Drapers
28 April 2011
View all stories from this issue.
-
...and royal wedding to give extra sales boost to retailers
Strong trade either side of tomorrow’s royal wedding is expected to offset the fall in sales forecast on the big day itself, when most people are expected to watch the nuptials. -
A look we love
The trend for strapless bags continues apace, as evidenced by these styles spotted on the streets of Paris recently. -
Alexon Group returns to profit
Alexon Group, the womenswear group which operates chains such as Eastex, Ann Harvey and Kaliko, has returned to full-year profitability and named David Adams chairman. -
All Saints, 1 St Lawrence Street
Standout product, but a shame there are so many repeats of autumn 10 silhouettes. -
Antonio Marsocci
Head of retail, Lotus Originals. -
Aquascutum in hunt for stores on upmarket streets
Luxury British brand Aquascutum is understood to be mulling a menswear-only store on London’s Jermyn Street as it seeks to exit its shop on Regent Street. -
Blacks Leisure reduces full-year losses
Blacks Leisure, the outdoor sports specialist, said its full-year losses before tax and exceptional items fell from £14.4m to £6.6m but still suffered a “disappointing” year. -
Blacks poaches Figleaves boss Julia Reynolds
Blacks is understood to have poached Julia Reynolds, chief executive of online lingerie retailer Figleaves, to fill its top job. -
Consumer confidence falls to 'worrying' level in April
Consumer confidence fell sharply in April, making the chances of a double dip recession “increasingly real”, according to the GfK NOP. -
Debenhams, 17 Southgate Place
Good price points, but not always enough product distinction across the brands. -
Don't blame it on the sunshine
As the classic disco hit suggests, it would be unfair to single out the glorious weather we had over the Easter bank holiday weekend, or indeed the good times, for the current trading conditions - in truth a combination of these factors has led to a bumper few days for UK fashion retail. -
Dorothy Perkins, 24-25 Stall Street
One of the most competitive offers on the high street, but the store could do with an uplift. -
Easter sun brings out shoppers...
Most retailers report bank holiday surge, but trade wilts in the heat for some. -
Fashion drives EBay's UK sales
EBay’s global sales soared 16% in its first quarter with fashion driving sales in the UK. -
French Connection, 3 Green Street
One of French Connection’s best seasons to date at the right price. -
Gap, 18-19 Old Bond Street
A sea of Sale stock overshadows the little trend direction there is in this store. -
H&M, 16-18 Lawrence Street
An eclectic product mix in places, but the 1970s trend is well executed and prices are good. -
Hobbs, 43 Milsom Street
Great in-store experience, but product fails to impress to the same extent as last season. -
Hotter invests in UK factory upgrade
Comfort footwear brand Hotter has invested £500,000 in its factory in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, to increase its manufacturing output to 1.6 million pairs of shoes this year. -
How to be a...Head of retail for a casualwear brand
Gemma Wood, Operations manager, CVUK -
IMAGE GALLERY: Royal Wedding Windows
Retailers have decked out their stores to celebrate tomorrow’s royal wedding. -
Jimmy Choo floats IPO idea
Luxury footwear and accessories label Jimmy Choo is considering a £650m public offering on the Hong Kong stock exchange. -
JoJo Maman Bébé sells stake to Tom Singh investment vehicle
Maternity retailer JoJo Maman Bébé has sold a minority stake to private equity investors backed by New Look founder Tom Singh. -
Karen Millen, 6 New Bond Street
Karen Millen offers some of spring’s key trends, but sticks to silhouettes its customers depend on. -
Kate Middleton wedding dress replicas to hit the shelves
Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton has said designing Kate [Catherine] Middleton’s wedding dress was “the experience of a lifetime” as replica dresses began to hit the high street shelves within days of its reveal. -
Leighton in frame for top job at Peacocks
Former Asda chief executive Allan Leighton is the front-runner to become chairman of value chain Peacocks. -
LK Bennett seeks new chief executive
LK Bennett has appointed head hunters Odgers Berndtson to find a new chief executive. -
M and M Direct axes women’s buyer role amid slower trading
Discount etailer M and M Direct has axed the role of womenswear buyer, blaming sluggish performance in the category. -
Mark Ashton
The owner of agency Concept Fashion tells Marie Davies why he’s launched short-order brand Little Mistress. -
Marks and Spencer, 16-18 Stall Street
A solid delivery from each sub-brand, but customer service should be flawless at M&S. -
Men's Mainstream Footwear Indicator, April 28th, 2011
Access Drapers’ unique source of sales information from men’s footwear retailers, revealing the best-selling brands, the hottest products and the latest issues to affect footwear by clicking on the PDF. -
Monsoon pre-tax profits triple
Mainstream womenswear retailer Monsoon said that pre-tax profits more than tripled to £98.2m for the year to August 28, 2010, up from £27.9m the previous year. -
Monsoon reclaims its Indian heritage
Monsoon is returning to its Indian-inspired roots with a major store overhaul aimed at re-engaging with its core customer. -
Moss revamps shops to include Bespoke
Menswear retail group Moss Bros is to roll out its made-to-measure services and overhaul its stores in a bid to demonstrate its full offer to customers. -
New Look, SouthGate shopping centre
Maxi dresses stand out, but the trend-led area should be larger. -
Next sales benefit from sunny Easter and royal wedding fever
Next has upped its full year sales and profits forecast after a strong Easter helped to drive fashion sales at the chain. -
Next, 33 Stall Street
Another tiny store, it was difficult to display a broad range of product and styles. -
Oasis, 2 Cheap Street
Oasis covers more spring 11 trends in its offer than any other retailer in this Hit or Miss survey. -
Pierre Cardin and Halston up for sale
Two key fashion labels could be set for new owners with luxury labels Pierre Cardin and Halston reportedly up for sale. -
Profits increase at VF Corp
Profits at VF Corporation, the branded fashion house behind brands such as The North Face, Seven for all Mankind, Vans, Wrangler and Lee has reported a 12% rise in first quarter profits to $1.96bn (£1.18bn) for the three months ended March 31. -
Puig becomes majority shareholder in Jean-Paul Gaultier
Puig, the Spanish parent company of beauty brands Carolina Herrera, Nina Ricci and Paco Rabanne, has acquired a majority stake in fashion house Jean-Paul Gaultier. -
Reiss, 34 Milsom Street
A separates-driven collection scores high points for this branch of Reiss. -
Retail sales growth sluggish
Retail sales picked up in April although store groups said the performance was considered poor for the time of year. -
Richard Jones
Tesco’s clothing chief may have only been in the job a year but he has already repositioned the F&F brand to win back core customers - and insists this is only phase one of his plan. -
River Island, 9 Southgate Place
This great store ticks the right trend boxes with its own unique take on spring 11 essentials. -
Sainsbury's guns to become top five clothing retailer
Sainsbury’s is gunning to become one of the UK’s top five clothing retailers as it expands its Tu fashion range. -
Scottish Fashion Awards shortlist announced
The Scottish Fashion Awards has announced its shortlist of candidates for 12 awards including the Designer of The Year and the International Designer for Best Use of Scottish Fabric. -
Shopper numbers fall by a third on Kate and Will's big day
Shopper numbers plunged by a third on the day of the royal wedding as millions of people tuned in to watch the nuptials. -
Speedo’s new HQ is fit for a princess
Swimwear label Speedo officially opened its global HQ in Nottingham on April 18. -
Sunglasses and kidswear lift sales at John Lewis
Fashion sales were lifted at the John Lewis department store chain in the week to April 23 when the country basked in spring sunshine by sales of seasonal items such as sunglasses and kidswear. -
Ted Baker, 46 Milsom Street
Some great prints and a subtle nod to this season’s trends make Ted a winner. -
There’s no escaping royal wedding fever
Mention the royal wedding to a retailer and you’ll get a very mixed response. -
Topshop, 50-53 Southgate Place
A store that comes top of the class for product at the right price. -
Ugg drives first quarter sales at Deckers
Deckers Outdoor, the US owner of footwear brand Ugg, said that strong sales of the sheepskin boot brand helped first quarter sales to rise but that its second quarter performance would be impacted by the move to wholesale in the UK. -
VM Inspiration: Recreating the Home
WGSN highlights the most authentic examples of ‘comfort retailing’ from around the globe. -
Wallis, 11 Union Street
One of the best print offers on the high street, but a few too many long-sleeved tunics. -
Warehouse, 5 New Bond Street
For a small store, more full-price merchandise is needed, but the editing is good. -
Wedding gives stores a royal opportunity
Harrods has commissioned luxury brands Missoni and Matthew Williamson to design tiered wedding cakes for a royal wedding-themed window display, as retailers capitalise on the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton tomorrow. -
WGSN Boutique - User guide: Celebrity fashion
Every fashion demographic has its icons. -
Women's Mainstream Footwear Indicator, April 28th, 2011
Access Drapers’ unique source of sales information from women’s footwear retailers, revealing the best-selling brands, the hottest products and the latest issues to affect mainstream footwear by clicking on the PDF. -
Womens wear: Key silhouettes, S/S 12
In part two of our S/S 12 special, we look at key shapes for trousers, tops, knits and jersey.
