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SuperGroup revises profit forecast after January sales slowdown
SuperGroup has revised its full year profits guidance following a slowdown in sales in the last three weeks of January.
Exclusive: JD Sports Fashion snaps up Fly 53
Menswear young fashion brand Fly 53 has been snapped up by JD Sports Fashion, the latest label to be added to the retailer’s portfolio.
Primark parent donates £240m to charity
Wittington Investments, a major shareholder in Primark, has given £240m of its profits to charity after a delivering a profit of £585m for last year.
Jenny Packham launches first high street collection for Debenhams
Jenny Packham has joined Debenham’s growing designer roster and will launch her first high street collection for the department store in April.
Debenhams aims to be menswear top dog
Debenhams has set its sights on overtaking Marks & Spencer and Next to become the biggest menswear retailer by market value, according to the department store chain’s trading director.
Gieves & Hawkes gets slicker as it builds bespoke services
Gieves & Hawkes has overhauled its stock management and supply chain system as it focuses on bespoke services and quicker product turnaround.
Farah Vintage shoots its customers
Farah Vintage chose 11 customers to front its spring 12 campaign, which launched this month. Social media sites were used to find fans of the menswear brand to take part.
House of Fraser Oxford Street axes 14 brands in womenswear overhaul
House of Fraser’s Oxford Street flagship has axed 14 of its womenswear labels, including longstanding brand James Lakeland, in a major overhaul of its womenswear department.
Portas to extend collaboration with HoF
Retail guru Mary Portas will launch four more Mary & House of Fraser shop-in-shops, continuing her collaboration with UK department store group.
Office festive like-for-likes soar by more than a quarter
Young fashion footwear retailer Office has posted soaring like-for-likes of 26% across the five weeks to December 3.
Topman encouraged by overseas wholesale success
Topman is forging ahead with international growth via wholesale after a dramatic increase in stockists in the past 12 months.
Grayers chooses John Lewis for exclusive launch into UK
A men’s casualwear brand, Grayers, is being launched by former top names from Ralph Lauren and J Crew and will be sold exclusively by department store John Lewis in the UK.
Retail employment edges up 0.5% but outlook remains gloomy
Retail employment rose by a “modest” 0.5% in the final quarter of 2011 but the outlook remains downbeat, as 38% of retailers prepare to cut staffing levels this quarter.
Deadline for Peacocks bids looms as other retailers target the stores
Private equity firms including Permira and Cinven have ruled out buying Peacocks, while other investment firms and retailers eye its stores.
Evans bolsters premium offering with Clements Ribeiro launch
Evans is bolstering its premium offering, launching its first designer capsule collection with Clements Ribeiro at the end of March.
IMAGE GALLERY: Kate Moss models for Mango's spring 12 campaign
Mango unveiled Kate Moss as the face of its spring 12 campaign at its flagship store on London’s Oxford Street today.
Asda to boost George online customer experience
Asda is on the lookout for an digital agency to help it deliver a “more exciting customer experience”, as it aims to increase customer engagement with its George clothing line.
Decathlon eyes up Best Buy stores
French sportswear retailer Decathlon is reportedly looking to take over several of the Best Buy stores as it plots to open 100 UK stores.
Matalan asks banks to loosen covenants
Matalan has asked its banks to loosen its covenants on debt incurred in 2010.
Clearance drives strong John Lewis sales
Sales at John Lewis soared last week as its Clearance sale drove strong online custom.
Half of Peacocks head office staff axed
Almost half of Peacocks’ head office staff have been made redundant after the value clothing retailer collapsed yesterday.
Tillman slams ‘inaccurate’ reporting of Jaeger results
Jaeger and Aquascutum chairman Harold Tillman has hit back at recent national press coverage of the company’s financial results as “misleading”.
Ross returns with retail consultancy
Howard Ross, the former UK and Republic of Ireland country manager for German womenswear brand Gerry Weber, has set up a consultancy called Retail Brand Connection.
Primark reports strong Christmas trading
Primark, the value retailer has reported strong Christmas trading and double-digit growth for its first quarter.
Peacocks collapses into administration
Debt-laden value clothing retailer Peacocks has hit the buffers after a last ditch attempt by chief executive Richard Kirk to save the business was derailed.
Mothercare to launch range with Jools Oliver
Maternity retailer Mothercare is to launch a designer range with Jools Oliver, wife of celebrity chef Jamie.
Slow growth in clothing and footwear sales contribute to dismal January for retail
Slow growth in clothing and footwear retail sales helped contribute to the second worst January sales performance since 1995, according to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor.
Textiles tycoon in surprise Peacocks bid
Textiles tycoon Alshair Fiyaz has teamed up with Danish investment fund Solstra Capital to submit a second round bid for Peacocks.
Newness drives fashion sales at John Lewis
Fashion sales at high street bellwether John Lewis saw a “pleasing uplift” last week, up 5.2% in the week to January 28.
Apprenticeships to double this year, predicts Skillset
The number of fashion and textile apprentices in the UK is expected to double by the end of the year, after a deal between sector skills council Skillset and learning provider Pearson.
Dolcis to regain its footing via wholesale
Footwear brand Dolcis will be relaunched for spring 13 on a wholesale-only basis.
Benetton looks to delist after profits slip
The owners of Italian fashion group Benetton will today decide whether the company should delist after the group issued a profit warning for 2011 forecasting that profit would slip 30%.
Peacocks attracts six bids
Peacocks administrator KPMG has received six bids to buy the business, or parts of it, out of administration, Drapers has learned.
VIDEO: H&M unveils David Beckham
H&M has unveiled its game day advert for David Beckham’s H&M bodywear range.
Nautica re-enters UK market with exclusive Debenhams deal
Nautica will re-enter the UK market after nearly 10 years, following an exclusive agreement with Debenhams.
Brewins takes back seat at Republic
Republic co-founder Carl Brewins has stepped back from day-to-day involvement in the business after 26 years.
Kipling celebrates an arty birthday
Bag brand Kipling has marked its 25th anniversary by collaborating with eight artists – including former French fashion stylist Vincent Gapaillard and US photographer Paul Graves – to create artworks using Kipling’s nylon bags.
H&M profits dip in tough climate
H&M, the Swedish fast fashion chain, said profits for its fourth quarter dropped 2.4% as the retailer experienced one of the “toughest years for a long time for the fashion retail industry”.
Primark optimistic for 2012 after strong sales
The squeeze on consumers will lessen in 2012, directors of Primark’s parent company believe.
Asda to open George in the Middle East
Asda is to take its George brand to the Middle East and the Channel Islands.
Primark Northern Irish workers back call for strike
Primark staff in Northern Ireland have overwhelmingly backed industrial action in protest at the retailer’s attempt to impose a second year of pay freezes.
Bonmarché bought out of prepack by Sun European
Bonmarché has been bought by private equity firm Sun European Partners in a prepack administration deal.
Private equity firms eye Peacocks
A host of private equity firms are circling collapsed fashion retailer Peacocks.
Topshop to continue sponsorship of Newgen
High street retailer Topshop has announced that it is to continue to sponsor the British Fashion Council’s Newgen scheme.
Kidswear chain Pumpkin Patch hits the buffers
Kidswear retailer Pumpkin Patch has fallen into administration.
Selfridges’ axe falls on Nigel Hall
Nigel Hall, owner of the eponymous menswear brand, has told Drapers he is “shocked” at Selfridges’ decision to close his concession in its London store, a move that places the future of the brand in jeopardy.
Mothercare to widen price guarantee
Mothercare plans to extend its price match guarantee across more key lines after the tactic helped contribute to a 5% rise in like-for-like sales in December.
Europe boss reviews Rocket Dog stockists
Rocket Dog, the women’s young fashion footwear brand, has kicked off a review of its UK stockist base following the appointment of a new European managing director.
Fashion retailer Select to double stores
Value fashion retailer Select is embarking on an aggressive expansion push as it aims to more than double its store portfolio to 300 over the next three to five years.
Primark Northern Irish staff balloted on strike action
Primark staff in Northern Ireland are close to calling a strike following a second year of pay freezes.
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Aldo Rise collection launches exclusively in Selfridges
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Matalan delivers positive sales growth despite tough climate
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Tesco creates new Saudi franchise for F&F
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Notices of intent filed for Peacock Group and Bonmarché
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John Lewis positive despite sales slip
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‘Strategic approach’ vital on discounting
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Intermedium recruits agent for UK revival
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New Look reports strong Christmas trading
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JD festive like-for-likes rise
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Portas continues collaboration with Clarks
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Bonmarche stores to close as part of rescue deal
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Richard Kirk in eleventh hour talks to save Peacocks
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White Stuff posts profits rise though warns of slowing consumer spending
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Ziff buys bulk of Barratts stores
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Ted Baker delivers "excellent" Christmas performance
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John Lewis chases trend-led women with JL Weekend label
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Tesco reports "disappointing" Christmas as like-for-likes fall 2.2%
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House of Fraser posts "pleasing" 11.1% sales growth
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Urban Outfitters chief executive resigns
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Marks & Spencer clothing sales rise 1.1% at Christmas
