The Milan Fashion Week ended on a note both optimistic and a tad zany, the collections by Dima Leu, Magliano, A-Cold-Wall*, JieDa and Les Hommes swinging between chic minimalism and cheerful creativity.
‘Vaccination no shot in the arm for UK consumer confidence’ is Friday’s telling headline from GfK’s economic reading for January that reflects a less optimistic view from a population stuck in winter lockdown.
December’s official retail sales on Friday drew a line under what was a disastrous year for retailing and especially for fashion, although the month itself was relatively buoyant in the circumstances.
John Lewis Partnership said Friday that trading during the peak shopping season, which included Black Friday and the Christmas period, “held up better than anticipated”.
The UK’s outbound cross-border e-commerce rose as much as 57% last year and the peak festive trading month, November, saw an increase of 42% year-on-year as well.
Selfridges weathered the 2020 storm, despite enduring the toughest retail year in decades. That’s according to company chief Anne Pitcher who admitted that it was the “most difficult” period in its 113 years.
White Stuff has become the latest UK retailer to launch a review of its store portfolio with PHD Property looking at its 115 UK shops, which are currently shut due to the latest lockdown.
Richemont’s third quarter — the all-important three months to the end of December — saw sales rising only 1%, although currency-neutral, they were up a healthier 5%, despite the “continuously volatile environment”.
Burberry saw another round of retail sales falls in Q3, with Europe and the Americas still being hit hard. But it said China, Korea, leathergoods, outerwear and full-price sales all headed in the right direction.
The knock-on effect of the pandemic on its tenants has hit commercial property giant Hammerson - which owns the Bullring among other major malls - pretty hard.
Alibaba Group’s cross-border business-to-consumer marketplace Tmall Global has increased its support for international brands, unveiling a new suite of solutions at the 2021 Tmall Global New Seller Virtual Summit.
Multichannel retailer Wolf & badger saw a strong rise in global sales last year, despite the closure of its King’s Cross flagship in London and its New York City location during lockdowns.
Footfall across all UK retail destinations last week continued to make tough reading as the ongoing country-wide lockdown still depresses and frustrates in equal measures.
Matalan endured a sales drop during the festive selling season as its online revenues were unable to make up for shuttered physical shops.
Online retail giant Very Group could be the next big name in line for an IPO with a report that its owners, who also own the Telegraph newspaper, are exploring the potential of a £3 billion+ stock market float.
