Sales at House of Fraser reportedly plummeted 60% year on year in the run up to Christmas.
The department store chain had a 60% fall in sales in the 12 weeks to 18 December, according to figures by Kantar Worldpanel, The Sunday Telegraph reports.
Festive trading across the UK was mixed in December as footfall across retail parks, shopping centres and the high street fell by 2.6% year on year for the month, according to Springboard.
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Readers' comments (4)
Simon Cope21 January 2019 8:34 am
The web sales may have struggled somewhat but will get better.
The store sales traded well, an increase on last year (LFL). The new stores we entered after the SDI take over traded even better.
To say HOF was down 60% was simply not true for us.
HOF needs our support not negatiaty.
Skopes Menswear.
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Anonymous21 January 2019 10:25 am
You get the feeling that HOF 'brand' has become toxic and that should be a worry with everyone associated with it. It has increasingly become 'Discount Alley' and that cannot sit well. Coupled with Sports Direct stock (e.g Lonsdale) finding a new home in some stores, what does HOF currently stand for, even if it never stood for what it wanted to be under previous owners.
While it is close to impossible that Ashley could do a poorer job than those before him, will he have the time to make it a credible - and above all else - profitable enterprise?
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Anonymous21 January 2019 11:45 am
When are people and wake up, the department store Business model does not work in provincial towns.
How they think they gone to turn House of Fraser around, is beyond me, I been retailing and 38 years, and I have seen nothing like what we're going through. There is a old saying, small is beautiful.
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darren hoggett22 January 2019 11:40 am
Ashley played hardball with Intu and has struck a deal to keep the Norwich store open, but still cannot see it being viable.
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