NEXT Backs Womenswear Brand Cerene, Co-Founded by Ex-AllSaints COO
NEXT Group is backing a new womenswear label, Cerene, co‑founded by former AllSaints COO Catherine Scorey Jobling and ex‑AllSaints Design Director Rebecca Nye. The brand, incorporated at NEXT’s Leicester headquarters, will launch in Autumn 2026 and is described as “fiercely feminine” with green as a signature colour. NEXT’s CFO Jonathan Blanchard and Group Investments Director Jeremy Stakol sit on Cerene’s board, underscoring a strategic investment, though the exact financial terms remain undisclosed. The move follows NEXT’s recent acquisitions of high‑street names such as FatFace and Joules.
Bound to Open First-Ever Store in Manchester’s Northern Quarter
Bound, the Manchester‑born menswear label founded by Jake Messer in 2018, is debuting its first brick‑and‑mortar flagship at 34‑36 Thomas Street on 13 June. The 1,615 sq ft space will showcase the brand’s core collections, including its noted knitwear and a new World...
ASOS Weighs Permanent Store Presence Following Pop-Up Success
ASOS is weighing a permanent physical retail footprint after learning from recent pop‑up shops and brand partnerships. The online fashion retailer says brick‑and‑mortar locations could complement its digital‑first strategy, though no concrete rollout plans have been announced. The move reflects...
Wyse London Poaches Stripe & Stare CEO for ‘Next Chapter’
Wyse London, the UK womenswear label, has appointed Cathy Newnes‑Smith as its new chief executive, succeeding Kara Groves. Newnes‑Smith joins from Stripe & Stare, where she has served as CEO since September 2022, and previously spent over a decade at...
Romeo Beckham Adds to Family Empire with Launch of Football-Inspired 'Intra' Fashion Label
Romeo Beckham, 23, has co‑founded Intra, a football‑inspired sportswear label, with former skateboard‑clothing entrepreneur Justin Saul. The brand debuted a soft launch in London’s Soho and will open a 48‑hour online drop on June 7 featuring the “Nations Collection” jackets themed...
BrandAlley Rescued in Pre-Pack Deal with Website Operations Unaffected
BrandAlley, the UK members‑only off‑price fashion e‑tailer, emerged from administration after a pre‑pack sale to the newly formed BrandAlley International Limited. The transaction retained 88 of its 163 employees while 75 jobs were eliminated, with 60 staff staying temporarily to...
Victoria Beckham Opens First US Pop-Up Store in Miami
Victoria Beckham launched her first U.S. pop‑up store at Miami’s Bal Harbour Shops, marking the brand’s inaugural location outside London that houses both fashion and beauty offerings. The boutique will operate through September 30, 2026, featuring a curated selection of ready‑to‑wear,...
Retail Space at London’s Historic Royal Exchange Put on Sale
The Ardent Companies is selling the Royal Exchange’s 51,000 sq ft luxury retail and dining space, which it purchased for roughly £50 million (about $62 million) in 2022. The historic venue, the only high‑end shopping centre in the City of London, hosts brands such...
Chloé Appoints Former Gucci Comms Exec as CMO
Richemont-owned fashion house Chloé has named Valérie Leberichel, former senior vice president of global communications at Gucci, as chief marketing officer effective June 1. Leberichel, who has also held senior roles at Givenchy, Celine, Prada and Issey Miyake, will report to...
Shopping with AI Leads to More Sales than by Traditional Online Searches
AI‑driven shopping is now outpacing traditional search in the UK, with Adobe reporting a 182% year‑on‑year rise in conversion rates and a 543% jump since January. AI referrals to retail sites surged 393% in Q1 compared with a year earlier,...
Marks & Spencer Introduces Personal Safety App and Plans for 'Safe Space' Stores
Marks & Spencer has rolled out a new personal‑safety app called WalkSafe Pro to protect employees who travel alone or commute at night. The app combines police and community data with user‑generated alerts, letting staff share live locations with trusted contacts...
SockShop Hits £30,000 in LGBT Foundation Donations with Sales of ‘Pride’ Socks
British retailer SockShop has raised £30,000 (about $37,500) for the LGBT Foundation since launching its Pride sock collection in 2018, donating 20 % of each pair sold. The line, which includes crew, knee‑high and trainer styles featuring the rainbow and Progress...
Speed up Plans to Close Import Tax Loophole on Small Parcels, British Firms Say
Britain’s leading retailers, including ASOS, Marks & Spencer and NEXT, have urged the government to accelerate a plan to tax low‑value imports, proposing a £2.60 (≈$3.30) charge per small parcel. They argue the current £135 (≈$170) de‑minimis exemption gives overseas...
ASOS Expands Menswear Offer with Nine New Brands Including Gap
ASOS announced the addition of nine new menswear brands, among them Gap, Huf, Stan Ray and Blend, expanding its catalogue with more than 100 products ranging from denim to linen sets. The move includes a wholesale partnership with Gap for...
Shop Numbers Return to Growth After Years of Decline, Say Experts
UK high streets are showing early signs of recovery, with more than 13 new retail stores opening each week over the past year. After a five‑year contraction that erased over 6,000 premises, the sector recorded a net gain of 723...