from the editor News brief...
M&S’S PLUS-SIZE
SCHOOL UNIFORMS Marks and Spencer has made a controversial move by launching a small range of school uniform for overweight children as young as four. The Plus range will be available on its website as a trial. The retailer has defended criticism by stating that the move is in response to demand from parents.
HARRODS ‘IN
TALKS’ WITH CHINA At time of press, London- based luxury department store, Harrods is thought to be in negotiations with the Chinese government regarding the possibility of launching the first branch outside of the UK, in Shanghai. Nothing has yet been confirmed, but speculations suggest that if an agreement is made it could take two- and-a-half years to complete the project. The Guardian reported that the number of Chinese travellers that shopped at the store in the first half of this year was up 125 per cent on last year.
JOHN LEWIS BRANCHES INTO CORPORATE FURNISHINGS
John Lewis has launched John Lewis Solutions for Business, to provide a furnishing resource for a range of commercial enterprises from offices to hotels. Furnishings and electricals will be available as well as a dedicated account contact to handle order processing. Andrew Sellers, development manager for corporate sales at John Lewis, commented: “We were seeing more and more enquiries coming from businesses looking to buy across our assortment, wanting leather sofas, desks, that sort of thing, so the logical extension of that was to equip ourselves a bit better to deal with these enquiries.”
Is it that time already? Selfridges launches Christmas shop earlier than ever before.
Selfridges has made a bold and slightly controversial step, opening its Christmas store on August 2. The launch, 145 days before Christmas Day means that ice-cream eating, flip-flop adorned shoppers can escape the heat and browse for festive goodies in Selfridges earlier than ever before.
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009 saw the Selfridges Christmas store open on August 8, already an early
start by most standards. Reportedly it sold more than 1,000 baubles in the first week of opening. This year’s festive extravaganza will see more traditional products like tinsel and fairy lights on sale alongside a £500 life-size donkey, and shoppers will also have the chance to paint their own baubles. The decision was taken to launch so early in the year partly to attract consumers from overseas, who are looking to make gift purchases here.
Geraldine James, Selfridges Christmas Shop's buying manager, commented: "Christmas is coming earlier each year. I can see a time when we offer a capsule Christmas collection throughout the year.” She continued, “We are famous globally for our Christmas decorations and our signature Selfridges bauble can be found on trees from Miami to Manchester, via Montego Bay." With many retailers launching festive ranges earlier and earlier, it begs the question of ‘how early
Movers and shakers
Iconic Irish womenswear institution McElhinney has reopened its doors. The retailer was forced to close in June but is back in business thanks to a new agreement with Irish fashion distributors Flairline. All 56 staff that lost their jobs will return to work. Gary Waldron has been
appointed retail director for Habitat, following his exit from fashion brand Fat Face earlier this year. It has been reported that the move follows the hiring of chairman Phil Wrigley in June, who had previously worked for New Look. Mothercare is bringing back Anna James, former strategy
and ecommerce director, to a newly created role as group marketing director. James left the company in 2008 in a move to work as Carphone Warehouse’s UK marketing director. She will take the new post later this year and will report to chief executive Ben Gordon. Mothercare also revealed that it has bought the maternity and baby fashion retailer Blooming Marvellous.
4 Department Store Buyer
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