shorts.

How many UK online shoppers abandoned their purchases in the past year due to concerns about delivery? A shocking 40.6% (two in five), according to new research from shipping platform Sendcloud.

The bottom line is webshops that don’t offer flexible delivery options are the ones that risk losing significant revenue.

Based on a survey of 1,000 UK shoppers for the soon-to-be-published ‘E-commerce Delivery Compass’, the data reveals that high shipping costs (78.5%) and slow delivery speeds (41.6%) are the main reasons for cart abandonment. Other contributing factors include unclear or inconvenient delivery options (24%).

And while 56.9% of UK consumers prefer fast delivery, 43% would rather have control over when their order is delivered. Bottom line: delivery should not only be fast but also fit into the consumer’s schedule.

While home delivery remains the preferred option  for 77%, alternatives are rapidly growing in popularity, the report said. Parcel lockers (21%) and pick-up points (25.4%) are increasingly favoured, with 36.8% of consumers now actively choosing retailers that offer these flexible ‘out-of-home’ delivery options.

And that flexibility issue is crucial with 18.7% abandoning a purchase because they can’t select a suitable delivery time, while 16.2% drop out because they can’t change the delivery address.

When consumers are given the option to choose a time slot, preferred delivery windows include 10am-12pm (23.4%), 4pm–6pm (16.9%), and 6pm–8pm (16.3%), “further emphasising that fit often outweighs speed”.

Rob van den Heuvel, co-founder and CEO of Sendcloud, said: “Consumers no longer think of delivery as a backend process. It’s a core part of the overall experience. Shoppers now expect delivery to seamlessly integrate into their busy lives. Retailers that don’t offer flexible options, such as out-of-home delivery, will lose customers to competitors that do. Success in e-commerce isn’t just about speed; it’s about providing choice.”