Latest news with #MissSelfridge
Daily Record
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Debenhams' 'gorgeous' and 'must buy' £55 midi dress 'feels expensive'
Debenhams shoppers praised the quality of the midi dress, calling it a "must buy" Debenhams customers are raving about a "perfect" dress they're eagerly purchasing online. The well-known retailer is known for offering discounts on high-end products, and it might just have a new top pick. The Oasis Satin Tie Shoulder Midi Bridesmaids Dress has been marked down to £55.30 from its original price of £79. It comes in sizes six to 18 and boasts a range of colours that includes blush, burnt orange, emerald, navy, champagne, sage, and more. The detailed product description states: "Discover a dress for all occasions and reach for it on repeat. With delicate lace trims, feminine prints and flattering silhouettes, find your perfect style to take you from day to night. From versatile midis to maxi and mini lengths, your perfect dress is only a click away." For those on the hunt for the ideal dress, there are plenty of other retailers to consider; New Look has the Black Zebra Print Ruffle Trimmed Maxi Dress priced at £47.99. Meanwhile, Next offers the Brown Leopard Animal Print Sleeveless Textured Jersey Dropwaist Maxi Dress for £36, and ASOS presents the Miss Selfridge seersucker tie shoulder tiered maxi dress in shell print for £29.99. The Oasis gown boasts a commendable 4.4-star rating on the Debenhams website. One happy customer shared their thoughts saying: "So pleased with this dress. Ordered for bridesmaids for a wedding abroad. Quality of dress is wonderful," reports the Mirror. A second shopper gushed about their purchase, saying: "Great dress, colour emerald. Gorgeous. Purchased this dress for a wedding abroad, the emerald colour is gorgeous and fit is perfect, can't wait to wear this." Nevertheless, a customer highlighted an issue with consistency in sizing, noting: "Bad Sizing, ordered many dresses and not one was the same size as the other! Colour of some dresses also different." Yet another buyer suggested accommodating a larger bust by choosing a bigger size, writing: "Lovely but size up if you have bigger chest. I bought these for my bridesmaids dresses and they were perfect and also wash really well. However, do size up if you have a bigger bust as there is no give." One more added their voice, enthusiastically recommending the dress: "A must buy! I eagerly bought these for my bridesmaids (2025 bride) and I am SO glad I did. The dress looks perfect on all of my bridesmaids (size range 8-16)." Emphasising the garment's finesse, they continued: " Very flattering, feels expensive- not cheap and thin, hides bra's well, sleeves are gorgeous, and is really comfortable. Would agree with the recommendations to size up if you've got bigger boobs. Very very very happy with these, so happy I found them." Currently on offer, the Oasis Satin Tie Shoulder Midi Bridesmaids Dress has been marked down to £55.30 from its original price of £79. It is available in various colours here.
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
With WH Smith's name set to disappear from the high street, LAURA CRAIK writes a love letter to the stores that are no more
All bosses are intimidating, and never more so than your first boss in your very first job. When said boss is tall, stunning, flame-haired and in a rock band, your teenage self quakes in their very presence. When I applied to be a Saturday girl in the Edinburgh branch of Miss Selfridge, I knew the staff would be cool. I just didn't think one of them would be Shirley Manson. Before the alt-rock band Garbage penned a James Bond theme ('The World Is Not Enough', 1999) and sold-out stadiums, Manson, its lead singer, was my manager at Miss Selfridge. Of course she was: in the 80s it was the city's hottest store. Everyone shopped there, from the club kids to my history teacher. Sure, Topshop was great, but Miss Selfridge was its cooler little sister; the Miu Miu to its Prada. It had the best chainmail dresses, the best make-up and the best uniforms. My 20 per cent staff discount more than made up for the pong of the changing room at closing time. Miss Selfridge is no more, like a slew of fashion meccas that live on only in the memory – Chelsea Girl, Clockhouse, Tammy Girl, Kookaï. Every woman has her favourite. Remembering the shops from our youth evokes a particular wave of sentimentality. Like much of the UK, I felt an unexpected pang when Woolworths went into administration in 2008, an event that prompted an outpouring of Proustian memories among midlife British shoppers. When I was a little girl, as my mother browsed the aisles of household goods, I was given 10p to spend at the Pic'n'Mix counter. I remember stuffing a paper bag with chocolate tools, foam bananas, cola cubes, milk bottles and strawberry bonbons. Ten pence went a long way. All the way to the dentist. Each vanishing shop closes another portal to a bygone time. As the planned closure of WH Smith proved, nostalgia can be sparked however prosaic and/or objectionable the retailer. Gen Z might struggle to romanticise the strip-lit, haphazardly laid out, shabby interiors of Britain's 233-year-old purveyor of stationery (they don't need it), greeting cards (they don't send them) and meal deals ('a rip-off compared to Tesco', according to my 14-year-old) but, for a certain generation, 'Smiths', as it was fondly known, was an electric blue-carpeted place of wonder. 'It had the best selection of scented rubbers,' remembers one friend, who still possesses the cake-scented Swiss-roll eraser she bought in the Reading branch circa 1986. 'We'd go to Smiths on the August bank holiday to stock up on stationery for the new school year. My dad would get his wallet out, huffing and puffing about the cost of a fluffy pencil case. The plastic bag always split, which would make him apoplectic. Smiths always had the weakest bags, with the flimsiest handles.' None of which prevented WH Smith from becoming one of the first chains to introduce a plastic bag fee. It was also an early adopter of the self-service checkout, and the dreaded TPC – till point conversation – which involved harried customers being asked whether they wanted a giant bar of Dairy Milk for £2. I derive the same mawkish sentimentality from the retail landscape others might draw from the land. Just as my husband, a farmer's son, might lament the loss of a yew tree, I feel sad about the loss of Edinburgh retailers such as the second-hand store Flip or the cheap-as-chips womenswear retailer What Every Woman Wants. My mother, meanwhile, misses BHS. 'Feel the quality of that,' she'll say, proffering a beige BHS jumper bought some time in the early 90s. 'Better than M&S, I'll tell you.' According to Professor Sophie Scott, director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College, London, it's not uncommon to attach huge emotional significance to shops. 'The connection they make to our past is heightened by the emotional context,' she explains. 'People feel nostalgia more intensely when they are with family and friends, or when eating, because these situations are rich in retrieval cues that trigger memories. Shops seem to fulfil a similar function.' This might explain why so many midlife and millennial women still miss Topshop, despite its narrow range of sizes and associations with disgraced former owner Sir Philip Green. Were Topshop's jeans any better than H&M's? Were the heels in Freeman Hardy Willis or Ravel any different from those sold currently in Office or Kurt Geiger? In an era when you can buy anything from anywhere (Trump's tariffs notwithstanding), what is it that we're nostalgic for – a frock or a feeling? Maybe it's a connection to who we were. Online shopping may have sounded the death knell for any number of retailers, but it has also been deleterious in other ways. While a trip to the shops is clearly not as healthy as a bracing country walk, it's exponentially healthier than shopping online, an activity that requires precisely zero steps. Given some shopping malls have estimated that people walk up to seven miles on any given visit, the argument to frequent bricks and mortar stores is clear. In-real-life shopping is also good for your mental health. For older customers, particularly those who live alone, a chat with a sales assistant can be the only social interaction of the day. It's why those who prioritise old-fashioned 'service with a smile' are so valued. 'Whether it's simply acting as a friendly face, our people make a real difference,' says James Breckenridge, John Lewis retail director. The store's 'school of service' initiative, which focuses on training employees, is said to have freed up over 500,000 hours for its sales assistants to spend helping customers. Whatever our circumstances, however we like to spend Saturday afternoons, we all grieve the loss of our favourite shops. Accustomed to downloading any film on demand, our kids will never understand the white-knuckle ride of visiting the local Blockbuster Video with our parents, praying that Home Alone was in stock. Whether you miss Blockbuster or Biba, House of Fraser or Virgin Megastore, their closures likely marked the loss of something more nebulous and far more precious than the opportunity to rent the latest film or buy a new lipstick.
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Asos losses narrow as boss backs turnaround plan despite falling sales
The chief executive of Asos insists the struggling fast fashion retailer new commercial model 'is working' after reporting smaller losses for its first half. The Miss Selfridge owner, which is currently engaged in a long running turnaround plan, saw pre-tax losses fall £28.5million year-on-year to £241.5million in the six months ending 2 March. But reported revenues slumped 14 per cent to £ as Asos continued efforts to clear the £1.1billion of stock it has built up since 2022 and reduced its number of discounted items. Asos warned revenues are expected to come in at the 'bottom end' of its guidance range for the full year. Meanwhile, its adjusted earnings before nasties swung from a £16.3million loss the previous year to a positive £42.5million this time around. The London-based company has slashed its inventory levels by about 60 per cent over the past three years and prioritised profitable sales by selling fewer goods at knock-off prices. Gross margins at the FTSE 250 firm improved by 5.1 percentage points to 45.1 per cent, supported by a higher mix of full-price sales and decreasing markdown activity. José Antonio Ramos Calamonte, chief executive of ASOS, said the results were 'the strongest sign yet that our new commercial model is working'. European sales shrank by 19 per cent in the first half, owing to weaker consumer demand and cost-of-living pressures. Sales fell by 30 per cent in the US, following the introduction of initiatives aimed at boosting profitability. UK revenues only fell by 6 per cent as reduced discounting rates helped bolster average basket values. Under a turnaround plan, the London-based company has slashed its inventory levels by about 60 per cent over the past three years and prioritised profitable sales by selling fewer goods at knock-off prices. Asos accumulated excess stock after online clothing sales skyrocketed during the early part of the Covid-19 pandemic. When lockdown curbs ended, the company's sales slowed dramatically and started declining as consumers returned to buying in stores and competition from Chinese rivals Shein and Temu heightened. Calamonte said: 'Customers are responding positively to our focus on full-price sales, speed to market, and positive momentum with our partner brands.' The group upheld its annual guidance for a minimum gross margin of 46 per cent and adjusted earnings before nasties at least 60 per cent higher at between £130million and £150million. Yet the retailer faces a potential impact from President Donald Trump's new tariffs on countries like China, India and Bangladesh, where Asos has numerous suppliers. Julie Palmer, partner at Begbies Traynor, remarked: 'Sadly, ASOS continues to face an uphill battle to regain its footing in the competitive online retail market. 'With revenue growth remaining elusive, the share price sitting far below its pandemic heights, and now the looming threat of tariffs, investors have little to be hopeful about.' ASOS shares were 1 per cent down at 307p on Thursday morning and remain more than 90 per cent down on their pandemic-era peak in spring 2021.
North Wales Live
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Live
Ideal spring top from New Look shoppers 'always feel great in' now 25% off in sale
New Look currently has a 25% off spring sale, with many spring-appropriate clothes on offer with a discounted price. One item is its beautiful Red Broderie Anglaise Frill Collar Blouse, which was £35.99 but is now almost £10 at £26.99 in New Look's spring sale. The red cotton blouse is light enough to be worn during the drier and warmer months we will hopefully be experiencing during the spring and summer seasons, but versatile enough to be worn with layers if it gets a bit chillier during the evenings. And with that, this blouse could be worn both day and night, for every day errands or for a special occasion. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here. The blouse comes with a v-neck and frill collar, long sleeves and flared cuffs. The clothing also has a front-tie fastening and a beautiful broderie anglaise design. New Look's description of the blouse reads: "Every wardrobe needs those fail-safe pieces you always feel great in. "This broderie anglaise blouse is one of them thanks to its decorative frill collar and front tie fastening." The blouse is available in UK sizes of 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22, but the latter of which only has two items left so you'll have to be quick if you want it in this size. If red is not your colour, you can get a black version of this blouse, which is also sold for £26.99. But if red is your colour, you could style it with a pair of blue or white jeans, such as the Miss Selfridge Petite heart pocket straight leg jean in blue wash for £35 from ASOS or the M&S Collection High Waisted Cropped Slim Fit Jeans for £32.50 from M&S. You could also style the blouse with a black bag, gold jewellery and some comfortable flat shoes. The red blouse has not received any reviews yet, however you can find out more about it here. There are other blouses available, including this elegant Polka Dot Tie Front Puff Sleeve Blouse for £39.50 from M&S. Or for something with a simpler look, you could buy the Love & Roses Ivory Texture Ruffle Detail 3/4 Sleeve Blouse for £39 from Next.
BBC News
11-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
New venue to 'breathe life' back into Huddersfield
The opening of a new leisure facility at a shopping centre in Huddersfield could "breathe new life" back into the town, a retail analyst has launch of the six-screen cinema and entertainment venue at the Kingsgate Shopping Centre follows the departure of retailers such as Miss Selfridge and House of Fraser from the behind the 70,000 sq ft (6,500 sq m) venue, known as The Light, estimated it would bring about 90 full and part-time jobs to the analyst Catherine Shuttleworth told the BBC: "Repurposing space for leisure, as in this development with cinemas and places to go, is quite sensible." 'Empty shops' Opened in 2002, Kingsgate Shopping Centre was once heralded as "the beating heart" of then, several household names which once had shops there have disappeared, though other big names still have a retail presence at the Shuttleworth said Huddersfield had been "a very sad story of retailers pulling out and making their investments in places like White Rose and Leeds city centre"."Business rates have become huge and because more of us are shopping online, the traditional shopping centre in a town centre has really changed and evolved", she shopping habits in town centres had also been transformed, leaving "lots of empty shops", Ms Shuttleworth added. Set over three floors, The Light's development has been seen as a key component of the Huddersfield Blueprint, Kirklees Council's regeneration plan for the town. It features a games arcade, an adventure climbing arena and axe throwing among other retail stores will remain a feature of the wider Kingsgate Centre, as well as an additional kitchen and bar Sharp, manager of Huddersfield BID, said The Light development was a "sensible, proactive decision" that would encourage people to "stay local"."The people of Huddersfield deserve a bigger, better night time economy," Ms Sharp said."People want a more rounded experience. They want to shop but meet their friends, have lunch, maybe go to the cinema."This is good for families: teenagers can go and spend time together in a safe environment." 'Extra footfall' Meanwhile, Kirklees councillor Graham Turner, cabinet member for finance and regeneration, said a new cinema and leisure venue in the centre of Huddersfield would make a "colossal difference"."This offering is just what the town needs right now and will give people more reasons for people to visit Huddersfield and explore not just this but everything the town has to offer."That extra footfall will be fantastic for other local businesses," he Shuttleworth said she believed "creative investment" like that in Huddersfield was the key to reviving high streets across West Yorkshire and beyond."Repurposing space for leisure, as in this development with cinemas and places to go, is quite sensible," she said."You need to become a destination for something." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
