Versace set to walk the runway with rumoured sale ‘within hours’ September 24, 2018 Shares in fashion brand Michael Kors are down more than eight per cent on rumours that it is in talks to buy Versace. Fashion kingpin Versace is rumoured to be “within hours” of being sold, according to Italian news reports which emerged early this morning. Newspaper Corriere della Sera, which has cited unnamed sources, [...]
Mike Ashley hits out at landlords as three House of Fraser stores set to close September 23, 2018 House of Fraser boss Mike Ashley has hit out at "greedy" landlords as he announced the closure of three department stores. At least 15 stores that were previously earmarked for closure have been saved, House of Fraser announced, however branches in Edinburgh, Hull and Swindon face being shut down. Sports Direct owner Ashley, who [...]
Sports Direct denies reports Mike Ashley may block sale of Debenhams’ Danish arm Magasin du Nord September 16, 2018 Sports Direct have this evening denied reports its boss Mike Ashley is attempting to block a sale of Debenhams' Danish business Magasin du Nord. Reports suggested Ashley had threatened to halt the £200m of the business by Debenhams, in which he already has a 30 per cent stake, in the hopes of forcing the business into [...]
House of Fraser to ‘axe brands’ in Sports Direct strategy rethink September 14, 2018 A number of House of Fraser brands are to be axed as part of a strategy rethink by new owners Sports Direct, it has been reported. Sources told fashion publication Drapers that brands such as Linea, Biba, Issa, Label Lab and Criminal Denim will removed, in line with Mike Ashley's strategy of turning the troubled department store into [...]
Mike Ashley accuses Sports Direct shareholders of ‘stabbing him in the back’ September 14, 2018 Mike Ashley has accused Sports Direct shareholders of stabbing him in the back after the resignation of long-serving chair Keith Hellawell. In a strongly-worded statement, the founder and chief executive officer of the sports retailing giant today criticised shareholders for turning last week's annual general meeting (AGM) into a “media circus”. He said that shareholders had ceded [...]
Why John Lewis’ price promise won’t deliver profits September 14, 2018 Retail bellwether John Lewis reported a 99 per cent drop in profits yesterday in what one analyst labelled a moment as significant as the fall of the Roman empire, as far as the struggling high street is concerned. The middle-class favourite’s profit before one-off items slumped to £1.4m in the six months to 28 July [...]
Debenhams share price falls as House of Fraser merger talk is dampened September 13, 2018 Shares in Debenhams fell by five per cent this morning, wiping out most of the gains made yesterday amid speculation that Sports Direct could merge the struggling retailer with House of Fraser. Read more: Sports Direct board 'mulled Debenhams and House of Fraser merger' The comments were made by an outgoing board member at the [...]
Mike Ashley must end the Sports Direct clowning if he is to be the high street’s hero September 13, 2018 Emptying his pockets of wads of £50 notes at a security check, telling a select committee about vomiting in a fireplace at board meetings – Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley is clearly not afraid of theatre. Against type, he has now chosen to play the part of white knight of the high street, but yesterday’s [...]
House of Fraser owner Sanpower eyes takeover of toy shop Hamleys June 15, 2015 The Chinese owner of House of Fraser is rumoured to be planning another buying spree in the UK with the country’s most famous toy shop Hamleys next on its shopping list. Yuan Yafei, the chairman of Nanjing-based conglomerate Sanpower, is understood to be in talks to buy the famous chain from its French owner, [...]
Another director leaves House of Fraser following Chinese acquisition April 27, 2015 House of Fraser is losing another member of its senior team, months into the department store's ownership transition. Chief financial officer Mark Gifford is leaving the company in September after eight years in the role, and 13 years at the company all told. Colin Elliot, a chartered accountant who has most recently worked [...]