Drapers
6 January 2007
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All Saints founders sign Religion deal
The founders of All Saints are teaming up with directional label Religion to launch multi-brand concept stores. -
Always look on the bright side of life
After a week away from the office, I breezed back into work on the wave of a New Year's resolution to be more positive. It's my annual vow and generally lasts about as long as a committed smoker's attempt to give up the evil weed. -
Blue Inc speeds up growth plan
Blue Inc is accelerating its growth strategy and aims to open up to 20 stores this year. -
Bring a smile to the face of retailers
Clare Morgan is hoping for an outbreak of friendly customer service among the nation's stores -
Chinese footwear firms sue EC
Chinese footwear manufacturers with strong supply links in the UK have filed a lawsuit against the European Commission over footwear tariffs. -
CSP gets Energie underwear licence
Italian hosiery manufacturer CSP International has obtained the licence to make Energie underwear from young fashion company Gruppo Sixty, which owns the brand. The new underwear collection will launch for autumn 07. -
eBay urged to end 'illegal' sales
Some of the high street's biggest names are lobbying the government to stop allegedly stolen goods worth millions of pounds being sold on eBay. -
Ethical fashion lecture at Textile Institute
The Textile Institute in London will hold a lecture about organic and fair trade cotton on January 16. The lecture, called Textiles and Sustainability, will be presented by Abigail Petit, owner of ethical brand Gossypium. For details visit www.texi.org. -
Ex-Harrods buyer snaps up Wendover indie
Former Harrods menswear buyer Tim Guy has bought independent Andrew Gardener in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The 2,500 sq ft store sells 75% menswear and 25% womenswear, and stocks Canali, Gant, Paul & Shark and Marc Cain. Guy acquired the store from Andrew and Pat Gardener and will continue to trade it under the Andrew Gardener name. -
Fashion stars shine in New Year Honours
The fashion industry's finest caught the Queen's eye in the New Year Honours list. Former Topshop brand director Jane Shepherdson (above left) and British designer Margaret Howell were awarded MBEs, while New Look founder Tom Singh (above right) and LK Bennett founder Linda Bennett received OBEs. Hong Kong-based Harvey Nichols owner Dickson Poon nabbed an overseas Commander of the British Empire honour, while Sainsbury's chairman Sir Philip Hampton received a knighthood. -
Firetrap burns with global ambition
Firetrap has unveiled a global retail expansion plan following the departure of managing director John Gorman. -
Gelco nabs two new execs from rivals
German womenswear company Gelco has hired Petra Schuller, the former head of design co-ordinates at Gerry Weber, as co-ordinates project manager. She replaces Klaus Demers, who is retiring. Claudia Lutkenhorst, formerly of Bianca, has been named head of international export development at Gelco. -
G-Star sets 60-store expansion target
Dutch denim brand G-Star is to open 60 standalone franchise stores in new global markets this year. The brand aims to grow its portfolio to 145 on the back of openings in Asia and eastern Europe. G-Star stores in Bangkok, Singapore, Kiev and Odessa will open in the next six months. -
High street shrugs off gloom to cash in on Christmas rush
Christmas came late but did arrive eventually for high street multiples, with department stores and young fashion retailers faring best. -
Jaeger sets its sights on Asia as profits bounce back
Jaeger posted pre-tax profits of £1.7 million for the year ended February 26 2006, on sales of £58m. In the first 41 weeks of the current year, profit had doubled and sales were up 19%. The company, which has been hunting for a store in New York, revealed it was in advanced talks to open 13 stores in southeast Asia. -
Kurt Geiger hires retail chief to lead growth
Kurt Geiger has named Sally McClymont as retail director, tasked with expanding the company's store portfolio in the UK and Europe. McClymont was most recently retail operations director at womenswear chain Principles. -
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Looking Glass range to debut at Bread & Butter
Womenswear label Looking Glass will launch a couture range called Looking Glass Boutique at Bread & Butter Barcelona on January 17-19. The collection includes 21 pieces and will wholesale from £25 to £60. Looking Glass, which currently has 80 wholesale accounts, aims to double its number of stockists this year. -
Lyle & Scott off the market as trading picks up
Knitwear brand Lyle & Scott has been taken off the market by owner Harris Watson, a Birmingham investment company that also owns Viyella and Jumpers. Harris Watson is believed to have fielded offers including a proposed MBO, but turned them down after resurgent trading at the brand. -
Margin moves to new venue in central London
Streetwear show Margin will move to a new venue at the Vinyl Factory Gallery in London's Soho next month. It was previously at the Royal Horticultural Halls. Organisers have introduced an area called Kreateur to showcase new designer labels at the event, which takes place on February 11-13. -
Maria Hebel
With 80 years of fit experience under its belt, trouser brand Gardeur is upping its fashion credentials with the help of womenswear creative director Maria Hebel. -
Mayfield to take Hampson's role at John Lewis
John Lewis Partnership has named Charlie Mayfield, the managing director of the John Lewis department store group, as its new chairman. The 40-year-old will succeed Sir Stuart Hampson upon his retirement in March. -
Mike Ashley snaps up Streetwise Sports
Sports World owner Mike Ashley has bought the 32-strong sportswear chain Streetwise Sports. Ashley has appointed Merrill Lynch to look at a potential flotation his Sports World business. -
Mixed bag for indies as festive footfall slumps
Independent retailers have reported mixed festive trading, with the only consensus being that footfall was down across all parts of the sector. -
More details emerge about first BBB Kraftwerk event
BBB Kraftwerk, which will replace the Bread & Butter Berlin show after organisers axed the exhibition, will take place on January 26-27 at the former Vattenhall power station in Berlin. The roster of about 30 brands will include Levi's, Adidas Originals, Oui Set and eyewear label IC Berlin. -
New kidswear show planned in Paris
The organiser of womenswear event Le Showroom is to launch Playtime, a new kidswear exhibition that will take place in Paris on February 2-5, at the same time as Who's Next and Pret a Porter. About 40 brands are expected to show at the new event. -
Nickelson to launch denim and footwear
UK young fashion brand Nickelson will launch a denim and footwear range under new owner Ben Sherman Group. -
Noa Noa founders sell majority stake
Danish brand Noa Noa has sold a 70% stake to investment group Axcel for an undisclosed sum. Founding brothers Lars and Harald Holstein will retain a 30% stake in the brand, which has annual sales of EUR80.5 million (£54.2 million). -
Off the Record
Rumours, gossip, parties -
Oh, the weather outside is frightful ...
As climate change bites, the high street needs to wise up or risk losing out -
Online traders top the Christmas tree
Online retailers look to be the winners in the Christmas trading stakes. Numis analyst Steve Davies said early reports pointed to a 50% rise in online sales in December, ahead of forecast, which bodes well for the likes of Asos.com and N Brown. Asos shares rose 6.5p to 118.75p, while N Brown climbed 1.5p to 284.25p. -
Oxford Street to host Playboy's UK debut
Playboy will open its first UK store next spring, in London's Oxford Street. The 2,400 sq ft store, designed by Australian-based agency Paul Hickman Design, will be owned and operated under license by Global Designer Brands, also based in Australia. It will sell womenswear, lingerie, menswear, accessories, footwear and swimwear. -
Palace coup
The opening of Enfield's Palace Exchange shopping centre and a £3 million refurbishment have given department store Pearsons a new lease of life -
Pitti launches Touch show to replace White
The organisers of the Pitti Immagine fashion events will replace former womenswear exhibition White with a new event called Touch. The show, which will take place on February 22-25 at Via Tortona in Milan alongside Cloudnine and Neozone, will host about 30 exhibitors. -
Pret's So Ethic doubles its exhibitor count
Exhibitor numbers at Pret a Porter's So Ethic area have doubled for the show's next edition to 32 brands. The ethical fashion section includes Ciel, Junky Styling and Terra Plana. The show takes place at Paris Expo on February 1-4. -
Primark fills supply chain and IT positions
Primark has appointed Martin White, formerly of Wickes, as supply chain director and Keith Riley, who has been working at Sainsbury's in an interim role, as director of programmes and systems. Both are new roles, following the opening of a second warehouse in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. -
QS set to grow after Indian investment
Value retailer QS is on the expansion trail with plans to double its chain to 400 stores, after Indian textile manufacturing firm Alok Group bought a majority stake in the British business. -
Retail Forecast 2007
Drapers quizzes fashion retail's key executives to find out what's in store for the industry in the coming year -
Rushlevel and Playform call in the administrators
Leicester-based womenswear manufacturer Rushlevel and its East London distributor Playform have gone into administration. The two businesses, which employ a total of 22 staff, produce and distribute own-label clothing as well as the Evita brand. The businesses continued to trade in the run-up to Christmas while administrators at Tenon Recovery sought a buyer. -
Sale on horizon at Myriad Group
Industry insiders say Myriad Childrenswear Group is close to announcing a buyer for the business, which includes kid's chain Adams. -
Salon International de la Lingerie dates
The Salon International de la Lingerie show will take place on February 2-5 at Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles, not as reported in Drapers on December 2. -
Sassi joins Valentino in chief executive role
Valentino Fashion Group has named Stefano Sassi as chief executive. He was formerly chief executive of textile group and sister company Marzotto. Sassi replaces Michele Norsa, who resigned in July and has joined Salvatore Ferragamo as chief executive. -
Sole Searching
We take a stroll down the high street to find out how the women's footwear multiples have interpreted key trends for spring 07 -
Trilogy aims for five denim stores in London
The founders of London denim store Trilogy are to roll out the concept in the capital. Former Marks & Spencer deputy head of womenswear James Leslie, former M&S head of buying for women's casualwear Lesley Torson and City investor Mark Cocozza are behind the venture and plan to open five more London stores within the next three years. The first shop, on King's Road in Fulham, west London, was opened in September. -
UK push for Peak Performance
Swedish lifestyle brand Peak Performance is to open its first standalone store in the UK and has appointed a country manager to lead the push. -
We can make a world of difference
The fashion industry must consider the wider consequences of its decisions, says Curtis Jacoby -
Webb takes up East chief executive post
East has named Andrew Webb as chief executive, replacing founder Clive Pettigrew, who is expected to take a more creative role at the company. Webb was formerly group director of after-sales and customer service at Carphone Warehouse. -
Welsh MPs to question Burberry directors
Directors of luxury fashion group Burberry will be summoned before a parliamentary committee over plans to close the brand's factory in Treorchy, south Wales. Burberry chairman John Pearce and chief executive Angela Ahrendts will give evidence to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee.
