Today in retail: Could Donald be a Trump card for UK?

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There were protests and parties today as Donald Trump prepares to be inaugurated as the 45th US President.

But will his swearing in prove to be a cause for celebration or concern for UK retailers?

With Brexit uncertainty still hanging over the heads of British businesses, further instability across the pond was the last thing we needed.

But Trump lauded the UK’s decision to leave the EU during his election campaign and has already pledged to seek a quick trade deal with Theresa May.

This should be music to the ears of British retailers, 59% of whom count the US as its most important overseas ecommerce market.

As the world holds its breath, Britain could actually be poised to breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Elsewhere today, H&M’s future on Oxford Street was thrown into doubt after we revealed the fashion giant is quitting one of its three stores on the prime street.

The Swedish firm is also considering pulling out of its other two Oxford Street stores amid a perfect storm of sluggish sales and rising business rates.

We also broke news of a restructuring of Body Shop’s UK team, while there’s also a new man at the helm of Ebay UK after it snapped up Tesco’s head of general merchandise Rob Hattrell.