​Shaftesbury, the West End property giant that's in talks about a merger with Capco, has reported what might be its last set of results before a merger is unveiled with footfall up and its portfolio value growing.

Major global brands will “continue betting on physical retail to drive sales in resilient destination cities”, a Savills report says. And it named New York, Paris and London as “the most attractive cities for retailers”.

​Luxury businesses have renewed calls for the UK government to reverse its decision to end VAT-free shopping for tourists, saying Britain is losing out to other European countries as big-spenders go elsewhere.

Swiss duty-free retailer Dufry on Thursday posted 144.5% organic sales growth for the first quarter, supported by an uptake in travel in Europe and the Americas as coronavirus curbs were eased.

​Good news for UK online fashion sales. Not so good news for digital beauty sales. Even worse for the e-tail industry as a whole. And after weak April numbers, it suggests the digital boom could well be over.

​Cheery news for London retail. After the pandemic starved the capital of overseas tourists, they’re now expected to flock back, according to a new report.

Amazon.com Inc, the second-largest U.S. private employer, told its staff on Monday it will pay up to $4,000 in travel expenses annually for non-life threatening medical treatments including abortions, reports said.

From Dior to Chanel, Bottega Veneta to Louis Vuitton, luxury houses and brands such as Diesel or Drome are multiplying their artistic initiatives in Venice, where the 59th Art Biennale has just kicked off.

​Luxury giant Hermès was the latest big name to update on recent trading on Thursday and it reported what we’ve seen elsewhere so far this year — “strong sales momentum across all business lines in all areas”.

​Jean Paul Gaultier’s production Fashion Freak Show is returning to the London stage.The show, which explores Gaultier’s colourful life and career, previews at the Roundhouse in Camden on 15 July until 28 August.

Swiss duty-free retailer Dufry expects to reopen more than 90% of its sales capacity by April as travel rebounds from the pandemic slump, it said on Tuesday, after its 2021 turnover met its worst case scenario forecast.

​Seen by many as downmarket eyesores, Oxford Street’s raft of candy stores in London, alongside tourist shops and phone repair shops, could soon disappear if Westminster Council gets its way.

​Hermès was the latest luxury group to signal a strong recovery on Friday with the French firm’s Q4 and full-year sales highlighting the resilience of the biggest global luxury names both during and after the pandemic.

​As retailers continue to campaign against the UK's changes to VAT-free shopping rules, new analysis from GlobalData claims Britain will lose its top spot in the European ‘duty-free’ market as spend falls 70% by 2025.

​The easing of Plan B Covid restrictions in England over the past week has seen consumers returning to London’s West End, which is home to the flagship stores of many of the fashion sector’s biggest retail names.

​Luxe French swimwear label Vilebrequin has appointed IMG to “extend its brand globally through product and brand licensing partnerships, in a multi-year global deal”.