Luxury

It’s a nervous time for many retailers wondering whether a big-spending last-minute Christmas rush materialises to improve their top and bottom lines.

It’s a tricky business trying to gauge consumer emotions/confidence at this time of year but the outlook for January and the wider first quarter looks bleak, driven by a bigger-than-usual spending squeeze, says the BRC.

More positive news on two fronts for Christmas retail. Super Saturday (21 December) saw a welcome year-on-year rise in UK footfall as early Boxing Day discounting helped drive last-minute Christmas shoppers into store.

On January 7, Jimmy Choo will open in Scandicci, near Florence, its new global supply chain office, in a three-storey, 3,000 square-metre building home to the offices and warehouse, plus a 2,600 square-metre basement.

Nordstrom Inc. is going private through an all-cash transaction valued at about $6.25 billion in a bet by the founding family that the department-store company will be more successful outside of the public stock market.

Despite a barrage of Western sanctions and many brands quitting Russia after the Kremlin launched its Ukraine offensive, Moscow's most well-off shoppers are still spoilt for choice when it comes to luxury Western goods.

​British retailers reported a weak run-up to the Christmas holidays with sales falling again and businesses worrying about higher costs in 2025, the Confederation of British Industry said on Friday.

​Tory Burch UK has filed its audited accounts for last year with turnover rising a healthy 16.4% from £24.43 million to £28.44 million.

A Loro Piana executive told government officials that the luxury apparel brand doesn’t know whether some indigenous Peruvians are compensated for providing the company with the fiber used to make $9,000 sweaters.

Global retailer END. is preparing a breathless celebration for its 20th anniversary. A 2025 year-long series of curated events, activations, collaborations and exclusive, limited-edition releases is being planned.

The Italian omnichannel fashion retailer is broadening its range and opening up to new types of partnership, while revenue for its own label Modes_Garments doubled, as CEO Simon Whitehouse told FashionNetwork.com.

Calvin Klein has confirmed plans to return to New York Fashion Week in February, with the debut collection for the brand by Veronica Leoni, the house revealed on Friday.

Official UK retail sales figures didn’t deliver much festive cheer for the fashion sector on Friday with news that clothing sales dropped last month.

​Reiss has filed its accounts for the year to the end of January 2024 with the company saying it delivered a “strong performance” for the 52 weeks, despite the challenging environment.

Online UK retail revenues have recovered from a tough period in recent months and new figures show they’re building as we get closer to Christmas.

​Super Saturday (21 December) is being widely predicted to be a frenzied affair, it being the final Saturday before Christmas, and a new report said that, combined with this Sunday, £3.04bn will be spent by UK consumers.