Department Stores
The latest news, updates and analysis on the department stores 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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Aug- 2018 -10 August
House of Fraser site offline as administration threatens 17,500 jobs
House of Fraser has appointed administrators after talks with investors and creditors were “not concluded in a solvent solution”. The department store currently employs 17,500 people across its 59 stores of which 31 have already been earmarked for closure. Despite the administration all House of Fraser stores are expected to…
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9 August
House of Fraser sets new deadline to secure funds
House of Fraser has set itself a new deadline to secure funding to avoid collapse. In a statement to the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, the company said that it would require an investment no later than 20 August. Earlier reports said the department store would make a final decision on its…
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9 August
House of Fraser fate could be decided today
A decision could be made on the future of House of Fraser today as its creditors assess takeover bids made by Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley, retail tycoon Philip Day, and retail turnaround fund Alteri Investors. According to Sky News, PwC spent Wednesday (8 August) afternoon negotiating on the 169-year-old’s department…
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6 August
House of Fraser able to proceed with store closures after legal row ends
House of Fraser has settled its legal row with landlords meaning it can proceed with plans to close 31 of its 59 stores. Landlords had previously argued that slashing rents to support the department store’s rescue plan was unfair. The department store said it was “focused on concluding discussions with…
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3 August
Selfridges open ‘Christmas Shop’ four months before the festive period
Selfridges has opened its ‘Christmas Shop’ four months before the festive period, with the department store claiming the decision was made to appease overseas visitors with whom the range is popular. The shop is expected to be fully stocked by September with over 4,000 items, including souvenir pencils priced at…
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1 August
C.banner pulls out of House of Fraser rescue
C.banner has pulled out its House of Fraser rescue deal worth £150m due to a dive in its share price. The Hamley’s owner said the deal had been “rendered impracticable and inadvisable” following the fall. House of Fraser is now urgently seeking a £50m investment in order to avoid collapse.…
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Jul- 2018 -27 July
House of Fraser CVA delayed by landlords
House of Fraser’s planned company voluntary agreement (CVA) has been delayed by landlords who have launched legal action, with representatives call the plans “unfairly prejudiced”. New House of Fraser owners C.Banner, filed an announcement with the Hong Kong stock exchange yesterday (26 July) explaining that the company would need additional…
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18 July
M&S partners with Octopus Energy to challenge ‘Big 6’ providers
Marks & Spencer and Octopus Energy have announced a new strategic partnership to supply energy and services under the M&S Energy brand from September 2018. M&S said the new partnership between energy industry disruptor Octopus and the department store chain is designed to create a “more progressive, digital and commercial…
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17 July
Usdaw hits out at M&S for second time after 351 management roles cut
Trade union Usdaw has said that it will continue its campaign to be recognised as a representative for M&S workers after saying the company has not been allowing it to represent workers. Following the announcement that 351 management roles were to be cut at M&S, Usdaw national officer Dave Gill…
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17 July
M&S announces 351 management roles to be slashed
M&S has announced it is to cut 351 management roles, but says they are unrelated to the programme to close 100 UK stores by 2022. Last week at its AGM management warned that more job cuts and store closures were on the way, with chairman Archie Norman telling shareholders he…
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