Clothing & Shoes
The latest news, updates and analysis on the clothing and shoes segment of the the UK retail industry. Sign up to the Daily Briefing and let Retail Sector’s business journalists keep you in the picture.
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Mar- 2023 -31 March
Prada recruits 400 staff to boost production
Prada Group has announced its plans to recruit over 400 people by the end of 2023, to strengthen its production capacity and craftsmanship expertise in Italy. Prada said that the new hires would further reinforce the company’s “strong industrial strategy”. It also stated that the investment would guarantee “greater agility…
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31 March
Toys R Us owner amongst potential bidders for Hunter
The owner of Toys R Us, WHP Global, is reportedly one of several potential buyers eyeing a takeover of iconic footwear brand, Hunter Boots. According to Sky News, Marquee Brands, the owner of Ben Sherman, and Baozun, a Chinese e-commerce group which owns Gap’s Greater China operations, have also expressed…
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30 March
Primark boosts hourly pay for retail assistants
Primark is to increase the pay of its retail assistants in Great Britain, giving around 26,000 retail colleagues an average pay rise of 12%. The retailer is increasing the rates of pay for all hourly-paid store colleagues across England, Scotland and Wales to £11 an hour and £11.51 in London.…
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30 March
H&M Q1 profit boosted by second-hand Sellpy platform
H&M has seen operating profit hit SEK 725m (£56.4m) in its first quarter of trading, up from SEK 458m (£35.6m) the prior year, boosted by the earnings of second-hand platform Sellpy. Sellpy, which is one of Europe’s largest second-hand platforms, has been consolidated into the group in the first quarter,…
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29 March
Next profits jump 5.7% to £870m amid anticipation of future decline
Next has announced that its pre-tax profits rose 5.7% to £870m, up from £823m, for the year ended 31 January 2023. This number was £10m above the retailer’s guidance which it put down to strong sales in both its retail and total platform businesses. Furthermore, the company’s total trading sales…
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29 March
Next acquires Cath Kidston for £8.5m with job losses expected
Next has agreed to acquire the brand name, domain names and intellectual property of Cath Kidston for £8.5m, with job cuts expected as the group is wound down and its remaining stores close. The group said the cathkidston.com domain will be licenced back to the administrators for a period of…
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28 March
Scotch and Soda rescued by Bluestar Alliance
Dutch fashion brand Scotch and Soda has announced that it has been acquired by New York brand management company Bluestar Alliance. The move comes after the fashion retailer declared bankruptcy last week. Bluestar owns a portfolio of consumer brands including sports brand Hurley, Bebe and Tahari, among others. Following the…
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28 March
Next eyes Cath Kidston acquisition
Next is reportedly in advanced talks to rescue the Cath Kidston brand, in a move that would further expand its portfolio following the acquisitions of Joules and Made last year. According to Sky News, a deal could be closed as early as today (28 March), though some sources told Sky…
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27 March
In The Style shareholders’ narrowly approve £1.2m deal
In The Style’s shareholders have narrowly approved a sale to a private equity firm in a bid to avoid administration. Just under 60% of In The Style shareholders’ agreed to the £1.2m deal to save the fashion brand, at a general meeting on 24 March 2023. Over 41% of shareholders…
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24 March
Dr. Martens appoints new director to board
Dr. Martens has appointed Andrew Harrison as an independent non-executive director following a “comprehensive” search and selection process. Harrison, who assumes the role from 1 May, is a managing partner at consumer brand investment firm Freston Ventures. He is also a senior independent director at Ocado Group, where he is…
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