Drapers
31 January 2009
View all stories from this issue.
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1,150 jobs at risk at Shop Direct Group
Shop Direct Group could axe up to 1,150 jobs after the business was forced to close its call centre in Crosby, Liverpool. -
A free-for-all can pop up your sales
The UK high street could learn a thing or two from the savvy US retail marketing industry, which would prefer retailers and brands to throw up a temporary bricks-and-mortar pop-up shop to grab consumer interest, rather than a couple of days of frenzied voucher shopping. -
Actor Rhys Meyers stars for Energie
Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers will star in the spring and autumn 09 advertising campaigns for streetwear brand Energie. -
Alchemy boss hints at interest in House of Fraser
Jon Moulton, founder of private equity firm Alchemy Partners, has hinted he could be interested in buying Baugur’s stake in House of Fraser. -
Alexa Chung to front New Look campaign
Television presenter and model Alexa Chung is to front an advertising campaign for high street multiple New Look. -
Alizari, Chester
The award-winning womenswear retailer’s country house shopfit takes full advantage of its Grade 1-listed site -
Amanda Wakeley back on market
Designer womenswear label Amanda Wakeley has been put up for sale less than two months after it was bought by Jason Granite via his Arvoco investment vehicle. -
Anthropologie to launch in Europe
US womenswear chain Anthropologie has signed two stores in London, marking its first openings in Europe. -
Aquascutum at Pitti Uomo
Drapers’ Marino Donati talks business and trends with Aquascutum at menswear show Pitti Uomo. -
Are you spending as much this Christmas as you did last year?
Drapers’ reporters hit the high street to find out if people are spending as much this Christmas as they did last year. -
Austin Reed rescues 37 Viyella outlets
Viyella will continue to trade from 21 standalones and 16 concessions after it was rescued from administration by Austin Reed on Friday. -
Bandolera moves into coats with Covered
Dutch womenswear supplier Bandolera Industries is launching an outerwear brand called Covered for autumn 09. -
Bank of England cuts interest rates to 1%
The Bank of England has cut interest rates to just 1%. -
Barcelona not ready to give up Bread & Butter
Uncertainty shadows Bread & Butter’s future as Barcelona threatens to launch a breakaway event in response to the trade show’s rumoured return to Berlin -
Barcelona show to rival B&B
Barcelona mayor Jordi Hereu is planning the launch of a rival show to Bread & Butter this summer after the streetwear fair confirmed it was heading back to its roots in Berlin. -
Barratts and Priceless in administration
Footwear chains Barratts and Priceless have appointed Deloitte as administrators. -
Baugur boss slams Landsbanki
Baugur founder Jon Asgeir Johannesson has attacked Icelandic bank Landsbanki after it petitioned for the investment firm, which has stakes in a host of high street retailers, to be put into administration. -
Baugur fashion firms unaffected by its bankruptcy
Baugur’s fashion retail investments will continue to trade as normal following Baugur’s application for bankruptcy, which was prompted after Landsbanki bank terminated talks about a restructuring of the investment firm yesterday. -
Baugur head office staff axed
Nearly all of the head office staff at retail investment firm Baugur are expected to be made redundant today. -
Baugur in administration
Updated: Landsbanki’s petition to put Baugur subsidiary BG Holding into administration has been granted by the High Court of Justice. -
Beales' losses increase
Beales’ like-for-like sales, excluding VAT, fell 3.3% for the 11 weeks to January 17. -
Bianca
Mainstream womenswear brand Bianca is back on track with a refocused offer and service-led distribution -
Bread & Butter upbeat despite attendance fall
Barcelona streetwear fair Bread & Butter saw visits fall back to 79,942 against 99,500 last January but organisers said the show had been a success. -
Bread & Butter video
Drapers fashion and features editor Khabi Mirza talks business with key brands at the streetwear trade show in Barcelona. -
Browning Group ceases trading
Footwear supplier Browning Group has ceased trading after 23 years blaming tough trading conditions, the weakness of the sterling and a lack of available credit insurance for making it an unviable business. The uncertainty surrounding the future of Stylo, its largest customer, is also thought to have been a factor. -
Camille Lorigo
Drapers probe leading Independents to get their View from the Shop Floor. -
CBI records slow start to January sales
Some 63% of retailers saw year-on-year sales volumes fell in the first half of January, according to the CBI’s Distributive Trades Survey. -
Chester Barrie at Pitti Uomo
Drapers’ Marino Donati talks product and currencies with Chester Barrie at menswear show Pitti Uomo -
Contemporary menswear indicator, January 31, 2009
Access Drapers’ unique source of sales information from contemporary retailers, revealing the best-selling brands, the hottest products and the latest issues to affect menswear by clicking on the PDF -
Contemporary womenswear indicator, January 31, 2009
Access Drapers’ unique source of sales information from contemporary retailers, revealing the best-selling brands, the hottest products and the latest issues to affect womenswear by clicking on the PDF. -
Customer takes over Upstairs Downstairs
North Yorkshire womenswear indie Upstairs Downstairs has relaunched after being bought by a former customer who is hoping to expand the business. -
Drapers asks shoppers if they are making the most of Sales
Drapers visits central London and asks shoppers whether they have made the most of Sales before and after Christmas. -
Drapers asks shoppers if they are making the most of Sales
Drapers talks to shoppers in central London to see whether they are shopping for spring/summer fashion as it hits the shelves in mid-January. -
Drapers Awards 2008
A run-down of the Drapers Awards 2008 from the Drapers editorial team including interviews with winners and leading fashion industry figures. -
Drapers Awards 2008 - best dressed
Drapers reporter Laura Jackson checks out the best dressed from the 2008 Drapers Awards. -
Drapers Etail Awards
Drapers gets all the action from its first ever Etail Awards. -
Drapers Fashion Summit 2008
Views from delegates at the Drapers Fashion Summit 2008, including the current state of the fashion industry. -
Drapersonline.com - What do you think?
Give us your feedback on our new look site. -
Duo become English Eccentrics
English Eccentrics, the premium womenswear brand founded in 1984, has agreed a licensing deal with designers Louise Thompson and John Fairlie, formerly of womenswear brands Shirin Guild and Betty Jackson respectively. -
Elie Tahari
Designer and label owner Elie Tahari tells Lauretta Roberts about his journey to the New York catwalks via Israel and Manchester -
Euro safety net offered by Parkers
Parkers Fashion Group, which distributes womenswear brands including Airfield, Nice Connection and Sonja Marohn, is drawing up plans to offer retailers a safety net against volatile currencies when paying for autumn 09 stock. -
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Fashion Summit preview: Asos
Drapers’ Lorna Hall talks to Asos chief executive Nick Robertson about the Drapers Fashion Summit being held on November 18-19. -
Findafashionshop reaches out
Independent boutique locator service Findafashionshop.co.uk has teamed up with website development giant Glam Media to extend its reach. -
Gap international sales flat
Gap recorded flat sales in January at its international business, which includes its UK shops. -
George launches in-between jeans
George at Asda has launched a range of in-between-sized jeans for women who don’t fit standard sizes. -
H&M profits rise 11%
H&M saw Q4 sales rise 15% to SEK 26.3 billion (£2.3bn), helping the Swedish fashion chain to an 11% increase in full year profit to SEK 21.1bn (£1.8bn). -
Hackett at Pitti Uomo
Drapers’ Marino Donati talks key looks and buying confidence with Hackett at menswear show Pitti Uomo. -
Indies’ sales slump by 5.2%
Independent non-food retailers experienced a sales decline of 5.2% for the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the British Shops & Stores Association’s (BSSA) sales monitor survey. -
Irregular Choice store opening, Carnaby Street, London
Drapers’ Laura Weir and Antony Hawman attend the new store opening of footwear brand Irregular Choice on Carnaby Street, London, December 2008. -
James Warren
Forward planning, communication and understanding the customer are the reasons given by United Clothing’s managing director for his UK agency’s success with women’s labels Sandwich and Stills -
JD's profits to exceed expectations after strong January
JD Sports Fashion expects profit before tax and exceptional items to exceed market expectations for the year, after strong January trading. -
John Lewis full year sales finish 0.3% up
John Lewis ended its trading year with “something of a whimper” last week when sales fell 1.6% to £43.51m, but full year sales ended 0.3% up. -
John Lewis scales back expansion
John Lewis has had to put some of its expansion ambitions on hold after property developers shelved plans for new schemes. -
Kcaj secures restructuring deal
Icelandic investment fund Kcaj, which has stakes in Jones Bootmaker, Mountain Warehouse, Cruise and Duchamp, has agreed a restructuring deal with its creditors to prevent it from falling into administration. -
Kurt Geiger signs deal with Radley
Kurt Geiger has signed a five-year licensing deal to design, develop and distribute a footwear collection for premium handbag and accessories brand Radley. -
Kurt Geiger signs deal with Radley
Kurt Geiger has signed a five-year licensing deal to design, develop and distribute a footwear collection for premium handbag and accessories brand Radley. -
Landlords hold key to spending revival
Since embarking on my career some 30 years ago as an agent in the UK and Republic of Ireland, I have been out in the field almost daily, gaining a good feel for my clients. -
Landsbanki must consent to Baugur share sales
Baugur will not be able to offload its shares in House of Fraser to raise cash to save itself without approval from Icelandic bank Landsbanki. -
Lateral Corp to open London showroom
Lateral Corp, which distributes niche fashion brands WESC, RVCA, Keep and Sabre, is opening a showroom in London to help expand its wholesale business. -
Lipsy stores anger stockists
Plans by mid-market chain Next to carve out shops for its Lipsy brand from some of its larger units have angered independent stockists. -
Little Asos to debut next month
Etailer Asos will launch branded kidswear section Little Asos next month, with more than 40 brands for babies up to 24 months and kids aged two to six. Brands will include Diesel, Tommy Hilfiger and Toby Tiger (pictured), plus exclusives such as Lee Kidz and Rock Star Baby. -
London Fashion Week extends menswear show
London Fashion Week will extend its menswear schedule this season, after the success of menswear show MAN, which showcases new British talent. -
Losses widen at Adili
Sales at ethical etailer Adili rose by 78% for the six months to October 31, pre-tax losses widened to £901,000. -
LVMH sees steady growth in 2008
LVMH, the luxury goods group that owns Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs, saw total sales rise by 4% to €17.2 billion (£15bn) in 2008, with an “outstanding performance” by Louis Vuitton. -
M&S unveils Portfolio for older women
Marks & Spencer unveils its new sub-brand Portfolio, aimed at women aged 45 and above, this week. -
Mail order sales slow in December
Sales of clothing through mail order retailers with catalogues fell in December to £56.5 million from £59.9m in November, according to market research business GfK. -
Mango's sales rise 8%
Mango saw retail sales excluding VAT rise 8% to €1.4 billion (£1.2bn) in 2008. -
Mascara gallery
Eveningwear brand Mascara will debut an 80-piece collection for autumn 09. Targeted at the 30-plus woman, the range is split 70:30 between cocktail styles and full-length dresses respectively. -
Massenet provides this year’s model
When I made my New Year’s resolutions I promised the usual professional stuff and vowed to try to look more like Net-a-Porter.com’s Natalie Massenet and a bit less like Mollie Sugden in Are You Being Served? -
Matches unveils revamped site
Drapers Award-winning designer indie Matches, which has five stores in and around London, has relaunched its website. -
Microzine in administration
Microzine, the independent branded fashion store in Liverpool, has gone into administration. -
Miss Sixty Fashion Launch Party
Drapers talks to Miss Sixty and fans of the brand at its spring 09 fashion launch party. -
Monsoon posts solid results
Monsoon saw sales rise 5.3% on an annualised basis to £710 million last year. -
More store closures and job losses at Adams
Adams’ administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers will cut 329 jobs and shut a further 36 shops, as it continues to hunt for a buyer for the kidswear chain. -
Mosaic Fashions makes info available to potential buyers
A potential buyer is understood to have emerged for Principles, the middle market womenswear chain owned by Mosaic Fashions and basic financial information on Mosaic Fashions’ other brands is also now thought to be available to interested parties, although none are thought to be officially up for sale. -
New Look owner buys back discounted debt
New Look co-owner Apax is buying up millions of pounds of discounted debt in the retailer. -
New Look posts pre-tax loss
New Look posted pre-tax losses of £1.8 million for the year ended March 29, 2008 but EBITDA rose 13.6% to £200.6m. -
New Look signs London head office
New Look will start the move into its new London head office this June after it signed a 61,000sq ft site on Mortimer Street and Wells Street in the West End. -
New UK concept planned in Freemans Grattan overhaul
Freemans Grattan Holdings (FGH), the home-shopping firm formerly known as Otto UK, plans to launch a new concept in the UK this year as part of a massive restructuring and overhaul of the business. -
No Sports Direct and JJB Sports merger on cards, OFT says
The Office of Fair Trading has ruled that Sports Direct’s stakebuilding in rival JJB Sports does not represent a merger situation. -
Off the record, Etail Awards
A collection of the latest photos from Drapers first Etail Awards. -
Off the record, January 31, 2009
Drapers reports back from the hot parties and events at Bread & Butter Barcelona. -
Outlook is bleak, CBI warns
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned that fashion retailers will be among the hardest hit by the weakening pound, and the impact of the recession on unemployment will be more pronounced than in previous downturns. -
Paris Men's Fashion Week: Grey Days
After grey tailoring dominated the Milan men’s catwalks, it remained an important influence in Paris last week, appearing on the runways of Jean Paul Gaultier, Yohji Yamamoto, Gaspard Yurkievich and Dries Van Noten. -
Pringle sales drop but losses stable
Sales at Pringle, the luxury knitwear brand, dropped 8.8% last year, although losses at the business remained stable.. -
Retail bosses talk to Drapers about Westfield
Retail bosses, including Barratts’ Michael Ziff, Westfield Group chairman Frank Lowy and others talk about the future of Westfield. -
Retail Trust Ball raises more than £1 million
The Retail Trust smashed all of its fundraising records with retailers donating just under £1.1 million at the charity’s ball last night. -
Shop Direct buys Woolworths and Ladybird brands
Shop Direct Group, the owner of Littlewoods, has bought the Woolworths and Ladybird kidswear brands from administrators Deloitte. -
Shoppers view of Westfield
Drapers gets the views of shoppers on the opening day of Westfield’s London shopping centre, October 30, 2008. -
Sir Philip Green linked to Principles
Sir Philip Green has been linked to a possible deal to take Principles out of the Baugur-backed Mosaic Fashions group. -
Stella McCartney opens first Dubai store
Stella McCartney, the premium womenswear label, has opened its first store in Dubai, ahead of further openings in the Middle East, in Qatar, Jeddah and Riyadh. -
Streetwear labels play it safe for autumn 09
A staunchly commercial and risk-averse sensibility has infiltrated the young fashion and streetwear sector for autumn 09. -
Stylo shares suspended
Stylo, the footwear company behind the Barratts and Priceless chains, has suspended its shares while it reviews options for the business. -
Stylo to close stores
Stylo chairman and chief executive Michael Ziff has outlined plans to shed as many as 200 stores if creditors approve proposals for a Company Voluntary Agreement [CVA] by its Barratts and Priceless chains’ administrator Deloitte. -
Tesco plots attack on branded market
Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, is plotting an assault on the branded fashion market as part of a relaunch of its clothing website next year. -
The weekend newspaper round-up: January 24-25, 2009
The best of the fashion business headlines from the weekend’s papers… -
TK Maxx in talks to open West End store
TK Maxx is in talks to open its first store in London’s West End, on Piccadilly Circus. -
Turnbull & Asser to set up tailoring academy
Turnbull & Asser has hired David Gale as master shirt maker to develop a training academy at the tailoring brand. -
Unique Collections adds premium line
Manchester-based manufacturer and supplier Unique Collections is to launch a premium short-order brand called Forever Unique to accompany daywear stablemate Unique Boutique. -
Visitor numbers almost double at Bubble
The number of buyers visiting kidswear trade show Bubble rose by 83%, compared to last season. -
Visitor numbers fall at Pitti Bimbo
The number of international buyers that attended kidswear trade show Pitti Bimbo in Florence last week fell to 8,600 from 10,084 in January 2008. -
Weekend newspaper round-up: Jan 31- Feb 1
The best of the fashion business related headlines from the weekend’s newspapers… -
Westfield London opening day
Drapers take you around Westfield’s new White City shopping centre, including interviews with Mary Portas, House of Fraser and shoppers at the opening day. -
Whistles secures new funding
Whistles, the womenswear chain run by Jane Sheperdson and part-owned by Baugur, has secured new financing. -
Wild Swans’ third London store is ready for lift-off
London womenswear independent Wild Swans will open its third shop, in Mill Hill in north London, in March. -
Womenswear mood is lifted by colour
Two reader polls running at Drapersonline.com reveal a challenging situation for buyers as the autumn 09 season gets into full swing. Almost 80% of respondents to the question “Are you cutting your budgets for autumn?” said yes, while in a separate poll, 76% of respondents said prices had gone up for autumn.
