News

​Contemporary apparel brand American Vintage has opened its 11th store in London. Located in Redchurch, the two-storey flagship store is designed to offer a comprehensive lifestyle experience.

Swiss watch exports rose by 9.6% in July to 2.6 billion Swiss francs, the watch industry federation announced on Thursday. “This performance pushes the seven-month cumulative total into positive territory,” it noted.

Walmart’s ⁠disappointing sales and Home Depot’s strength among budget-conscious DIY-ers show middle-class American consumers are growing more tight-fisted, even as wealthier shoppers have kept supporting luxury brands.

Upon completion of the transaction, expected by the end of the third quarter of this year, the founding family’s stake will rise to 69.09%, while Italmobiliare will retain 30.91%.

​Gordon brothers was in the news last week as a possible bidder for Harvey Nichols. That didn’t happen, as we know, but it’s back in the news now for its more-budget-focused property, Poundland.

British retail sales fell back as expected in July after ⁠a surge in June when hot weather and World ⁠Cup promotions boosted demand, while fashion remained a mixed bag, official ‌figures showed on Friday.

Phu Nhuan Jewelry JSC, known as PNJ, was cleared of wrongdoing in its diamond import and distribution operations according to the preliminary findings of a smuggling probe that has shaken the industry: stocks surged. 

Christine Hunsicker, founder of the fashion-rental and technology company CaaStle Inc., was sentenced to five years in prison for defrauding investors out of $300 million.

Ferragamo has reopened its flagship boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. The “transformed retail destination” epitomises the Italian label’s new global retail concept.

Switzerland and China agreed on a new trade accord that almost entirely removes tariffs on Swiss exports, as Beijing tries to increase ties in Europe amid its ongoing rivalry with the US for global influence.

France’s consumer ⁠watchdog fined British fast-fashion retailer Boohoo €2.3 million ($2.69 million) for deceptive practices such as fake discounts on its ⁠website, it ‌said on ⁠Thursday.

New York-based fashion house Carolina Herrera has launched a new flagship store in the Miami Design District, bringing the label’s full product selection to the US city while celebrating the work of women artists.

Global luxury brands are facing a deepening sales slump in China, as the country’s campaign to tax offshore wealth sends ripples from stock markets to casinos and dampens spending by the country’s richest consumers.

Lululemon Athletica Inc.’s top communications officer is leaving the yogawear company, adding to the list of executives who are departing ahead of incoming chief executive officer Heidi O’Neill’s arrival.

Coty on Wednesday posted a surprise increase in fourth-quarter revenue on resilient demand for fragrances ⁠and cosmetics, and said it has appointed former British American Tobacco finance chief Soraya Benchikh as CFO.

​JD Sports delivered a detailed Q2 trading update on Thursday that showed its sales continuing to fall with no suggestion of when it might see them starting to pick up.

A judicial investigation for “involuntary manslaughter by a driver” was opened on Wednesday after the road accident in France that claimed the lives of key Dior figure Mathilde Favier and film producer Nicolas Altmayer.

While Wolford’s turnover was 31 million euros in the first half of 2026 compared with 33 million euros a year prior, the group improved its earnings performance. EBIT ultimately narrowed to a 10.2 million euro loss.

Germany’s Goldner Fashion Group, with its womenswear brands Madeleine and Goldner, will become part of FTS Global, a sourcing and supply chain platform headquartered in Hong Kong.

Global beauty business Mary Kay has expanded its integrated ‘My Shop’ platform to Canada, Mexico, and Spain and will continue to launch it across global locations. 

This week, the delisting of the shares of Ludwig Beck am Rathauseck- Textilhaus Feldmeier Aktiengesellschaft (Ludwig Beck AG) from Germany’s Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the Munich Stock Exchange took effect.

Estee Lauder has forecast ⁠annual profit above estimates as ⁠gains from its ‌CEO’s turnaround strategy continue ⁠to build and the 2026 fiscal year brought both gross margin and operating margin expansion.

Younger shoppers hunting for handbags, jewellery, and apparel are increasingly price-checking the resale market before buying new items to gauge their future potential worth, according to RealReal CEO Rati Sahi Levesque.

Award-winning French film producer Nicolas Altmayer and Dior PR head Mathilde Favier were killed in a car accident in western France, local authorities said Tuesday.

Mexico’s biggest department store company is counteracting sluggish consumer spending by expanding its financial products and real estate businesses along with new shopper services like manicures and haircuts.

Klarna, the Swedish “buy now, pay later” services provider and online bank, cut its ⁠full-year volume and revenue forecast on Tuesday, citing conditions in Germany, sending its shares down 17% in premarket trading.

​While the big story around brands being acquired by bigger market peers is about store closures, the trend is moving in the opposite direction as Karen Millen and Russell & Bromley are now opening new physical spaces.

Bio-tech company WTRLSS has launched its digital dyeing technology with the aim of transforming the $100 billion global denim industry by cutting water in the denim dyeing and finishing process by up to 99.9%. 

Inditex SA founder Amancio Ortega added another central London property to his sprawling portfolio, with a luxury development in Marylebone. 

Ted Baker’s growth plan under owner Authentic Brands Group is continuing and the latest development for the brand is a new menswear collection that has launched exclusively at Macy’s in the US.