As reported in September, growth within the luxury industry is beginning to stabilise in the single digits to early-teens, after several years of ballistic double-digit increases. “The hypergrowth of recent years was destined to moderate,” confirms Claudia D’Arpizio, a Bain partner in Milan and lead author of the 12th Edition of the Luxury Goods Worldwide... Continue Reading →

Legoland Dubai to open in 2016 Legoland Dubai is set to open in 2016 with global leisure parks giant Merlin Entertainment revealing fresh plans for the theme park. The park was first proposed in 2008 at a site within the wider Dubailand project, but was put on the backburner in 2010 amid the financial crisis.... Continue Reading →

The founder of homewares retailer Dunelm, Bill Adderley, has been revealed as the biggest private investor in Marks & Spencer. New stock market filings show Mr Adderley has built a 3pc stake in M&S, worth £244m at Thursday night’s closing share price. It is understood that the Leicestershire-based tycoon started buying M&S shares last year,... Continue Reading →

New York -- Bloomingdale’s longtime chief executive and chairman, Michael Gould, 70, is stepping down after 22 years on the job. He will be succeeded by Tony Spring, 48, currently Bloomingdale’s president and COO, effective Feb. 1, 2014. A successor to Spring as president of Bloomingdale’s is expected to be named in 2014. “Mike Gould... Continue Reading →

Clothing retailer Next raised its full-year profit forecast today after third-quarter sales growth exceeded analysts’ estimates, sending the shares to a record. An unexpected increase in sales at the company’s stores added to accelerating revenue growth at the Directory home-shopping unit, figures showed. “Investors will be encouraged by the performance in the third quarter and... Continue Reading →

Esprit Holdings Ltd. (330), the clothing retailer rebuilding its brand, jumped the most in almost a year in Hong Kong trading after hiring a former Zara executive to manage product creation and design. The stock rose as much as 7.8 percent to HK$14.1, headed for the biggest gain since Nov. 15, 2012, after saying it... Continue Reading →

Starbucks has appointed Pizza Hut's Mark Fox as the chief executive of its business in the UK. Due to join Starbucks on 6 January 2014, Fox has over 20 years experience in retail and franchise operations. His most recent role was chief executive at the Yum Brands owned Pizza Hut. Prior to that he worked... Continue Reading →

Shop Direct, the owner of Very.co.uk, Littlewoods.com and isme.com, has reported its first pre-tax profit in ten years. In the year to 30 June 2013, the group made a pre-tax profit of £6.6 million compared to a loss of £57.7 million in the previous year. While group sales edged up 1% to £1.69 billion, Shop... Continue Reading →

Mr Price Group Ltd. advanced to a record high after the South African clothing and furniture retailer said earnings climbed 18 to 22 percent even as household budgets tightened. The shares rose as much as 2.4 percent to 152 rand, the highest since Bloomberg began compiling data on the company in 1990, and traded 2... Continue Reading →

JCPenney ex-CEO Ron Johnson is lashing out at his critics after more than a year of being beaten up in the press and wholly blamed for the retailer's spiraling revenue losses. Johnson told Forbes reporter Barbara Thau via email that criticisms of his tenure at JCPenney have been "lacking in depth, largely inaccurate and surprisingly... Continue Reading →

The BHS department store chain, owned by Sir Philip Green, has been sized up as a potential takeover target by South African billionaire Christo Wiese. The chain is one of several retailers on a list of possible British acquisitions being considered by Wiese, who has a personal fortune of £2.2 billion. He has formed an alliance... Continue Reading →

The Griggs family has sold its boots brand Dr Martens to private equity group Permira for £300m It is arguably one of the most famous shoe brands in the world, enjoying associations with a wide variety of sub-cultures, from the rebellious Mods to the more mainstream Miley Cyruses of the world. But as of yesterday... Continue Reading →

Abu Dhabi’s latest mall, which features the first House of Fraser department store outside the United Kingdom and Ireland, opened its doors yesterday. World Trade Center Mall, located on the site of the emirate’s old Central Market, has 160 shops, more than 20 dining outlets and an eight-screen cinema. The department store stocks more than... Continue Reading →

EVEN though local market conditions worsened and South African consumers came under increased pressure, Shoprite Group on Monday reported a 10.2% rise in turnover for the three months to September. The growth was better than in the quarter to June but slower compared to the increase of 15.6% in the first quarter of 2012, reflecting... Continue Reading →

Barr Construction has secured a contract to create the new 30,000sq ft Waitrose store in Chester, Cheshire. The announcement comes ahead of the opening of the new Waitrose Helensburgh, which was on target to open its doors to the public on 24 October 2013, following a successful construction and fit out by Barr. Derek Simpson,... Continue Reading →

Topshop debuts at Paris' Galeries Lafayette Monday, 28 October 2013 Topshop has come to France. The directional high street fashion retailer has opened a concession in Paris' Galeries Lafayette department store. The concession features near 2,000 square feet and on display are Topshop's core fashion collections, including Topshop Unique, shoes, accessories, make-up in addition to... Continue Reading →

Seattle -- Starbucks is now offering gift cards that can be sent via Twitter. Under the company’s new “tweet-a-coffee program,” customers in the U.S. can sync their Starbucks account to their Twitter account and tweet to @tweetacoffee and the Twitter handle of the gift recipient, which will then send the recipient a $5 digital eGift.... Continue Reading →

ALTHOUGH consumers in the middle-income sector, who represent the core of Clicks Group customers, have remained under pressure, the company has reported a 9.2% rise in full-year profit, which beat analyst forecasts. Retailers have come under strain as tightened disposable income as a result of escalating living costs and debt has seen consumers shop less.... Continue Reading →

Massmart will open the doors to three George pop up stores today, to give South African consumers a taste of the famous British brand of clothing. Known for its quality and affordability, George is the fashion division of ASDA, currently Britain’s second largest supermarket chain and part of the Walmart family. For the launch of... Continue Reading →

Dubai Holding unit plans to offload Rivoli stake - sources The private equity arm of Dubai Holding, which is owned by the emirate's ruler, is planning to sell its minority stake in a luxury retailer backed by Swatch, four banking and industry sources aware of the matter said. The unit, Dubai International Capital (DIC), is... Continue Reading →

Fashion lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger has opened its first independent store in Moscow. Housed in a historic building, the 197 square metre store at 7 Kuznetsky Most is situated in one of the Russian capital’s most prestigious shopping districts, close to the Bolshoi Theatre. rpa:group, which provided the detailed architectural design support and design visualisation... Continue Reading →

House of Fraser is expanding into the Middle East with the opening of its first international flagship store in Abu Dhabi this weekend. Launched with franchise partner Retail Arabia International, the store in the World Trade Centre Mall will be the first international department store in the emirate. The newly developed mall is situated in... Continue Reading →

Accenture survey results shed light on retail shopping trends for 2013 holiday season. Consumers expected to spend more, are still lured by Black Friday, but seek discounts both in-store and online. Accenture conducted an online survey of 500 U.S. consumers in September 2013. Based on their response, spending is expected to increase, consumers will be... Continue Reading →

SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST! Following a successful collaboration with the Spring Summer and Autumn 13 collections, River Island is pleased to announce the release of the final Rihanna for River Island collection; Winter 13. The 40-piece winter collection which goes on sale in stores and online on November 7th, consists of glamorous and sexy... Continue Reading →

  SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST!   Following a successful collaboration with the Spring Summer and Autumn 13 collections, River Island is pleased to announce the release of the final Rihanna for River Island collection; Winter 13.   The 40-piece winter collection which goes on sale in stores and online on November 7th, consists of... Continue Reading →

LONDON (Alliance News) - Global online clothing and beauty retailer ASOS PLC said that retail sales soared by 40% in the financial year ended August 31, boosted by strong international growth and an increase in active customer numbers. The popular online fashion retailer for 20-somethings, reported retail sales rose to GBP753.8 million from GBP537.9 million... Continue Reading →

Totalhealth Pharmacy, a network comprising 40 of Ireland’s independently owned retail pharmacies, has officially opened Ireland’s first totalhealth branded pharmacy in Westport, where independent retail pharmacist, Sheila O’Donnell, based on Bridge Street, has rebranded to O’Donnell’s totalhealth Pharmacy. Established on Bridge Street in Westport for more than 60 years, and with a current staff count... Continue Reading →

Retail giant Pick ‘n Pay has recorded 24% growth in its online business, it noted in announcing its interim results ended September 1, 2013. “We have grown Pick ‘n Pay Online into one of South Africa’s top online businesses, with turnover growth of 24% on last year and an increase in online shoppers of 15.8%.... Continue Reading →

Coach is continuing to open new stores and grow its inventory in North America despite plunging sales of its luxury handbags in the region. As we reported earlier, Coach saw a 6.8% decline in North American same-store sales during its first fiscal quarter that ended Sept. 28. and the company says it expects the negative... Continue Reading →

Retail leaders will gather to discuss sustainable development of retail in the Middle East at a two-day forum in Dubai. The annual Middle East Retail Forum (MRF) and Images Retail ME Awards 2013 will take place at the JW Marriott Marquis on October 28 and 29 and is being sponsored by Line Investment, a subsidiary... Continue Reading →

French department store chain Galeries Lafayette opened its first store in Xidan, downtown Beijing, on Friday after downing the shutters on a previous store that was open for only one year. "Beijing is a totally different place compared with 15 years ago. The fashion market has been evolving very fast for the past five to... Continue Reading →

99p Stores has revealed that its profits dropped 55% last year and said it is working on opening a transactional website. . A report by Retail Week showed that EBITDA at the discounter was down £6m to £4.9m in the year to 31 January 2013. However, the fall was attributed to investment in buying teams,... Continue Reading →

Anyone who's shopped from Liz Earle's elegant website will be familiar with this little vignette: excitedly lifting the lid on a smart pastel turquoise box. Pushing through the stuffing to discover the treats you've purchased (probably with an exclusive web discount). Finding a little something extra - perhaps a new product sample or an extra... Continue Reading →

How Nando’s cracked the Indian market on its second try Rasul Bailay New Delhi : Two years after entering India in 2006, Nando's closed its three franchise restaurants in Mumbai and exited the country. The chain then reworked its strategy and returned in November 2012, this time opening one outlet in New Delhi's DLF Promenade... Continue Reading →

British luxury brands including Burberry, Stella McCartney and Jimmy Choo are among those to have signed on to a new Azerbaijan luxury development in the country’s capital city, Baku. Scheduled to open in the spring of 2014, the luxury fashion mall is part of a larger development of high-end business accommodation and prestigious residential apartments... Continue Reading →

Dolce & Gabbana's Christmas tree design for Claridge's It is the third time that the landmark hotel has enlisted a designer to decorate the huge Christmas tree that sits in the main lobby throughout the festive period - Alber Elbaz of Lanvin and John Galliano for Dior have all previously participated while London florist McQueens... Continue Reading →

PRIVATELY owned and family-operated business Cape Union Mart Group will expand its footprint in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, CEO Andre Labuschaigne said on Friday. The company’s brands include Old Khaki, K-Way, Sparks and Ellis, a uniform company, and Poetry — a lifestyle concept store for women. "We are aiming for 200 stores by 2016.... Continue Reading →

Sun European Partners, which bought Bonmarché from administration in 2012, is to take the womenswear chain public in London’s alternative stock market, the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in November. "The success and strong performance enjoyed by the business over the last 18 months... makes this an opportune time to bring the company to AIM [London's... Continue Reading →

Marks & Spencer’s turnaround effort has suffered a blow with the departure of a third senior womenswear executive in a year. Gillian Ridley Whittle, the recently-promoted development and buying director, will join the Australian retail group Target, adding to the pressure on chief executive Marc Bolland. Analysts expect a drop in sales this quarter. Her... Continue Reading →

Everyone knows that the millennial generation is far different from its predecessors across the world, including in China, but what are the ways in which it differs? Research firm JWT Intelligence has recently tackled that question in a new report out entitled “Meet the BRIC Millennials“, a comprehensive survey of millennials in Brazil, Russia, India,... Continue Reading →

Harrods, the London luxury department store that was taken over by Qatar Holding in 2010, has paid a £68.6m ($111m) dividend to the sovereign wealth fund, it was reported on Sunday. The payout comes after the Knightsbridge store posted a 1.8 percent rise in pre-tax profit for the year to February, to an all-time high... Continue Reading →

Raffaele Jerusalmi, the chief executive of Italy’s stock exchange, advanced earlier this week that at least six luxury goods and fashion companies are looking to list in Milan in the first half of 2014. Not all of them will make it to the larger trading floor though, as some have shown interest in the small... Continue Reading →

Ireland's luxury retailer, Brown Thomas, debuts transactional online and mobile sites - Retail Times E-commerce drive Brown Thomas, Ireland’s premier lifestyle and fashion store and part of Selfridges Group, has chosen Venda, one of the world’s leading innovators and providers of digital commerce solutions, and Onstate, the creative commerce experts, to launch its first online... Continue Reading →

Google Inc's quarterly results beat Wall Street's expectations as the Internet search giant expanded its mobile business while keeping ad-rate slides in check. It also offset deepening losses from Motorola. Shares of Google rose 6 percent to $941.25 in after-hours trading on Thursday after it reported a 23 percent rise in revenue from its Internet... Continue Reading →

Shoprite chief executive Whitey Basson has moved beyond blaming the usual suspects of unions and labour legislation for South Africa’s economic woes and has lashed out at the “declining” manufacturing sector for its lack of innovation and competitiveness. In his chief executive’s statement in the latest Shoprite annual report, Basson says he is concerned about... Continue Reading →

EMKE Group boss Yusuffali MA has topped the Arabian Business Indian Power List for the fourth successive year. Published on Sunday, the retail king behind the hugely successful Lulu Hypermarkets chain of stores took the top slot ahead of food giant Feroz Allana. Standard Chartered banking boss V Shankar came third, ahead of healthcare boss... Continue Reading →

Dubai Duty Free sales hit $1.27bn so far in 2013 Colm McLoughlin, Dubai Duty Free executive vice chairman. Dubai Duty Free said on Thursday that its sales for the first nine months of 2013 totalled AED4.65bn ($1.27bn), an increase of 12 percent on the same period last year. The airport retailer said in a statement... Continue Reading →

Punk-boot brand Dr Martens is in exclusive talks with private equity group Permira about a £300m sale of the business, two sources close to the deal have said Negotiations are advanced with a sale potentially being announced by the end of this month, the sources said. R Griggs, the British family which own the brand,... Continue Reading →

The CEO of Victoria's Secret parent L Brands Inc. blasted Coach on Wednesday for seeking "easy money" by becoming a discount outlet, the Wall Street Journal reports. "Coach became a discount outlet," L Brands CEO Les Wexner said at an analyst meeting in New York. "They cut their own throat. The outlet business is easy... Continue Reading →

The main owner of Liffey Valley Shopping Centre is reported to be in talks to sell its stake in the shopping centre to a global property giant. Liffey Valley is home to dozens of retailers including Dunnes Stores to Eason, Carraig Donn and Eddie Rockets. At a half a million square feet it is the... Continue Reading →