Drapers
5 December 2008
View all stories from this issue.
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Alternative to launch in UK
Alternative Apparel, the contemporary US lifestyle brand, is launching in the UK for spring 09 on a short-order basis. -
Be careful to avoid a contract killing
In the current market it is vital for retailers to examine the terms on which they do business and take steps to protect themselves when entering into relationships with new companies. -
Bernard celebrates 30 years in business
Designer womenswear independent Bernard of Esher in Surrey is celebrating its 30th anniversary this week. -
Canali to exit Pitti Uomo
Long-term Pitti Uomo exhibitor Canali is pulling out of the Florence menswear trade show. -
Charlotte Wilkie
Drapers probe leading Independents to get their View From The Shop floor. -
Claudia Schiffer to be face of YSL
Yves Saint Laurent has signed supermodel Claudia Schiffer as the new face of its spring 09 advertising campaign. -
Customers are served up a VAT saving by Pudding
Luxury lingerie retailer Pudding has bucked the trend among independents by implementing the Chancellor’s reduced VAT rate and passing the benefits on to customers. -
De Keyser to launch Jfour denim in UK
Fashion entrepreneur Robert de Keyser is to launch Italian denim concept Jfour into the UK and plans to open 24 stores over the next 12 months. -
Debenhams to launch second 20% off Sale tomorrow
Debenhams will launch a second Mega Day Sale offering discounts of up to 20% and starting tomorrow. -
Designers win LFW funding
Designers Christopher Kane, Erdem and Marios Schwab will all receive Fashion Forward sponsorship from the British Fashion Council, while 24 designer businesses will also receive New Generation sponsorship next season. -
Drapers Etail Awards 2009 shortlist revealed
The shortlist of entries for the inaugural Drapers Etail Awards 2009 in January has been unveiled. -
Early VAT price cuts lifts John Lewis sales
Sales at John Lewis rose 10% for the week to November 29, compared with the previous week but sales were down 13% against the same week the previous year. -
Figleaves mulls clothing
Lingerie etailer Figleaves is planning to trial mid-market womenswear brands on its site next year. -
Fullcircle hires ex-M&S exec
Fullcircle has appointed former Marks & Spencer head of womenswear retail Myriam Ben Yedder to the newly created role of brand director. -
Future of Envy chain unclear
The future shape of young branded fashion chain Envy is unclear. -
Gap sales drop in November
International like-for-like sales at Gap, which includes its UK stores, dropped 6% in November, compared to a 1% uplift the previous year. -
Hugo Boss appoints new UK managing director
Hugo Boss has promoted UK managing director Hans Schmitt to senior vice president of Hugo Boss Europe and the Middle East, and appointed a new UK boss. -
JD Sports Fashion sales take a hit
Sales growth at JD Sports Fashion has been hit by the economic downturn over the past two months, with the group reporting a 1% drop in like-for-like sales for the 11 weeks to November 9, compared with a 12.9% increase for the same period last year. -
JD Sports Fashion sales tumble
JD Sports Fashion has seen sales dip dramatically for the 11 weeks since September 13 but the group said it expected to meet profit expectations for the full year. -
JJB Sports confirms talks continue with lenders
JJB Sports remains in ‘constructive discussions’ with its debt providers, after its share price plummeted this week. -
JJB Sports offloads stores to Sports Direct
JJB Sports has sold four of its store to rival Sports Direct for £3.4 million, while one of its key lenders, Barclays is understood to have appointed Grant Thornton to advise it on JJB’s future business plans. -
Jobs axed as Moss Bros cuts costs in downturn
Moss Bros will have made 20% of its head office staff redundant by the end of year as the retailer looks to cut costs to beat the economic downturn. -
John Lewis trade picks up
Sales at John Lewis saw a uplift for the first half of this week, boosted by Christmas gifts. -
Kate Moss to collaborate with Liberty for Topshop
Kate Moss is understood to be working with Liberty's print designers for part of her next collection for Topshop. -
Kevin Stone
In spite of difficulties in the menswear sector, the BMB Group is ramping up its branded operation under sales and marketing director Kevin Stone, who has plenty up his sleeve for the coming months. -
Magic number is the sum of success
Malcolm Gladwell, who popularised the phrase ‘The Tipping Point’ in his first book of the same name, has written another in time for Christmas. -
Marks & Spencer to repeat one-day Sale tomorrow
Marks & Spencer has confirmed it plans to hold a second one-day Sale tomorrow. -
Moss Bros issues profit warning
Moss Bros has seen like-for-like sales worsen to -5.2% for the first 18 weeks of the second half and has warned that the challenging trading environment is likely to have a materially adverse impact on market expectations for the full year. -
Musto, Brighton
The 35-year-old sailing brand makes the most of its rugged reputation with an in-store revamp. -
No Irish luck for retailers
The 2.5% cut in UK VAT has dealt another blow to fashion retailers in the recession-hit Republic of Ireland. Can they discount their way out of trouble? -
No wages for Atlantic staff
Up to 200 staff at value chain Atlantic Fashions are facing Christmas without their wages after a merger between the chain and MK One failed to complete before administrators were appointed. -
Non-food sales slow at Tesco
Tesco saw non-food like-for-like sales fall during the third quarter, but total sales at the supermarket grew 11.7%. -
Off the record, December 6, 2008
Drapers’ inside track on the parties and gossip from a week in the fashion business -
OFT investigates whether Sports Direct and JJB merger on cards
The Office of Fair Trading is investigating whether arrangements are ‘in progress or in contemplation’ for a merger between JJB Sports and Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct chain. -
Painful effects of a knee-jerk decision
Maybe we will see huge queues at checkouts at Christmas after all. Not because there will be a much hoped for surge in shopping activity (although there is still time and I am ever the optimist) but because it takes an absolute age to buy anything these days. -
Parisian lingerie show vies for more visitors
Parisian lingerie show Salon International de la Lingerie has unveiled a new layout and dateline for autumn 09 in a bid to lure more international visitors. -
Precursor starts blog in Paris
Parisian boutique Precursor, which opened earlier this year, has launched a blog. -
Primark and Ted Baker scoop property awards
Primark, Ted Baker and Bristol’s Cabot Circus shopping centre picked up prizes at last night’s British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC) Gold Awards. -
Primark reiterates its commitments to ethical sourcing
Primark has issued a statement reiterating its commitment to ethical manufacturing to defend itself from campaign group War on Want, who plan to demonstrate at its London Oxford Street flagship and its Annual General Meeting today. -
Ralph & Russo
Australian design duo Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo discuss gowns, X Factor and Swarovski crystals with Laura Jackson. -
Red or Dead
One of the 1980s’ most popular brands is using a complex structure of licences to spread its reach. -
Reiss ponders entry price cut to tempt customers
Premium business Reiss will look to broaden its customer base next year to beat the economic downturn. -
Republic profits and sales rise
EBITDA at young branded fashion chain Republic rose 30.3% to £17.2 million for the 52 weeks to January 27. However the business said that Christmas and next year would be 'challenging'. -
Republic vows to focus on product
Branded young fashion chain Republic said improved product value, customer service and burgeoning online sales would help it gain market share, after like-for-like sales stalled. -
Retailers confirm first victory in monthly rent battle
Landlords have agreed details of plans to allow smaller chains and independent retailers to pay their rents on a monthly basis. -
Roland Mouret heads to Paris Fashion Week
Roland Mouret will show his RM by Roland Mouret collection during Paris Fashion Week next March as he accelerates deliveries of his range. -
Selfridges profits rise but Xmas sales soften
Selfridges saw profits jump 30% to £84.1 million for the year to last January. -
Shhhhhhh!
Which notoriously hot-headed retail boss can be found relaxing after a hard day’s work by writing romantic Shakespearian love sonnets for his beau? -
Stansfield
Contemporary menswear brand Stansfield has opted for a trip to the Wild West for its spring 09 collection. -
Stay healthy with some retail advice
Like a GP, I hear a lot of symptoms. Except mine are solely from retailers. I try to offer what little advice I can and then refer them to a consultant. There is no doubt that my waiting room is as full as it has ever been – hardly surprising given the current circumstances in retail. -
Stella McCartney appoints new chief executive
Stella McCartney has appointed former Lanvin retail director of business development Frederick Lukoff as chief executive and president of the luxury brand. -
Stores forced into early discounting
Retailers across the high street are banking on Sale events, ‘stealth promotions’ and selective price reductions to hook Christmas shoppers, after this week’s 2.5% VAT cut failed to set the tills alight. -
Stylo warns on November trading
Stylo, the company behind Barratts and Priceless, has said trading since its interim results has been below expectations. -
The Secret of Success
You might have gathered by now that I’m an archetypal groupie! I’ve always admired creative people, which is probably what attracted me to executive search in the first place. -
Uniqlo considers UK acquisitions
Japanese chain Uniqlo is understood to be scouting for potential UK acquisitions. -
VAT cut fails to lift footfall
The Chancellor's VAT cut has failed to warm up footfall on the high street for the week so far, with shopper numbers down 3.1% between Monday and Wednesday. -
VAT fails to drive bigger sales and traffic online
VAT cuts failed to drive bigger sales values and traffic volumes for online retailers on Monday, according to industry body IMRG. -
Victoria Beckham dresses a virtual sell out at Selfridges
Victoria Beckham's debut womenswear range The Dress Collection launched at Selfridges yesterday, and virtually sold out in the first day. -
VivaLaDiva.com partners with London College of Fashion
Footwear etailer VivaLaDiva.com has entered into a partnership with the London College of Fashion to find new talent in footwear design. -
What the weekend newspapers said... (November 28-29)
The best of the fashion business related headlines from the weekend newspapers... -
Women’s line for Original Penguin
Original Penguin, the US lifestyle brand owned by the Perry Ellis group, is launching its first full womenswear collection for autumn 09. -
Woolworths makes 450 head office redundancies
Woolworths is to make 450 head office redundancies after being put into administration last week. -
Xmas Sale watch: December 1
Clarks, Karen Millen, Miss Selfridge and Moss Bros are among the retailers to have already launched pre-Christmas Sales - all considerably earlier than their start Sale dates last year according to Patonz's daily Compshop survey. -
Xmas Sale watch: M&S Spectacular launches today
Marks & Spencer will launch its second pre-Christmas 20% off Spectacular today, which should bring a much needed footfall boost to the high street.
