John Hind

Despite criticism from some quarters, UK politicians have been keen to welcome SHEIN's upcoming listing on the London Stock Exchange. This includes the Labour Party - highly likely to form the next government - which wants to showcase its business-friendly and pro-growth policies. There will be minimal impact on UK clothing brands and retailers from the IPO itself. Most retailers and brands already compete with Shein for customers and that won't change. The real danger comes from continued pushback from other European markets. While the EU does not have the power to prevent Shein from listing in London, it can place more restrictions around imports and the operations of Chinese marketplaces. As these kinds of things have the potential to damage sales and disrupt profit, they can impact a share price, or the IPO offer price. Thanks to Just Style for including more of my thoughts in the article linked in the comments... #retail #retailnews #marketplaces #IPO #apparel #fashion

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The tides are changing 🌊 71% of UK fashion brands have included circularity in their five-year strategy 🔥 That's according to the latest report from The Circular Fashion Innovation Network (CFIN) 🔎 However, from speaking to brands of all sizes, a common trend is emerging. The impact of Covid, Brexit, and inflation has hit fashion brands hard. Disrupting supply chains, increasing the cost of materials and manufacturing, and squeezing their margins. That’s why it’s essential that any circular business models they adopt are economically viable 💵 The report states this too. The aim should be to help brands grow and strengthen their communities and increase their revenue without relying solely on selling more products ✨ It’s a long-term goal, but it’s one we believe all stakeholders should strive to achieve 🚀 Would love your thoughts.

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🧵 **Leicester Fashion Industry: What’s Next?** 🧵 I recently spoke with Business & Human Rights about the future of Leicester’s garment industry, discussing the challenges it faces with brands shifting production overseas and what this means for local manufacturers. Read the full interview to explore what lies ahead for this vital sector. Catch the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/eW__eiCj #LeicesterGarments #SustainableFashion #EthicalProduction #bbcnews #retailer #fashionbrands

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A couple of weeks ago I spoke at the British Fashion Council IPF Forum exploring the future of the fashion industry in the UK. We discussed the skills required and the collaboration needed between brands, suppliers, and government. Something that I think is missing from the conversation on the future of work is about work culture and structures. It is about future-fit skills and how can we leverage AI, but it is also about how we want to work and what we need to do to enable that. The objective of our current work infrastructure is to achieve the maximum efficiency with the resources available with humans being one of those resources to extract value from. I would say the work culture has achieved its objective, but of course has caused a host of other problems along the way. If we were to set a new objective for work, what would it be given the world we’re in now and the future we hope to create? To create the conditions that enable individuals to thrive and contribute their gifts and skills? To solve the problems that are blocking people from having a good quality of life? To design solutions that heal and regenerate the target users in a way that is also healing and regenerative for those building the solution? What you would set as a new objective for the world of work?

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So Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group are looking to purchase YOOX NET-A-PORTER from Richemont. Anyone else getting that feeling of foreboding? It seems the Frasers Group do like to fly a bit close to the line in regards to a competitive market place. They own 3 of the UK’s largest sports retailers. They put Matches into administration only to then buy it back but with none of the debt or staff. They only bought Wiggle’s brand names initially, then did a deal on leftover stock to push prices lower than they’ve ever been. Which isn’t great for brands who had their products listed at dirt cheap prices. They own 2 of the 3 largest cycling retailers in the U.K. Given the absolute stink the Competition and Markets Authority had about Wiggle’s merger with CRC, why is there radio silence on Frasers Group? Are they a bit too caught up in the Greens Claim Code to notice that the actions of the Frasers Group are bad for consumers, for the planet, and for working people? One day we will look upon the scars of the U.K. apparel industry and will wonder what happened. But the writing has been on the wall for a while. #retail #fashion #buyout

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The CMA’s new anti-greenwash guidance in the UK is a welcome step to help drive greater compliance across fashion brands and retailers and root out misleading green claims. It’s indicative of the broader shift we’re seeing in the fashion industry, with sustainability becoming an operational imperative, rather than the voluntary, passion-driven cause of previous years. The fast-changing regulatory landscape that brands, retailers and manufacturers are having to navigate is complex – so guidance such as this, and support from organizations like Cascale, is vital to help companies comply with this new dawn of regulation. However, while we should applaud progress, this isn’t a moment to pause and pat ourselves on the back. The reality is the fashion industry isn’t doing enough to combat climate change, and compliance is the bare minimum. We must anticipate change and be proactive in improving our businesses for the better of people and the planet – right now. I challenge everyone to do better than the minimum. https://lnkd.in/e4VEB-m7

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Whilst we recommend switching to paid returns, there are plenty of other ways to cut returns & their associated costs. ZigZag Founder & CEO Al Gerrie spoke with #FashionCapital to help guide retailers with some top tips to reduce the impact of returns without alienating their customers. https://lnkd.in/enPDkjqx #eCommerce #Retail #ReverseLogistics #Returns #ReduceReturns #CutReturns #ReturnsPolicy #RetailTech

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Victoria Ward has written an interesting article here about the difference between a Merchandise Strategy and a Merchandise Plan and why retailers need both to succeed https://lnkd.in/eR5dPH9U

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Many British retailers and brands are focusing or refocusing their efforts on the US market - fascinating reading....From ceramics to timepiece accessories to socks, niche British businesses are tapping into the high-end market across the Pond. Manhattan is a long way from the pottery kilns of Stoke-on-Trent, but the high-end China cups and saucers made by Richard Brendon look at home in New York’s famous Saks Fifth Avenue department store. The United States is now the eponymous tableware brand’s fastest-growing and largest retail market, with the entrepreneur, who received the 2024 King’s Award for Enterprise, broadly unfazed by the rumblings of a recession amid America’s slowing economy, with soaring unemployment and interest rates. “In the UK we’re at the top end of the luxury market,” Brendon said of a range that also includes crystal glassware that is stocked in Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, and Liberty. London. “In the US there’s more independent tableware retailers with a much higher average customer spend, so we have more options. It may not be the time for investment, but it still feels like the US is open for business, with the customer willing to pay.” #sellingintotheUS #britishcraftsmanship #britishbrands #usmarket

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Great article covering the rational of our acquisition by Hi-Tech.

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Great insights from the FT Future of Retail event! As someone who’s been through the rapid transformation of both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce, a few things you touched on really stood out. On the “global consumer”: It’s so true that while local markets have their differences, there’s more that connects shoppers around the world than divides them. Recent reports from Marketplacepulse.com and Digital Commerce 360 back this up—platforms like Amazon are proving that people everywhere want the same things: quality, convenience, and affordability. But here’s the challenge for leadership: how do you deliver that globally while still speaking to local needs? Striking that balance is key. And on AI? You nailed it—AI is transforming retail, but we’re just at the start. We’re already seeing giants like Walmart and Amazon use AI to personalize shopping experiences and predict customer needs. But as CNBC points out, customer trust is everything. It’s critical for leadership in retail to remember that, especially when handling personal data. Asking, “Would I be okay with this as a customer?” should be the standard in every AI-driven decision. For those leading in e-commerce and retail: the future is already happening, and now is the time to step up. AI, data transparency, and personalisation are the paths forward, but only if we keep the customer at the center of every decision. Let’s lean into these changes, innovate with integrity, and make sure we’re ahead of the curve—not catching up to it. #RetailLeadership #EcommerceTransformation #AIandRetail #GlobalRetail #CustomerFirst #LikeandShare #RetailTransformation #ThoughtLeaders

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Lingerie manufacturing in the UK is broken. The shift in Government policy in the 1980’s led to manufacturing being side lined in favour of service industries. This led to a clothing sector as we know it now, where manufacturing and supply chain has been off-shored in pursuit of cheaper labour and materials. With this, went the control or understanding over the supply chain process. I will bet that the majority of people in our clothing industry have never witnessed how the manufacturing system works or how and where it is made? But for intimate apparel, we also lost the access to the specialist skills of the seamstresses and craftsmanship that this product requires. So what is the solution? ▶️ Decentralising the system is one aspect - encouraging a better collaboration of the pockets of skill and facilities we have available here in the UK ▶️ A broader prioritisation towards quality; creating product with more longevity and a deeper customer-centric approach ▶️ Investment into local manufacturing hubs and conversely a clamping back of cheap, poorly valued clothing that could be facilitated by implementing a quota system by government. No one looses if we fix our manufacturing system; it creates jobs, reduces carbon footprint, generates more flexibility in production process, revenue would be retained within the UK economy. But what are your views; the positive and negative angles please?

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APOCALYPSE NOW! No doubt about it Fast Fashion is killing the planet The world cannot afford fast fashion Every 7 minutes a pile of clothes the height of Mount Everest is dumped into landfill - FACT We’re on a Merry Go Round of disaster, it’s about to explode, we have to get off of this non stop BUY, BUY, BUY - pile it high sell it cheap fast fashion bullshit It’s not a funfair - it’s totally unfair What sort of planet are we leaving for our children if we don’t change this trajectory We need to act! NOW!!! It is our duty to buy from sustainable sources Follow Stuart Trevor for an alternative story, an amazing range of clothes from recycled clothing or dead stock fabric. 'Our clothes are reworked, rebranded, cut up, distressed, and reimagined with care - patched, printed, hand painted, sprayed, washed and embroidered, often with “less is more” in mind.' There’s a huge supply of vintage clothing ready to be given new life, millions of metres of “dead stock” fabric either lying around in fabric mills or ending up in landfill. 'We want to turn this 'dead stock' into 'living stock'. #fastfashion #buybetter #buyless #wearforlife #quality #environmental #landfill #polyester #eco #conspicuousvonsumption #ecofashion #vintage #vintagestyle #upcycle

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Do you sell fashion or textiles overseas? If so, please could I ask you to spend some time today completing our Export Survey to help us better understand and support your international activities. This survey is a vital tool for us to gather comprehensive insights into your exporting activities, challenges and needs. Your participation will directly influence how we tailor our programmes and services to support your global ambitions, as well as inform our requests to government. Help us to help you: By sharing your experiences, you can shape the future of export support, ensuring that you succeed on the global stage. https://lnkd.in/g9ek2qVJ Paul Alger MBE, Dan Connolly, Tara Hounslea, Katie Robinson, UK Fashion and Textile Association, UKFT Association

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M&S’s Polo Some 30 years ago, BDALondon was working with M&S to help develop products that they could no longer make in their supply chain in the UK. At the time, 99% of goods sold in M&S were made in the UK, but they were under price stress from competitors sourcing from the East. Quality and styles had been compromised to hit commercial price points. We landed in Hong Kong (still a British colony) with lots of product ideas around 1990. One of the M&S buyers (or selectors, as they were called) for the leisurewear department (known as T28) was thrilled to have discovered the factory that made the polo shirt for Ralph Lauren, which was the gold standard at the time for quality, style, and fit. M&S developed a very similar polo with the said factory and realized they could hit a retail selling price of circa £5*, compared to RL's £25*. *These price points are what I remember, so don’t quote me, but it gives you an accurate relativity. (Please, anyone in my network, help with more accurate price pointing.) The assumption was this superior quality, fit, and style would offer the M&S customer such great value that sales would grow exponentially. However, what wasn’t factored in was the old dark arts of marketing! As you’ve probably guessed, there was no significant change in sales. The same guys came into the same store and bought the same amount of polos that they’ve always needed. From both brands. The strength of the M&S brand was so strong that customer loyalty drove a perception that M&S quality was always superior to anyone else’s. The strength of Ralph Lauren doesn’t need explaining. #innovation #offshore #sustainabilty #bdalondon #trendhub #marksandspencer #ralphlauren

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I want to welcome We Are Seed Digital to you 🌱 With over 20 years combined experience between David Michael Powell and myself within the ecommerce and fashion industry we have learnt a lot. From turning a hobby into a brand, and then evolving a brand into a business you pick up a lot of knowledge along the way. The good, bad and the ugly. We understand what goes into operating day to day. The highs, the lows, the cash flow, the profit, the margins. We know what goes into it, we get it! Setting up Seed just feels so right. It feels like the logical step for us now we have moved away from running any brands. In working with us you will be getting an invested service from two people who have so much care and passion to help others and see their business succeed. We are now ready to plug into your brand and grow with you. Our experience has not only taught us how to market and scale but it has taught us how things need to work between a brand and an agency. There is no one size fits all approach to this and a partnership needs to be tailored around your business needs. Trust is everything. We don't want to tie people into retainers and try and draw people in with unachievable stats. We want to work with people with realistic goals that will help scale and most importantly be profitable. This is how long term relationships are formed. Our website is now live at www.weareseeddigital.com where you can see a bit more about the agency and the services we are offering. We would love to have a chat to anybody who may need some support 👋 From Seed to Success - grow with Seed 🌱 #marketingagency #businesslaunch #ecommerce

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‘Don’t worry I’m going to send at least half of it back’ …….. well actually that does worry me and every retailer out there and it should worry every customer too. Whether you ‘charge’ for refunds or not and we all know that’s a sticky subject make no mistake there is a cost! New article on Our Fashion Fix Ltd - we can’t solve returns overnight but we can help make them more efficient, make your customers aware of the carbon impact AND redirect product away from landfill- get in touch to learn more . #efficiency #sustainablefashion #circularity #carbonaccounting #returns https://lnkd.in/ezzYBqsE

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Here are some interesting stories from the world of retail for Sunday, June 23: 🚫 Shein could abandon its planned £50bn float in London due to concerns raised in Beijing. The Chinese Government is reportedly unhappy with the way the fast-fashion retailer is portrayed in the UK. 💵 Under Armour has agreed to pay $434 million to settle a 2017 class action lawsuit accusing the sports apparel maker of defrauding shareholders about its revenue growth in order to meet Wall Street forecasts. 🍗 From the bakery aisle to the dairy case, and the meat counter to the ice cream freezer, surging inflation for groceries has brought about an unexpected reality: Americans are buying less food at the store. 📦 Amazon is collaborating with an artificial intelligence-enabled market insight platform to measure the sales impact of ads across multiple retailers. The e-tail giant and Stackline have rolled out a multi-retailer attribution platform. 💳 Frasers Group is targeting major online retailers with a new buy-now, pay-later product. The app-based credit service, called Frasers Plus, allows shoppers to pay for products in three interest-free monthly installments. 🏬 Scotch & Soda, the Dutch clothing brand recently acquired by American company Bluestar Alliance, is closing its stores in Luxembourg City and the Cloche d’Or shopping centre following bankruptcy proceedings. 🧴 Bumble and bumble launches in the US Amazon Premium Beauty store. In addition to its product offerings, the brand’s new store features the Hair Styling 101 section, which offers easy-to-follow, shoppable short cuts video content. 🚛 Food-delivery apps have responded to cities’ new wage-increase requirements for gig workers by ratcheting up fees. Now, they are contending with frustrated consumers, plunging orders and an exodus of delivery drivers. 🍽️ Parisian bistro Chez l'Ami Louis, known for its snails and as a favorite of Hollywood stars, is being acquired by LVMH. The restaurant, founded in 1924, will join the luxury conglomerate's hospitality division. 🫒 Olive Garden customers can expect menu prices to increase in the near future after the popular Italian restaurant chain has kept price hikes well below inflation in recent years, parent company Darden Restaurants said this week. ☕️ Dunkin'​ has launched a novelty $15 phone case filled with coffee, with $10 from each purchase going to the Dunkin' Joy in Children Foundation. The case features a coffee-colored liquid and moving 'ice cube' inside. 👩🏼‍⚖️ ByteDance has filed new legal documents challenging the US Government's potential ban on TikTok, describing it as unconstitutional. 🇮🇳 Indian fashion accessories startup MIRAGGIO, founded in 2020, is venturing into offline sales by planning to open five exclusive brand outlets this fiscal year. #retail #retailnews #economy #DailyRetailNews

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