Updated October 2026.
What is retail public relations?
Retail PR earns a shop or retail brand coverage in the press and attention from influencers and on social media. Done well, it builds the brand’s reputation and sends more shoppers into its stores and onto its website to buy. For Goldsmiths, our social media work secured £1M in sales.
Shoppers now move between the high street, online stores and second-hand marketplaces, so we plan PR that reaches them wherever they buy.
Talk to us about your retail brand
Which retail sectors do we work in?
We have worked with high street and online retailers in fashion, lifestyle, food and beauty.
Our clients include Kurt Geiger, Carvela, Interflora, Goldsmiths, CEWE Photoworld, Cartwright & Butler, Autoglym and British Wool. You can see how we launched a store in our Carvela and Kurt Geiger Leeds launch case study.
We have won 45+ awards along the way, many of them for retail campaigns.
Our Retail clients include:
Our approach to retail PR
We start with your customers and where they spend their time. Then we plan the mix of press, influencers, social media and events that will reach them.
Media relations for retailers
We use press coverage, in print and online, to reach high street and online shoppers. Good coverage helps your search rankings and website traffic, and it brings people through your door.
Our team knows the news agenda well and has contacts across regional and national titles and broadcasters. Cartwright & Butler gained 70+ pieces of coverage from our media relations.
Influencer marketing
Want to reach a new kind of customer? We work with influencers to build loyalty with new audiences and with people who already know you. Our fashion influencer campaign for Kurt Geiger achieved 122 pieces of social coverage.
We pick an influencer whose followers match your customers. They test and review your products in front of that audience, which builds word of mouth for your brand.
Social media management
We build loyal social communities around retail brands. Our Social Media 360 Process shapes your social media strategy, gives your product a clear message and gets people talking about it online. We report results you can measure against your wider marketing strategy.
For paid social, our retail team uses demographic and audience data to target the right customers. We reach people who have not come across your brand yet, and remind those who have, so they buy from your online shop.
Creative campaigns
Our in-house creative team makes product images and video in a range of formats. We keep the style and message consistent on every platform, so shoppers recognise your brand wherever they see it.
Content marketing
Retailers now compete with other shops and with a growing number of brands that only sell online. Standing out takes PR and marketing that work together.
We plan your social media, media relations, events and creative content as one campaign, so customers get the same message wherever they meet you.
Event marketing
Launching a new retail product or opening a local store? Our event PR services can help you plan the event and promote it, so it drives footfall and gets people talking.
For British Wool, we ran an integrated PR and event campaign that showed people where their clothes come from. It won top tier coverage in the Telegraph, MSN and the Daily Star, and educated over 6M people through online and offline activity.
Crisis management and reputation
One bad story can put shoppers off. We give crisis management advice and handle difficult media enquiries for you, so your side of the story is heard.
Awards for our work
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to common questions about PR for shops and retail brands.
What does PR mean for retail sales?
PR puts your brand in front of shoppers through sources they trust: journalists, influencers and people they follow online. That coverage builds the reputation that makes people choose you. Coverage that names your stores or links to your website gives shoppers a direct route to buy.
PR vs marketing: what is the difference for a retail brand?
Marketing is mostly paid: you buy the space and say what you like. PR is earned: journalists, influencers and customers choose to talk about you, so it carries more trust. The two work best together, which is why we run PR, social media and content as one plan.
What types of PR does a retail brand need?
Most retailers need a mix. Media relations gets you press coverage. Influencer marketing and social media reach shoppers where they scroll. Event PR brings people to launches and new stores. Crisis management protects your reputation when something goes wrong. We offer all of these, and we plan them around your customers.
How do I choose a PR company in the UK for my retail brand?
Look for an agency that has worked with retailers like you and can show results with numbers beside the client logos. Ask how they will link coverage to footfall and sales, and who will work on your account day to day. Then ask to see a recent retail case study.
Why choose Prohibition?
Prohibition PR is a team of retail public relations specialists based in Leeds and working across the UK. We ran a fashion influencer campaign for Kurt Geiger that achieved 122 pieces of social coverage, and we changed how people see Interflora with storytelling video.
If you want more shoppers through your door, tell us about your next campaign below. Prefer to talk? Call us on 0113 430 4160.
