Latest news with #DanFinley
Fashion Network
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Beyoncé Cowboy Carter tour drives UK surge in Western fashion searches says Debenhams Group
Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour — which arrived in London last week — has sparked a boom in Western-themed items, according to data from Debenhams Group, whose brands 'have seen a surge in demand' for such items from fans. At PrettyLittleThing, searches for 'Cowboy jackets' surged 617% in May and Boohoo recorded a 166% increase in denim top sales last month. At the company's Nasty Gal brand, 'sequins' topped search terms in the week leading up to the opening date. Sales for Chocolate Calf-High Western Boots were also up 268% in the last month at PrettyLittleThing. The company owns a vast range of brands (including Debenhams itself, plus Karen Millen and Boohoo Man) and also said that overall searches for cowboy hats (+85%) and boots (+53%) underlined the appeal of the theme. The PrettyLittleThing youth brand also saw a 75% jump in accessory sales in the last month, with items like studded belts and fringe bags appealing to thousands of customers. At urban fashion brand Nasty Gal, that sequin obsession saw the search term overtaking 'bikinis' and 'co-ords' as the top search in the pre-tour week, closely followed by 'western' and 'cowboy', which both saw a 40% increase in searches compared to the previous week. Meanwhile, Boohoo womenswear saw an uplift in searches of 40% month-on-month for 'Jorts' and denim shorts 'as fans pay tribute to Beyoncé's hit' Levii's Jeans. The brand saw suede jacket sales rising 271%, denim tops up 166% as mentioned, cowboy hats rising 58% and cowboy-themed T-shirt sales up 33%. Dan Finley, CEO of Debenhams Group, said: 'Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour is proving to be a powerful cultural catalyst, reshaping style trends almost overnight. Customers are moving from inspiration to purchase faster than ever – trading typical staples for cowboy boots and denim as western fashion takes centre stage. It's a clear sign of how swiftly cultural movements translate into retail trends and why agility, relevance, and the ability to respond at speed are essential to modern retail.'
Fashion Network
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Beyoncé Cowboy Carter tour drives UK surge in Western fashion searches says Debenhams Group
Sales for Chocolate Calf-High Western Boots were also up 268% in the last month at PrettyLittleThing. The company owns a vast range of brands (including Debenhams itself, plus Karen Millen and Boohoo Man) and also said that overall searches for cowboy hats (+85%) and boots (+53%) underlined the appeal of the theme. The PrettyLittleThing youth brand also saw a 75% jump in accessory sales in the last month, with items like studded belts and fringe bags appealing to thousands of customers. At urban fashion brand Nasty Gal, that sequin obsession saw the search term overtaking 'bikinis' and 'co-ords' as the top search in the pre-tour week, closely followed by 'western' and 'cowboy', which both saw a 40% increase in searches compared to the previous week. Meanwhile, Boohoo womenswear saw an uplift in searches of 40% month-on-month for 'Jorts' and denim shorts 'as fans pay tribute to Beyoncé's hit' Levii's Jeans. The brand saw suede jacket sales rising 271%, denim tops up 166% as mentioned, cowboy hats rising 58% and cowboy-themed T-shirt sales up 33%. Dan Finley, CEO of Debenhams Group, said: 'Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour is proving to be a powerful cultural catalyst, reshaping style trends almost overnight. Customers are moving from inspiration to purchase faster than ever – trading typical staples for cowboy boots and denim as western fashion takes centre stage. It's a clear sign of how swiftly cultural movements translate into retail trends and why agility, relevance, and the ability to respond at speed are essential to modern retail.'
Fashion Network
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Beyoncé Cowboy Carter tour drives UK surge in Western fashion searches says Debenhams Group
Sales for Chocolate Calf-High Western Boots were also up 268% in the last month at PrettyLittleThing. The company owns a vast range of brands (including Debenhams itself, plus Karen Millen and Boohoo Man) and also said that overall searches for cowboy hats (+85%) and boots (+53%) underlined the appeal of the theme. The PrettyLittleThing youth brand also saw a 75% jump in accessory sales in the last month, with items like studded belts and fringe bags appealing to thousands of customers. At urban fashion brand Nasty Gal, that sequin obsession saw the search term overtaking 'bikinis' and 'co-ords' as the top search in the pre-tour week, closely followed by 'western' and 'cowboy', which both saw a 40% increase in searches compared to the previous week. Meanwhile, Boohoo womenswear saw an uplift in searches of 40% month-on-month for 'Jorts' and denim shorts 'as fans pay tribute to Beyoncé's hit' Levii's Jeans. The brand saw suede jacket sales rising 271%, denim tops up 166% as mentioned, cowboy hats rising 58% and cowboy-themed T-shirt sales up 33%. Dan Finley, CEO of Debenhams Group, said: 'Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour is proving to be a powerful cultural catalyst, reshaping style trends almost overnight. Customers are moving from inspiration to purchase faster than ever – trading typical staples for cowboy boots and denim as western fashion takes centre stage. It's a clear sign of how swiftly cultural movements translate into retail trends and why agility, relevance, and the ability to respond at speed are essential to modern retail.'
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
High street icon that closed four years ago making a comeback in 2025
Debenhams, a cherished fixture of the British high street that shut its doors in 2021, is making a comeback, albeit not in the way many might have expected. When Debenhams closed four years ago, it appeared to be the end of an era, reports But the brand was acquired by fast fashion behemoth Boohoo and transformed into an online marketplace within a year. READ MORE: The reason supermarket shoppers have started turning items upside down on shelves Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp , click the link to join Despite Boohoo's own reputation challenges, Debenhams has kept its popularity among Brits. Now, it's poised to return in full force, replacing the Boohoo name. In a surprising turn of events, executives from the struggling fashion brand declared yesterday that they would be retiring the Boohoo branding in favour of the iconic 247 year old name they purchased for £55million. " Debenhams is back," said chief executive Dan Finley, stating that this revamp will serve as the "blueprint for the wider turnaround of the group". He said: "(We are) sharply focused on maximising value for all shareholders. "It will be a leaner, faster and more technologically advanced business. "I am confident our best days are ahead of us and I am excited for our future. "Collectively they (other youth brands like ASOS) are a challenge for us, we see significant opportunity there. We've realised that potential by pivoting to marketplace." Despite the rebranding, the company will still proceed with the planned 200 job cuts at its Manchester Office and the closure of its US-based warehouse. The decision to rebrand the company formerly known as Boohoo has been met with scepticism by industry specialists, who doubt it will be sufficient to salvage the brand's tarnished image. Dominique Muller, UK policy lead at Labour Behind the Label, criticised the move in an interview with Drapers, stating: "Instead of getting distracted by cosmetic changes, we should keep a focus on the core model of brands like Boohoo and what has previously gone wrong." Muller further remarked: "No matter what Boohoo chooses to call its business, it will take more than a name change to indicate the company has truly turned a corner." Retail expert Richard Hyman also weighed in, pointing out the futility of rebranding without substantial transformation: "Rebranding something is pointless unless you actually make changes. I think we'll have to wait and see how they propose to change the nature of the business and its culture. Boohoo called Debenhams is still Boohoo." Hyman questioned the strategy behind the proliferation of marketplaces: "Everyone is doing what Debenhams is doing. Everyone has a [marketplace] now. How many platforms can [brands] be on? What are these new marketplaces adding to the market?". He also raised concerns about the impact on partners: "From a partner's perspective, are your total sales going to go up? Will you be creating new business by selling on another platform?".
The Guardian
11-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
New name but same old struggles for Boohoo
'Debenhams is back,' proclaimed the online retailing group formerly known as Boohoo. Unfortunately, its fast-fashion brands – not just Boohoo itself but also Pretty Little Thing and MAN – haven't gone away. All are struggling badly. Since the latter collection still represents three-quarters of group revenues, new chief executive Dan Finley's upbeat talk about an exciting future feels more than a little premature. The main market-moving news in the strategy rejig and trading update was another downgrade to the City's profit expectations alongside a thumping £40m charge for writing down surplus stock at what are now badged as the 'youth brands'. The shares fell 4%. The resuscitation operation on Debenhams, now in online-only form obviously, also seems to be more a work-in-progress rather than a definitive 'we're back' moment. Pushing a 'marketplace' platform model – selling other retailers' brands, in other words – was an obvious move since all the big names in clothing, from Next to Marks & Spencer to John Lewis, have ramped up activity in that arena. The stock-lite and capital-lite features obviously also hold appeal for a group that still has too much debt. But 10% growth for Debenhams is not a shoot-the-lights-out performance and the open question is the true size of the outside third-party 'marketplace' element. How much of the turnover is coming from in-house labels Wallis, Coast, Oasis, Dorothy Perkins and Warehouse? Jefferies' analyst Andrew Wade reckons the pure platform contribution is 'diminutive' – strip out internal brands and beauty products from Debs' revenues of £205m and he thinks it could be as little as £50m-£60m. Fair point: the partners may be enjoying 'strong growth' on the platform, as the group says, but from what level? Meanwhile, revenues at the fast-fashion brands were down by almost a quarter to £947m and it's hard to escape the impression that Boohoo has simply had its day in the sun. From one direction, industry giants Shein and Temu intrude; from the other, websites for secondhand goods such as Vinted are a coming force. The group's solution, again, is to adopt a marketplace model for its 'youth brands' but it hasn't happened yet. In any case, Shein itself is talking about adding a marketplace and it clearly has more dollars to throw at its project. If a quick sale of Boohoo etc is possible, it looks like an easier option. The views of Mike Ashley, 27% shareholder and presumably still grumpy, are awaited. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion None of which is to minimise Finley's turnaround efforts. An unneeded US warehouse has been closed, the Manchester-based group has sold its London office, and there's been an attack on costs. It all helps. But he was pushing the limits of credibility in declaring his confidence that 'our best days are ahead of us.' Come on, the best days for Boohoo were when the Covid lockdown turned everyone into an online shopper, the brand was still vaguely buzzy and the share price hit 400p. You can change the corporate name, but the shares stand at 26p for a reason.
