Shearling jackets will be the outerwear trend of the season"News
Sir Stuart Rose to step down in March 2011
Marks & Spencer executive chairman Sir Stuart Rose will leave the retailer in March 2011.
Bonmarché launches transactional website
Bonmarché, the mature womenswear retailer, will launch a transactional website on April 6.
Debenhams gains market share as sales rise
Debenhams said that like-for-like sales at the department store were on an improving trend and that it has gained market share from rivals.
Jigsaw sales rise 5.5% in February
Jigsaw said like-for-like sales rose 5.5% in February, due in part to increased concession space at John Lewis, according to reports.
French Connection to sell Nicole Farhi and scale back US retail
French Connection is selling its loss-making designer label Nicole Farhi and closing most of its eponymous US shops following a strategic review.
SuperGroup confirms IPO details
SuperGroup, the young fashion business, has given the green light to its stock market listing and confirmed that it expects to achieve an IPO valuation of £395m.
All Saints signs Regent Street site
Young fashion chain All Saints is to join the raft of high-profile retailers on London’s prestigious Regent Street by opening a flagship store.
John Lewis warns of challenging 2010
John Lewis saw profits climb 15% to £165.9m for the year ended January 30, but the department store warned that the second half of 2010 was likely to bring more challenging trading conditions.
Whistles posts £5m loss
Whistles reported a pre-tax loss of £5.1m for the year ended January 31, 2009 - its first 12 months under the leadership of former Topshop boss Jane Shepherdson.
John Lewis commercial director takes on 'bricks and clicks'
John Lewis has charged commercial director Andrea O’Donnell with overseeing retail development, format development and retail implementation at the department store chain.
The weekend newspaper round up: March 6 to 7, 2010
A round up of the best fashion business stories from the weekend’s newspapers.
Blacks Leisure starts store expansion
Blacks Leisure, the outdoors specialist, has begun a store rollout programme which it said is the next phase in the company’s turnaround plan.
Matalan founder to pay himself £250m dividend
Matalan founder John Hargreaves is set to pay himself a £250m dividend as part of refinancing plans at the value chain.
John Lewis defies bad weather with 14.8% sales uplift
Department store chain John Lewis posted a 14.8% sales increase last week to £50.4m, when sales of fashion were strong.
River Island makes a grab for kidswear
River Island is to take on rival Next and capitalise on the demise of Adams with the launch of a mini-me kidswear range across selected stores next month.
Pavers in merger deal with Shoe-shop.com
Stuart Paver, owner and managing director of Pavers Shoes, has acquired 100% of Shoe-shop.com, the etail business he co-founded, and plans to merge it with mid-market footwear chain Pavers to become a global multichannel footwear retailer.
New George at Asda MD to push online
Newly promoted George at Asda managing director Andrew Moore is expected to drive multichannel and international growth at the supermarket brand when he takes up his position next month.
Dune appoints marketing boss
The Dune Group has appointed the former international head of marketing at lingerie retailer Agent Provocateur to the new role of head of marketing.
Rob Templeman warns of 'further dip' in the economy
Debenhams chief executive Rob Templeman has warned of a “further dip” in the economy and said the retail sector is ripe for a period of mergers and acquisitions.
Sir Stuart Rose to step down early as chairman
Marks & Spencer executive chairman Sir Stuart Rose has said he will step down earlier than July 2011 and hailed incoming chief executive Marc Bolland as “absolutely the right man” for the job.
John Lewis chairman warns against expecting quick recovery
John Lewis Partnership chairman Charlie Mayfield has warned that retailers need to be careful of a false dawn in the economy.
Sir David Michels will not stand for M&S chairman role
Sir David Michels, deputy chairman of Marks & Spencer, has ruled himself out of the running to replace Sir Stuart Rose as chairman of the UK’s largest fashion chain.
H&M proposes stock split
H&M will propose a stock split at its annual general meeting, whereby each of its existing shares will be divided into two new shares to dilute its share price and give its customers more opportunity to invest in the retailer.
The weekend newspaper round up: February 27 to 28, 2010
A round up of the best fashion business stories from the weekend’s newspapers.
Liberty considering £40m freehold sale
Liberty has confirmed that investors are circling the luxury department store’s iconic Tudor-style building to lease it back to the company.
Phase Eight receives bid approaches
Womenswear chain Phase Eight is understood to have received a number of bid approaches.
Marks & Spencer brings forward bonus payments to avoid 50% tax rise
Marks & Spencer has become the latest retailer to bring forward its bonus payments in order to beat the 50% tax rate being introduced next month.
The weekend newspaper round up: March 13 to 14, 2010
A round up of the best fashion business stories from the weekend’s newspapers.
House of Fraser outlines growth plans to suppliers
House of Fraser chairman Don McCarthy has written to suppliers to update them on the department store’s growth plans and revealed that like-for-like sales rose 10% in the first five weeks of its financial year to March 7.
Central London retail sales up 9.9% in February
Central London retail sales in February were 9.9% higher on a like-for-like basis than a year ago according to British Retail Consortium figures.
Monsoon hires buying and design chief
Monsoon has appointed Shailina Parti to the new role of buying and design director.
Fat Face owner injects new capital to secure future growth
Fat Face owner Bridgepoint has injected £8.5m into the lifestyle retailer to fund its expansion plans, it has emerged.
Tesco's Terry Green replaced by Richard Jones
Tesco chief executive of clothing Terry Green has handed over the reins of the grocer’s UK fashion business to Tesco’s head of non-food Richard Jones.
Burberry files lawsuit against TK Maxx parent
Burberry has filed a trademark lawsuit against TK Maxx parent company TJX Companies, accusing the US retailer of selling counterfeit goods at its US fascias.
Clothing and footwear sales grow in February
Clothing and footwear sales growth continued in February after the sector benefitted from posptoned January sales.
George launches 100-day returns policy
George at Asda has launched a 100-day returns policy as it seeks to step up the competition on rival chains Primark, Tesco and Marks & Spencer.
John Lewis staff poised for 14% bonus
Staff at the John Lewis Partnership, which owns the eponymous department store, are expected to receive around 14% of their annual salary when the retailer reveals strong full-year profits this week.
Video: Primark founder Arthur Ryan collects outstanding achievement award
Famously private Primark founder Arthur Ryan stepped into the limelight last night at the Oracle Retail Week Awards.
Blacks poised to seek deadline for Ashley bid
Blacks Leisure, the outdoor specialist is likely to ask the Takeover Panel to issue a ‘put up or shut up’ notice to tycoon Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct following the latter’s disclosure that it is considering a takeover of its rival.
Signs of spring fail to point to sales uplift for retailers
Retailers remain cautious about trading prospects in March as shopping patterns continued to be volatile in 2010.
Rethink value in ethical terms, says Terry Green
Tesco clothing boss Terry Green has warned that the fashion industry faces a “new value equation” and urged retailers to embrace ethical and sustainable issues.
Olsen sets sights on younger shoppers
Mainstream womenswear brand Olsen is in talks with department store John Lewis to open a raft of concessions as part of a wider retail push for the brand.
Bolland can lead clothing at M&S, insists Rose
Marks & Spencer executive chairman Sir Stuart Rose has dismissed concerns that incoming chief executive Marc Bolland has no clothing experience and said “he is smart enough to learn”.
Tesco wants F+F to become 'biggest global fashion brand'
Tesco clothing chief executive Terry Green said he wants the grocer’s F+F clothing range to become the biggest global fashion brand within five years.
VAT set to increase, warns Aurora president
Retailers must brace themselves for a further VAT increase within the next year, Aurora Fashions non-executive president Stuart Binnie warned at Drapers’ sistle title Retail Week’a annual conference today.
Clothing prices fall despite VAT increase
Clothing is cheaper than it was this time last year in spite of January’s VAT increase, according to the BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index.
Businesses must reconsider values post-recession, says John Lewis chairman
John Lewis Partnership chairman Charlie Mayfield has said that privately-run companies can learn from co-operative groups and said that how business is done post-recession must be reconsidered.
Sports Direct mulls bid for Blacks
Sports Direct, the sportswear chain, is considering making a bid for outdoor specialist Blacks Leisure after blocking its proposed fundraising plans.
BRC urges Budget public spending cuts
The Government should cut public spending rather than increase taxes in its next Budget, the British Retail Consortium has urged.
Tesco partners with ethical label
Tesco has joined forces with ethical label From Somewhere to create a diffusion line made from recycled materials.
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Fashion sales 21% up at John Lewis
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Selfridges soft-launches transactional website
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Andrew Moore promoted to MD of George
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TJX Europe full-year like-for-likes rise 5%
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House of Fraser to open stores in Middle East
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Airport retail sales soar on weak pound
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Matalan considers refinancing
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Debenhams to trial size 16 mannequins
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Supermarkets take biggest market share in kidswear in 2009
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House of Fraser drafts in web guru
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Gap reveals online plans and plots entry into Italy
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February sales outperform expectations say CBI
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Ethel Austin to close 89 stores
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Blacks to postpone fundraiser meeting
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Sports Direct acquires Blacks stake to derail rescue plans
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Cortefiel to launch retail chains in UK
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Primark first-half like-for-likes rise 8%
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Retail sales hit in January, according to ONS
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Fashion boosts John Lewis sales
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New storefit to be trialled in Bhs
