Mike Ashley’s Frasers ups stake in Hugo Boss after takeover bid Retail Frasers Group has pushed up its stake in Hugo Boss to nearly half of the company, though Mike Ashley’s group misses out on full control of the luxury fashion brand. The Sports Direct owner has increased its portion of the German fashion house to nearly 48 per cent after offering €38 for every share in [...]
Darts star Beau Greaves gets eyes insured by Specsavers for £1m Sport Business Women’s darts sensation Beau Greaves has had her eyes insured for £1m by opticians Specsavers. The stunt came after Greaves, a 22-year-old from Doncaster who wears glasses, won a third Women’s World Matchplay at the weekend when she beat Fallon Sherrock 6-5 in the final at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Like Littler won the [...]
Beat Luke Littler: Netflix enters live darts with £500,000 showcase Sport Business Netflix is entering live darts for the first time with a new show challenging members of the public to take on world champion Luke Littler. Beat Luke Littler will pit 20 amateur arrows fans against the teenage prodigy for a chance to win £501,000 – if they can beat him in a single leg. “Everyone [...]
Frasers slams ‘nonsense rumours’ over Harvey Nichols bid July 16, 2026 The boss of Frasers has hit back at “nonsense rumours” that retail brands are reluctant to work with the group, which is known for making aggressive plays to take control of rival companies. The group, which owns Sports Direct and Flannels, gatecrashed the auction to buy luxury department store Harvey Nichols last week, despite some [...]
A £3bn reckoning that will reshape buy now, pay later July 15, 2026 Buy now, pay later providers are cheering the arrival of new regulations.In this week’s column Samuel Norman considers how the industry could be reshaped. Five years ago, the government revealed plans to crack down on the buy now, pay later market after an industry review found financial risks posed by the ease with which consumers [...]
Debenhams owner could sell brands to slash debt July 14, 2026 Debenhams Group could sell off some of its brands in a bid to eliminate its £90m debt, as the fashion firm continues its turnaround. The group, which owns the eponymous former department store as well as Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing, plans to slash its debt to below the level of its pre-tax earnings and [...]
Hugo Boss urges investors to reject £1.7bn bid from Mike Ashley’s Frasers July 9, 2026 Hugo Boss has urged its investors to reject the “inadequate” £1.7bn takeover tabled by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group. The retail giant behind Sports Direct and House of Fraser currently owns around 26 per cent of Hugo Boss but launched a move to take full control last month. The FTSE 250 group, which was founded by [...]
Debenhams owner hails ‘successful transformation’ as loss narrows June 16, 2026 Debenhams’ owner has hailed a “successful transformation” following its drastic turnaround, though the fast-fashion group still posted a £100m loss. The AIM-listed group, which owns brands including Debenhams, Pretty Little Thing and Karen Millen, saw its pre-tax loss narrow by 69 per cent to £108m in the year to February. The fashion firm, which is [...]
Mike Ashley’s Frasers makes £166m play for shoe firm Accent June 15, 2026 Frasers Group has launched a £166m takeover bid of Australian shoe company Accent while calling for the removal of its chairman over “poor performance”. The fashion conglomerate has offered to buy all of the shares in Accent it does not already own for 65 Australian cents per share, valuing the offer at A$136m (£166m). This [...]
Hugo Boss shares soar as Mike Ashley’s Frasers circles June 11, 2026 Hugo Boss shares have jumped following a €2bn takeover approach from Frasers, sending its share price above the offer tabled by Mike Ashley’s group. The German luxury brand said it is reviewing the “unsolicited” takeover attempt, which would offer €38 per share, totalling about €1.98bn and valuing the fashion house at €2.7bn. But the takeover [...]