​In a worrying development for retailers — but not their landlords — the UK's High Court has backed the joint venture partner of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield against The Fragrance Shop in a dispute over unpaid rent.

​UK retail sales proved strong in March as consumers got ready for the end of lockdown by purchasing new clothes, official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed on Friday. 

​Fenwick has a new non-executive chairman. Simon Calver has been appointed to help steer the family-owned UK department store chain through a series of sweeping changes, specifically its e-tail operations.

​Hermès has opened an entirely new space inside London’s Harrods, dedicated exclusively to women’s product. The store celebrates the “depth and richness” of its female-focused collections”.

Nike has once again claimed the title of the world’s most valuable apparel brand. It’s the seventh year in a row that it has taken top spot in the annual Brand Finance ranking.

​Hermès had a good first quarter as all of its business lines returned to growth and the company said it saw "a remarkable increase" in ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as watches and other categories. 

Numbers for the reopening of non-essential retail in England continue to look good. The latest come from the London Designer Outlet (LDO) where sales jumped 148% compared to June 2020’s reopening.

​As retailers and their landlords pull out all the stops in order to attract as many shoppers as possible back into their stores, landlord Shaftesbury has relaunched an initiative in the Seven Dials area.

​John Lewis Partnership may be closing some of its department stores, but it's also investing in its flagship properties and it's about to start renovating the facade of its Peter Jones store in London’s Chelsea.

​Beauty e-commerce platform Feelunique continued to grow fast in its latest financial year with the 12 months to the end of March seeing total sales rising 26% to £103.5 million.

​It looks like Amazon is adding another new category to its retail offer with the e-tail giant to open a hair salon in London, it said on Tuesday.

With the retail lights back on in England, UK property giant Hammerson said Tuesday initial footfall since the 12 April reopening has been “encouraging” and “competitive with pre-pandemic levels”.

​Cosmetics specialist Warpaint London, the listed company that’s no relation to men’s make-up firm War Paint, said Tuesday that Q1 trading has continued the strength it saw in the second half of last year.

​Primark was a big problem for its owner Associated British Foods in the first half as the enforced closure of many stores drove down revenues and profits.

​Reopening week seems to have been a good one for retailers in England and Wales, and especially for the hard hit West End of London, even though international tourists are still absent.

​Hugo Boss has named a new marketing and comms chief with the appointment of Miah Sullivan. She joins on May 1 after having previously worked at Luxottica, Furla and St John Knits.