Debenhams
This coverage examines Debenhams’ trajectory, strategies, and impact within the UK retail sector. Reporting focuses on store operations, online developments, financial performance, brand repositioning, product ranges, and executive changes. Designed for retail professionals, it offers analysis of commercial decisions, market challenges, and opportunities relevant to department store management and broader apparel and homeware retailing.
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May- 2024 -8 MayClothing & Shoes
Boohoo losses hit £160m amid sales slump
Boohoo losses have widened to £159.9m in its full-year results, up from a previous loss of £90.7m, as revenues fell amid a challenging market backdrop over the period.In the year ended 29 February 2024, revenues fell by 17% to £1.46bn, down from £1.77bn the prior year. As well as difficult…
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Apr- 2024 -8 AprilClothing & Shoes
Zara to upsize shop at Bullring and Grand Central
Zara will significantly upsize its store at Bullring and Grand Central, as part of the repositioning of the Birmingham city centre asset and the repurposing of a former department store space. In a move that completes the repurposing of the former Debenhams, Zara is taking the top floor above M&S…
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Mar- 2024 -15 MarchPeople Moves
Next Beauty CEO Amanda Scott resigns
Amanda Scott, Next Beauty’s chief executive has departed from her role, according to the Retail Week. For around five years Scott headed Next Beauty and led the brand’s first venture into the world of premium beauty. According to Retail Week, Scott has resigned and taken on advisory roles with other…
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15 MarchHigh Street
Ann Summers appoints finance director amid CFO retirement
Ann Summers has announced that Kristina Moln-Page has been promoted to the role of finance director, effective from 1 July 2024. She will succeed John Boyle, who will be retiring as chief financial officer after working for Ann Summers for 11 years. Moln-Page will have responsibility for the finance and…
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12 MarchHigh Street
Ann Summers profits hit £61.8m in FY23
Ann Summers has reported that gross profits for the 53-week period to 1 July 2023 hit £61.8m, spelling a 3% rise on the £60m reported in the prior year. The lingerie retailer has attributed its performance during the year to in-store sales growing by 12% year-on-year, as more consumers returned…
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Jan- 2024 -23 JanuaryNews
Merry Hill signs 65 new leases in 2023
Retail and leisure destination Merry Hill has completed 65 leasing deals covering more than 330,000 sq ft in 2023. The destination also increased its sales – 2023 exceeding 2022 by 7%, and December up 6.5% year-on-year – while footfall rose by 9.4% in the 12 month period. In total, the…
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15 JanuaryNews
Harvey Norman to open flagship at Merry Hill
Lifestyle, technology, and entertainment retailer Harvey Norman has recently signed a lease for a flagship store at Merry Hill. The new location will offer the retailer’s selection of luxury furniture, including sofas, dining sets, as well as outdoor furniture. A range of homeware products will also be on offer, including…
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8 JanuaryEconomy
120,000 retail jobs lost in 2023
Almost 120,000 retail employees lost their jobs in 2023 after more than 10,000 shops shuttered over the year, according to new data from the Centre for Retail Research. It found that during the 2023 calendar year, a total of 119,405 jobs were lost and 10,494 stores were shuttered across the…
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Nov- 2023 -14 NovemberNews
Phase Eight and Hobbs open upsized store at Merry Hill
Sovereign Centros has announced that premium womenswear brands, Phase Eight and Hobbs, have opened at Merry Hill, one of the UK’s top ten retail and leisure destinations. Having relocated from separate units, the sister brands have been brought together into an upsized 6,000 sq ft space on the Upper Mall,…
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3 NovemberNews
PrettyLittleThing founder posts interest in Topshop deal
PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kamani has expressed his interest in buying TopShop from Asos. Commenting on X (FKA Twitter) on a report regarding the possible sale from Asos, Kamani wrote: “I would buy this and bring it back like the good old days.. rockin and rollin.” Kamani is a member of…
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