Drapers
8 November 2008
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Agent Provocateur signs Helena Christensen
Agent Provocateur has signed supermodel Helena Christensen as the face of its new creative campaign. -
Alexander McQueen to collaborate with Target
Alexander McQueen is to design a range for US value fashion chain Target next year. -
Anya Hindmarch appoints head of global sales
Anya Hindmarch, the luxury handbag brand, has appointed former Mulberry head of global sales Caroline Atwood to the same role. -
Asos launches maternitywear
E-tail giant Asos has launched an own-label maternitywear range. -
Bali Singh secures funding for MK One
Bali Singh, the owner of MK One, has secured new financial backing for the value chain and is on the hunt for a new management team following the departure of Mark Brafman last week. -
Bank of England cuts interest rate to 3 percent
The Bank of England has cut interest rates by 1.5 percentage points to 3%, giving retailers a boost in the run up to Christmas. -
Baugur warns against quick fire sale of assets
Baugur directors Jon Asgeir Johannesson and Gunnar Sigurdsson say the company can survive the Icelandic banking turmoil and have warned against a quick fire sale of Baugur’s ‘decent’ assets. -
Beales director leaves
Beales sales director Neil Jones has left the department store group. -
Blacks looks to scrap O’Neill wholesale arm
Blacks Leisure is in talks to axe its O’Neill wholesale arm as like-for-likes at the boardsports division fell 16.1% for the 26 weeks to August 30. -
Bluewater launches TV campaign
Bluewater shopping centre has launched its first television advertising campaign for four years today. -
Bollinger’s designer label targets Bond girls
The latest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, provided the inspiration for a new designer womenswear label aimed at the luxury market. -
Buyers wise up to power of brands
Every journalist is driven by the thrill of the chase. The discovery of new stuff is Drapers’ quarry, whether we’re chasing a retail opening, scoping next season’s trends, or pounding the pavement in pursuit of the latest looks. -
Camper
For this family-owned Majorcan footwear brand, fashion is all about standing on your own two feet. -
Carlisle indies team up for catwalk show
Independents in Carlisle joined forces to host a collaborative fashion event last week, which was intended to promote their businesses, encourage customers to shop locally and raise money for charity. -
Celebrity faces under threat at M&S
Marks & Spencer's celebrity models including Twiggy and Erin O'Connor are under review as part of a cost cutting drive at the retailer. -
Chilli duo set up consultancy
Alan and Katherine Strang, founders of supplier Action Apparal, which owns young fashion brands Chilli Pepper, Chill Red and Chilli Couture, have sold their interest in the business to set up a consultancy called The Brand Forum. -
Christmas sales growth predicted to be flat
Sales growth will stall this Christmas, according to research from Mintel. -
Consumer confidence hits new low
Consumer confidence has fallen to a record low, with just one in five people optimistic that the recession will be over within a year. -
Cos to open in London's Covent Garden
Cos will open its third UK store in London's Covent Garden next spring. -
Debenhams MD exits in reshuffle
Debenhams managing director Angela Spindler will leave the company as the department store group revamps its management team to fight the economic downturn. -
Drapers Fashion Summit signs extra speakers
LK Bennett chairman Robert Bensoussan and Debenhams deputy chief executive Michael Sharp are the latest retail chiefs to join the list of speakers at the Drapers Fashion Summit. -
Fashion strong as sales pick up at John Lewis
Sales at John Lewis fell by 1.3% to £57.42 million over the week to November 1 2008, but improved on the previous week thanks to cold weather and half term. -
Fenwick profits up 16%
Fenwick, the department store group, saw pre-tax profits rise 16% to £41.7 million for the year ended January 25. -
Gap sales dip in October
Like-for-like sales at Gap Inc dropped 16% in October, with international like-for-like sales, mostly in the UK, down 5%. -
Geoff van Sonsbeeck
The chief executive of maternitywear etailer Isabella Oliver is building on its Drapers Awards victory last year by diversifying into womenswear, part of an ambitious plan to take its turnover to £75m. -
George launches £12 Little Black Dress
George at Asda has launched two Little Black Dress styles for £12 to help shoppers beat the credit crunch. -
Gossard relaunches website
Lingerie brand Gossard has relaunched its website, which will host its entire collection online for the first time. -
Hawick Knitwear plans to cut staff
Hawick Knitwear, the Scottish textiles firm, is to cut 15% of staff at the business because of the consumer slowdown. -
Hermes lowers sales outlook
Hermes, the luxury group based in Paris, has warned investors of tough trading ahead, as the slowdown begins to make an impact on the luxury sector. -
Ideal Shopping sees sales plummet
Ideal Shopping Direct said it anticipated making a 'small trading loss' for the year after sales in the seven weeks to October 26 fell back 10%. -
Intersport UK appoints general manager
Intersport UK has appointed Barry Mellis as general manager. -
Intimas pulls out of Harrogate Lingerie show
Intimas, which owns lingerie brands Lepel, Charnos and Discover Mademoiselle, will not show at the Harrogate Lingerie & Swimwear exhibition next year. -
Jaeger appoints Stuart Stockdale as design director
Jaeger has appointed Stuart Stockdale as design director to build on Jaeger’s repositioning as a luxury brand. -
John Lewis Bluewater to get £20m revamp
John Lewis will spend £20 million to refurbish its store at the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. -
John Lewis to open first overseas store in Dublin
John Lewis is set to open its first store outside the UK in Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. -
Laura Ashley finance director resigns
David Cook has resigned from his position as finance director at Laura Ashley after nine years to pursue other opportunities. -
Liberty appoints buying director
Liberty has appointed Edwin Burstell as buying director from luxury US department store Bergdorf Goodman. -
M&S cashes in on Sex and the City
Marks & Spencer's tie-up with Sex and the City stylist Patricia Field is understood to have netted the retailer about £1 million in sales in its first five days – one of the few bright spots for the high street retailer after it reported a 34% slide in profits this week. -
M&S profits sink 34%
Marks & Spencer saw adjusted pre-tax profits crash 34% to £297.8 million for the 26 weeks to September 27. UK sales fell 1.1% over the period. -
Marchpole shares suspended
Share trading in fashion supply group Marchpole has been suspended. -
Margaret Sands
Drapers probe leading Independents to get their View From The Shop floor. -
Margin fears at Primark and Next
Primark has warned that the strong dollar and cost pressures could mean its operating profit margin falls further next year. -
Mark Burton
The general manager of the new Marks & Spencer store at Westfield London talks to Charlotte Marrion about launches and luxury toilets. -
Matthew Williamson womenswear returns to Debenhams
Designer Matthew Williamson will relaunch womenswear at Debenhams next year under his Butterfly by Matthew Williamson. -
Mayfair return for Margin
Directional streetwear show Margin is to relocate back to Mayfair in London for its next edition, due to construction work at its current venue, the Vinyl Factory in Soho. -
Moss launches credit crunch suit
Moss is launching a 'credit crunch' suit, shirt and tie package for £49. -
Net-a-Porter chief executive to leave
Net-a-porter chief executive Sven Gaede is leaving the company. -
New Ghost story to start with return to femininity
Ghost's new owner Touker Suleyman is planning a revamp of the luxury womenswear label to return it to its feminine roots, after rescuing the label from administration last week. -
New owner vows to boost brand mix at Edwards
Heritage footwear retailer Edwards of Manchester is revamping its brand mix and store following a buyout of the business in May this year. -
Next like-for-likes down 4.4%
Next saw like-for-like sales fall 4.4% over the 14 weeks to November 1. -
Oasis makes move upmarket
High street chain Oasis is repositioning as a premium, upmarket brand to distance itself from the likes of young fashion operators Warehouse and River Island. -
On Off announces new venue at London Fashion Week
On Off, London Fashion Week's showcase for emerging talent, will take place at the Science Museum in South Kensington, London for next season, February 22-24. -
One to watch
A carefree New Zealand childhood is the inspiration behind the Rebecca Taylor spring 09 collection, which offers plenty of flirty hems, loose-fitting dresses and gold leaf details. -
Pink Soda appoints managing director
Young fashion brand Pink Soda has appointed former general manager of Columbia Sportswear Europe, John Evans, as managing director. -
Primark is king in a tale of two retailers
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. So goes the opening line of Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities. Someone quoted it to me last week to underline the point that in a recession there lies turmoil for some but great opportunity for others. -
Primark outperforms sector with 17% profit rise
Primark saw profits swell 17% to £233 million and like-for-like rise 4% for the year ended September 13. -
Primark profits to rise as M&S profits slump
Primark is expected to reveal an 18% increase in profits tomorrow while Marks & Spencer is expected to announce a 35% slump in its profits. -
Profits and sales up at Peacocks
Gross profit at Peacocks rose 11.4% for the past five weeks, as like-for-like sales rose 7.3%. -
Recession fortunes favour the brave
It seems increasingly likely that next year we will be in a recession. This will be the fourth recession that my business has traded through, so while I am naturally thoughtful about what 2009 will bring, I am confident that we will manage to get through it. -
Retail bosses promote West End traffic free day
M&S chairman Sir Stuart Rose, Jaeger owner Harold Tillman and John lewis chairman Charlie Mayfield were among the retail bosses who joined London Mayor Boris Johnson at London’s Oxford Circus this morning to promote the West End’s traffic-free day on December 6. -
Retail traffic down 3.1% in October
The number of non-food shopping trips in the UK fell by 3.1% in October, compared to the same month in 2007, and by 1.3% against September 2008. -
River Island recruits PR firm
Young fashion retailer River Island has appointed financial PR firm Brunswick, in what is an unprecedented move for the publicity-shy retailer. -
Russell & Bromley profits soar
Russell & Bromley saw profit on ordinary activities jump 33% to £8.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2007. -
Sahara hopes for online oasis
Womenswear boutique Sahara has launched a transactional website after attending a Drapers etail conference. -
Sainsbury's to offer all employees qualifications
Supermarket Sainsbury's is to offer its entire workforce of 150,000 employees the opportunity to gain qualifications equivalent to GCSE standard. -
Sole unveils fresh store concept
Sole, the premium footwear fascia owned by Soletrader, unveiled a new look at Westfield London shopping centre in London’s White City last week. -
Spindler exits in Debenhams reshuffle
Debenhams managing director Angela Spindler is to leave the department store on November 30, less than a year after she joined, following a management shake up. -
Stylo banks on Barratts
Stylo is pinning its recovery on the roll-out of its new Barratts concept after posting losses of £9.3 million for the first half to August 2. -
Suits You launches website
Suits You has launched a transactional website and opened a new store in Westfield London. -
Superdry profits and sales up 100%
Supergroup, the company behind the young fashion brand Superdry and retail chain Cult Clothing, recorded a sales and profits rise of more than 100% in the last five months. -
The Dubai Mall opens today
The Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping centre, finally opened its doors after several delays today. -
The search for excellence
Musing, as I was this week, on the ingredients of great leadership on a global and local scale, I would challenge anyone not to have experienced the feel-good factor that Barack Obama’s election victory has had on the world. -
Thom Browne heads to Pitti
New York tailor Thom Browne will show his autumn 09 collection as the featured guest designer at trade show Pitti Uomo in Florence in January. -
Ugg Australia to open Harrods shop-in-shop
Footwear brand Ugg Australia has inked a deal to open a new shop-in-shop within landmark London department store Harrods. -
Westfield London angers retailers with charge rise
Westfield London has enraged retailers by pushing up its service charges just days after the centre opened for business. -
Westfield scores a last-minute winner
The night before opening it was still a building site, but Westfield London shopping centre in White City snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, with 85% of shops ready for opening day. -
Westfield stores hail success of first week
The first week of trading at the new Westfield London scheme in London’s White City has been labelled a success by retailers, after half a million shoppers went through its doors in the first four days. -
What the weekend newspapers said (November 1-2)
The best of the fashion business related headlines from the weekend newspapers...
