Drapers
9 May 2009
View all stories from this issue.
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PEACOCKS
Dominated by colourful casuals, Peacocks offers fashionable and functional items -
Pitti Uomo signs new exhibitors
Florence menswear show Pitti Uomo has signed a raft of new exhibitors for the next edition in June including US tailoring brand Brooks Brothers. -
Agent Provocateur in expansion push
Luxury lingerie retailer Agent Provocateur will move into a number of new markets this year after its sales increased by 30% to just under £30 million for the year to March 2009. -
Alison van der Lande
It was failing to find a pink leather bag that prompted Alison van der Lande to design her own range, she tells Lauren Johnson -
April clothing sales strongest since 2006
Retail like-for-like sales rose 4.6% in April, with clothing showing the strongest growth since late 2006, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). -
Autumn 09’s key styles identified by Doneger
Womenswear retailers must stock key commercial pieces if they are to make the most of the autumn 09 season and ride out the recession, according to David Wolfe, creative director of New York trend agency The Doneger Group. -
Ben Sherman cuts back its operations
Ben Sherman plans to drop its footwear and kidswear collections by the end of the year to focus on its core menswear and womenswear offers. -
Berwin & Berwin signs Fullcircle deal
Young fashion business World Design and Trade (WDT) has signed a licensing deal for its Fullcircle brand with tailoring specialist Berwin & Berwin. -
Blue Inc to launch womenswear online
Young fashion retailer Blue Inc is to launch its womenswear range online following a successful trial in store. -
BRC consumer confidence index at all time low
UK consumer confidence has fallen to record lows, according to the latest consumer confidence survey from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen. -
Debenhams launches Summer Spectacular
Debenhams has launched its third Sale in less than three months with a four-day Summer Spectacular offering shoppers discounts of up to 25%. -
Diesel
Diesel’s new managing director is backing a scientific approach to distribution in a bid to drive the brand’s sell-through in the UK -
Drapers Footwear Award Winners announced
Pentland Group chairman Stephen Rubin picked up the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Drapers Footwear Awards 2009 last night at a glittering ceremony at London’s Park Lane Hilton Hotel. -
Fiona Sanderson
Drapers probes leading independents to get their View From the Shop Floor -
First look at Matthew Williamson menswear for H&M
Matthew Williamson’s debut menswear range will hit 1,600 H&M stores tomorrow. -
Forever21 eyes Oxford Street to kick-start international expansion
US fashion retailer Forever 21 has revealed that it wants to open a store on London’s Oxford Street as the first step in a possible expansion into Europe. -
FREE cinema tickets
Drapersonline is giving away FREE cinema tickets to a special preview of the new film Looking For Eric -
FREE cinema tickets
Drapersonline is giving away FREE cinema tickets to a special preview of the new film The Hangover -
GEORGE AT ASDA
Menswear has some way to go to catch up to its womenswear counterpart, but the good, better, best pricing architecture was spot on -
GEORGE AT ASDA
George has upped its quality, while keeping prices super low, delivering a host of on-trend styles -
Giles Deacon to quadruple sales
London Fashion Week designer Giles Deacon has signed a production and distribution agreement with Italian manufacturer Castor to help him boost sales from £1 million to between £3m and £4m in the medium term. -
H&M turns around like-for-like sales with 8% rise
H&M’s like-for-like sales rose 8% in April, the first monthly like-for-like rise that the young fashion chain has reported in eight months. -
Harvey Nichols to widen appeal with young-fashion offer
Upscale department store group Harvey Nichols will launch a young-fashion offer early next year as part of chief executive Joseph Wan’s strategy to beat the downturn. -
Has the credit insurance scheme worked for you?
Drapers would like to hear from readers about their experiences accessing the government’s credit insurance guarantee scheme, which was introduced earlier this month to help business suffering from a reduction in cover. -
IMC sets out a survival strategy for menswear
The classic menswear indie market is sure that if brands and retailers stick together, it can beat the recession -
In a fight for survival, it's who dares wins
The current economic situation is anything but easy, but it does allow for reflection on what is working and what isn’t. -
Indies cash in as shoppers opt for quality
Independent womenswear retailers saw their market share by value rocket last year after shoppers opted to trade up to buying fewer better-quality items in highly serviced environments. -
It doesn’t take a genius to work out your DNA
In US sitcom Seinfeld, Jerry dates a girl who only ever wears one dress. It drives him crazy. -
JD Sports Fashion mulls JJB takeover
JD Sports Fashion is eyeing a potential bid for rival JJB Sports, according to The Sunday Times newspaper. -
Jigsaw in consultation with warehouse staff
Jigsaw is understood to be in consultation with staff over plans to close its warehouse in Isleworth, West London. -
John Lewis has best week of the year
John Lewis notched up its best weekly sales performance so far this year, with only a marginal fall in sales of 0.4% to £46.8 million for the week to May 9. -
John Lewis targets stay-at-home Brits
John Lewis is targeting shoppers planning to holiday in the UK with ranges suited to a British summer. -
John Lewis trading steady
Trading at John Lewis was steady last week with four out of seven days seeing flat sales year-on-year, and a drop of 3.1% overall. -
Johnstons appoints managing director
Scottish knitwear firm Johnstons of Elgin has promoted James Dracup to managing director. -
Letters to May 2, 2009
The latest letters from Drapers’ readers -
M&S management and strategy slammed by broker
Marks & Spencer’s discounting and cost cutting is threatening the long term health of the business, according to analysts at broker Investec. -
M&S to sell products for 1p to celebrate birthday
Marks & Spencer will celebrate its 125th birthday by offering a range of products for one penny next week. -
M&S whistleblower "despaired" of retailer's direction
The former Marks & Spencer employee sacked for leaking a memo to the press about plans to cut redundancy pay, said he did it because he “despaired” of the direction of the business was taking. -
Marc by Marc Jacobs, London
The diffusion line’s UK retail debut turns a former bank building into what feels like a designer pick ‘n’ mix -
Marks & Spencer admits it "boobed"
Marks & Spencer has axed its £2 surcharge on the price of bigger bras following mounting public and media pressure. -
MATALAN
A badly lit, dingy store detracts from a clearly merchandised store with credible designs for 16 year-old lads through to 45 year-old dads -
MATALAN
A surprisingly diverse range which through targeted sub-brands speaks to a democratic range of ages -
Matthew Williamson launches online
Designer Matthew Williamson is launching a transactional website next week in a bid to widen his customer pool and grow the label’s market presence. -
Menswear Premium indicator, May 9, 2009
Access Drapers’ unique source of sales information from premium retailers, revealing the best-selling brands, the hottest products and the latest issues to affect womenswear by clicking on the PDF. -
Minimum wage rises to £5.80
UK national minimum wage will rise 1.2% from £5.73 to £5.80 per hour from October. -
Mulberry will take control of US business
Mulberry will acquire the rights to its US business and end a joint venture with its US partner. -
Next results spark hope for economy
Next chief executive Simon Wolfson gave the strongest indication yet that the country was heading out of recession and into a stabilisation period at the retailer’s first-quarter results this week, which were better than forecast. -
Off the record, Drapers Footwear Awards
A collection of photos from the 2009 Drapers Footwear Awards -
Off the record, May 9, 2009
The inside track on the parties and gossip for the week. -
PEACOCKS
With more stores like this Peacocks can aspire to truly competing with New Look -
Poland launch is next on TK Maxx’s European radar
Off-price retailer TK Maxx is planning to launch in Poland this year as it embarks on an expansion trail across Europe. -
Portas rings bell for retail class
Mary Portas, star of the BBC2 fashion retail makeover show Mary Queen of Shops, is to run a raft of retail courses in association with sector skills council Skillsmart Retail. -
PRIMARK
Well interpreted trends and its signature cheap as chips prices keep Primark’s value position strong -
PRIMARK
Primark’s menswear offer fails to live up to its womenswear in terms of style, but prices are low -
Regulars brighten up sales at premium indies
Sales at premium independents are being buoyed by a hunger for exclusive product and repeat trade, despite the recession. Almost half of those independents polled by Drapers reported better trading last week against the year before. -
Richemont profits fall
Sales at luxury group Richemont in April were 19% lower than last year, and profit before tax fell 24% to €844 million (£757.6m) for the year to March 31. -
Rogues Gallery
Alex Carleton, founder and designer of US contemporary brand Rogues Gallery, draws on his New England background for creative inspiration. -
RSPCA to reward ethical retailers
Entries for the RSPCA Good Business Awards fashion category, in association with Drapers, have opened to all fashion retailers and brands that promote animal welfare. -
Rubin lands top footwear award
Pentland Group chairman Stephen Rubin picked up the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Drapers Footwear Awards this week. -
SAINSBURY’S
Packed full of summertime treats aimed at housewives trading in the school-run for a fortnight of Mediterranean sun -
SAINSBURY’S
Even suburban dads deserve more sartorial imagination than this lacklustre mix of wardrobe basics -
Sainsbury's Tu range "star performer"
Sainsbury’s has hailed it’s own-brand clothing range Tu a star performer as it unveiled robust full year preliminary results. -
Shoe Studio axes Nine West and Debenhams
Dune has dropped a raft of brands including Nine West from its Shoe Studio concession business which it rescued from administration in March. Its relationship with Debenhams has also ended as a result of the rationalisation. -
Stephen Rubin
The slogan ‘people count’ was first used by Pentland Group’s chairman when he stood for parliament aged 21, but it is a phrase he’s stayed true to while building his footwear and sportswear empire -
Sun provides bright outlook for fashion
It’s coming to something when you find yourself looking at long-term UK weather forecasts in search of good news. -
Tattooist inks out a streetwear range
Celebrity tattoo artist Lou Molloy has launched an eponymous streetwear range in collaboration with supplier Factory 51. -
TESCO
Amazing entry points and a great accessories section, but dull core pieces -
TESCO
An impressive tranche of trend-led and niche products, but let down by poor signage -
Tesco invests £150m in Clubcard relaunch
Tesco is to inject £150m into the relaunch of its Clubcard as part of a new customer loyalty drive allowing shoppers to double the value of their vouchers. -
This week in history...
Cheque guarantee card limits were raised, Beatlemania hit the fashion industry, and retailers promised not to profiteer in the event of war. -
Video: Drapers Footwear Awards
Drapers’ Ana Santi interviews some of the winners from the Drapers Footwear Awards -
Weekend newspaper round-up: May 9-10
The best of the fashion business-related headlines from the weekend’s newspapers… -
Womenswear Premium indicator, May 9, 2009
Access Drapers’ unique source of sales information from premium retailers, revealing the best-selling brands, the hottest products and the latest issues to affect womenswear by clicking on the PDF.
