Drapers
29 November 2008
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Alexon recruits retail director
Alexon Group, owner of womenswear businesses such as Bay Trading and Kaliko, has hired Sharon Horth as retail operations director to help strengthen its management team after posting deteriorating sales in the past four months. -
Alexon sales worsen
Alexon saw like-for-like sales fall back 11% for the 17 weeks ended November 22, after trade collapsed in October and November. -
Allegra Hicks rescued
Allegra Hicks has been bought out of administration by a newly formed company called AH Lifestyle. -
Bank of England slashes interest rates to 2%
The Bank of England has slashed interest rates to 2%. -
Boutique 1
Two-store designer retailer Boutique 1 has joined the big guns at Dubai’s new open-air shopping centre -
Brutal behaviour in season of goodwill
It seems inevitable already that this Christmas will be the worst the industry has collectively faced in decades. -
Cash is king for struggling stores
While the term ‘credit crunch’ has established itself in the vocabulary of the nation, it is cash which must remain the most critical focal point for any retail business in the current climate. -
Catwalk Genius site helps fund designers
A new online retail concept that allows the public to invest in new designers has been launched. -
CBI says Christmas trade will 'deteriorate'
57% of retailers plan to cut expenditure after forecasting trading will worsen over the next three months, according to the latest survey by the CBI. -
Chancellor urges retailers to pass on VAT cut
Chancellor Alistair Darling has called on retailers to pass on the 2.5% VAT reduction 'as soon as possible'. -
Consumer confidence poor in November
Consumer confidence has improved slightly but still remains close to record low levels according to the latest GfK NOP survey. -
Discounting fails to fire up footfall
Discounting at Marks & Spencer and Debenhams last Thursday temporarily lifted shopper numbers but overall footfall fell 3.73% year-on-year last week. -
Elspeth Mills
Drapers probe leading Independents to get their View From The Shop floor. -
Ethics must stay high on the agenda
New Look chairman Phil Wrigley called on the industry to make a greater effort in terms of ethics at last week’s Drapers Fashion Summit 2008. Here is an extract from his speech -
Fanclub peps up its ranges
Fanclub, the licensed T-shirt arm of streetwear label Vacant, has agreed a deal with PepsiCo Inc to produce a range of vintage-style T-shirts using the US drinks company’s logo. -
Fashion chains to pass on VAT cut
Sir Philip Green's Arcadia Group has released a statement on behalf of a group of the high street's most powerful retailers confirming they will pass the VAT cut onto customers. -
Focus on emerging markets, luxury sector told
Luxury brands and retailers have been told to capitalise on opportunities in emerging markets and focus on craftsmanship as the sector feels the impact of the recession. -
French Connection cautious despite retail sales lift
French Connection saw retail like-for-like sales rise 1% for the 16 weeks ended November 25 but the young fashion company said it was cautious about the outlook given the recent volatile nature of the UK high street. -
George Davies plots next venture
George Davies, the retail guru behind Next, George at Asda and Marks & Spencer’s Per Una sub-brand, is planning to launch his fourth fashion label next year. -
Green says no intention to bid for Moss Bros
Sir Philip Green's Warbeck Holding Company has issued a statement saying it has no current intention to make a bid for Moss Bros. -
Guilty opens third store after posting profit rise
Edinburgh-based womenswear boutique Guilty has opened its third store, in Perth in Scotland, after posting a 10% rise in sales to £100,000 this year. -
Guy Critchlow to leave Kookai
Kookai UK managing director Guy Critchlow is to step down on February 1. -
H&M signs Matthew Williamson
British designer Matthew Williamson will be the next guest designer for H&M. -
High street leaders plan VAT cuts at till points
Next, New Look and Matalan are among the fashion retailers planning to deduct the 2.5% VAT reduction at the till to overcome the ‘logistical nightmare’ associated with the Chancellor’s tax cut. -
House of Fraser joins promotional stance
House of Fraser will join the raft of high street retailers on Sale this week with discounts of up to 40% on Thursday and Friday. -
Independents slam tax proposals
Independent retailers polled by Drapers this week slammed the 2.5% VAT cut as an out-of-touch move made by the government which they do not plan to pass on to their customers. -
Internaçionale steps in to save 85 MK One stores
Internaçionale will use its rescue of MK One to boost its retail presence in mid and southern England. -
Investors split over future of Mosaic
Investors in Mosaic Fashions are understood to be split over the best way to extract value from the Baugur-backed fashion conglomerate which owns Oasis, Principles, Warehouse and Karen Millen. -
JD Sports buys JJB stake
JD Sports Fashion has splashed out more than £8 million on a 10% stake in JJB Sports, to secure a say over the future of the mainstream sportswear chain. -
JD Sports Fashion linked to full bid for JJB
JD Sports Fashion is reported to have met with JJB Sports to discuss its stake building in the mainstream sportswear chain, fuelling speculation JD Sports Fashion is considering making a bid for JJB. -
JD Sports Fashion takes stake in JJB Sports
JD Sports Fashion has splashed out more than £8 million on a 10% stake in JJB Sports. -
Jigsaw's website goes live
Jigsaw has launched a transactional website today at www.jigsaw-online.com -
John Lewis managing director hits back at discount strategies
John Lewis managing director Andy Street has hit back at the recent raft of high street promotions and says brands and retailers should focus on their long term reputations, rather than resort to short-term discounting. -
John Lewis sales fall 13%
John Lewis saw sales drop 13% in the week ending Saturday November 22, as the tough trading conditions continued to bite. -
Julia Calabrese
Designer discount outlet company McArthurGlen’s UK chief executive is hoping to cash in on the recession by offering customers a fix of top-end labels at bargain prices -
Karl McKeever
The director of retail consultancy Visual Thinking discusses peeling wallpaper and iconic underwear with Charlotte Marrion -
Lee Jeans to add kidswear
Lee Jeans is introducing its kidswear range to the UK for autumn 09. Targeting children aged between six months and 15 years the collection will launch exclusively for its first season with Asos Kids, the etail giant’s kidswear site which launches in February. -
Luella takes top gong at British Fashion Awards
Luella Bartley was awarded the accolade of Designer of the Year last night at the british Fashion Awards, organised by the British Fashion Council. -
Marc Cain
A London showroom is the latest chapter in the German womenswear brand’s phenomenal rise -
Marks & Spencer linked to second one-day Sale
Marks & Spencer is understood to be planning a second one-day Sale in an attempt to grab limited consumer spend in the run up Christmas. -
MK One rescued by Internacionale
MK One has been rescued from administration by young fashion chain Internacionale. -
Mothercare’s profits soar
Mothercare’s underlying pre-tax profits almost doubled to £9.5 million over the 28 weeks ended October 11, thanks to a record first half at its international stores. -
Next chief Simon Wolfson criticises VAT cut
Next chief executive Simon Wolfson has criticised the Chancellor’s decision to temporarily cut VAT to 15%, describing it as an extraordinary decision which ‘defies all economic logic’ and which will ‘do nothing to stimulate demand’. -
No Sweat fails to stop Primark AGM
No Sweat, the campaign group for workers’ rights, has failed to stop Primark’s Annual General Meeting from taking place at the Trades Union Congress office in London. -
Non-food shopping trips to fall in December
Non-food shopping trips are expected to be down by 7.3% in December compared with last year, according to market research firm Synovate Retail Performance (formerly SPSL). -
Oasis heads upmarket for spring 09
Oasis has unveiled a dramatic pared down, minimal look for its spring 09 collection, as it looks to reposition itself as a premium, upmarket brand. -
One to watch: Veja
Environmentally friendly trainer brand Veja is expanding its collection for autumn 09. -
Panama Jack steps out with fashion-led line
Spanish footwear brand Panama Jack is launching a new fashion-forward collection for spring 09, which will be available at wholesale from January. -
Penrose set for summer launch
Mitchell Jacobs, founder and former owner of contemporary men’s shirting and accessories brand Duchamp, is to introduce a new collection to the premium menswear market. -
Per Una: George Davies' farewell collection unveiled
Marks & Spencer unveiled George Davies' final collection for its Per Una sub-brand yesterday. -
Reiss profits dip on increased costs
Reiss recorded a 10% fall in operating profit to £8.8 million for the year ended January 31 2008, because of increased costs attached to global expansion at the company. -
Retailers launch innovative VAT cut marketing initiatives
M and M Direct and White Stuff are tackling the Chancellor's 2.5% VAT cut with innovative marketing initiatives. -
Search for buyer for Woolworths begins
Woolworths administrator Deloitte has received several expressions of interest for the high street chain, which collapsed last night. -
Shop Direct Group to launch 3-for-2 promotion
Shop Direct Group, which owns Littlewoods, is set to launch a 3-for-2 offer across all of its clothing and footwear, with effect from Monday. -
Shops to cut VAT at till
Retailers including Next, New Look, Peacocks and Matalan were among those planning to deduct the 2.5% VAT reduction at the till to overcome the “logistical nightmare” associated with Chancellor Alistair Darling’s tax cut as Drapers went to press. -
Simon Berwin: no intention to make full bid for Moss Bros
Updated: Menswear supplier Simon Berwin and a consortium of investors have acquired Sir Philip Green’s 28% stake in Moss Bros. -
TBC streetwear show is axed
Streetwear and casualwear show To Be Confirmed (TBC) has closed after the planned relaunch edition in February failed to garner brand support. -
Tesco slashes its prices
Tesco will make massive price reductions across its most fashionable lines next season and unveil a new high street-style shopfit to help it fight back against value retailers such as Primark. -
Throwaway fashion grows to 30% of landfill waste
Fast throwaway fashion retailers have been blamed for a massive rise in textile waste dumped in landfill sites. -
Tickled pink by a brighter future
More than ever before, designers, suppliers, buyers and marketers are turning to the help of trend consultants in order to make the right decisions. -
Tonight: An audience with River Island founder Bernard Lewis
River Island founder Bernard Lewis will be the guest speaker at the London Fashion Network event held tonight. -
TV stylist visits Bakehouse
Nicky Hambleton-Jones, stylist and presenter of Channel 4’s 10 Years Younger programme, will host a promotional event at womenswear boutique Bakehouse of Dorking in Surrey. -
Ugg sales soar at John Lewis
John Lewis saw a 300% increase in sales of Ugg boots last week and sales of cashmere also rose 4% against the same week last year. -
VAT cut unlikely to stimulate consumer spending
Marks & Spencer chairman Sir Stuart Rose has said he will pass on any VAT cut to shoppers, however the overall impact of the cut on consumer spending is expected to be marginal. -
Waging war on the economic crisis
Is the ‘keep calm and carry on’ ethos becoming hackneyed? -
What the weekend newspapers said (November 22-23)
The best of the fashion business related headlines from the weekend newspapers... -
Whistles close to refinancing deal
Whistles was understood to be on the brink of completing a refinancing deal, as Drapers went to press. -
Woolworths shares suspended
Woolworths has has trading of its shares suspended this morning as talks to rescue the beleaguered high street retailer continued.
