Latest Articles in Business

UK: Retail sales drop in November despite discounting

Total retail sales in discretionary spend categories fell by -5.8 percent in November in the UK, according to BDO’s latest High Street Sales Tracker. Sales performance was particularly poor online, with sales down -7.8 percent. In store sales fell by 5.5 percent, with the fashion sector recording figures of -8.0 percent compared to November...

Business

Germany: Strongest decline in retail sales in two years

The reluctance of many consumers to buy is slowing down retail before the start of the important Christmas business. In October, sales fell compared to September, both in nominal terms (-1.1 percent) and in price-adjusted terms (-1.5 percent). Adjusted for prices, the decline was the sharpest since autumn 2022. This means that the recovery from...

Business

French clothing and textile sales up 4.3 percent in October 2024

In October 2024, retailers' sales of clothing and textiles recorded a 4.1 percent increase in value compared to October 2023, according to data shared by IFM Panel. After the strong increase last September , the French clothing and textile sector continues its performance. For the month of October 2024, distributor sales recorded an increase of...

Business|Opinion Featured

Is ‘Black Friday’ still relevant?

Black Friday has finally arrived, but I’ve already had enough. Since last week, I've been inundated with newsletters full of offers, and while clearing out my inbox, I've wondered whether in a time of climate crisis, with the EU aiming for a circular economy by 2050 and enacting new laws to further enforce sustainability, a bargain fest that...

Business

Oxfam calls on Australian brands to pay living wages to garment workers

An analysis by Oxfam Australia has claimed that a number of notable Australian brands are underpaying their garment workers despite raking in over one billion dollars in revenue last year. According to the nonprofit organisation, Kmart Group, Big W, Cotton On, Rip Curl, Kathmandu owner KMD, Myder and Bonds’ parent company Hanes “still don’t pay...

BusinessFeatured

Uniqlo boss says brand does not use Xinjiang cotton

Fast Retailing’s chief executive, Tadashi Yanai, has claimed that the company’s core brand, Uniqlo, does not use cotton sourced from China’s Xinjiang region in its products. Yanai addressed the concern to the BBC, to which he confirmed that the company was not utilising cotton from this district, before stating: “It gets too political if I say...

Business

On Running opens office in London

Swiss sportswear retailer On Running opened its first European flagship store in London in early 2023. This was followed a few months later by a second store in the bustling Spitalfields district. Now, the brand is cementing its presence in the UK with the opening of an office in the English capital. The premises, at 12 Fleur De Lis Street, is...

Business

After scandal in Italy: Dior strengthens its own production capacities

Following a scandal involving suppliers in Italy, the French luxury house Dior wants to take over a larger part of its own production chain. According to a report from industry magazine WWD, the company has announced the creation of a new industrial department, which will aim to strengthen production capacities in the long term and ensure the...

Business

Pierre Cardin and Ahlers AG fined 5.7 million euros

French fashion house Pierre Cardin and its largest licensee Ahlers AG are to be fined 5.7 million euros by the European Commission for anti-competitive agreements. Pierre Cardin must pay an amount of 2.23 million and Ahlers AG 3.5 million euros. The European Commission reported that between 2008 and 2021, the two concluded several...

Business

Birkenstock loses lawsuit against Aldi over sandal design

Shoe manufacturer Birkenstock has lost an appeal in its dispute with Aldi over the design of a sandal from the supermarket chain's range. The Bavarian Supreme Court in Munich today confirmed the lower court's earlier verdict, a spokesman said. The case involved a sandal with a large buckle, for which Birkenstock's complaint was dismissed. The...

Business|CEO Interview Featured

SilkFred CEO on AI, platforming indies and the waning influence of trends

When Emma Watkinson, together with her friends Kate and Stephen Jackson, set out to start their own fashion e-commerce company in 2011, it was on the premise of both addressing the lack of excitement Watkinson felt towards existing propositions, and the absence of support for small brands attempting to step onto the thorny fashion ladder. Having...

BusinessFeatured

Circularity Gap Report: Six circular economy strategies examined

In collaboration with the H&M Foundation, Amsterdam-based organisation Circle Economy has published the latest edition of its Circularity Gap Report. For the first time, the organisations have conducted an in-depth examination of the textile industry, revealing that it is only 0.3 percent circular, compared to an overall global average of 7.2...