Beauty

​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.

​The news around Boohoo Group continues to come thick and fast with several developments on Monday.

Produced in small batches with high-quality, natural or rare ingredients, niche perfumes are becoming big business even while retaining their exclusive nature.

French cosmetics giant L'Oreal is in final talks to acquire the South Korean skincare business Gowoonsesang Cosmetics owned by Mibelle Group, a unit of Swiss retailer Migros, said two sources with knowledge of the deal.

​We can add to the fast-growing number of property firms announcing record performances for their retail tenants. Network Rail has released its July-September retail performance figures for its 19 managed UK stations.

British retail tycoon Mike Ashley failed on Friday in his attempt to be appointed to the board of Boohoo after shareholders in the struggling online fast-fashion group voted against the move.

​Discounter The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) is reportedly “exploring options” after Deloitte earlier failed to find a buyer for it. Teneo is believed to be acting as adviser to its owner as those options are looked at.

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.

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.

It may be too late to do much about marketing for the 2024 festive season but with 2025 plans already forming in retailers’ and brands’ minds, it’s worth noting a new study from eBay.

German perfume and cosmetics retailer Douglas forecast higher 2025 sales and earnings on Thursday, citing a good start to the financial year that included the crucial pre-Christmas period.

US cosmetics group Estée Lauder, which will have a new CEO in January, has appointed former LVMH executive Olivier Dubos as managing director of Global Travel Retail.

​Zalando has looked back at 2024 based on the data generated by its platform and come up with Trend Rewind, a look at what’s been trending this year.

​Debenhams has named insider Patrick Duggan as its new creative director. It's clearly an endorsement of the work he's done already as he's been the senior head of creative at the online marketplace for almost two years.

The Body Shop appears to be bouncing back from its spectacular implosion earlier this year with news of profitability in the UK business, an acquisition of the Canadian business and expansion plans in the Middle East.