Poundland Lines Up Rescue Bids as Administration Looms, M&S Adds Klarna's Pay-in-3 to Checkout
5 min read · October 17, 2026 · Covering October 16 · 10 stories from 5 sources
Yesterday in ecommerce: Poundland lines up rescue bids as administration risk grows, M&S adds Klarna's pay-in-3 to checkout, and Visa and Mastercard push a court to approve their swipe fee settlement. 10 stories, about 5 minutes.
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Poundland lines up rescue bids as administration risk grows
Poundland's owners, Gordon Brothers and Pepco, appointed three independent directors who now hold a board majority, as rescue bids circle the discount chain. Irish investor Martin Property Group proposed a solvent takeover keeping Poundland's stores and staff. Fortress Investment Group, owner of Poundstretcher, wants 200 to 250 stores and the brand instead. Gordon Brothers, which bought Poundland for £1 last year, says it will weigh its options. The chain employs about 12,000 people across nearly 600 stores.
For your store:Improving sales don't guarantee survival once debt outpaces cash flow. Build a buffer before a quiet season forces you into a rescue deal.
M&S brings Klarna's pay-in-3 to its website and app
M&S shoppers can now split purchases across fashion, home and beauty into three interest-free payments with Klarna, on both M&S.com and the app. Klarna says M&S joins more than 1.2 million merchants worldwide, including every major UK department store; John Lewis added Klarna in 2024, and Boots also offers it. M&S finance director Katherine Carlson said customers can now "spread the cost in three interest-free payments."
For your store:Buy now, pay later keeps spreading from fashion into general merchandise. If rivals already offer installments at checkout, shoppers increasingly expect to see the option before completing a bigger basket.
Target recruits TikTok-famous Mellow Sleep to revive its bedding aisle
Target is adding buzzy, youth-skewing brands to its home department after sales there fell $1.09 billion, 6.5%, in fiscal 2025, the third straight year of billion-dollar drops. Mellow Sleep, a TikTok breakout that hit $130 million in year-one revenue, launches in 550 stores on October 18 with cloud-themed end caps, priced $39.99 to $129.99. Co-founder Chad Keller asked why Target wouldn't "capitalize on the brands that have big presences over there."
For your store:A creator-built brand with proven demand can pull foot traffic a private label can't. If you sell direct, a limited retail placement can work the same trick in reverse.
Visa and Mastercard push court to approve swipe fee deal
Visa and Mastercard filed a joint reply urging a Brooklyn court to approve their settlement with merchants over card swipe fees, ahead of a November 16 hearing. The networks argue objectors, including Walmart and trade groups representing a class of over 12 million merchants, are repeating arguments the court already rejected in June. The deal would cut credit interchange rates and let merchants surcharge or decline costly premium cards.
For your store:Whatever the court decides reshapes what you pay on every swipe. Watch the November ruling, since lower interchange or new surcharge rights could change your checkout math.
Bath & Body Works brings holiday scents to every Ulta store
Bath & Body Works is expanding its Ulta partnership from 600 stores to all Ulta locations nationwide through December 26, adding holiday fragrances and an Ulta-exclusive revival of Pink Suede, unsold since 2023. The brand first tested the curated Ulta assortment in June to reach shoppers who don't visit its own stores. A spokesperson said the approach "complements our strong store footprint" rather than competing with it.
For your store:A tightly curated, limited assortment inside a partner's stores can reach new shoppers without diluting your own. Look for a retailer whose customers already overlap with yours.
Ruggable shifts ad budget from Meta to ShopMy creators
Since last August, washable-rug brand Ruggable has moved roughly a tenth of its ad spend from performance channels like Meta into creator platform ShopMy, with another 15 to 20% shift planned next year. CMO Lauren Sherman-Kaoud said ShopMy revenue tripled within three months and now beats traditional ads and TikTok on conversion. "What got us here is not going to get us there," she said, as the brand preps for an IPO.
For your store:If affiliate and creator spend converts better than paid social for you, that's a signal to shift budget deliberately, not just bolt creators onto everything else.
Morrisons rebuilds its loyalty app around personalised weekly offers
Morrisons relaunched its More Card app, now used by eight million active members, with six personalised offers refreshed weekly, a barcode scanner for shopping lists at home, and an aisle-based layout. Shoppers earn five points per eligible purchase, with 5,000 points converting to a £5 voucher. The update lands after Morrisons' fifteenth straight quarter of like-for-like sales growth. Loyalty director Gareth Lloyd said the app was rebuilt on "what customers already love."
For your store:Personalised offers and small touches, like scanning items at home, keep a loyalty app useful between visits. Rewards only pay off if people actually open it.
Marqeta and Coinbase let enterprise cards spend stablecoin balances
Marqeta's enterprise customers can now issue cards that spend directly from stablecoin balances at any merchant that accepts cards, under an expanded partnership with Coinbase. Coinbase holds the balances and converts crypto to fiat, its Base blockchain settles on-chain, and Marqeta handles issuance and bank relationships. Marqeta's chief strategy officer said Coinbase "brings scale and breadth of infrastructure" for enterprise needs, building on an earlier crypto-card tie-up.
For your store:Stablecoin-funded cards work like any other card at your terminal, with no new integration on your side. Still worth tracking as more of customers' spending power moves on-chain.
Nearly a quarter of US shoppers expect to go into debt for Halloween
A LendingTree survey of 2,000 US consumers found average planned Halloween spending falling 16% to $162, with the share planning any purchases dropping from 90% to 80%. Among those still shopping, 61% plan to skip some items, most often candy, decorations or costumes. Debt is rising anyway: 24% expect to borrow for Halloween, led by 43% of Gen Z shoppers, and half of past borrowers say they regret overspending.
For your store:Smaller budgets don't mean shoppers vanish, they mean sharper choices. Make your best value or most giftable item the easiest one to find before the holiday rush.
Nordstrom Rack returns to San Francisco three years after leaving
Nordstrom Rack is reopening in San Francisco's Union Square in fall 2027, in the former Forever 21 space a block from where both Nordstrom and Rack closed in 2023. The 51,500-square-foot store will also handle pickups and returns for online orders. Nordstrom says Rack is its biggest source of new customers, and the opening joins a wave of returning retail, including Uniqlo's new Market Street flagship nearby.
For your store:Off-price formats keep proving they can anchor a comeback where full-price retail struggled. If foot traffic is returning to a market you left, a leaner format may be the way back in.
The Daily Checkout is a daily summary written by KonvertiQ. Every story links to its original source, where you will find full reporting and context. Covered today: Modern Retail, PYMNTS, Payments Dive, Retail Dive, Retail Gazette.