discretionary

But the sudden tariff expense has forced the firm to cut investments on things such as new equipment and spending on discretionary items like marketing.

The leadership change comes as rising prices and uncertainty over the knock-on effects of US tariffs have raised concerns over the impact on consumer spending, particularly for Target's discretionary products such as apparel and electronics.

"We see the US consumer behaving cautiously around discretionary spending," said the firm's chief executive Andrew Rees.

"We believe there is still a potential for redress, for example, if discretionary commission arrangements are deemed to be an unfair relationship, redress could still be from to £5bn to £13bn or more," he said.

"If discretionary commission arrangements are deemed to be an unfair relationship, redress could still be from to £5 – £13 billion or more," Mr Branwell said.