Profile: Christopher Bailey October 15, 2013 WHEN Christopher Bailey emerges onto the catwalk at the end of a Burberry fashion show, the audience erupts with loud applause. However yesterday’s share price fall following his appointment as both chief executive and chief creative officer suggested a less warm reception. The 42-year-old Yorkshireman, who was described by outgoing Burberry boss Angela Ahrendts yesterday [...]
Primark set to launch its first stores in the US April 23, 2014 ASSOCIATED British Foods (ABF) is taking Primark to the US, the FTSE 100 conglomerate announced yesterday, as it reported a 26 per cent leap in the budget clothing chain’s profits. Primark is set to open a 70,000 square foot store in Boston in 2015 and it is also in talks to open a further eight [...]
Retail successes and failures in the US April 23, 2014 Primark is making its first foray into the US, which has in the past proved to be a tough market to crack and one often described as the graveyard of UK retailers. However alongside a number of failures there have been several success stories. BurberryBurberry has proved to be one of the biggest British retail [...]
Bottom Line: Bolland has until the autumn to do better May 20, 2014 RELAUNCHING a retail website is not easy. Behind the flashy new design and faux editorial content that draws shoppers towards key products is layer upon layer of complex infrastructure – payment systems and forms and code and algorithms. Somewhere in that complex maze of programming, Marks & Spencer tripped up. Before its new site went live [...]
SSP poaches WH Smith exec April 2, 2014 SSP CHIEF executive Kate Swann has poached one of her top former employees at high street retailer WH Smith to lead the travel concession group’s UK & Ireland business. The private equity-owned group, which owns chains like Delice de France and also runs outlets for Marks & Spencer, said yesterday that Simon Smith, managing director [...]
M&S sales continue to fall as Bolland has to hope for tenth time lucky November 5, 2013 Marks and Spencer has said this morning that its transformation is on track, although profits were 8.9 per cent lower at £261.1m during the six months to the end of September – the company's ninth reported loss. (Release) Analysts had predicted a 12 per cent decline in profits for the first half of the year, [...]
M&S warns new website will hit clothing sales May 20, 2014 MARKS & Spencer warned yesterday that the launch of its new website will deliver a further blow to its already fragile general merchandise sales, as the high street retailer reported a third year of falling profits. Chief executive Marc Bolland admitted the website “will take four to six months to be at full strength” as [...]
Marks & Spencer overhauls its autumn campaign in its latest attempt to boost womenswear range August 18, 2013 MARKS & Spencer has scored a host of British names ranging from Oscar winning actresses to authors and Olympic athletes for its crucial autumn womenswear collection, which could determine Marc Bolland’s future at the chain. The chief executive of M&S has been under increasing pressure this year to stem eight straight quarters of declining sales [...]
Student loans, uranium, and six other things on the Shareholder Executive’s to-do list May 27, 2014 The government’s Shareholder Executive announced today that it has picked Robert Swannell as its new chair. Swannell, who is also chairman of Marks & Spencer, has been on the board of the group since January, giving him some experience of the group's various portfolio companies. Here are some of the projects that are [...]
Marks & Spencer enjoys French renaissance as Paris sales leap July 21, 2013 MARKS & SPENCER saw sales across the Channel jump fourfold last year after rekindling its love affair with France, more than 12 years after its retreat from Europe. Sales jumped 330 per cent to €28m (£24m) in the year to 30 March from £6.5m the previous year, accounts filed last week on Companies House show. [...]