Miscellaneous
The latest news

John Lewis mulls sale and leaseback deal
In its pursuit of a major cost-saving and fund-building strategy, John Lewis Partnership is understood to be in talks about raising as much as £150 million from a sale and leaseback of 12 Waitrose supermarkets.
Fashion

Liverpool One 15-year figures show importance of retail to UK economy
How much has the popular Liverpool One mall contributed to the city’s successful regeneration? Operator Grosvenor has put together some impressive numbers to show that retail ventures aren't just money-making machines.
Fashion

UK consumers rein in Christmas spending plans - report
Forecasts around key seasonal spending — especially Christmas — can be wide of the mark, but regardless of how the Golden Quarter eventually turns out, the predictions at present are gloomy for the UK.
Fashion

Pepco makes more management changes as trading weakens further
Times are changing at Pepco. Not so long ago, the European retail giant was a beacon of success. But now the business isn’t glowing so brightly, announcing Thursday a downgrade, a change of management and a review.
Fashion

THG and Amazon link for tech upskilling project in NW England
THG’s e-commerce division Ingenuity is collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to establish a commerce and technology skills programme across the Northwest of England.
Fashion

ESW and DPD ink strategic link-up for more "frictionless" cross-border e-tail
Global direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce company ESW and UK parcel delivery brand DPD have formed a strategic partnership.
Fashion

H&M Q3 profits rise but September sales are dented by late heatwave
H&M’s latest report on Wednesday also came with the news that sales proved weak in September, with “the start of the autumn season delayed because the month has been marked by unusually hot weather”.
Fashion

Rituals signs up for Merry Hill store
Beauty and wellbeing brand Rituals is to open a store at the Sovereign Centros-operated mall Merry Hill in the Midlands. Also taking space in the centre is design-led homewares retailer Kenji.
Beauty

Oliver Bonas upbeat as sales and profits rise
Oliver Bonas has filed its accounts for 2022 with sales at the business staying “resilient” even in the face of the cost-of-living crisis that has had a big impact in the UK fashion sector.
Fashion

Hyve pauses Connect initiative, stressing importance of physical over digital
British tradeshows giant Hyve Group on Monday announced that its digital Connect initiative linked to its shows won’t be running in 2024, calling it a “distraction”.
Fashion

UK September retail sales fall led by clothing - CBI survey
Retail sales volumes fell in the year to September for a fifth consecutive month, but at a much slower rate than last month, according to the latest monthly CBI Distributive Trades Survey that was released on Monday.
Fashion

Payments 'deciding factor' for Britons in overall shopping experience, report
What’s the most important thing for UK consumers shopping online? Finding retailers that accept their preferred method of paying it seems, because it leads “to a great shopping experience”, research from Planet shows.
Fashion

UK consumer confidence continue to rise in September
UK consumer confidence continued to recover in September, rising for the third straight month, according to the latest data from GfK.
Fashion

Indie store vacancies rise says LDC report
It’s proving tough going for many small retail businesses with almost 2,000 more UK independent stores left empty in the first half of 2023.
Beauty

Next signals end of price rises, but says don't expect pre-pandemic-style prices
Next’s half-year results this week were followed by its CEO suggesting an end to the period of marked fashion price rises is in sight. Simon Wolfson said prices are easing faster than expected in its supply chain.
Fashion

Fashion and World Cup help UK's sunny August retail sales to edge upwards
The UK’s August retail sales figures proved to be better than expected and fashion — aided by warmer weather — had a big part to play in this.
Fashion