Primark updates on trading In the seven weeks to 20 June, Primark recorded sales of £322m, only 12% lower than the same period last year. The ABF-owned business predicts that it will turn a profit of between £300m and £350m in the full year to September. Read more.

John Lewis to close stores The retail business yesterday announced plans to permanently shut some stores, cut jobs and close one of its London headquarters. A spokeswoman said: “The reality is that we have too much store space for the way people want to shop." Read more.

Hammerson collects just 13% of third-quarter rent The British property group, which owns Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham and Brent Cross centre in London, says that it remains confident that collection rates will improve going forward. Read more.

Sales at B&M soar 27% The discount retailer has reported a 27.2% uptick in first-quarter sales. Revenue growth in the UK was 33.7%, with LFL sales up by 26.9% compared to last year. Read more.

Walgreens Boots Alliance extends Microsoft partnership In an effort to focus on personalisation in its digital transformation, Boots' parents company is collaborating with Microsoft. Walgreens Boots Alliance will use Microsoft's technology across its loyalty scheme, ecommerce and store network. Read more.

Sainsbury’s posts strong first-quarter sales as ecommerce soars 87% year-on-year The business has posted an 8.2% increase in first-quarter sales, spurred by strong online growth. Grocery sales were up 10.5% during the period while general merchandise grew 7.2%, bolstered by a 10.7% uplift in Argos sales. Read more.