Retailers, don’t blame poor sales on the weatherman October 29, 2018 In the longstanding narrative of the “death of the high street”, analysts point in all directions to identify the causes of changes in customer spend in any given period. And, in true British fashion, one problem that is given a lot of attention is the weather. The weather is somehow both the cause and the [...]
Asos appoints ex-Britvic finance chief as new CFO October 23, 2018 Asos today appointed Britvic chief financial officer Mathew Dunn as its new CFO. The exact start date is yet to be announced, though the online retailer has said that Dunn will join the firm in spring 2019, leaving Britvic to take on the role. Read more: Shares in Asos soar on news of boosted profits and revenue [...]
Shares in Asos soar on news of boosted profits and revenue October 17, 2018 Shares in online fashion giant Asos soared 15 per cent this morning as it revealed profits were up 28 per cent and sales grew by 26 per cent during a "record year" of investment. Revenue at the retailer was £2.4bn in the year to August 2018, up from £1.9bn in the previous year, while profit before tax grew from [...]
Menswear styling tech startup Thread raises $22m October 16, 2018 Fast fashion startup Thread will today announce the close of its series B funding round at $22m (£16.7m), which includes backing from Balderton Capital, Beringea and H&M’s investment arm H&M Co:Lab. The round will also be complemented by a crowdfunding raise on Crowdcube later this year, providing everyday investors access to shares in Thread on [...]
Why technology won’t transform every brand’s Fashion Week October 15, 2018 Now that this year’s Fashion Weeks in London, Milan, New York, and Paris have all come to a close, many people are questioning the role of a runway show in today’s age, and whether it could be brought into the twenty-first century. Some brands are embracing the latest technology to satisfy modern consumer demands by making [...]
Asos teams up with Google to launch a shopping skill for Google Assistant October 11, 2018 Asos is expanding into voice-assistant technology in a partnership with Google, making it one of the first UK fashion retailers to debut on Google Assistant. Customers in the UK and US will be able to engage with Asos' fashion chatbot Enki, starting a conversation using the phrase "Hey Google, talk to Asos" on a smartphone or [...]
Fevertree’s fizz falls flat with investors as shares dip again October 10, 2018 Fevertree’s share price is down more than nine per cent today as the tonic maker continues to tumble from its mid-September peak. The gin mixer brand saw its stock hit its highest level on 12 September, at 4,120p, but it has failed to climb further, instead seeing shares dip in the weeks before today’s losses. [...]
H&M takes a $20m stake in fintech startup Klarna October 8, 2018 Swedish fintech startup Klarna has today announced a global partnership with fashion powerhouse H&M, which included a $20m (£15.3m) investment in the business. The deal will see Klarna integrate its digital payments technology into H&M's physical and online stores via its payment programme H&M Club1. Klarna allows shoppers to pay securely for products online with flexible payment options [...]
The Gym Group appoints former Tesco and Asos finance director as chief financial officer October 3, 2018 Low-cost exercise chain The Gym Group has appointed former Tesco director Mark George as its chief finance officer. George was most recently the deputy at car dealing company Auto Trader and has also held senior finance positions at Tesco and fashion house Asos. He will join The Gym Group at the end of the month. Gym Group chief executive [...]
AIM high as daily share trading on alternative market hits record highs September 30, 2018 The value of traded shares on alternative exchange AIM more than tripled in two years, a new report has found. Spurred by success stories like ASOS, Boohoo and Fever-Tree, the average value of daily trading per company on the market grew to £328m, up from £109m in 2015/16, accountants UHY Hacker Young said. The growth [...]