All Retail articles – Page 3
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News briefs
Pikolinos opens a store in London
Pikolinos has opened a store in London, its first in the UK. The shop is located at 351 Oxford Street. The opening is part of the Spanish footwear company’s 2026-2029 strategic plan, which is being executed by the newly appointed General Manager, Francisco Sánchez, who will continue to manage Pikolinos’ ...
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News briefs
Northern Irish retailer Houstons Footwear closes down
After 50 years of activity, Houstons Footwear, an independent retailer located on Strand Road in the North Irish town of Londonderry, also referred to as Derry, is closing down. In a post on Facebook dated Jan. 29, the retailer wrote: “To all our customers,After much thought, we want to let ...
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ArticleAI gains ground in DACH retail, but consumer concerns persist
Retailers across the DACH region, which comprises Germany, Austria and Switzerland, are increasingly adopting AI tools, but consumers remain concerned about data protection and privacy issues, according to a survey commissioned by VoCoVo, a company specializing in retail team communication. AI is becoming entrenched in brick-and-mortar retail and transforming it, ...
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News briefs
Frasers Group takes control of Maxi Sport
Frasers Group confirmed the acquisition of a majority stake in Maxi Sport, marking another step in the UK-based retailer’s expansion across mainland Europe. The deal was publicly referenced by Frasers’ CEO, Michael Murray, in a LinkedIn post outlining the strategic rationale behind the investment. The transaction gives Frasers control of ...
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News briefs
Ringschuh warns of significant challenges for Austrian shoe retailers
The Austrian buying group, Ringschuh, is warning of major challenges in the country’s footwear retail sector as economic conditions remain strained, with sluggish sales, average sell-through rates and persistently high inventory levels, all of which are affecting the profitability and cash flow of many shoe retailers. In addition, increasingly unpredictable ...
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ArticlePölking files for insolvency again
The German shoe wholesaler Pölking has slipped back into financial distress, hit by a combination of rising costs, weakening consumer demand and delayed customer payments. The company once again filed for insolvency with the Osnabrück District Court less than three years after its first bankruptcy and just 20 months after ...
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ArticleHow the war in Ukraine has affected a local footwear company
Belsta, Ukraine’s largest footwear company founded in 2006 and based in Bilhorod-Dnestrovskyi in the Odessa region, has suffered extensively from the war with Russia, which used to be its biggest market. The company, which specializes in slippers, is seeking to bolster sales in the European Union. Before 2014, when Russia ...
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ArticleFerragamo posts DTC sales growth in Q4
Salvatore Ferragamo’s sales in the fourth quarter of 2025 fell by a reported 3.2 percent year-over-year, and by 2.0 percent at constant exchange rates, to €282 million due to a decline in the wholesale channel. However, direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales grew by 6.3 percent at constant rates marking an acceleration from ...
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News briefs
German consumer confidence improves but remains low
German consumer confidence is estimated to improve in February, rising to -24.1 from -26.9 in January, according to the GfK Consumer Climate, published jointly by NIQ/GfK and the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM). “With the current increase, the consumer climate has recovered a significant portion of the strong losses ...
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ArticleNext buys UK shoe retailer Russell & Bromley for £2.5m
Next is buying the struggling footwear chain Russell & Bromley in a £2.5 million (€2.87m) pre-packaged bankruptcy deal that puts 33 shops and 440 jobs at risk. Under the terms of the deal Next will acquire the 145-year-old, family-run firm’s brand and other intellectual property, as well as three out ...
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News briefs
The Austrian fashion chain Higgins files for insolvency
The Austrian fashion chain Higgins has filed for insolvency just four months after launching, after sales failed to meet expectations and higher-than-planned construction, expansion and fixed costs put pressure on liquidity. The company will not continue operating. Around 220 creditors and 56 employees are affected, while total liabilities stand at ...
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Vessi opens its first US store
Vessi, a Vancouver-based footwear brand known for its waterproof sneakers, opened on Jan. 7 its first US store in Bellevue, near Seattle. Founded in 2018, Vessi designs lightweight footwear built with its proprietary Dyma-tex waterproof knit technology. The company has sold more than two million pairs globally, with the Pacific ...
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ArticlePrimark’s sales suffered over Christmas
Primark’s parent company, Associated British Foods (ABF), has cut its profit outlook due to a weaker sales performance at the discount clothing chain as consumers in both the UK and Continental Europe tightened their belts. Sales growth of 3 percent at Primark’s UK stores in the 16 weeks to ...
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News briefsFootasylum joins forces with Apparel Group to expand in the Gulf region
Footasylum, a UK-based footwear and sportswear omnichannel business, has entered into a strategic partnership with Apparel Group, a Dubai-based fashion and lifestyle retail conglomerate, to accelerate the British company’s expansion across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. Under ...
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UK consumers are reluctant to spend
British consumers are reluctant to spend going into 2026 despite continuing to feel financially secure, according to the fourth quarter Consumer Pulse survey conducted by the consultancy KPMG among 3000 consumers. According to the survey, 56 percent of consumers feel financially secure, down only 1 percentage point from the start ...
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Flabelus opens its first store in Germany
The Spanish footwear brand Flabelus has entered the German market, ramping up its international expansion with the opening of its first store in the country, located at Neue Schönhauser Straße 15 in central Berlin. The 90-square-meter store features Flabelus’s handcrafted trainers and espadrilles manufactured at its factory in Elche, near ...
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News briefs
French footwear exports down 3% in the first ten months of 2025
French exports of footwear totaled €4.460 billion in the first ten months of 2025, down by 3 percent year-over-year, while imports were up by 2 percent at €6.957 billion, according to data released by Alliance France Cuir, the trade association representing the country’s leather and leather goods industry. It added ...
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ArticleOtto appoints a new CEO
The German retail conglomerate Otto Group has announced changes to its management structure, with the appointment of a new head for its Otto retail subsidiary as the long-standing CEO retires, and the departure of its own digital executive after just seven months in the role. As of March 2026, Boris ...
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News briefs
German consumer confidence worses
German consumer confidence is expected to worsen in January, falling to -26.9 from -23.4 in December, according to the GfK Consumer Climate, published jointly by NIQ/GfK and the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM). The December reading was revised down from a preliminary -23.3. “Consumer sentiment in Germany is disappointing ...
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ArticleSmall German footwear retailers continue to be hit by a wave of closures
A recent wave of closures that has hit independent, family-run shoe retailers across Germany is broadening as dwindling foot traffic and the continued shift to online shopping and large retail chains put mounting pressure on local high-street stores. Rising operating costs, including higher rents, energy prices and wage pressures, have ...
