Luxury

​Footfall figures have already suggested the hoped-for pre-Christmas rush happened but wasn’t as frantic as hoped and now more data tell us the appetite for post-Christmas sales isn’t as great as expected either.

For France’s biggest billionaires, 2024 was a year to forget as their combined fortunes slumped by a record amount on weak luxury-good demand and political instability. 

Louis Vuitton’s collaboration with Takashi Murakami made a major impact 20 years ago and the star LVMH brand is celebrating that with a relaunch fronted by someone who was only eight when the collection first appeared.

​Retailers continue to struggle and the number in critical financial distress was up 25% in the latest quarter compared to the three months before it, according to insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor.

Nordstrom Inc. has wrapped up a $4 billion holiday gift for shareholders. But independent investors have room to ask for a more extravagant offering.

​While there have been warnings on a weak retail performance this Christmas, not all reports are downbeat.

Good, but not good enough to bring cheer to UK retailers this festive season, given some more new figures on trading performance.

Yves Hanania of Lighthouse, a luxury industry expert specialised in growth strategy, has analysed the latest sector trends for FashionNetwork.com, and the new challenges and paradigms in a crisis-ridden market.

Saks Global announced on Monday it has finalized its acquisition of Neiman Marcus Group for a total enterprise value of $2.7 billion. 

Tradition fails to ring any bells when it comes to what younger consumers want to hear in stores during the Christmas period.

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.

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.