Member Info for ragtrade

PP1 -air freight costs will be high because everyone will be after them due to the problems with sea freight

Unless a retailer has a specific press launch for something very high profile then a/f for the coming season can pretty much be avoided, the big issue in AW21 was that we had very specific Xmas stock coming in and it was vital that this hit the Xmas trading period, otherwise it goes into to dry dark storage for a few months, i recently heard that a container full of Xmas Jumpers hit down mid Jan, this has gone straight into storage, btw it wasn't for BH, same shelf life can be applied to party wear but not quite as onerous as this will be bought back out for coming Wedding season. The SS season is long, pressure is nowhere near as intense and we have just bought fwd by 6 weeks some of our deliveries to compensate for the freight/port delays.

Only one person i green screen on here the #GingerMidget, whenever i post he pops up out of my pocket, looking backwards, dropping reports and spreadsheets all over the place, lol.

flyer, tbh i'm quite careful about not showing any info re me or our company, some of the stuff i post i have to wait till it's in public domain o/w it could come back to me however feel free to ask any questions on here, obvs these are just my humble opinion!

Flyer i agree re US distribution however despite Asos investment they still struggle to meet demand. We ship direct to US for Asos, you would think that this would be far more efficient for lead times, in long term it def should be, however currently it is taking 21 weeks to get goods into US DC, it is taking 17/18 weeks for UK and also a bit longer for EU than UK, to give you an idea it used to take 4 weeks !!!!! all ex Asia. BH made the decision to open a Turkish Office back in AW21, they have said in the short term this will be there biggest source, Turkey is also a fully vertical manufacturing Country, timing has been lucky as the lira has been massively devalued, for the shipping lead times this will at least pay off for UK bound freight as it is trucked in, takes about 1 week, obvs BH also now have UK Fty which will be able support trend driven Brands. Asos do have production in Turkey but they are heavily committed to Asia and it is causing issues, we are having to bring all our production forward by 12 weeks. BH 100000% needs to sort out US leadtimes it is not that simple at mo just to open a DC , getting the actual production into the Country in first place is a nightmare.

flyer2020 your 100% right re Topshop, however the volumes from what they used to buy to what they now buy have fallen drastically, eg an all store line, inc wholesale would have been 8,000pcs + now its down to about 2000pcs max, Asos are on a re build with TM/TS, they have just had a massive shake up of management, they now have a dedicated Buying Director whose sole responsibility is for just these two Brands, if she gets it right then TM/TS could be back to their heyday as they have a big following esp T/S and your point re marketing is spot on. One thing i would point out is that BH Group does have higher price point Brands and this is where the beauty lies as they are not a one trick pony, at the mo they have quite a big mouthful so they are having to chew through an awful lot and if you add the headwinds to all the Brands they now have means alot of chewing , lol, they will get there tho!

One point of note on Asos, atm they are more vulnerable to shipping and lead time issues than BH, however in just about every other area they are currently ahead of the pack, one thing they do have to nail is a new CEO, he must have a Global understanding of how to trade Internationally, anything less will be underwhelming.

@Drapers
Primark and Greggs will be launching a limited edition, 11-piece clothing collection available in 60 Primark stores across the UK from 19 February. More details of what will be included in the range will be shared leading up to the launch date.
To give customers an opportunity for a first look, Greggs and Primark will be opening a pop-up shop accessible by bookable appointment only. Located on Dean Street in Soho, London, on 17-18 February, the pop-up will offer customers the chance to get their hands on some of the new collection before the rest of the nation by picking up to two pieces for free.
The appointment system provided by Design My Night will open for booking via a link that will be shared on both Greggs and Primark Instagram and Facebook pages at 10am on 10 February. There are a limited number of appointments, available on a first come, first served basis, allowing 300 customers through the doors across the two days.
As part of the collaboration, the world’s largest Primark will now play host to the world’s largest Greggs, with the launch of a unique concept, "Tasty by Greggs". The 130-seater cafe will open its doors in Primark’s Birmingham store on 12 February at 8am, offering a menu that features sausage rolls, bakes, pizza, sweet treats and coffee, alongside hot food to go. Customers will also be able to make click-and-collect orders via the Greggs app.
Tim Kelly, director of new business development at Primark, said: “We want to give our customers incredible experiences in our stores and offer collections they can’t find anywhere else, with brands we know they love. We’re thrilled to have teamed up with Greggs to bring the Tasty Cafe to our Birmingham store and give fans of the brand the chance to get their hands on the limited edition clothing range.”

Kall -This looks tasty
Primark collaborates with Greggs
Primark has partnered with high street food chain Greggs to launch a new clothing range and "Tasty by Greggs" cafe experience.

PP1 -The company explained that revenue over the third quarter in the Christmas period and January was lower than it had expected.

PP1 we are not obvs comparing like for like with BH and Joules, in fact Joules does actually have some unique issues that are outside the norm eg transitioning from a niche player that services many independents including garden centres and outdoor Country Shows (many of which were cancelled last year) to also supplying the likes Next/ Very etc etc which is a very very different ball game that Joules systems / warehousing (again!!!) have struggled to cope with, this resulted in little or no stock at points of sale and slow replenishment, its not simply that trade was poor, actually trade has been good but operationally Joules is struggling. In fact as you can see from today's report by KPMG retail monitor tells a different tale, one of a surge.

T4G , issue is still getting freight in but when newness hits down it is performing extremely well, one very wise move that BH did in AW21 was open a Turkish Office, it is a fully vertical Garment Manufacturing Country and after the UK it is the quickest lead time with the added bonus of goods being able to be Trucked into UK in a week, yes more expensive than Asia but Lira has tanked since the Autumn so it is representing great value as also very little duty unlike some of Asia,

@Reardon -Joules had a stormer! Does make me think if retail is making a comeback...or is this a 1 off example?

On current evidence people are going out and the public are spending, we have hols coming up and if , if, if we have a warmish Spring and good Summer then for the young demos at least i think they will spend, add in Weddings, Festivals, Back to Work and with Covid abating then the mood for the young will surely be one of a positive nature.
As it stand i do not think it's one off for the whole of the Fashion Sector, however that could all change if a nasty variant comes along but Scientists now saying unlikely and with strong antivirals preventing serious illness we surely must be in end game for Covid being a factor weighing heavy on the market.

PP1 - It's obvious, more poor results are expected for Boohoo for their end of year results due early March 2022.

I'm not so sure on this, trade is always tricky through trans seasons Jan, Feb, but this is always factored in to any retail forecast, however the newness hitting down is being received well across the sector, lots of reports and figures coming out that are more positive at this time of year than normal on purchasing activity., Joules had a torrid time recently for same reason as many in sector but have pulled back a 11.5% gain today despite a profit shortfall. So as we all know the next statement from BH is critical, however how many times have we seen shares bounce up a little despite bad news, mainly because too much pessimisson has been built in, current trend across sector seems to indicate increased t/o but reduced margins, how much still remains to be seen, if it is even slightly more positive then the shares will bounce a lot higher than perhaps than anticipated, of course the IF is the gamble, i personally think the IF will be more positive than expectations, below is just one of the reasons why, to reiterate this is not usually so at this time of the year, still early days on inflation but BH main drivers of revenue are a young Demo so will be as affected by in/rate rises.
@Drapers
Retail sales surge despite inflation
Retail sales soared in January, despite wider economic pressures, the British Retail Consortium-KPMG retail sales monitor shows.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive at the British Retail Consortium, said the surge in sales was encouraging, especially when taking into account inflation increases that retailers have experienced in recent months.

I love the, " i could have been a BH CEO contender comments on here, lol, priceless, Asos down at 20.24, Next down 71.24, JD down 1.79 etc etc etc

@Leicester#Boohoo
I'm seeing pics of inside the new site on Thurmaston Lane issued with below statement. I know that capacity is limited but what they have built is looking very sharp and impressive, it marks a big statement of intent thats a million miles away from old ESG issues.

We’re thrilled to announce that our Leicester Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at Thurmaston Lane, is now open.
Our new 23,000 sq. ft. factory will create up to 200 new jobs and is a state-of-the-art manufacturing site for our products.
All colleagues at Thurmaston will receive the full range of benefits that the Boohoo Group provides, including paid training, private health care, and free shares. There will also be opportunities for suppliers to come along and benchmark, upskill their workers, and share best practice to support their own businesses.
We are also talking to local education providers about hosting students and other groups who would like to learn more about British garment manufacturing.

@hotme, i work with Asos and BH, the share prices at the moment are at similar levels to LD1, for them to be almost as low as this is extremely harsh, imho, in L/D 1 we entered the total unknown, one thing for sure that we do know is that these companies are the new generation of Fashion E-tailers, they are the survivors, they have eaten up the tired old timers and face less competition, before someone mentions, Shein the badlands of ESG will be in deep sheeet unless they sort out banned cotton issue. So these the shares will rise, when and by how much is dependent on seeing the light at the end of the upcharges and how inflation impacts on each Demo, at least young fashion sector is less impacted by mortgage rate rise and at the mo
@Drapers today headlines
Retail sales surge despite inflation
Retail sales soared in January, despite wider economic pressures, the British Retail Consortium-KPMG retail sales monitor shows.

Life goes on.
@Drapers#BellaFish
Boohoo Group signs apprenticeship deal with Fashion Enter
Boohoo Group has announced a partnership with not-for-profit London-based manufacturer Fashion Enter, providing the opportunity for people to apply for level-three and -four apprenticeships.
The etail group, which comprises Boohoo, BoohooMan, PrettyLittleThing, MissPap, Nasty Gal, Karen Millen, Coast, Oasis and Warehouse, has gifted £85,000 of its Apprenticeship Levy to Fashion Enter's new academy.
Fashion Enter will provide training and arrange placements for the students on behalf of the Boohoo Group, with a focus on candidates from under-represented communities within the Leicestershire area. The application process opens on 7 February, the first day of National Apprenticeship Week.
Those with an interest in getting into the fashion industry can apply for either a level-three fashion studio assistant course, or a level-four product technologists’ course via Fashion Enter.
Fashion Enter recently partnered with Leicester City Council on a new textiles skills centre called The Fashion Technology Academy (FCFTA Leicester). The academy offers apprenticeships and accredited training for people who work in, or want to work in, the textiles industry.
This month, meanwhile, Boohoo Group opened the doors to its first UK manufacturing facility, at Thurmaston Lane in Leicester.
Andrew Reaney, director of responsible sourcing and product operations at Boohoo Group, said the group was pleased to: “be able to utilise some of our Apprenticeship Levy outside of the business to create opportunities for individuals who might otherwise not have had access. We have a long-standing partnership with our Leicester suppliers and activities like this cement our commitment to both them and UK manufacturing in general.”
Jenny Holloway, CEO of Fashion Enter, said: “We are delighted to be receiving this gift from the boohoo group. The FCFTA (Leicester) has had an excellent start and currently we are focusing on qualifications at level 1 and 2; this funding will now create higher level skills and engage in jobs with the local factories. We have already received an enquiry from one company requesting 10 sewing apprentices, so this is superb timing. Thank you to the Boohoo Group.”

@Maxage Meanwhile Umar Kamani living it up & posting

Bang on message for PLT GG, she lurvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvs this, da more da bling bling bling, da better.

Meanwhile in the real World back at ranch, @Drapers #Bella Fish
Boohoo launches vegan beauty brand
Fast fashion womenswear brand Boohoo has launched a vegan beauty range of more than 50 products.
The range, called Boohoo Beauty, features items for brows, lips, eyes and face, and is available in various shades to suit multiple complexions and skin tones. It comprises lip gloss, lip liner, blusher, bronzer lipstick and a contour stick.
Customers can also buy tools and accessories including a brush cleaner, light-up mirror, fast-drying wrap for hair and false lash applicator.
Available to purchase on boohoo.com, prices range from £5 for a lip gloss to £38 for a make-up palette.
Lou Maddison, lead hair and make-up artist at Boohoo, said: "As well as the range being 100% cruelty free and made with a vegan formula, all packaging used within this collection is recyclable. Products are boosted with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, aloe, coconut oil and botanical extracts.
"The products are lightweight, water resistant and transfer proof, perfect for everyday use and taking a look from day to night."
It comes after Next announced earlier this week that it has partnered with a UK skincare manufacturer to develop its own skincare brand called Woah. There are 16 vegan skincare products, including serums, micellar water, cleansers, creams, toner, hydrating mask and cleansing balm.

Ns99 They have a stake in Reclaimed Vintage, they also have a Circular Fashion Collection, Repurposed Ranges etc be warned tho!!! it's Fashion, it's of the moment ! that said it has however gathered pace in last couple of years and probably isn't going anywhere but it does not appeal to everyone, Glamour Girl or Buff Boy ! would rather been seen naked than wearing second hand clothes ! Regardless of trend we do have a second hand clothes mountain and this needs sorting out, Africa is starting to suffocate under a mountain of it. The real way forward is to recycle, this is already underway, investment is happening to turn cast offs into yarn to be re used but it is not easy as the yarns a weak so this needs to be mixed with virgin cotton, but a % of something is better than a % of nothing, Asos are up there in the pack leading the charge on this.

xxxAccountant , totally agree re Demo, i think anyone who is trend driven regardless of age doesn't have many places to go, lots of successful online e-tailers for 30 somethings, eg Hipstore, EndClothing, UnionClothing etc but these guys are pretty much 100% Branded offer and prices reflect that. Vintage has been on Asos radar for few years so they tick that box for current desire of Gen Z ad they also have an interest in Retail Vintage which you will see on their site. Interesting one for me is TM/TS, this used to be the leader in its demo, it was what Asos aspired to be, well Asos overtook them and the apprentice becomes the Master, however big recent changes, management were spread a bit thin with Director overseeing both Asos own buy and TS/TM, what is now happening is that you have a different Director for T/S/TM and Asos, a big emphasis is being put onto TS/TM to bring it into focus and make it what it was once known for and that is first for fashion, to dial into Gen Alpha , the next generation of teenagers. I hope the individual Management teams can pull this off , its def an area to closely watch, Nordstrom will continue to buy these Brands and also now Asos, the East Coast of America really struggles to offer Indie Brit Fashion and there is a demand for it.