British retail group Frasers Group has crossed the 50 percent threshold in Hugo Boss AG, turning the Metzingen-based fashion house into a subsidiary of the Mike Ashley-controlled company.

Interview

UK fashion delivered a strong, broad-based week, growing on both channels against demanding prior-year comparisons, with online leading the category for a third week running. Fashion total like-for-like (LFL) sales rose +6.43% against a positive +5.67% base a year earlier, according to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker — genuine growth built on an already-strong comparison.

Kering shares slumped on Friday. They most recently fell by 11 percent, marking their lowest level since July 2025. This resulted in another negative surprise within the luxury segment. Just the day before, Hermès shares had fallen after its figures failed to convince. In the wake of Kering's decline, other stocks in the sector such as LVMH and Richemont also weakened ahead of the weekend.

French luxury group Kering released its revenue results for the third quarter of 2026 on October 22, 2026, generating 3.35 billion euros (3.76 billion dollars). The total represents a stable performance on a reported basis and a 1 percent decline on a comparable basis year-over-year. Performance was supported by a positive currency effect of one percentage point.

UK online retail group Debenhams Group, formerly known as Boohoo Group plc, posted its unaudited interim financial results for the six months ended August 31, 2026, delivering its first positive statutory profit before tax since August 2021.

Interview True Religion’s marketing strategy can be summed up in three words: then and now, Kristen D’Arcy, who became the brand’s first chief marketing officer in 2023, told FashionUnited.

Prada SpA recorded net revenues of 4.54 billion euros (5.08 billion dollars), up 15 percent year-over-year (+4 percent organic), in the first nine months of 2026. Retail sales amounted to 3.93 billion euros, up 11 percent YoY (+2 percent organic).

The Italian fashion group Ermenegildo Zegna NV continued its growth trajectory in the third quarter of the 2026 financial year.

As consumers become more selective about their wardrobes, new research from Market research company Ipsos, commissioned by Australian fibre organization Woolmark, reveals a growing global preference for natural fibres. The study was conducted across the US, France, Germany, Italy and China.

The persistent disruption of global maritime shipping has transformed airfreight across Africa from a niche logistical alternative into a vital operational lifeline. Driven by ongoing security challenges in the Red Sea and Middle East, ocean carriers have been compelled to bypass the Suez Canal and detour around the Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks to maritime transit times and creating severe congestion at key African ports. In response to unpredictable shipping schedules and severe supply chain bottlenecks, importers and exporters throughout Sub-Saharan Africa—most notably in major commercial corridors across Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana—are increasingly shifting time-sensitive cargo onto air routes to maintain trade continuity.

French luxury group Hermès reported a 5.5 percent increase in third-quarter revenue on Thursday, supported by Europe, the Americas and Japan. The company also confirmed its full-year forecast “despite the deteriorating macroeconomic and geopolitical environment”.

French fashion group SMCP recorded a decline in revenue in the third quarter of the 2026 financial year due to losses in its domestic market. This was revealed in an interim statement published on Thursday by the parent company of Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot and Fursac.

Sainsbury’s releases interim results as clothing sales outperform subdued market

US-based technology company Google has joined forces with Singapore-based personal shopping platform Glance to integrate artificial intelligence (AI)-powered product discovery and commerce tools into Android TV devices. The partnership will transform dormant television screens into interactive lifestyle and storefront surfaces across the US, India, and Japan.

Puig has closed the third quarter of 2026 with its highest reported growth rate since early 2025, driven by a make-up category gaining weight within the group and held back by a skincare segment recording its second consecutive negative quarter. This follows from the sales update published on Wednesday by the company and explanations provided by its management during the subsequent analyst call.

Moncler S.p.A. (Moncler) consolidated revenues amounted to 1.90 billion euros (2.14 billion dollars) in the first nine months of 2026. According to a press release, the result represents a 6 percent increase at constant exchange rates and a 3 percent increase at current exchange rates, compared to 1.84 billion euros in the first nine months of 2025.

Interview Lee’s chore coat was built in 1925 to withstand farm and railroad work. A century later, its design has withstood something else: changing fashion trends. “Lee never has been the loudest brand. But we’re one of the longest lasting,” Sedgwick Cole Jr., Lee’s global head of design, told FashionUnited as the brand celebrates the jacket’s 100th anniversary with a fall 2026 update.

Delvaux, the Belgian luxury leather goods maker owned by Richemont, recorded a sharp drop in revenue and a wider net loss in the financial year ended March 31, 2026. The figures relate to Delvaux Créateur SA, the Belgian entity behind the brand. The annual accounts were filed with the National Bank of Belgium on October 15, 2026.

Fashion shoppers are placing greater emphasis on quality, transparent pricing and in-store service, while remaining cautious about artificial intelligence (AI) making purchasing decisions for them, according to new research from AlixPartners.

EXCLUSIVE Attention to clothing repair and care is trending upwards. People appear increasingly interested in what their clothes are made of, how long they will last, and how to look after them. Brands are also waking up to repair. During the first half of 2026, brands and retailers including Salomon, Kiabi and Next launched repair programmes, and United Repair Centre, one of Europe’s biggest repair providers, opened a new repair hub in Paris.

British fashion giant Debenhams Group has partnered with financial services provider Storfund to give its more than 30,000 brand partners faster access to sales revenue ahead of the Christmas trading period.

Skechers and HandsFree Labs (HFL), the parent company of Kizik, have both claimed victories in a European patent dispute over hands-free footwear, following a ruling by the Unified Patent Court in Munich.

Swedish fashion brand 11 Studios, based in Stockholm, has announced the launch of its second collection alongside four strategic initiatives aimed at scaling its international presence and streamlining operations.

Department store giant John Lewis is expanding its rapid delivery service to cover around 10,000 products, offering delivery in under 30 minutes through Deliveroo and Uber Eats across eight stores in London and selected areas of Hertfordshire and Kent.

British modern luxury womenswear brand Me+Em has announced its financial results for the year ended January 2026, driven by continued global expansion and accelerating international demand.

British sportswear brand Castore is reportedly in discussions with Chinese sportswear groups Anta and Li-Ning over a potential deal, as investors seek to exit the business.

Austrian wood-based cellulose fibre producer Lenzing AG (Lenzing) has successfully completed its capital increase against contribution in cash with subscription rights for existing shareholders, raising gross proceeds of approximately 301.2 million euros (338 million dollars).

French-Italian eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica announced that consolidated revenue for the third quarter of 2026 reached 7.49 billion euros (8.40 billion dollars). This represents a year-over-year increase of 7.2 percent at constant exchange rates compared to the third quarter of 2025, or 9 percent at current exchange rates.

German sportswear brand Adidas has reported record top and bottom-line results for the third quarter of 2026, prompting the company to raise its full-year operating profit guidance.

The Italian fashion group Salvatore Ferragamo SpA suffered another revenue decline in the third quarter of the 2026 financial year. This is according to the latest figures released by the company on Tuesday evening.

Since the beginning of the month, at least 21 attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz region have been logged according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre. The dramatic surge in military activity and drone strikes targeting commercial cargo vessels in the Strait of Hormuz is in response to US obstructions of Iranian ports and firmer sanctions imposed last month.

The FashionUnited Index of Most Valuable Fashion Brands ranks the largest fashion brands in the world by brand value. In 2026 Hermès takes first place for the first time, with a brand value of 45 billion dollars, ahead of Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Together, the ten most valuable brands are worth 222.3 billion dollars, almost half of the 451 billion dollars that the full top 100 is worth.

With China's economy still struggling to recover from the pandemic, even global fashion icons are beginning to feel the pinch as consumers turn instead to the second-hand market or buy upstart new homegrown brands.

US-based retailer Quince has launched in the UK, marking its first expansion beyond North America. The company's regional website offers womenswear, menswear, children’s clothing and homeware, with free delivery and a 365-day returns policy. The initial selection will be tailored to British shoppers, with categories expected to expand.

British retail group Frasers Group plc has come one small step closer to a majority stake in the Metzingen-based fashion company Hugo Boss AG.

British biomaterials company Ponda has launched Wear the Wetland, a customisable clothing collection designed to connect corporate merchandise with wetland restoration, with Imperial College London among the first organisations to adopt its materials.

UK luxury brand Mulberry Group plc (Mulberry) announced an 18.1 percent increase in sales at actual currency rates for the 26 weeks ended September 26, 2026. The group attributed the performance to product momentum, brand elevation, and full-price sales growth aligned with its 'Back to the Mulberry Spirit' strategy.

UK fashion and homeware retailer Matalan has reported strong early performance from its new native mobile application, marking progress in its plans to accelerate digital expansion and create a connected experience for customers online and in store.

Madrid – Shein continues to scale and deepen its operations as a global marketplace. This time, it is introducing its new cooperative logistics service in Europe, starting from Spain. The company presents this solution as a new tool for sellers on its platform. It promises to help them grow within and expand into new European markets.

From asset search to planograms, AI is making its way into Visual Merchandising. IWD, the Visual Merchandising software provider, is building it into its platform to automate, recommend and improve in-store performance.

McKinsey estimates that merchants could reclaim up to 40% of their time by handing part of their manual, repetitive tasks over to AI agents. It is a broad projection, but it raises a pertinent question for Visual Merchandising: what happens when AI is involved at every stage of the workflow?

This is the shift under way at IWD Retail Software, the Visual Merchandising software that helps brands optimize their in-store merchandising performance. For twenty-five years, IWD has partnered with companies such as L'Oréal, The Estée Lauder Companies and LVMH. Its proprietary AI is now being progressively integrated into the platform to automate certain operations, inform decision-making and sharpen the relevance of guidelines before they are rolled out.

From collection to recommendation

The first area of application is the collection. AI will streamline the syncing and import of assets. Then, at the drag-and-drop stage onto virtual shelves, the tool can surface the associated product range.

Finding the right SKU by cross-referencing dimensions, category, price, newness or packaging all at once becomes a query addressed to the tool rather than a manual search. This logic of contextual search and recommendation already lies at the heart of IWD's AI developments. Less time searching, more time deciding.

Anticipating execution rather than correcting it

"Between headquarters strategy and execution, many variables aren't always taken into account: assortments, fixtures, store configurations," notes Alex DeCarolis, Senior Visual Merchandising Specialist at On.

IWD's approach is to resolve these constraints at the design stage rather than leave stores to absorb them. When a planogram is being built, AI will be able to cross-reference multiple criteria, suggest an alternative or flag an underperforming placement. Ultimately, it will be able to propose a tailored guideline based on a brief refined by the teams.

"If field feedback is constantly piling up, it's because the guidelines weren't properly prepared upstream," says Raphaëlle Guigui, COO of IWD Retail Software. The challenge, then, is to move intelligence ahead of rollout rather than fix things after the fact.

Behind the final picture, the data

As a client put it to Raphaëlle Guigui: "It's not enough for it to look beautiful. It has to sell."

Generative AI can now produce highly convincing images. But an image is not a planogram. A merchandising recommendation must account for the exact assortment, dimensions, available fixtures, merchandising rules and the constraints specific to each point of sale.

That is the difference between an external generative tool and a dedicated business platform. IWD draws on twenty-five years of structured merchandising experience, within an environment subject to strict confidentiality requirements. That business context cannot be recreated with a simple prompt.

Some IWD clients are already testing HD exports featuring strikingly lifelike in-store renderings.

What if agents became the missing link?

Stock, sell-out, POS and operations are often still managed in separate systems, and brands remain cautious about sharing their commercial data.

Tomorrow, one dedicated agent could flag pressure on a SKU, while another could detect a shift in performance. These signals could then be fed into IWD's VM Suite at the right moment to enrich the recommendation.

A new teammate for the Visual Merchandiser

Raphaëlle Guigui likes to point out that in a store with four sales associates, Visual Merchandising is the fifth. With AI, the Visual Merchandiser could gain a new teammate.

At IWD, several features are already in beta with clients. The goal remains the one that has guided the platform for more than twenty years: giving teams time, fluidity and peace of mind, by automating what can be automated and bringing more intelligence to the moments when decisions are made.

AI is becoming a genuine teammate for the Visual Merchandiser, able to generate, alert and recommend, so they can focus their expertise where it creates the most value.

An accelerator in service of teams, with an unchanged purpose: Make Stores Perform.

US denim and lifestyle brand True Religion is exploring strategic options, including a full sale or the sale of a minority stake, according to a Reuters report. The potential transaction could value the company at close to 1 billion dollars, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Washington County - Nike (NKE) is expanding its presence in India with plans for a new global campus in Bengaluru as the sportswear giant looks to revive growth under CEO Elliott Hill and tap into one of the world's fastest-growing consumer markets.

The campus, expected to open within the next few years, will house corporate roles spanning Nike, Jordan Brand and Converse.

Hill described the project as a long-term investment, citing India's importance as both a growth market and manufacturing hub.

The expansion comes as Nike struggles in Greater China, where fiscal first-quarter revenue fell 26 percent.

The company said China remains a long-term priority and stressed that its India investment is not intended to replace its focus on the market.

Nike is also restructuring operations under its Pace strategy, including workforce reductions and supply-chain changes, targeting about $2.5 billion in savings through fiscal 2031.

India's growing consumer base and rising participation in sports offer Nike another avenue for long-term international growth.

Paris - Kering chief executive Luca de Meo is accelerating his shake-up of the struggling fashion conglomerate with the ousting of Alexander McQueen's chief designer, just days after a purge at Saint Laurent.

Paris-based Kering announced Thursday that McQueen creative director Sean McGirr was leaving his job at the loss-making British label three years after his appointment.

The 38-year-old Irishman appeared to have paid the price for a collapse in sales over his tenure, lacklustre reviews, and de Meo's desire to restructure many of the smaller labels in Kering's extensive stable.

"I would like to thank Sean for his contribution and dedication to Alexander McQueen," de Meo said in a statement. "Our ambition is to establish a bold new direction for the house."

De Meo arrived last September with a stellar reputation as a cost-cutter and turnaround specialist, having helped relaunch the struggling French carmaker Renault.

Shares in Kering, which also owns Gucci, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta, rose ahead of his appointment as investors bet he could slash burgeoning debt and revive sales at the group.

But since the start of the year they are down 28 percent despite signs of improvement at the flagship Gucci house under its highly rated new creative director, Demna.

Pressure

The entire luxury fashion industry is suffering from a downturn in global sales linked to weaker demand from China and concerns about the world economy, heaping pressure on designers.

On Monday, Kering's crosstown rival LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton and Dior among others, reported a five percent fall in sales at its fashion labels in the third quarter.

De Meo initially explored selling McQueen after arriving in the job, before opting to slash costs through job cuts and shop closures.

"The problem of McQueen is that it had relied on streetwear and sneakers for its growth, while now sneakers and streetwear are yesterday's story," Luca Solca, a luxury goods analyst at the brokerage Bernstein, told AFP.

"The consensus on the recently ousted McQueen designer was that he wasn't really producing a positive impact," he said.

Annual sales at the brand, founded by the late British fashion icon Alexander McQueen, have fallen to below 200 million euros from a peak of 800 million in the post-Covid boom years, Bernstein estimates.

McGirr follows longtime Saint Laurent designer Anthony Vaccarello out of Kering's doors after the widely acclaimed Belgian left the French label last week after a decade in charge.

There are also persistent industry rumours that Balenciaga designer Pierpaolo Piccioli might also be heading for the exit, less than 18 months after the former Valentino designer was appointed.

"There is a lot on creative directors' shoulders these days, as brands strive to grow again after a significant reset," Solca said.

UK fashion posted a strong week, driven for a second week running by its online channel, as a broad high street surge in non-store sales lifted the category well clear of its prior-year comparison. Fashion total like-for-like (LFL) sales rose +4.84% against a positive +2.49% base a year earlier, according to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker.

Strict global regulations and enforcement actions have moved from a future concern to an immediate business reality. How large are the gaps between regulatory expectations and the fashion industry's current operational readiness? Supply chain solutions provider TrusTrace surveyed 57 insiders of fashion, apparel and footwear brands from 24 countries and compiled the findings in the report, “The Enforcement Era: Fashion's Compliance Readiness in Numbers”.

UK real estate business British Land has released a trading update for the six-month period ended September 30, 2026, reporting strong occupational demand across its retail parks and London campuses.

Brunello Cucinelli's results for the first nine months of the year have led the company to further revise its 2026 estimates upwards. The forecast has been raised from an expected +10-11 percent to a projected revenue growth of +12 percent at constant exchange rates.

Fashion is one of the most innovative industries in the world.

Brands invest in design, storytelling, sustainability and digital marketing.
Collections are presented through immersive visuals and social media campaigns reach millions of consumers.

Yet behind the scenes, many wholesale organisations still operate on technology that feels decades old.

Sales teams work with spreadsheets.
Orders move through disconnected systems.
Pricing must be verified manually.
Customer insights are scattered across tools.

In many cases, the operational backbone of wholesale still resembles the technology landscape of the 1990s.

The result is not only inefficiency.
It limits growth.

Discover how modern wholesale platforms transform outdated infrastructures into scalable digital sales environments:
https://www.fire-digital.com/en/products/why/seamless-workflow

The legacy system problem in fashion wholesale

Most fashion brands did not intentionally build outdated infrastructures.
The current system landscape often evolved gradually over many years.

ERP systems were introduced to manage financial processes.
CRM systems were added to track customer relationships.
Digital showrooms appeared for product presentation.
B2B portals enabled online ordering.
Each system solved a specific problem.

But they rarely formed a coherent sales infrastructure.

As a result, wholesale operations became fragmented.

Sales teams must navigate multiple tools during one sales conversation.
Data must be reconciled between systems.
And leadership struggles to gain real-time visibility.

Why many wholesale processes still rely on spreadsheets

Despite modern systems, spreadsheets remain deeply embedded in wholesale operations.

Sales teams frequently use Excel for:

• assortment planning
• order preparation
• pricing adjustments
• customer-specific conditions
• sales reporting

Spreadsheets often act as the bridge between systems that do not fully communicate with each other.
While Excel offers flexibility, it also introduces risk.

Data becomes fragmented.
Version conflicts appear.
Decisions remain undocumented.

Over time, spreadsheets replace structured systems instead of complementing them.

Fragmented systems slow down sales execution

The biggest challenge of outdated infrastructures is not only inefficiency.
It is the disruption of the sales process.

A typical wholesale meeting may require several systems:
Collections are presented in one tool.
Pricing is checked in another.
Orders are entered into a B2B portal.
Customer conditions must be verified in ERP.

Every system switch interrupts the sales conversation.

Momentum is lost.
Buyers hesitate.

Sales teams spend time navigating software instead of selling.

Example: before and after modernizing the wholesale infrastructure

A European fashion brand with international wholesale distribution faced exactly this situation.
Its technology landscape consisted of:

• ERP for transactions
• a digital showroom for presentation
• a B2B portal for ordering
• spreadsheets for assortment adjustments and pricing checks

Sales teams needed several tools during every meeting.

Information had to be verified repeatedly.
Orders were sometimes corrected after submission.

This created friction in the sales process and limited transparency for leadership.
After implementing FIRE, the brand consolidated its sales infrastructure.

Collections were presented in the digital showroom.
Assortments were built in the sales table.
Orders were created in the sales app.
Retail partners could reorder through the integrated B2B portal.
All pricing and customer conditions were synchronised from the ERP through middleware.

The result was a unified sales environment.

Sales conversations became faster and more structured.
Leadership gained real-time visibility into performance.

Most importantly, the organisation started capturing structured data from every sales interaction.

Why outdated infrastructures block data-driven wholesale

Modern wholesale organisations increasingly rely on data to steer performance.
However, fragmented infrastructures make it difficult to generate reliable insights.

When information is spread across spreadsheets and disconnected systems:

• buyer behaviour remains invisible
• reorder patterns are difficult to analyse
• assortment performance is unclear
• sales conversations are undocumented

Without structured data, organisations cannot optimise their wholesale strategy effectively.

Why modernization requires a sales-focused platform

Replacing legacy systems is not simply an IT project.
Wholesale modernisation must focus on the actual sales workflow.

Sales teams need systems that allow them to:

• present collections visually
• adjust assortments during conversations
• access accurate pricing instantly
• create orders without friction
• analyse performance in real time

A modern wholesale infrastructure therefore requires a platform that connects presentation, sales execution and B2B commerce.

FIRE: modernizing the wholesale sales infrastructure

FIRE was designed to modernize the entire wholesale sales infrastructure.
Instead of fragmented systems, FIRE provides a unified environment for wholesale operations.

The platform integrates:

• digital showroom for product presentation
• sales app for order creation
• sales table for assortment building
• integrated B2B portal for retail partners
• ERP integration via independent middleware
• real-time dashboards for sales leadership

All components operate within one structured platform.

Sales teams no longer need to switch between systems.
The sales process becomes faster, clearer and more consistent.

Building the data foundation for the future of wholesale

When wholesale infrastructure becomes unified, organisations start capturing valuable operational data.

FIRE records interactions such as:

• product exploration by buyers
• assortment adjustments
• rejected styles
• quantity changes
• reorder signals
• long-term account development

Over time, this creates a powerful dataset that enables:

• better assortment planning
• improved reorder strategies
• stronger sales forecasting
• future AI-driven recommendations

Modernizing the infrastructure therefore unlocks both operational efficiency and strategic intelligence.

Executive perspective

Many wholesale organisations do not realise how outdated their infrastructure has become.
Because the system landscape evolved gradually, inefficiencies often remain hidden.

But in an increasingly competitive environment, fragmented systems slow down decision-making and limit growth.

Modern wholesale requires platforms that combine usability, integration and structured data capture.

Executive summary

Fashion wholesale often still runs on fragmented legacy infrastructures.

Typical challenges include:

• multiple disconnected systems
• spreadsheet-driven workflows
• unclear pricing visibility
• slow order processes
• limited performance transparency

These limitations reduce efficiency and prevent data-driven decision-making.

FIRE modernizes the wholesale infrastructure by integrating:

• digital showroom
• sales app and sales table
• B2B portal
• ERP-based pricing and data
• real-time performance dashboards

The result is a unified sales environment that supports faster sales execution and structured data capture.

About FIRE

FIRE is the leading Wholesale Sales Control Platform for fashion brands and seasonal B2B organisations.

The platform connects product presentation, sales execution and B2B commerce within one unified system.

FIRE provides:

• global digital showroom for collections
• sales app and sales table for sales teams
• integrated B2B portal for retail partners
• structured preorder and reorder workflows
• ERP integration via independent middleware
• real-time dashboards for sales leadership
• continuous data capture across the entire wholesale journey
• private cloud SaaS architecture
• exceptional usability for both sales teams and buyers

By modernizing the wholesale infrastructure, FIRE helps brands transform fragmented processes into a scalable and data-driven sales environment.

Discover how fashion brands modernize their wholesale infrastructure with FIRE:
https://www.fire-digital.com/en/products/why/customer-experience

FAQs: Modernising Wholesale Infrastructure

Why do many fashion wholesale organisations still operate with 1990s-style technology?
Most wholesale infrastructures did not become outdated intentionally. Instead, they evolved over many years.

Different systems were introduced at different times

• ERP systems for finance and logistics
• CRM tools for customer management
• digital showrooms for presentation
• B2B portals for ordering
• spreadsheets for flexible adjustments

Because these systems were rarely integrated into a unified architecture, the result is a fragmented technology landscape.

Even if individual systems are modern, the overall workflow often resembles older technology environments.

What problems arise from fragmented wholesale system landscapes?
Fragmented systems create structural inefficiencies throughout the wholesale sales process.

Common issues include

• switching between multiple tools during sales meetings
• manual price verification
• Excel-based order preparation
• delayed performance visibility
• administrative workload for sales teams

This fragmentation slows down decision-making and reduces operational efficiency.

Why is Excel still widely used in fashion wholesale?
Excel remains popular because it is flexible and easy to adapt.

Sales teams frequently use spreadsheets for

• assortment planning
• order preparation
• pricing adjustments
• customer-specific conditions
• sales reporting

In many organisations, Excel acts as the bridge between systems that are not fully integrated.

However, this flexibility also creates problems such as inconsistent data and limited transparency.

How do legacy systems affect sales team productivity?
Legacy systems often force sales teams to spend time on administrative tasks rather than selling.

Examples include

• manually verifying pricing conditions
• comparing information across systems
• transferring data from spreadsheets
• correcting orders after meetings

This reduces the time available for building customer relationships and closing deals.

Why do outdated systems prevent data-driven wholesale management?
Data-driven decision-making requires structured and centralised information.

When data is scattered across spreadsheets and multiple systems

• buyer behaviour remains invisible
• reorder signals are difficult to detect
• assortment performance becomes unclear
• historical data is incomplete

As a result, organisations struggle to optimise their wholesale strategy.

How does FIRE modernise wholesale sales infrastructure?
FIRE consolidates multiple wholesale tools into a single integrated platform.

The platform includes

• a digital showroom for collection presentation
• a sales app for order creation
• a sales table for assortment building
• an integrated B2B portal for retail partners
• middleware-based ERP integration
• real-time dashboards for leadership

All components operate within a unified architecture designed specifically for wholesale execution.

Does FIRE replace ERP systems?
No.

ERP systems remain the transactional backbone of wholesale organisations.
They manage

• master data
• financial processes
• pricing structures
• logistics and inventory

FIRE complements ERP by providing the execution layer for sales teams.

What benefits do integrated wholesale platforms offer sales teams?
An integrated platform simplifies the sales process by eliminating system fragmentation.

Sales teams can

• present collections
• adjust assortments
• review pricing conditions
• create orders
• analyse performance

within a single environment.

This significantly improves efficiency and reduces operational friction.

Why is structured data capture essential for the future of wholesale?
Structured data enables brands to understand customer behaviour and improve decision-making.

Important data points include

• products explored by buyers
• selected or rejected styles
• assortment development
• reorder triggers
• long-term account evolution

Over time, this information creates a powerful dataset for strategic planning.

What strategic advantages result from modernising wholesale infrastructure?
Companies that modernise their infrastructure gain several long-term advantages

• faster and more efficient sales execution
• better transparency for leadership
• improved forecasting capabilities
• stronger customer insights
• scalable digital wholesale operations

Modernising infrastructure therefore becomes a strategic investment rather than just a technical upgrade.

Interview

At the beginning of August, FashionUnited speculated what kind of consequences the European Union’s abolishment of the duty-free exemption for low-value packages may have. The replacement with a transitional flat-rate customs handling fee per tariff classification line resulted in parcel volumes dropping overnight while bulk inventory movement surged. This means that ultra-fast retail platforms have merely shifted their volumes from individual parcels to bulk warehouse stock. For the European supply chain, this means adapting to a permanent baseline of regionalised, high-density distribution.

Crowdfunding platform Kickstarter has launched a fashion advisory board featuring designers behind Collina Strada, Luar and Brandon Blackwood, as it expands support for independent fashion creators through its one million dollar Culture Fund.

Creative agency collective Platform6 announced on Wednesday the acquisition of Without Production, a Milan-based company specialising in the design and production of fashion shows. Platform6, which already operated in the luxury events sector through its entities Marcadé and Superbien (an agency specialising in the creation of moving images), now adds fashion show management to its expertise. Through this transaction, the group expands its geographical reach, building on its presence in Paris, New York, Shanghai, Dubai, Monaco and now Milan.

TFG London, owner of Hobbs, Whistles and Phase Eight, and Swedish fashion retailer H&M Group are investigating separate cyber security incidents, adding to growing concerns over attacks targeting the fashion industry ahead of the peak trading season.

CTR Group, the owner of fashion rental platform Hirestreet and resale marketplace Thrift+, has launched Zoa Group, bringing together its circular retail businesses under one umbrella to help brands recover value from unsold stock.

Retail trade union Usdaw has warned that Poundland could enter administration, raising concerns for thousands of jobs as owner Gordon Brothers continues to seek a buyer for the discount retailer.

The Spanish children's footwear company Pablosky will no longer feature identifiable children's faces in its campaigns, proprietary channels and brand materials. The company, headquartered with its factory in Toledo, attributes this decision to the undeniable impact that social media and artificial intelligence have on the potential use of images of minors.

UK commercial property company Land Securities Group (Landsec) has announced the completion of an acquisition to secure an additional 10 percent stake in Bluewater, a major retail destination situated in Kent.

CEO interview

Thirty years after launching EasyJet, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of the Easy family of brands, has launched EasyShop.com, a multi-category online marketplace operating across 21 European countries.

CEO Interview

As announced at the 2025 Better Cotton Conference in Izmir, Turkey, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is now officially operating as a regenerative standard system.

This means reinforced farmer support through stronger requirements, targeted capacity strengthening and improved impact measurement. For retailers, brands and suppliers, it provides a reliable means of setting and meeting corporate regenerative sourcing targets, while BCI's traceable offering opens the door to product-level claims.

Keeping nature, farmers and industry in mind

“Our transition to a regenerative standard system is about unlocking a triple win for nature, farmers and industry. When nature thrives, farmers thrive. And when retailers and brands support those conditions through their sourcing and investment, they help build more resilient supply chains and future-proof the supply of cotton,” comments BCI CEO Nick Weatherill in a press release.

"As the world's largest cotton sustainability organisation, we are uniquely positioned to drive change across the entire cotton supply chain. That’s why we have spent the last year strengthening our system and creating the tools, frameworks and partnerships needed to promote regenerative outcomes at scale,” he adds.

Over the past year, a series of changes were introduced across BCI's system as part of the move. For example recent updates to its Principles and Criteria, which now require BCI farmers to adopt locally regenerative farming practices and set continuous improvement targets across key environmental and social indicators.

At farm-level, BCI has adapted its investment, capacity strengthening, assurance, impact measurement and member claims to better support and prioritise regenerative farming.

Digitally supported by Co:Farm platform

To support these efforts digitally, BCI has acquired the team and technology behind mobile and web application Co:Farm from Materra, a platform that enables more efficient field-level data collection and reduced administrative burdens for growers and implementing partners.

“Co:Farm is more than a technology acquisition. We are investing in the infrastructure needed to support regenerative agriculture and the transparency the market increasingly expects. Very few organisations can take an innovation proven with 10,000 farmers and scale it across one of the world’s largest farmer networks. Combining BCI’s scale and reach with Co:Farm’s technology and expertise will help deliver the data, visibility and assurance needed to translate regenerative ambition into impact,” explains Alia Malik, BCI’s chief commercial officer.

One example of BCI’s regenerative approach is the Gujarat Regenerative Agriculture Project, which was launched in partnership with H&M in India in 2025. Its aim is to increase support for farmers adopting or expanding regenerative practices. More than 12,000 farmers in Gujarat are currently being trained and supported through the project, with 1,764 receiving incentive payments in the first year of the project. To date, 1,700 metric tonnes of traceable BCI lint cotton have been linked to H&M’s supply chain, representing 50 percent of the project's initial target.

UK-based retail conglomerate Frasers Group (Frasers) has increased its holding in British luxury house Burberry Group plc (Burberry) to 7.42 percent of voting rights. The step follows recent incremental acquisitions, with Frasers previously disclosing a 6.32 percent position at the end of September, up from 4.16 percent earlier in the year.

French luxury conglomerate LVMH recorded revenue of 57.15 billion euros (63.85 billion dollars) in the first nine months of 2026, marking organic revenue growth of 2 percent year-over-year (YoY) despite an uncertain geopolitical and economic climate. Reported revenue changed by minus 2 percent for the period.

UK clothing and footwear retailers experienced a weak September as unseasonably warm weather lowered demand for autumn and winter wardrobes, while shoppers remained cautious ahead of the government’s budget, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG.

Interview Inclusivity has long been an issue in the fashion industry. For most e-commerce brands, showcasing their clothes on a variety of bodies comes with a high cost that few can afford. Generative AI promises to break that arithmetic, allowing a single garment to be shown on dozens of bodies without multiplying the budget. But showing more bodies doesn’t necessarily mean paying for them, raising the question whether these emerging tools are really solving the diversity issue or optimizing it away.

Next, Primark and Tesco are backing a new industry-wide programme led by NGO Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to redesign the UK’s textile collection system, addressing rising waste volumes and falling resale values put pressure on the sector.

Interview

British accessories brand Radley has appointed Lloyd Baker Leather Ltd as its new licensing partner for handbags and small leather goods, as its owner Gordon Brothers pursues an international growth strategy following the brand’s administration earlier this year.

CEO Interview

The Karl Lagerfeld brand is partnering with Mexican developer Grupo Bosque Real to develop its first residential complex in Latin America. Located in Huixquilucan, Mexico, this 73-residence project translates the designer's aesthetic into an architectural context. This project joins other residential complexes developed by the brand worldwide.

After announcing the opening of its first café in Amsterdam last July, the Karl Lagerfeld brand (owned by G-III Apparel Group) is tackling a 38-storey tower. The real estate project will include 73 residences, including two penthouses and a ground-floor flat. Each apartment, with a surface area of over 475 square metres, will offer three bedrooms and large private terraces. The interior spaces were developed in collaboration with The One Atelier studio, under the supervision of Caroline Lebar, creative director of interior design at Karl Lagerfeld.

Pier Paolo Righi, chief executive officer of Karl Lagerfeld, explained in a statement: “Our partnership with Grupo Bosque Real gives us the opportunity to translate Karl's distinctive perspective into a whole new context, with our first residential project in Latin America”.

The interior architecture combines the fashion house's heritage with the natural and cultural environment of Mexico. The main lobby features a monumental brushed stainless steel library, 9.71 metres high, paying homage to Karl Lagerfeld's passion for books. Furniture from the Karl Lagerfeld Maison line is also used in the communal areas, which include a private cinema.

The brand states that the design favours locally sourced materials, such as basalt, tezontle and Tzalam wood, which contrast with polished concrete and artisanal terrazzo finishes. Residents will also have access to shared facilities including a swimming pool, a panoramic wellness area, a padel court and various reception areas.

The project's inauguration was held in Mexico City on October 8. Its completion, scheduled for early 2029, will add to the brand's international residential portfolio, which already includes developments in Lisbon, Marbella, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah. As a reminder, the brand opened a luxury hotel in China (Karl Lagerfeld in Macau) in June 2023.

This article was written in part with the support of an artificial intelligence tool before being verified, completed and edited by a FashionUnited journalist.

Report

Movado Group, Inc. (Movado Group) has entered into a binding agreement to sell a 95 percemt interest in its Swiss luxury watch brand Ebel for 66.5 million dollars to a strategic buyer group.

Canadian apparel brand Aritzia Inc. (Aritzia) reported strong financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2027 ended August 30, 2026, driven by broad-based demand across retail and digital channels.

UK-based retailer Tesco PLC (Tesco) has delivered its interim financial results for the 26 weeks ended August 29, 2026, recording growth in overall group sales and operating profit alongside steady momentum across its non-food and digital platforms.

Japanese retail giant Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. (Fast Retailing) has announced financial results for the 2026 fiscal year ending August 31, 2026, marking its fifth consecutive year of record performance. Group revenue rose 16.6 ercent year-over-year to 3.96 trillion yen (25.03 billion dollars), driven by strong international expansion and steady momentum at Uniqlo. Operating profit for the full year climbed 31.7 percent to 743.1 billion yen, while profit attributable to owners of the parent company increased 25.3 percent to 542.5 billion yen.

US fashion group Levi Strauss & Co. (Levi Strauss) has reported net revenues of 1.6 billion dollars for the third quarter ended August 30, 2026, representing an increase of 4 percent on a reported basis and 5 percent on an organic basis compared to the same period in 2025.

Madrid – It has been exactly one week since the launch on October 1 of the first collection designed by John Galliano for Zara. The collection was set to be a turning point in the commercial dynamics of the Inditex group's main fashion chain. However, it has been met with a very cold reception from the markets. This is despite the latest analysis of the company issued by the US investment bank Jefferies.

Japan and US-based asset management firm Nexroc Group (Nexroc), alongside its entertainment and fashion holding company SVCV, Inc. (SVCV), is preparing to launch tender offers targeting American and Japanese fashion and luxury groups.

Hearst UK-owned publication Harper’s Bazaar UK has entered a brand licensing partnership with British fashion brand Karen Millen to launch a capsule womenswear collection titled Beyond the Season.

Puma has a new largest shareholder. The Herzogenaurach-based sportswear company announced on Wednesday that Anta Sports Products Limited has successfully completed the acquisition of the 29.06 percent stake previously held by French investment holding company Artémis SAS.

Nike, Patagonia, Under Armour, Lululemon, Cotopaxi and REI Co-op are among the founding members of a new industry initiative focused on reducing microfibre pollution across the apparel supply chain.

E-commerce giant Asos has confirmed it was hit by a cyber attack after thousands of customers received a threatening notification through its app on Tuesday, initially leaving the nature and extent of the incident unclear.

Hamburg - In an update on Westwing Group SE (ISIN: DE000A2N4H07), analyst Christian Sandherr of NuWays AG has reiterated a "BUY" recommendation with a 12-month target price of 23.50 euros.

Following the recent share price weakness, the research firm sees roughly 100 percent upside at current levels. Impressions at the firm's conference in Paris confirm a bullish view on the investment case.

Growing international presence

After entering the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) at the end of July, the company has now also launched in Ireland and Bulgaria, bringing its European presence to 28 countries.

The step-by-step rollout fits the asset-light, platform-based approach of serving new markets from the existing logistics and sourcing set-up, rather than building local infrastructure.

While the incremental revenue contribution is likely small, it clearly underpins the successful execution of the company's strategic transformation.

UK ramp-up going well

In March, Westwing entered the United Kingdom with a local online store and a curated assortment, where traction appears to be building quickly.

To further support the launch, the company recently announced a collaboration with Victoria Beckham, launching on October 12, building on existing ties to the designer.

The partnership is viewed as a way to significantly raise brand awareness in a market where Westwing is still largely unknown. The UK remains one of the critical markets to watch for the international growth story, with the UK Home & Living market estimated at around 20 billion euros—representing roughly 15 percent of Westwing's addressable market and making it the largest single market addition in company history.

Current trading

Sales are tracking in the upper half of the guidance range, with Westwing continuing to gain market share, especially internationally as country launches ramp up.

In the DACH region, consumer sentiment in Germany remains challenging, largely unchanged versus the second quarter, and continues to weigh on key performance indicators such as average order values. Planned store openings are expected to partially offset these headwinds.

At the same time, ongoing marketing investments in the UK weigh on profitability. The full-year adjusted EBITDA margin is forecast to decline by 1.2 percentage points year-on-year to 8.6 percent, reflecting the challenging home market as well as deliberate growth investments of approximately 10 million euros, led by the UK expansion and retail openings.

The mid-point of the adjusted EBITDA guidance is considered to remain well within reach.

Valuation remains highly attractive

At 4.8x FY26e EV/adj. EBITDA, valuation remains undemanding for a business with this trajectory.

Westwing combines sustainable growth with improving profitability and a strong balance sheet, supported by 90 million euros in net cash at year-end.

The UK and the newly entered markets add further growth optionality, while the turnaround and management's delivery of the value creation plan underpin conviction in the investment case, confirming the BUY rating with an unchanged target price of 23.50 euros based on discounted cash flow analysis.

Consumers are increasingly arriving through AI, recommendations, social platforms and marketplaces. The battle ahead will be how to influence recommendation engines, not simply ranking in search engines, explains Justin Thomas, VP Sales - EMEA North for Akeneo.

Keywords, rankings and paid placements no longer hold the monopoly over discovery. Instead, the customer arrives after a recommendation has narrowed the field. They may have asked an AI assistant for a suitable laptop, discovered a product socially, followed a marketplace recommendation or delegated the comparison to an autonomous agent. The conventional search box may appear later or it may not appear at all.

In this context, retailers may be asking the wrong question, “Will the customer find us?” remains important but retailers must consider: “Will the systems advising the customer understand us, trust us and recommend us?”

New UK research among 200 senior technology and business decision makers illustrate how quickly that question is moving up the agenda. 60% expect AI agents, including autonomous shopping and comparison tools, to be among the customer interaction channels most influenced by AI over the next three years. Conversational or chat based journeys were selected by 36%, while 33% pointed to social commerce.

The key is, brands do not control the interface but a third party interprets the need and decides which products deserve consideration.

Search engine optimisation was designed to help a page earn visibility while a recommendation engine demands something more extractive. It must identify what a product is, which needs it satiates, how it differs from alternatives, whether it is available and whether the underlying information can be trusted.

A customer searching for a “waterproof walking jacket” may tolerate links. One asking an AI assistant for “a genuinely waterproof, lightweight jacket for a wet week in Scotland, under £200 and available by Friday,” expects a well-reasoned, structured, shortlist. Without dependable information about waterproof rating, weight, fit, price, stock and delivery, the engine cannot confidently justify the recommendation. This is why the battle before the search is essentially a product information battle.

The same survey found that 71% of respondents use structured enterprise systems such as PIM, ERP, DAM and CRM as primary data sources for AI. But this is only the start of the journey to create usable, connected information for the AI world. Data has to be repurposed. Currently, respondents are estimating that an average 43% of AI project effort is already spent preparing data, while 29% said preparation consumes more than half of the total effort.

That burden will increase as long as businesses treat product information as material to be produced separately for individual channels. AI systems need complete, structured and contextualised product knowledge that can move consistently across every place where a recommendation may be made.

There will be no single formula equivalent to the old SEO rules. A marketplace may reward price, availability and seller performance; a social platform may respond to imagery and engagement, while a conversational engine may combine specifications, reviews, authoritative sources and how clearly a product answers the consumers demand.

Brands therefore need to make their product stories both machine readable and worth recommending. That means consistent attributes and taxonomies, but also richer descriptions, use cases, comparisons, evidence, localisation and channel-specific context. Accuracy matters because an AI-generated recommendation can amplify an error as efficiently as it can amplify a strength.

The external signals are already visible. Adobe Analytics reported that traffic from generative-AI services to US retail sites increased 693% year on year during the 2025 holiday season, which shows that AI is becoming a route into commerce.

This transition will be a challenge for marketing teams because a brand cannot simply buy its way into every answer, nor assume that a beautifully optimised product page will be interpreted correctly elsewhere.

Trying to “game” every model is not the answer because recommendation systems change too quickly. A more sustainable strategy is to become the clearest and most trustworthy source of product truth in the category. And that depends on marketing, commerce, product and IT teams working from a common foundation. They must identify the questions customers actually ask, enrich the attributes required to answer them, distribute that information to every relevant endpoint and monitor how products are represented in AI, marketplace and social environments.

There is also a serious commercial consequence to consider. When an agent can compare hundreds of products in seconds, vague differentiation becomes visible. Claims such as “premium”, “innovative” or “sustainable” will carry little weight without specifications, certifications, provenance or evidence. AI may expose where brand language has been compensating for thin product information.

Search remains important as does the brand website but both are becoming parts of a wider discovery system in which consumers may reach a brand that has taken the necessary steps to have optimised and informed data. This means the next battle starts before the search, using trusted product knowledge that makes machines choose the brand before the customer starts to choose.

About Akeneo

Akeneo is the Product Experience (PX) company and global leader with its Product Cloud solutions, providing the foundational operating system for the AI commerce era.

With its agentic Product Cloud, Akeneo enables brands, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to centralize, govern, and orchestrate their product information, transforming fragmented data into trusted, actionable assets. With the integration of PricingHUB, Akeneo extends its platform beyond product data to unify product data and pricing — the two signals that drive discovery, conversion, and business performance. Together, Akeneo helps organizations move from managing product information to making better business decisions, aligning what they sell and how they sell it to compete and win in a rapidly evolving, AI-driven market.

Leading global brands, including Chico’s, TaylorMade Golf, Rail Europe, and more, trust Akeneo to scale their commerce initiatives and deliver consistent, high-performing product experiences. For more information: https://www.akeneo.com

Making a pair of jeans is no small feat; in fact, it requires many steps. Not all of them are easily traceable or even visible. While the mills producing the fabric and the washing and dyeing businesses are on the radar — and the factories sewing the garments too, due to recent efforts — following the cotton is harder.

UK lingerie retailer Bravissimo Limited has published its annual financial statements for the 12 months ended March 31, 2026, reporting revenue of 51.78 million pounds.

UK online fast fashion retailer Shein Distribution UK Limited, the UK subsidiary of Singapore-based Shein Group, has posted an 18.5 percent increase in annual net profits to 33.92 million pounds for the financial year ended December 31, 2025, up from 28.61 million pounds in 2024.

UK activewear brand Sweaty Betty has published its financial statements for the 53-week period ended January 3, 2026, reporting revenue growth alongside reduced operating profits following a year of structural transformation.

CEO Interview When Jackson Wirht and creative director Justin Saul bought Elwood Clothing in 2020, the skate label had been dormant twice and was leaning on heavy discounting. Their first change was a question. "We switched from the existing product strategy of 'will this sell' to 'will WE actually wear this'," Wirht told FashionUnited.

Swiss fashion retailer Metro Boutique has added the streetwear brand Iets Frans to its product range, becoming its exclusive brick and mortar stockist in Switzerland.

Asos shares, traded under ticker ASC on the London Stock Exchange, have dipped more than 11 percent as of Tuesday at 12h20 GMT, following reports of a cyberattack.

Another day, another stripe case for Adidas.