Drapers
6 September 2008
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Accessories show to debut
Boutique by Chic, a new fashion accessories trade show, will launch from October 26-28 in Coventry, Warwickshire. -
Adidas launches UK website
Adidas has launched Adidas Shop, the brand's first UK specific online store. -
Adili seeks £1m to fund own label
Ethical etailer Adili is seeking up to £1 million in additional investment to help develop its own label and improve short- to medium-term cash flow. -
Adili to raise more cash for growth
Adili, the ethical etailer, said sales were up by more than 100% to the end of July, and that it was in the process of raising further cash from its largest shareholder to help it develop its own label. -
Allegra Hicks pulls out of London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week designer Allegra Hicks has pulled out of this month's event after its sponsors withdrew support for its catwalk show. -
Bank holiday disappoints high street
Bank holiday sales in the UK were hit by a combination of poor weather, the credit crunch and the Olympics last weekend. -
Benetton sales increase
Italian clothing retailer Benetton increased net revenues by 2.9% to €996 million (£803m) and boosted EBITDA by 15.7% to €156m (£125m) over the first half of 2008. -
Bid rumours boost Sainsbury's shares
Speculation of a takeover bid for Sainsbury's sent shares up nearly 8% yesterday. -
Blacks appoints former Hobbs boss to board
Blacks Leisure has appointed former Hobbs chief executive Nick Samuel as a non-executive director as part of a raft of new appointments at the outdoor business. -
Blossom opens second London store
Luxury maternity and babywear retailer Blossom Mother and Child has opened its second store in London and will unveil its second retail presence in Dubai in the autumn. -
Bridgepoint slashes Fat Face debt
Bridgepoint, the private equity owner of Fat Face, has reinvested an undisclosed sum into the lifestyle retailer to help reduce the lifestyle chain's debt by almost £22 million. -
British Fashion Awards scheduled for November
The British Fashion Awards 2008, supported by Swarovski, will take place on November 25 at Lawrence Hall, Westminster in London. -
Brits at their best in Brummie bonanza
With the cost of living soaring, house prices on the wane and consumer confidence at an all-time low, retailers could be forgiven for throwing in the towel. -
Bullfrogs to offer web prizes
Young fashion and footwear independent Bullfrogs has launched a number of online competitions to drive traffic to its website. -
Burberry pushes further into Russia and Kuwait
Burberry has unveiled its sixth store in Russia and has opened its second store in Kuwait, as the luxury British brand expands its reach abroad. -
Cecil Gee put up for sale by Moss Bros
Moss Bros has put its designer branded men’s casualwear chain Cecil Gee up for sale. It is understood that the 13-store chain is being touted around as the menswear group looks to refocus on its core Moss chain and franchise operations. -
Charity shops defy credit crunch
Top charity shops have posted a 7.4% hike in profits to £106.7 million as more people tighten their belts and embrace the 'make do and mend' culture during the economic downturn. -
Cheap schoolwear pays off
Price-slashing and heavy promotional activity on back-to-school product has paid off for value retailers, as sales of uniforms jumped by as much as 20% year-on-year. -
Clothing deflation slows further
The annual rate of deflation in clothing and footwear in August was 2%, marking the 20th consecutive deflationary month since the start of the British Retail Consortium Shop Price Index. -
Colour and prints lift Irish gloom
Hot colours and bold prints in Irish designers’ spring 09 collections injected some enthusiasm into a depressed independent retail community at Dublin Fashion Week. -
David Inglis
The man in charge of turning around home-shopping giant Shop Direct Group, whose portfolio of catalogues includes Littlewoods, is determined to make its own-brand product every bit as desirable as its branded offer. -
Debenhams management pay is frozen
Debenhams bosses have agreed to have their pay frozen to bear the brunt of the credit crunch. -
Digital Marketing: Marketing e-volution
Email marketing can ensure that a retailer’s latest Sales news and offers are communicated directly to their customers’ inboxes, but only if the message isn’t lost in the spam crowd. -
Dollar signs flash a warning to the UK
With New York Fashion Week about to get underway the industry’s eyes would have been turned to the US this week in any case, but with the pound sliding against the dollar the focus on matters Stateside will be even more intense. -
Ecco kicks off account base review
Comfort footwear brand Ecco is wielding the axe over its stockist base for the second time in 14 months. -
Erin O'Connor to raise money for British Fashion Council
One of the faces of Marks & Spencer, supermodel Erin O'Connor, hopes to raise £10,000 for the British Fashion Council by auctioning off items from her wardrobe. -
Esprit reveals 24.5% net profit growth
Young fashion chain Esprit has posted a 24.5% jump in net profit and a 25.6% increase in sales to HK$37.2 billion (£2.6 bn) over the year to June 30 2008. -
Footfall up in August
Footfall in August was up 0.4% on the same month last year and up 3.9% on July according to the Experian National Retail Footfall Index. -
Funkylittlefeet.com up for sale
Footshop, the owner of website Lookatmycrazyshoes.com, has put its kids’ footwear etail business Funkylittlefeet.com up for sale. -
Gap sales fall 5% in August
Gap saw sales sink 5% to $1.14 billion (£647.4 million) and like-for-like sales fall back 8% during August. -
Gok Wan calls for respect to retail workers
TV stylist Gok Wan has backed retail workers in the latest edition of Skillsmart Retail's magazine calling for a greater appreciation for those who work on the shopfloor. -
Grazia launches website
Weekly fashion glossy Grazia has launched www.graziadaily.co.uk to provide its readers with a daily fix of fashion and beauty news. -
Henleys slashes accounts
Henleys is slashing its account base by 25% after the credit crunch stymied the young fashion brand’s ability to insure orders from some of its stockists. -
Highcross Leicester opens
Hammerson's Highcross Leicester shopping centre opened its doors this morning. -
House of Fraser to launch magazine next month
House of Fraser is launching a magazine to showcase its fashion offer next month. -
Indie buying group Stag adds new brands to roster
Independent sportswear buying group Stag has signed up a raft of new brands as sports retailers look to expand their offer and outdoor retailer membership grows. -
Interest rates held at 5%
The Bank of England has held interest rates at 5%. -
Jane Norman sets web target
Young fashion retailer Jane Norman has set a bullish £20 million sales target for its web business by 2010. -
Jil Sander sold to Japanese clothing group
Jil Sander's private equity owner Change Capital is to sell the brand to Japanese clothing group Onward Holdings for €167 million (£135.4m). Onward's European subsidiary Gibo, will take over the business. -
John Lewis expansion plans hit
John Lewis said its expansion plans could be hit by property companies scaling back new developments in the wake of the economic downturn. -
John Lewis sales drop 2.4%
Fashion sales outperformed the rest of John Lewis as overall sales dropped by 2.4% to £48.15 million over the week to August 23. -
John Lewis sales edge up 1.6%
Sales at John Lewis rose 1.6% to £50.3 million for the week ended August 30. -
John Lewis vows not to cut jobs
John Lewis chairman Charlie Mayfield has vowed not to slash jobs at the department store group, despite the credit crunch forcing some businesses to cut staff costs. -
Jonathan Hopson
Drapers probe leading Independents to get their View From The Shop floor. -
KidSpace, London
Yummy-mummies now have another port of call thanks to the Italian kidswear retailer’s Sloane Street opening. -
Liberty losses increase
Liberty reported an increase in losses before tax to £4.2 million for the six months to June 30, up from £2.2m the previous year. -
Liberty men's buyer to join My-Wardrobe
Designer womenswear etailer My-Wardrobe has poached Liberty menswear buyer Lee Douros to help launch a menswear offer for spring 09. -
Liberty set for online advance
Upmarket London department store Liberty will make its fashion collections available to buy online by the end of the year as part of a plan to drive its mail-order business. -
Losses narrow at Dawson International
Dawson International, the knitwear and spinning firm, narrowed its operating losses from £3.8 million to £1.1m in the six months to June 28. -
Luxury firms avoid downturn
The luxury sector appears to be escaping the credit crunch after French luxury groups PPR and Hermès both posted sales increases. -
M&S suspends whistleblower
The whistleblower who revealed Marks & Spencer's plans to cut back redundancy payments has been suspended and faces disciplinary action from the high street giant, according to the GMB Union. -
Marks & Spencer revises cut in redundancy pay
Marks & Spencer has revised its plans to cut redundancy payments after feedback from staff. -
Marks & Spencer sacks whistleblower
Marks & Spencer has dismissed the so called 'whistleblower' who revealed the retailer's plans to cut back redundancy payments, prompting the GMB union to launch a public campaign against the retailer. -
Metrosexual man is a confusing beast
The image-minded Chinese government issued a style guide to its citizens during the Olympic Games. For men, this included no hair fringes below the eyebrows, no white socks with black shoes, wear a collar and shave every day. Yes, metrosexual man has arrived in Beijing. -
Miss Sixty launches e-commerce site
Young fashion brand Miss Sixty has unveiled its first transactional e-commerce site. -
Moss Bros restructures board
Moss Bros has appointed former SRG boss Brian Brick as non-executive director, while founding family member Rowland Gee has stepped down from the Moss Bros board in a management rejig at the menswear chain. -
OnOff adds Duro Olowu to line-up
OnOff, the off-schedule London Fashion Week event, has added designer Duro Olowu to its catwalk line-up this season. -
Out-of-town retailers to cash in on trading boom
Fashion retailers such as Next, New Look, TK Maxx and Matalan are set to benefit from a predicted sales boom at out-of-town shopping centres over the next five years. -
Paul McAdam to leave Ben Sherman
Paul McAdam, president of Ben Sherman North America, will leave his position at the brand today. -
Pheobe Philo joins Celine
Phoebe Philo, the former creative director at Chloé, is to join Celine in October. -
Pink Soda
A renewed thirst for product and plans for a standalone store prove the womenswear brand is bubbling with ideas. -
Plume Boutique takes flight to bigger store
Womenswear independent Plume Boutique is to move from its 500sq ft store on Cookham High Street in Berkshire into a new 700sq ft double-fronted unit on Station Road in nearby Marlow in Buckinghamshire. -
Premium mix for TK Maxx in Kensington
TK Maxx has adapted its product mix to target a more designer-hungry customer at its first central London store, which opened last week. -
Price hikes likely as sterling weakens
The fashion sector is facing the prospect of massive price hikes following the collapse of sterling against the dollar. -
Profits rise at PPR
Luxury group PPR reported sales growth of 11.8% to €9.58 billion (£7.7bn) for the half year to June 30. -
Profits soar at Esprit
Profits at young fashion brand and retailer Esprit rose 24.5% to HK$6.5 billion (£460m) for the year to June 30. -
Retail parks could lead retail recovery
Retail parks are likely to lead the retail recovery and will emerge from the downturn as a more attractive shopping destination than traditional town centre locations, according to a report by Verdict Research. -
Retail sales weakest in 25 years says CBI
Retail sales volumes in August saw a sharp decline, with a similar drop expected next month, according to the CBI. -
Retailers go back to the classroom
With the 85th Oxford Summer School held last week, businesses explain why investing in skills is crucial when times are tough. -
River Island to sponsor fashion auction
Young fashion retailer River Island is to sponsor the first Heart & Design charity auction which will feature specially commissioned works from Karl Lagerfeld and Marc Jacobs. -
Sector is hit by weaker sterling
The crash in the value of sterling against the dollar sent shockwaves through the fashion sector this week. -
Shop Direct Group averts strikes with pay offer
Home shopping and e-tail business Shop Direct Group has avoided strike action, after its employees voted in favour of a revised pay offer. -
Shoppers queue for Kensington TK Maxx
Dozens of shoppers queued up for the opening of TK Maxx's first central London store in Kensington this morning. -
Sir Philip Green calls for rent talks in letter to landlords
Arcadia owner Sir Philip Green has sent a letter to landlords calling for a frank discussion as big retail names call for changes to rental payment terms. -
Sneak preview of Wonderbra by Dita Von Teese film
Wonderbra has released a short teaser film of the new face of the brand Dita Von Teese wearing its lingerie, ahead of its full blown autumn advertising campaign. -
Start-rite makes raft of new appointments
Footwear brand Start-rite has bolstered its sales team with three new hirings as the brand sets its sights on boosting sales growth and brand awareness. -
Susie Crippen
The brains behind J Brand jeans tells Lauretta Roberts how her love of dark denim contributed to the LA label’s success in a crowded market. -
Tailoring return for Jacobson
Swedish lifestyle brand Oscar Jacobson is relaunching its tailored menswear collection in the UK after a 10-year absence. -
Talk our way out of the credit crunch
Credit crunch, global meltdown. Six months ago I had never heard of these terms, but now they have become part of our daily vocabulary. While there are definitely testing times ahead, how much of it is fact and how much is perception? -
The Original Factory Shop sees profits leap
The Original Factory Shop saw pre-tax profits rise by 16.4% to £7.6 million for the year ended March 31 defying the downturn. -
Topshop and Hobbs sponsor FashionExpo
Topshop and Hobbs are to sponsor emerging fashion talent exhibition FashionExpo. -
Ultimo to roll out Debenhams partnership
Lingerie label Ultimo will open seven shop-in-shops in Debenhams throughout September and October. -
Vauxhall Fashion Scout launches mentoring scheme
Vauxhall Fashion Scout, the largest catwalk event for emerging designers at London Fashion Week, is launching a mentoring scheme today to help designers build their businesses. -
Weekend news roundup
The best fashion retail stories from the weekend's papers. -
Westfield declares stake in property firm
Westfield, the Australian developer behind London's White City development, has bought a 2.96% stake in Liberty International, which runs a raft of UK shopping centres. -
Westfield London signs more luxury brands
Westfield London has added a raft of new luxury brands to its White City development, due to open in west London on October 30. -
What the weekend newspapers said (August 30-31)
The best of the fashion business headlines from the weekend newspapers...
