​Freemans said on Friday that it had “a cracker of a Christmas” with sales in the eight weeks to the end of the year up as much as 23%. Its customer numbers also topped a million, which was up 65% from two years ago.

​Footfall to UK retail destinations was up 12.5% in January, according to the latest BRC-Sensormatic IQ data. But while it rose, it was 2.6 percentage points down on December.

Estee Lauder Cos Inc forecast a bigger drop in full-year profit than it had initially estimated, citing uncertainty around recovery in major market China. 

​There are big changes happening in John Lewis Partnership’s customer service capability, with the UK retail giant announcing new investment in its brands, data and technology “to give even more value to customers”.

Global fashion giant H&M is planning to shutter four of its regional UK stores, citing a “rapid change” in customer behaviour. Stores in Hartlepool, Maidenhead, Newport on the Isle of Wight and Burton are set to close.

The founder of Liu Jo has been named president of Italian department store group Coin SpA. A former board member, Marchi succeeds Giorgio Rossi, who will stay on as a board member.

How successful has The Very Group’s Everyday range been? Enough to expand the collection with more than 900 new fashion and home products “following strong customer demand since it launched in summer 2022”.

American singer Ariana Grande will acquire the assets of her R.e.m. Beauty brand from Forma Brands, her licensee, which has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under US law. 

E.L.F. Beauty announced on Wednesday revenues for the third quarter lifted 49% to $146.5 million, driven by strength in both its retailer and e-commerce channels.  

A new broom is expected to sweep in at Matalan following the acquisition of the fashion and lifestyle retailer last month, with interim chairman Tim Isaacs the first casualty.

Central London commercial property landlord Shaftesbury is to partner with Good On You, fashion’s source for brand sustainability ratings.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is looking into Farfetch’s purchase of a stake in Yoox Net-A-Porter, owned by Swiss luxury goods group Richemont, claiming it might reduce competition in the UK market.

In the first nine months of fiscal 2022-23, cosmetics group L’Occitane recorded a 10.6% rise in sales, a performance largely due to the Sol de Janeiro brand, acquired in November 2021.

​THG Ingenuity has inked a strategic alliance with And Digital, the software engineering firm, “to accelerate digital transformation, help brands bridge the digital skills gap and unlock the potential of commerce tech”.

​Shop price inflation continues to rise, despite hopes that it would begin to ease soon. The latest BRC-NielsenIQ Shop price Index for January showed it acerbating to 8% from 7.3% in December.

Frasers Group is understood to be rolling out its own buy-now/pay-later (BNPL) offer as part of an own-brand, standalone financial package scheme.