Breakfast briefing: Retail news on Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Victoria's Secret

Tesco introduces a new family carvery restaurant at Coventry store

Tesco has created a new family restaurant called Decks, which is to open this week at the Tesco Extra at Coventry Arena.

Unlike its acquisitions of restaurant Giraffe and café Harris + Hoole, Tesco has created Decks from scratch. It owns 100% of it, The Telegraph reported.

Decks, which is owned by a new company called Tesco Family Dining Limited, is promoting itself as offering “real” and “wholesome” British food. The Decks will include a “breakfast deck”, “carving deck”, and “pastry deck”.

The first restaurant in Coventry is understood to be a trial and, if successful, Decks could be rolled out across the country.

M&S to launch Abbey beauty collection in the UK

Marks & Spencer has partnered with NBC Universal to launch Downton Abbey beauty products in the UK.

Under a two year contract, M&S will produce the first-ever range of official Downton Abbey beauty products such as soaps, body lotions, nail polishes and lip balms, Cheshire Today reported.

The range will be available from October 12 at M&S outlets across UK.

Martin McColl rebrands as McColl’s

Martin McColl Retail Group, the convenience store and newsagent operator, has changed its corporate name to McColl’s Retail Group, with immediate effect.

The company said that the rebrand reflects the increasing significance of its convenience stores which accounts for 70% of total sales. The group’s convenience stores will continue to trade under the McColl’s name and its newsagents will remain as Martin’s, or RS McColl in Scotland.

Victoria’s Secret to open stores in north England

American lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret will open its first UK stores outside London with boutiques in Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds.

The company’s three new openings will start with Manchester on August 8 followed by Sheffield on August 13, while in West Yorkshire, the Leeds outpost will open on August 29, The Telegraph reported.

Victoria’s Secret opened its first UK standalone shops in London last August - a sprawling four-floor emporium on Bond Street and a smaller boutique in Stratford’s Westfield shopping centre.