Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.fashion team.
In Pictures: Wimbledon blends tennis, strawberries and stripes for 2024 retail collection
Apart from my children and all things fashion and beauty, one of my greatest passions in life is tennis. And the grass court season is finally here (even if the weather to go with it is not). The All England Lawn Tennis Club, home of tennis and the Wimbledon tennis championship, has unveiled its latest retail collection.
The reason I find this so interesting, apart from my personal passion for the sport, is the quality of this collection. Essentially this is merch, but it looks as good as any sports and leisure collection coming from specialist brands at the moment (and even better in some cases – Nike Tennis, what exactly are you thinking right now?). This is because the AELTC has assembled an in-house design team drawn from fashion brands and retailers, and is it they who have created this fantastic line-up of activewear and leisurewear that can be worn on the court or sitting next to it drinking a Pimms in the sunshine (or shivering under an umbrella as the case may be).
For those not lucky enough to be going to the Championships this year, where it will be sold in the Wimbledon store, the collection is available to buy online. I shall be watching with interest, the merch that comes out of the Olympics this year; am hoping brands will be inspired by this and do something truly elevated that people will want to wear for years to come. I’ve certainly got my eye on a couple of pieces from this collection and I simply have to buy that Strawberry sweatshirt for my tennis mad daughter. Team Wimbledon, this collection is Ace.
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor in Chief.
Superdry creditors vote in favour of restructuring plan
After months of trials and tribulations for Superdry, it seems to have clung on to its final hope. This week, the struggling retailer’s creditors voted in favour of its restructuring plan.
The company said it was “pleased to announce that there was a high level of turnout at the plan meetings and 99% by value of the plan creditors which attended the plan meetings (in person or by proxy) voted in favour of the measures proposed in the restructuring plan”.
In addition to rent reductions across 39 UK stores, the plan includes a £10 million equity raise and a delisting from the London Stock Exchange, which will make Superdry a privately held company once again. Interestingly, Superdry is going private at a time when companies such as Birkenstock, Golden Goose, Vestiaire Collective and Shein have listed or are eyeing IPOS.
Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.
In Pictures: Gymshark gets inspired by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour
You’ve got to hand it to Gymshark’s content team for coming up with a shoot styling its gym gear Taylor Swift style, as the singer’s Eras Tour sweeps through the UK with an army of ‘Swifties’ reaching mass hysteria akin to Beatlemania.
A Taylor Swift lookalike model poses in five looks: Gymnights’, ‘Repetitions’, ‘Sh(red)’, ‘The Tortured Gym Girls Department’ and ‘2012 (Gymshark’s version)’ – all based on Swift’s most recognisable outfits on the tour, but with a Gymshark twist.
Emily Lorimer, Head of Social at Gymshark, said: “We couldn’t let arguably the biggest cultural musical moment of 2024 pass without getting a little bit involved. We know there are legions of Swifties in our community that love both fitness and Taylor…”
To create an even bigger stir, Gymshark is offering the chance to win VIP box tickets for seven guests to watch Taylor Swift perform at Wembley on 23 June. To enter, fans simply like the brand’s Instagram post, follow them, tag six friends and share their story. Customers will also be entered if they spend over £100 online or in-store. A deft piece of marketing to match Swift’s nifty on stage footwork.
Tom Bottomley, Contributing Editor.
How Liverpool ONE is harnessing AI to enhance its customer experience
Liverpool ONE has introduced a new AI-powered digital assistant to enhance its customer experience, with personalised Taylor Swift interactions to engage visitors amid of the singer’s three sell-out concerts this week. Named ‘Liv’, the digital human has joined Liverpool ONE’s guest services team to support customers and staff, and to collect feedback on ways to improve the visitor experience.
Engineered with natural language processing and machine learning capabilities, the digital assistant is able to understand and respond to a wide range of queries in real-time. Its arrival even coincides with the Taylor Swift concerts at Anfield Stadium this week. To help visiting Swifties, ‘Liv’ will be able to answer questions specifically related to the concerts, including “How can I get to Anfield Stadium?” and “What is your favourite Taylor Swift song?”, amongst other queries. The service launches on a month-long trial, following which it may be offered a permanent role. It’s an entertaining and informative way to connect with customers for sure!
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.
Labour vows to replace business rates in pro-business manifesto
Few things are certain in life but as it stands, its seems highly likely that by 5 July 2024, we will have confirmation that Sir Keir Starmer is the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His Labour Party unveiled its pro-business manifesto this week and with it a pledge to overhaul the outdated and iniquitous business rates system.
For too long the retail industry has borne the brunt of this tax paying a total of 22% of business rates to the Government, which is a huge sum given retail only accounts for 5% of the economy. Just because physical retail needs to trade from prime locations in order to function (moving to cheaper premises on an out of town industrial estate is not going to work for the average fashion store), I fail to see why it should have to stump up for so much of this tax,
Furthermore if we want a vibrant high street, then we need to encourage more retailers to trade from it, rather than making the whole thing so unattractive they’d rather stay away (or just trade online instead). Exactly what he the new system will look like, we don’t yet know but some acknowledgement that the current system is broken is a start.
If the unexpected happens and the Conservatives get back in, they too have said they will address business rates. Which is good of them because they ignored the problem the for past decade and a half. Still, one way or another, it seems this unfair system could soon be at an end and that’s something to be optimistic about.
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor in Chief.
