Drapers
Nicola Harrison
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Blacks boss Julia Reynolds set to stand down
2 May 2012
Blacks chief executive Julia Reynolds is set to stand down from the outdoors retailer that was acquired by JD Sports Fashion in January. -
Forever 21 Oxford Street extension to open by the winter
1 May 2012
Forever 21 has confirmed it is to extend its flagship store on Oxford Street, with the new space expected to open by autumn/ winter 2012. -
Mothercare finance director resigns
25 April 2012
Mothercare finance director Neil Harrington has resigned from the struggling maternity retailer. -
John Lewis rolls out London Olympics shops to all stores
10 April 2012
Department store group John Lewis is to install official London 2012 shops in all its branches. -
Alexa Chung fronted Superga brand eyes central London expansion
7 April 2012
Italian footwear brand Superga is on the hunt for more central London stores as it seeks to increase it presence in the capital. -
Blacks' rebrand targets family market
30 March 2012
Outdoor retailer to focus on product and store refits as it targets family market. -
Mothercare puts 160 head office staff in consultation
19 March 2012
Troubled maternity retailer Mothercare has put 158 members of head office staff into consultation as part of a review to simplify central functions and cut costs. -
Sports Direct strong Q3 ahead of expectations
15 February 2012
Sports Direct retail sales grew 10.2% to £408.6m in the 13 weeks to January 22 as the retailer outperformed management expectations. -
Winter warmers drive John Lewis sales
10 February 2012
John Lewis sales grew 6% to £52.5m in the week to February 4 as shoppers stocked up on winter warmers in the cold weather. -
Edinburgh Woollen Mill in the frame to buy Peacocks
8 February 2012
Edinburgh Woollen Mill has emerged as one of the four bidders in the running for collapsed value clothing retailer Peacocks, Drapers understands. -
Former New Look boss Wrigley sounds death knell of high street
2 February 2012
The former boss of New Look, Phil Wrigley, has sounded the death knell of the traditional high street, and described Mary Portas’s review as the “right diagnosis, wrong prescription”. -
Bonmarché bought out of prepack by Sun European
23 January 2012
Bonmarché has been bought by private equity firm Sun European Partners in a prepack administration deal. -
Asos sales and margin up in third quarter
19 January 2012
Fashion etailer Asos UK sales were up 10% to £62m in its third quarter. -
Bonmarche stores to close as part of rescue deal
18 January 2012
Up to half of Bonmarché stores are likely to closed or be offloaded as part of a rescue deal to salvage the heart of the business. -
Notices of intent filed for Peacock Group and Bonmarché
16 January 2012
UPDATE: Notices of intent to appoint administrators have been filed for both Peacocks Group and Bonmarché, placing the clothing retailers into a 10-day moratorium until a solution to its difficulties is found. -
Alshaya to revamp La Senza stores and product as it hires CBRE
12 January 2012
La Senza’s new owner Alshaya will introduce new product lines and revamp stores as part of its plan to turn around the ailing lingerie brand. -
Tesco reports "disappointing" Christmas as like-for-likes fall 2.2%
12 January 2012
Tesco has reported its worst Christmas sales performance in decades as UK like-for-likes excluding VAT and petrol declined 2.3% however the retailer posted “good growth” for clothing. -
New Look reports strong Christmas trading
12 January 2012
New Look like-for-likes rose 3.6% in the 5 weeks to December 31 despite the “challenging” trading conditions. -
N Brown like-for-likes up 2%
11 January 2012
Home shopping group N Brown like-for-likes rose 2% in the 19 weeks to January 7. -
JJB shows improving performance over Christmas
5 January 2012
Embattled sports retailer JJB Sports like-for-likes rose 5% in the 4 weeks to December 26. -
Brand Alley sales surge 61% in fourth quarter
4 January 2012
Private sales site Brand Alley has had an “excellent” year, posting a 61% sales surge in the final quarter of 2011. -
Next sales up as Directory outperforms stores
4 January 2012
Next sales rose 3.1% between August 1 and December 24 as sales in its directory outperformed stores. -
La Senza calls in restructurers
14 December 2011
Lingerie retailer La Senza has appointed KPMG to restructure the business. -
Irish Government scraps plans to change upward only rent reviews
7 December 2011
The Irish Government has scrapped plans to ban upward-only rent review clauses from existing leases. -
Shop price inflation falls to 2% in November
7 December 2011
Overall shop price inflation dropped to 2% last month, from 2.1% in October, representing the lowest rate for 12 months as the supermarket price war kept prices down. -
New Look's Will Kernan jumps ship to White Company
6 December 2011
New Look’s chief operating officer Will Kernan has become the latest director to exit the embattled fashion retailer. -
November retail like-for-likes down 1.6%
6 December 2011
Retail like-for-like sales in November fell 1.6%, the weakest performance since May. -
Arcadia profits fall as Sir Philip Green confirms mass store closures
24 November 2011
Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia fashion group experienced a profit slump in the year to August 28 as the retailer confirmed mass store closures on the high street. -
JD Sports preparing for "tough" Christmas
23 November 2011
JD Sports Fashion has revealed flat like-for-likes in the 16 weeks to November 19. -
'Christmas momentum building' at John Lewis despite sales fall
21 November 2011
John Lewis sales fell 3.2% last week year-on-year but the department store said Christmas momentum is building as week-on-week sales grew 11.6%. -
John Lewis says its customers are "resilient"
14 November 2011
John Lewis sales slipped 0.8% to £76.3m in the week to Saturday November 12. The department store said its customers are “proving resilient” despite a week of “severe economic turbulence”. -
River Island to launch standalone shoes and accessories store
9 November 2011
Fashion retailer River Island is to launch a new fascia selling only shoes and accessories in Nottingham this month. -
John Lewis in "Made in UK" product push
31 October 2011
John Lewis is to push British-sourced products in its stores to support UK manufacturing. -
UK families £15 a week worse off in September
25 October 2011
UK families were £15 a week worse off in September according to the Asda Income Tracker, representing the biggest drop since records began. -
John Lewis sales up as shoppers feel festive
21 October 2011
Jon Lewis sales rose 9.9% to £62.6m last week as it clocked up the best performance of the half. -
A-wear acquired by Hilco
18 October 2011
Irish fashion retailer A-wear has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by restructuring specialist Hilco Ireland. -
Inflation reaches record levels sparking fears of business rates hikes
18 October 2011
Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation jumped to 5.2% in September from 4.5% in August, while the Retail Price Index (RPI) measure of inflation has risen to its highest level in 20 years, at 5.6%. -
November 1 for Oxford Street Christmas lights switch on
18 October 2011
The Oxford Street Christmas lights will be switched on on November 1, as retailers on one of the busiest shopping streets in the UK gear up for the crucial festive period. -
Burberry sales soar 30% in first half
12 October 2011
Luxury fashion brand Burberry saw total revenue surge 30% to £830m in the six months to September 30. -
Jacques Vert and Trespass sign up to Springfields Outlet
11 October 2011
Jacques Vert and Trespass are among six reatilers to have taken space in the Springfields Outlet in Spalding, Lincolnshire. -
First glimpse of House of Fraser click and collect store
11 October 2011
House of Fraser will open two House of Fraser.com stores this month, providing a click and collect offer in 1,500 sq ft units. -
USC boss Jim McGonigle exits
5 October 2011
USC chief executive Jim McGonigle has exited the fashion retailer. -
Cameron urges households to pay off credit and store card debt
5 October 2011
Prime Minister David Cameron will today warn millions of cash-strapped households that they should pay off their credit card and store card debt as Britain aims to rebuild itself. -
EU legislation prevents UK retailers opening stores in Europe, says BRC
4 October 2011
Unnecessary legislative barriers are preventing UK retailers opening stores in other EU countries, according to the British Retail Consortium. -
Reiss hires Sanjay Sharma as international director
3 October 2011
Upmarket fashion retailer Reiss has appointed Sanjay Sharma to the newly created role of international director for Reiss. -
Alexon bought by Sun European in prepack deal
29 September 2011
Alexon has been bought by private equity firm Sun European Partners as part of a prepack deal after the business fell into administration today. -
Alexon suspends shares as administration looms
29 September 2011
Troubled womenswear group Alexon has suspended its shares on the Stock Exchange “pending clarification of the company’s financial position”. -
Sun European and Debenhams in the race to buy Alexon
28 September 2011
Private equity firm Sun European Partners is thought to be the front runner to acquire troubled mainstream womenswear group Alexon. -
Aurora says far fewer stores are needed in the multichannel age
23 September 2011
Fashion group Aurora Fashions is conducting a property review across its brands as it reassesses its bricks-and-mortar needs in the multichannel age. -
Zara-owner Inditex posts 14% rise in profits in first half
21 September 2011
Spanish clothing giant Inditex has recorded a 14% jump in profits in its half year results as it benefitted from expanding into overseas markets and growth in online sales. -
Remaining TJ Hughes stores to be shuttered
25 August 2011
The last remaining TJ Hughes stores still trading are to be shuttered, with closing down Sales commencing immediately. -
Riots cost retailers 7,500 trading hours as 11,000 staff impacted
24 August 2011
More than 11,000 retail staff were impacted by the riots earlier this month and store groups lost more than 7,500 hours of trading. -
Businesses set up further High Street Fund for riot hit retailers
24 August 2011
A further nationwide High Street Fund has been set up to help small business affected by the riots that hit England this month. -
Westfield Stratford 95% leased
17 August 2011
Westfield Stratford is 95% leased or committed ahead of its opening next month. -
London footfall slumps amid riots
17 August 2011
Footfall slumped in London last week as people stayed away from the high street to avoid the riots and retailers shut up shop. -
Inflation rises to 4.4% in July
16 August 2011
Inflation rose to 4.4% in July, up from 4.2% in June. -
Creditors better protected under new pre-pack rules
15 August 2011
Businesses may find it harder to push through controversial pre-pack administrations under a new draft regulation to be unveiled next month. -
Investigation into sports retail market to close, says OFT
12 August 2011
The Office of Fair Trading has provisionally decided to close its investigation into alleged anti-competitive conduct in the sports retail sector. -
Riot-hit retailers granted business rate relief
11 August 2011
Prime Minister David Cameron has revealed a series of concrete measures to help riot-hit retailers, including business rates holidays. -
Consumers more cash-strapped than ever
11 August 2011
British consumers have never felt so strapped for cash as rising utility bills leave little money left over for basic needs. -
House of Fraser to open new format click-and-collect store
4 August 2011
House of Fraser is to open a new format click-and-collect store in Aberdeen next month. -
TJ Hughes stores sold to Lewis's Home Retail
1 August 2011
TJ Hughes administrators have sold four of the collapsed retailer’s stores to Lewis’s Home Retail. -
Womenswear hard hit as Irish retail sales slump
26 July 2011
Retail sales in Ireland fell by 6% on a like-for-like basis over the second quarter of the year, with womenswear particularly hard hit. -
Jack Wills eyes sale or float next year
18 July 2011
Preppy fashion chain Jack Wills is gearing up for a stake sale or float next year that could value the retailer at up to £500m. -
'M&S girls' ditched from TV ads
18 July 2011
Marks & Spencer has ditched its glamorous TV ad campaign featuring female celebrities including Myleene Klass, Twiggy and Dannii Minogue, it is understood. -
Debenhams completes £650m refinancing
18 July 2011
Department store group Debenhams has completed its refinancing of the £650m senior credit facility it agreed in July 2010. -
White Company EBITDA rockets as boss prepares to step down
15 July 2011
White Company has defied the economic gloom to post a better than expected 37% surge in EBITDA to £10.7m in the year to March 27. -
Buyers circle as TJ Hughes collapses into administration
30 June 2011
Arcadia’s Sir Philip Green and value fashion chain Primark have emerged as potential buyers for discount department store group TJ Hughes, which collapsed into administration this morning. -
TJ Hughes puts administrators on standby
27 June 2011
TJ Hughes has today filed an intention to appoint an administrator. -
BRC's Luke Mayhew to slam criticism of large retailers
8 June 2011
The British Retail Consortium chairman Luke Mayhew will condemn criticism of successful multiple retailers as “ridiculous” in a speech today. -
Austin Reed sells Regent Street flagship to SuperGroup
25 May 2011
Austin Reed, the classic British menswear retailer, is to leave its iconic Regent Street store after 100 years in the high-profile London location. -
Peter Werth in administration
16 May 2011
Peter Werth, the menswear brand, is in administration Drapers has learned. -
Retail sales growth sluggish
3 May 2011
Retail sales picked up in April although store groups said the performance was considered poor for the time of year. -
Aquascutum in hunt for stores on upmarket streets
28 April 2011
Luxury British brand Aquascutum is understood to be mulling a menswear-only store on London’s Jermyn Street as it seeks to exit its shop on Regent Street. -
JD Sports cautious despite 28% profit jump
13 April 2011
JD Sports Fashion has warned of a tough outlook despite notching up a 28% increase in full year pre-tax profits. Its sports fascias outperformed its young fashion chains but trade has deteriorated in the last eight weeks. -
National Minimum Wage increase 'out of step with reality'
7 April 2011
The National Minimum Wage increase of 2.5% to £6.08 is “out of step with reality”, according to retailers. -
Forever 21 takes Bluewater store
7 April 2011
US fashion giant Forever 21 has signed for a store at Bluewater shopping centre. -
Government asks for retailers' views on overregulation
7 April 2011
Government is urging businesses and individuals to give their views on overregulation via a new website. -
JJB Sports to improve 'retail basics' with £65m fundraising
6 April 2011
Sports retailer JJB Sports has said its intended £65m fundraising will help provide management with greater operational flexibility and the money to fund to its turnaround plan. -
Beales to acquire 19 department stores
5 April 2011
Beales, the department store chain, is to more than double its store numbers with the acquisition of 19 stores from Anglia Regional Co-operative Society. -
HoF considers click-and-collect stores
1 April 2011
House of Fraser is exploring opportunities to maximise its multi-channel sales by scouting for small stores that could be used by click-and-collect customers. -
Burberry plans super flagships to trumpet Britishness
25 March 2011
Luxury brand Burberry has snapped up a series of high-profile London leases that will see it create a “Burberry super flagship” department store format to showcase its entire product offer. -
French connection boss hits out at upward only rent reviews
17 March 2011
French Connection chief executive Stephen Marks has hit out at upward only rent reviews, asking the government to review the law. -
JJB Sports confirms plans for second CVA
11 February 2011
Sports retailer JJB Sports has confirmed it is to attempt a second Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) to ensure the survival of the business. -
Consumer confidence up in Q4 2010
2 February 2011
Consumer confidence rose in the final quarter of last year as consumers felt more positive about job prospects and their personal finances. -
Soft comparables boost John Lewis
14 January 2011
John Lewis sales soared 38.7% to £74.7m in the week to January 8, driven by a strong performance in fashion and online and boosted by soft comparables because of snow in the same week last year. -
HMV backtracks on fashion after grim trading
7 January 2011
Embattled HMV, the entertainment retailer, is scaling back its fashion ambitions and has not ruled out closing more stores after a disastrous Christmas. -
Public sector job cuts lower than forecast
30 November 2010
The Government is expected to make fewer public sector job cuts than first anticipated, with the Office for Budget Responsibility adjusting its estimate down to 330,000 from 490,000. -
Sports Direct profits up as bonus scheme pays off
20 October 2010
Sportswear retailer Sports Direct increased gross profit 5.4% to £117m in the nine weeks to September 26 as its bonus share scheme paid off. -
N Brown grows profits as bad debts dwindle
12 October 2010
Home shopping giant N Brown grew adjusted pre-tax profit 5.5% to £44.1m in the six months to August 28, boosted by the expansion of its Jacamo and Marisota brands and a reduction in bad debts . -
Ralph Lauren to open first Rugby store in UK
11 October 2010
Ralph Lauren will open its first Rugby store in the UK in Covent Garden. -
House of Fraser asks Lloyds to up its stake
11 October 2010
House of Fraser has asked Lloyds Banking Group to increase its share in the department store chain as part of a property deal. -
Forever 21 to make UK debut in November
30 September 2010
US fashion giant Forever 21 is to open its first UK store in Birmingham’s Bull Ring on November 12. -
Consumer confidence dips in September
30 September 2010
Consumer confidence dropped two points to -20 in September, according to GfK NOP’s Consumer Confidence Index. -
Debenhams uses older models to target "forgotten women"
24 September 2010
Department store Debenhams is featuring older models in its new ad campaign which the retailer claims is an industry first. -
Return to profit on cards for Brantano
17 September 2010
Out-of-town family footwear retailer Brantano is on the verge of breaking into profit for the first time since 2005, after altering its sourcing strategy to buy direct from the Far East. -
Back to School drives sales at John Lewis
10 September 2010
Department store chain John Lewis’ sales rose 5.6% to £57m last week as Back to School drove a record week for childrenswear. -
Brands tune in to HMV’s young fashion ambitions
28 August 2010
Entertainment group HMV is to stock streetwear brands Boxfresh and Fly53, denim brand Lee and bag brand Eastpak from next Wednesday - marking its first major push into fashion. -
Retailers stock cautiously for Christmas
9 August 2010
Retailers are planning to stock cautiously in the run up to the crucial Christmas trading period due to uncertainty over the economy and concern over house prices. -
Catwalks on Bond St in West End vision
31 July 2010
Fashion retailers could stage regular catwalk shows in the middle of Bond Street under plans to reduce traffic and entice more shoppers to London’s West End. -
Trinity Leeds work to resume in August
21 July 2010
Shopping centre Trinity Leeds has been given the go ahead by developers Land Securities, which has said it expects work to resume on site next month, in preparation for opening in spring 2013. -
BRC calls for cut in 'excessive' fees charged for plastic payments
15 June 2010
The British Retail Consortium has called on Government to cut the “excessive” and “unjustifiably high” charges banks levy on retailers for accepting debit and credit card payments. -
Moss Bros like-for-like sales climb 12.6%
28 May 2010
Suit specialist Moss Bros reported a like-for-like sales increase of 12.6% in the 16 weeks to May 22. Its total sales rose 12%. -
London sales growth slows in April
18 May 2010
London retail sales across all sectors increased 3.6% on a like-for-like basis in April, with growth hit by the early timing of Easter and the volcanic ash cloud, according to the British Retail Consortium-KPMG London Retail Sales Monitor. -
Envy hits the buffers
15 April 2010
Updated: Branded fashion retailer Envy has collapsed into administration, with Leonard Curtis appointed administrators. -
Question mark hangs over Envy Retail future
27 March 2010
The future of the Envy Retail business was unclear as Drapers went to press after it emerged that an intention to appoint administrators had been filed just days after the business was bought by a consortium of investors including SKG Capital boss Chris Althorp-Gormlay. -
Sir David Michels will not stand for M&S chairman role
3 March 2010
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. -
McGregor in UK retail and wholesale assault
13 February 2010
Dutch lifestyle business McGregor is to open a string of standalone stores to use as a springboard to launch its wholesale collections in the UK. -
Empty shop numbers rise
10 February 2010
Total shop vacancies increased to 12.4% in the six months to December 31, compared with 10% of all shops being vacant in the previous six month period. -
Suits You reveals details of CVA proposal
4 February 2010
The Speciality Retail Group (SRG), the business behind the Suits You chain, has unveiled the details of its proposed Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA). -
Irish indies cheer ban on upward-only rent reviews
5 December 2009
Republic of Ireland indies have welcomed the news that upward-only rent reviews are to be abolished from March 2010. -
Asda to implement new transparency strategy
1 October 2009
Asda has outlined a radical new strategy that it claims will make it the first genuinely transparent business that puts the customer at the heart of its decision-making process. -
Primark full year like-for-likes ahead 7%
7 September 2009
Primark is forecasting to post like-for-like sales of 7% for the full year to September 12, driven by strong sales at its UK stores. -
August footfall worst for seven months
2 September 2009
Hot weather and the Ashes cricket tournament meant footfall in August dropped back 4.1% - the steepest decline for the past seven months. -
M&S close to appointing headhunter
2 September 2009
Marks & Spencer is reported to be close to appointing a headhunter to lead the search for a chief executive, to replace Sir Stuart Rose when his dual role is split next year. -
Italian fashion giant Gruppo Coin eyes UK
29 August 2009
Italian fashion retailer Gruppo Coin is scouting the UK for potential locations for its Coin department store and OVS fast-fashion chains. -
Government amends credit insurance top-up scheme
21 August 2009
The Government has cut the price of its credit insurance top-up scheme and doubled the amount it is prepared to underwrite. -
The Sting confirms Piccadilly Circus store for UK debut
19 August 2009
Dutch fashion retailer The Sting has confirmed it will open its first UK shop in the iconic Tower Record’s store on London’s Regent Street. -
Topman in talks to expand HMV range
7 August 2009
Topman and selected fashion brands are understood to have been approached by entertainment retailer HMV to help it expand its clothing offer.
