Drapers
25 August 2007
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120 years young and still going strong
This month Drapers celebrates its 120th birthday and we decided there was no better way to mark the occasion than to offer a little gift to each and every one of our readers. -
American Apparel opens Brighton store
US casualwear retailer American Apparel has opened its fifth UK store, on North Street in Brighton. The shop will sell T-shirts, sweatshirts and tops for men and women. The retailer manufacturers all its product at its factory in Los Angeles. American Apparel's other UK stores are all in London. A store is also planned for Glasgow. -
Barratts bags 10-store Bay Trading shoe deal
Footwear retailer Barratts has snapped up 10 of Bay Trading's 75 footwear concessions from Dolcis. -
Baugur sizes up Noir to boost its premium portfolio
Icelandic investor Baugur is mulling a move to buy Danish brand Noir. -
Baugur ups its Debs stake
Stock across the fashion retail sector suffered this week, despite measures to stem the turmoil in the US financial markets. -
Concocting a formula for success
Victoria Suffield strives for the perfect marketing chemistry to send her store's profile soaring -
Denim retailers backing flared styles for autumn
Retailers and buyers are hailing the revival of the kick-flare jean but slim is still in, bringing a sales boost and a season of two cuts. -
Fat Face creative manager joins Crew Clothing
Lifestyle brand Crew Clothing has appointed Zoe Price to the new role of head of womenswear. Price, who joined the company this month, was previously creative manager at Fat Face. Price said she aimed to grow the womenswear design team and develop the product offer. -
Fayre bet
Shoefayre nearly bit the dust 18 months ago and has now been put up for sale by owner The Co-operative Group. Laura Weir meets managing director Simon Palmer to examine the retailer's rescue plan -
Gap appoints new UK retail director
Gap has recruited former Timberland retail director Michael Stanier as vice president and managing director of its UK retail and European franchise operations. -
G-Star gets up and running with Derby launch
Denim brand G-Star will open a shop in Derby in October. The 3,200sq ft shop, in Westfield's Eagle Centre redevelopment, will be run as a franchise store by Wolverhampton-based young fashion independent Diffusion. G-Star has nine stores in the UK. -
Hudson Walker signs a new recruit
Former Marchpole UK sales manager Wayne Jenkins has joined London-based recruitment firm Hudson Walker International. He will cover a variety of roles, but has specific responsibility for wholesale sales positions. Jenkins previously worked at Gorland for five years. -
Jesire ventures online with website launch
Womenswear label Jesire is to launch its first website in mid-September. The site will showcase Jesire's range, as well as providing customer information on store locations and brand events. The site is expected to become transactional next year and is part of a wider expansion plan for the brand. Jesire has three standalone stores and 27 concessions in the UK and Republic of Ireland. -
Liverpool's Bluecoat to host retail space
The Bluecoat, the oldest listed building in Liverpool, is to reopen as a workshop and retail space for fashion designers and other creative businesses. The project will launch in early 2008, three years after The Bluecoat closed for a £12.5 million revamp. It will house six retail units, with the first tenant to be announced next month. -
Loake ready to pounce with Puma shoe tie-up
Northamptonshire footwear manufacturer Loake has teamed up with sports brand Puma to create a limited edition hybrid sports shoe - a first for the Goodyear-welted brand. The shoe, which is made from calf leather and cut, punched and sewn by hand, will carry a gold embossed 'Puma by Loake, England' logo on the leather insole. It is part of the Puma Bespoke Collection, which aims to recreate classic Puma styles with traditional influences. -
M&S raises school cash
Marks & Spencer has launched a schoolwear range in partnership with kids' charity Save the Children to raise funds for children in Africa. The retailer will donate 5% of the retail price of each back- to-school item and hopes to raise at least £500,000 towards building a school in Uganda. This year's school range is M&S's biggest ever. A basic three-piece uniform costs just under £6 and will be available from all M&S's UK stores. -
Mango reshuffles its UK sizing for autumn
Women's young fashion chain Mango is rejigging its sizing to include larger sizes for autumn. Plus-size model Crystal Renn (pictured) has also been hired as the face of the Spanish retailer for autumn. Mango's sizes, which went up to 14 or 16 in the UK, now go from size 6 to 18. The latest ad campaign aims to showcase larger sizes in Mango's range, which includes basics and more trend-led styles. The new sizes will be distributed across Mango's global stores. In the UK, 18% of the offer comes -
Matthew Williamson denies Debenhams exit rumours
Baugur-owned designer brand Matthew Williamson has rejected speculation that it is to pull its Designers at Debenhams range from the department store chain. -
Miami to host Londonedge's US edition
Streetwear show Londonedge is to stage a second edition of its US show in Miami, following its Stateside debut in New York in July. Londonedge Miami will take place in January, while the second New York show will take place in July 2008. The next UK edition of Londonedge and Londoncentral is on September 2-4 at Olympia 2 in London. More than 30 new exhibitors have signed up to the event. -
Miss Selfridge is back in the black
Miss Selfridge will return to profit this year after turning around a loss of £3.5 million last year. -
Moda footwear
A tough spring 07 meant buyers were in a cautious mood at Moda Footwear in Birmingham, despite the traditional and more directional looks on the radar -
Monserrat owners pledge to resurrect Brother 2 Brother
Premium independent Brother 2 Brother is to be resurrected by branded fashion retailer Monserrat. -
Moss Bros unveils new look at Cardiff flagship
Moss Bros has opened a 7,000sq ft flagship store in Cardiff. The shop, in the former David Morgan department store building, features the menswear business's latest storefit, which is being rolled out across its portfolio. The design has a glass atrium and a catwalk of mannequins, as well as images of icons from the 1950s and 1960s, plasma screens and Wi-Fi facilities. The two-floor shop will sell casualwear and formalwear, shirts and accessories alongside a suit hire area. -
New chief operating officer joins Hobbs
Womenswear retailer Hobbs has appointed Nicky Dulieu to the new role of chief operating officer. She will be responsible for all the business's day-to-day operations, including merchandising, retail operations and supply chain management. Dulieu was previously finance director at the retailer. The new role has been created to allow Hobbs' chief executive Nick Samuel to lead the group's strategic development. -
New Look sale is unlikely this year
Young fashion chain New Look will not be sold before 2008, despite reports that buyout firm Blackstone has resumed talks with its private equity owners. -
New owners lure more stores to Metquarter
The Metquarter shopping centre in Liverpool is targeting accessories and lingerie retailers under its new owners. -
Newcomers trigger bra wars in the UK
Overseas lingerie retailers are gearing up for a UK assault. But the dominance of Marks & Spencer and fashion multiples means they will have to work hard to gain a foothold in the market -
Peter Black buyout fuels Li & Fung's European push
Export firm Li & Fung has bought Marks & Spencer footwear supplier Peter Black International and will use the acquisition as a springboard for expansion across Europe. -
Positive mood at Harrogate lingerie show
Exhibitors were full of optimism at the Harrogate Lingerie and Swimwear Exhibition this week, despite independent buyers' plans to streamline their offers for spring 08. -
Profits keep sliding at Ann Summers
Profits at lingerie retailer Ann Summers halved last year, despite the chain opening 12 new stores. According to accounts filed at Companies House this month, pre-tax profits for the year to June 30 2006 fell to £1.53 million, down from £3m the previous year. Sales also fell £117m to £110m during the same period. -
Profits on the rise at Edinburgh Woollen Mill
Pre-tax profits at Scottish clothing and gifts retailer Edinburgh Woollen Mill have crept up by £1.03 million to £24.83m in the year to February 24, a rise of 4.3%, despite what directors called a 'tough trading environment'. The retailer also announced a turnover of £147.4m, up from £145.6m the year before. -
Pure footwear
Metallic wedges, sandals and acid-bright pumps stepped into line at Pure -
PWC executive takes the helm at McQueen
Corporate advisory specialist McQueen has hired former PricewaterhouseCoopers executive Jane Hughes as a managing director to head its retail industry practice division. Hughes is well known in retail corporate finance, having worked on 30 deals over the past seven years including the IBO of Phase Eight. The appointment reflects McQueen's desire to step up its retail clients. -
Quest unveils womenswear venture in Falkirk
Scottish young fashion independent Quest will open its first standalone womenswear store next spring. The retailer, which currently sells menswear and womenswear at its main Quest store in Falkirk, will transfer all its women's product to a 4,000sq ft shop in the same street in the Cow Wynd area of the town. Quest for Women will open in February next year, and an expanded menswear offer will occupy the existing 6,000sq ft shop. The business already has one menswear standalone in Falkirk calle -
Rain or shine, the show must go on
The determination of festival organisers puts Martin Jones in the mood to overcome the weather -
Reiss in retail venture with John Lewis
Niche fashion retailer Reiss is to launch a joint venture in John Lewis stores in a bid to broaden its customer base. -
Retail's chain gang
Drapers and supply chain solutions provider Holistica brought together fashion and retail logistics bosses to discuss the issues they face. Marino Donati reports -
Ronit Zilkha's licensee goes out of business
London Fashion Week brand Ronit Zilkha's sole licensee has gone into administration. -
Snow + Rock signs for Manchester snow mall
Specialist mountain sport retailer Snow + Rock is set to open a 10,000sq ft flagship store in November in Manchester's new Chill Factor-e development, which will feature a real snow indoor ski slope as the centrepiece of its alpine-style retail village. The store will be Snow + Rock's 16th outlet, following two openings last year at Gateshead MetroCentre and Monument in central London. -
Supply rethink at MK One as losses continue to rise
Value retailer MK One has kicked off a review of its suppliers after losses at the chain sunk to £21.4 million for the year to January 27. -
The Drapers fashion fix poll
Every week we ask Drapersblog.com readers their opinion on the question of the week. -
Thread & Bone adds slim suits for spring
Premium shirt brand Thread & Bone has expanded its collection to include a slim-fit suit range for spring 08. The range, created by Northern Irish shirt manufacturer Glenaden, includes linen sheen mixes, evening suits, white dress suits and pinstripes. The company is also launching a womenswear range under its 1 ... Like No Other shirt brand for spring 08. The collection includes prints, jacquards, stripes and plain styles. -
Viyella owners decide not to sell
Womenswear brand Viyella has been taken off the market as owner Harris Watson focuses on the brand's growth. -
Wet weather drives fashion sales on internet
Online shopping received a huge boost from July's wet weather, with clothing sales up 56% on last year, according to a report from IMRG, the industry body for global etailing. The report found that UK online sales exceeded £4 billion a month for the first time. Sales of clothing, footwear and accessories have grown by 1,587% in the 78 months from February 2001 to July 2007. -
Win LFW tickets courtesy of Cotton USA
London Fashion Week returns on September 17-21 and Cotton USA is giving one reader the chance to bag a pair of VIP invites to the prestigious OnOff party, plus tickets to see Scottish designer Deryck Walker unveil his first ever women's collection. Enter by visiting www.drapersonline.co.uk and answering the following question: Which brand is sponsoring Deryck Walker's spring 08 catwalk show at OnOff? -
Windows of opportunity
Christine Brickman, creative director of design agency Elemental Design, has been dressing windows for more than 20 years after starting her career as a trainee at Miss Selfridge before moving to Wallis. Brickman now works with a host of retailers, citing Harrods as one of her biggest clients. Harrods will unveil a new Elemental Design window display in September, called Timeless Luxury, featuring brands such as Burberry and Louis Vuitton.
