Shop Direct has announced an agreement to transfer its 215,000 square foot Raven Mill returns centre in Oldham, Greater Manchester, along with returns activity managed from the site, to Clipper Logistics, in a move that will save up to 200 jobs.
The Raven Mill site, which employs 403 people, was due to close by 2021, once Shop Direct’s returns activity is migrated to a new automated 850,000 square foot fulfilment and returns centre at East Midlands Gateway near Castle Donington, Leicestershire.
All the staff based at the Raven Mill site will be transferred to Clipper Logistics, where returns on behalf of Shop Direct will be operated until the e-tailer’s East Midlands fulfilment centre opens in 2021. Additionally, Clipper Logistics intends to retain up to 200 Raven Mill colleagues for separate ongoing operational activity at the site for its other retail clients.
However, at least 200 Raven Mill-based colleagues are still likely to be made redundant following the move in 2021.
As part of the five-year agreement, Clipper Logistics will continue to manage some specialist returns and pre-retail activity for Shop Direct after 2021 from its site in Swadlincote, Derbyshire.
Phil Hackney, group operations director at Shop Direct and co-chair of the joint taskforce, said in a statement: “We’re pleased to have come to an agreement with Clipper Logistics that has the potential to safeguard jobs in the area, with Raven Mill likely to operate as a commercial site beyond 2021. We believe it’s a positive move for our colleagues and the community. We’ll work closely with Clipper Logistics, our trade union Usdaw and colleague representatives to ensure the transfer is as smooth as possible.
“Our priority continues to be working in partnership with the joint task force to give affected colleagues across all our Greater Manchester fulfilment sites the training, development and other types of support they need to help them prepare for the future.”
Steve Parkin, executive chairman at Clipper Logistics, added: “We are delighted to be working with Shop Direct. It is testament to our unique ability in returns management across fashion, electronics and general merchandise, to be adding one of the UK’s leading pureplay digital retailers to our client list. We are looking forward to ensuring we deliver best-in-class, not only for customers in terms of fulfilment, but also for colleagues.”
'Champions League is the biggest competition' – Salah doubts Guardiola's claim Premier League is most important
The Manchester City boss believes the season-long effort required to be successful domestically is tougher than winning European trophies
Mohamed Salah has responded to Pep Guardiola’s claims that winning the Premier League is most important each season, instead claiming that the Champions League is the trophy everyone wants to win.
Salah and his Liverpool team-mates came out on top in Europe last season, winning the club’s sixth European Cup with victory over Tottenham in the final in Madrid.
Guardiola, meanwhile, guided Manchester City to an unprecedented domestic treble in England, but came up short in the Champions League as his side were knocked out by Spurs in the quarter-finals.
Despite being widely regarded as his generation’s finest coach, the Catalan has not won the continent’s biggest prize since 2011 with Barcelona, with City having not made past the last-eight since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium in 2016.
Upon that defeat to Tottenham in April, Guardiola claimed that success domestically meant more than in Europe, saying: “The Champions League is seven games, you can win the Champions League but the league is every three days in the same month.
“I’m sorry but it’s much more important what these guys have done the whole season.”
But Salah, who scored the opener in June’s final at the Wanda Metropolitano from the penalty spot, does not agree with the City boss and feels that they would both choose the Champions League given the option between that and winning the Premier League.
“Honestly, I didn’t know that he [Guardiola] said that, but I think if you give him a choice to choose which one, he would choose the Champions League,” Salah told CNN.
“That’s my opinion. I’m not talking about him, but my opinion. It’s the biggest competition in football, so everyone wants to win it.
“Every coach, every player wants to win it, dreams of winning it. So, of course, the Premier League also is something big, but still the Champions League is the biggest competition.”
On winning the trophy itself he added: “It’s a dream for everyone, the city, the players, to win a Champions League is something so great and something very big.
“So everyone was having that special moment. I was feeling like a kid whose dream comes true.”
Salah will next be in action on Wednesday when Liverpool take on Europa League winners and domestic rivals Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup in Istanbul.
And the Egypt international is looking forward to facing off against his former club, who are still finding their feet under new manager Frank Lampard.
He added: “I love these games. Big games and a final game. They want to win with a new coach and we also want to win it.”
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In Pictures: Urban Outfitters x Laura Ashley
Urban Outfitters has collaborated with British fashion and lifestyle
brand Laura Ashley on an exclusive womenswear collection that revives some
of the fashion label’s vintage prints.
Launching on May 7 in Urban Outfitters stores and on the retailer’s
website, the vintage-inspired collection marries Urban Outfitters’s
trademark contemporary silhouettes with Laura Ashley’s ditsy floral prints
across a variety of dresses, ruffle blouses and shorts.
Highlights includes a pink and white chinoiserie print babydoll dress, a
blue and white ditsy floral print mini dress with a high neckline and
ruffle sleeves, as well as a bold sunflower print co-ord featuring a
puff-sleeve blouse and cycling shorts.
In a statement, Urban Outfitters said that the vintage Laura Ashley
prints had been “romanticised through trend-led shapes and colours” and
that the babydoll dresses and ruffle blouses have been crafted from
“romantic organza and poplin and brought to life in decadent floral and
cherub prints”.
The playful Urban Outfitters x Laura Ashley summer collection retails
from 28 pounds for a top to 89 pounds for the ‘Georgia’ off-the-shoulder
floral dress.
Images: courtesy of Urban Outfitters/Laura Ashley
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Vivobarefoot launches plant-based shoe
Global barefoot shoe brand Vivobarefoot has launched its most innovative sustainable shoe to date with its plant-based Primus Lite II Bio, as new research reveals that 67.5 percent of people think the use of plant-based and natural materials is a key factor in determining if a product is sustainable.
The new vegan shoe is designed with more than 30 percent renewable plant-based materials, including Bio TPU made from yellow dent field corn and uses natural rubber and harvested algae called ‘Bloom’ instead of single-use petroleum materials. The design is Vivobarefoot’s lightest and most efficient performance shoe yet, weighing in on average an estimated 10 percent less than standard performance shoes.
The footwear company is calling the new shoe a “game-changer” as it represents a major stride for the company towards its goal of using 100 percent bio-based materials within the next two years.
“The launch of the Primus Lite Bio represents an exciting step away from the industry’s reliance on single-use petroleum-based materials and towards a promising future of plant-based alternatives,” said Asher Clark, design director at Vivobarefoot in a statement. “We want to challenge the world’s relationship with shoes, the materials they are made from and the impact they are having on us and our environment. Our ultimate goal is complete circularity.”
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More than 20 billion pairs of shoes are made annually, most from petrochemicals claim Vivobarefoot, which have a harmful impact on the environment, contributing to the already serious effects of climate change. The plant-based materials in the Primus Lite II Bio shoe are sourced and managed responsibly reducing water, energy and CO2 emissions, improving waste water and ultimately reducing their ecological footprint.
Clark added: “The less you put between your feet and the environment, the better. Just like our other styles, Primus Lite II Bio was designed to let people’s feet do their natural thing, while providing maximum sensory feedback from your body to your brain. The Primus Lite II Bio is not perfect, it still contains significant non-plant-based products, but it’s a step in the right direction. There are many challenges the footwear industry faces in creating sustainable products, and Vivobarefoot believes it is better to innovate for good, rather than to stand still.”
While a limited run of the Primus Lite II Bio goes on sale this week for 120 pounds, additional styles and colours of the Bio line will be released in autumn 2019.
Images: courtesy of Vivobarefoot
LVMH acquires majority stake in Repossi
LVMH has acquired fine jewelry brand Repossi. Business of Fashion has reported that LVMH quietly upped its stake in the almost century old Italian jewelry brand to 69 percent, up from 42 percent back in 2015. Since the transaction, LVMH has boosted Repossi’s retail presence by opening shop-in-shops in key markets including Dubai, London, and Doha. They also opened a shop at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong.
Currently, Repossi counts flagship stores in Paris and Monte Carlo. In 2007, Gaia Repossi, a fourth generation member of the Repossi family became artistic director of the brand. Under her tenure, the brand’s ear cuffs and serti sur vide ring have become some of the top selling items, and they have earned a strong reputation among fashion jewelry lovers.
Luxury jewelry is a tough market for LVMH as that arena is dominated by Richemont, which owns Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. The category is a very important one for LVMH as they seek further growth, however.
Luxury jewelry is one of the fastest growing markets for retailers. In a March report from Marketwatch, the market for luxury jewelry was considered one of the fastest-growing markets mostly driven by consumer behavior as well as fashion trends. The significant growth can be projected in the coming years, owing to increasing disposable income and consumer spending on luxury goods. There has been an increase in demand from high net worth consumers, which has helped boost sales of luxury jewelry. In addition, influence from social media is also encouraging people to shop luxury jewelry.
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photo: Repossi.com
Nordstrom expands New Concepts series to women and children with Patagonia
As part of its New Concepts @NordstromMen, Nordstrom is partnering with popular outdoor clothing and retailer brand Patagonia. In an announcement from the multi-brand retailer, the curated collection focuses on sustainability.
The pop-up shop, titled Collection 004: Patagonia, features menswear pieces from the outdoors brand. As part of the latest installment of the series, Nordstrom is also expanding New Concepts to women and children for the first time.
Available at select Nordstrom locations (Nordstrom Men’s NYC, Downtown Seattle, Pacific Place in Vancouver, The Grove in Los Angeles) and on the retailer’s website through July 7, the collection features clothes, outerwear, and accessories that range from 15 USD to 249 USD.
Below, Sam Lobban, the vice president of Nordstrom Men’s Fashion, shares more about Collection 004: Patagonia with FashionUnited.
Tell us about Concept 004: Patagonia, and why it was selected as the latest installment of New Concepts.
New Concepts @NordstromMen is all about telling the most compelling brand stories from throughout the world of menswear. With Concept 004, the fourth shop in our ongoing series, we’re inviting customers to discover Patagonia’s most iconic outdoor gear as well as their initiatives around sustainability, which I think is one of the most important messages in the fashion industry.
How will Concept 004 be highlighted in Nordstrom stores?
Each of the shop’s spaces have been custom-designed in collaboration with Patagonia, along with special fixtures created by artist Jay Nelson from reclaimed and sustainable lumber sources.
How was the selected offering curated?
The shop features some of Patagonia’s most iconic outdoor gear for the whole family – Baggies shorts, Snap-T pullovers, Responsibili-tees, Nano Puff jackets – in an array of styles and colors that are Fair Trade certified and made with recycled materials. We’re excited to offer a collection of previously-owned Patagonia products from their Worn Wear program, which have been expertly repaired. For the first time, New Concepts is expanding our offering to include products for women and children as well.
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What can consumers expect to experience when looking at Concept 004?
We wanted to create physical spaces, which convey Patagonia’s ethos, and we’re big fans of artist Jay Nelson’s work, who has partnered with the brand to bring the Worn Wear story to life. I’m super excited to have pieces designed by Jay in each of the shops. For our digital experience, we aim to share Patagonia’s core brand beliefs with our customers and the “stories we wear,” as they say.
Tell us about your ongoing partnership with Patagonia.
We have a long-standing partnership with Patagonia and have wanted to work together to amplify their brand messages for some time. Concept 004 has allowed us to do this and give customers the opportunity to experience the full story behind the brand.
Image: Nordstrom
The Green Stitch: the first sustainable Van Gils collection
No stitch, no story. As an innovative fashion brand, we have been thinking about sustainability too. It’s a hot topic, customers are looking for fast fashion alternatives. Our tailor-made collections are anything but fast fashion. We’re very picky when it comes to fabrics and materials, only the best quality measures our standards. Still, we wanted to take our responsibility, which is why we launched The Green Stitch. A separate collection, produced in the most ‘green’ way.
Focus on sustainable fabrics and materials
The collection focuses on sustainable fabrics: jackets are made of recycled wool, shirts from organic cotton, all without losing its comfort. About 10 jackets, 6 coats, eco-denim jeans and a variety of shirts and t-shirts will be released soon to show our customers the innovative and sustainable character of our company.
Sustainability goes further than one collection
While producing this dedicated Green Stitch collection, we concluded Van Gils already implements many sustainable processes in the entire production. Approximately 70 per cent of the production is located in Europe and we chose slow transportations. This means we prefer to transport by ferry or truck. European regulations are quite strict. For example, REACH, which stands for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. REACH applies to all chemical substances, both those needed for industrial processes and those we use in our everyday lives, in paints, cleaning products, clothes, furniture and electrical appliances. All our manufacturers have to take these guidelines into consideration.
Another certification we implement is GOTS: the Global Organic Textile Standard. It is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibers, including ecological and social criteria, backed up by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain. This way we can guarantee the fabrics we use are organic and ecological and we can contribute to more transparency in the fashion industry when we use organic wool, cotton or recycled polyester.
Social impact
At Van Gils, we believe sustainability isn’t only important for the environment. Also, the working conditions for workers could be improved. Therefore about 75% of our products are approved by the Business Social Compliance Initiative, an organisation that vouches for better circumstances for workers participating in production processes. Furthermore, our partners and resellers have to have an SA8000 certification: an internationally accepted certificate for socially responsible organisations. De Bijenkorf is one of our resellers actively working on sustainability within their company and very clear targets they aim for. Companies that size make an impact, we have to unite forces in the industry. Our Green Stitch collection is a baby step in the right direction and a logical strategic step for us. We love our heritage and what we’ve created for more than seventy years, and we love to continue our stitches and our story for future generations!
Sustainable design challenges
Developing The Green Stitch collection happened like any other collection regarding its design. Fabrics can be limiting, specific materials or colors can be scarce. Though that suits Van Gils, as we don’t want to be a mass production fashion house. We can call ourselves the best tailors in The Netherlands since 1948, we have to keep up to that. Besides quality, the wearing comfort of our items is key.
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Nike and Paris Saint-Germain extend partnership to 2032
Nike has extended its kit deal with football team Paris Saint-Germain
(PSG) to 2032.
The US sportswear brand will supply football kits for the club’s men and
women’s teams, and will build off of last season’s first-ever
Jordan-branded third kit to include additional collaborations with the
Jordan brand. The official figures behind the deal have not yet been
revealed.
“Nike and PSG have been partners since 1989 and we are delighted to
extend one of the longest and strongest partnerships we have in sport,”
Bert Hoyt, VP of Nike EMEA, said in a statement. “We look forward to
serving the men and women’s teams, and collaborating with PSG on more
creative projects that will highlight our shared vision to create a lasting
legacy in Paris and beyond.”
Paris Saint-Germain president, Nasser Al-Khelaif, added: “This
partnership represents a very important milestone for the club and reflects
the dreams and aspirations we have for the future of football. This
partnership demonstrates Nike’s commitment to stay with us every step of
the way for many years to come.”
The 2019-20 Paris Saint-Germain home kit is available from 1 July on
Nike and Paris Saint-Germain’s website.
Read more:
Photo credit: Nike website
Burberry adds two new emissions targets to sustainability strategy
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British luxury brand Burberry has added two new “ambitious”
emissions-based climate goals to its 2022 responsibility strategy.
The goals, approved by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi),
are:
2022 from a 2016 base year
from a 2016 base year
The first target focuses on emissions from the company’s direct
operations – including electricity and gas consumption at stores, offices,
internal manufacturing and distribution sites – and is consistent with the
Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5
degrees Celsius. The second target relates to indirect emissions in its
extended supply chain, including the impact from the sourcing of raw
materials and manufacturing of finished goods.
These newly announced goals expand on Burberry’s current target of
becoming carbon neutral in its operational energy use by 2022, which it has
already achieved across the Americas region, EMEIA retail stores and its UK
operations.
The company said it is also on track to achieve its RE100 commitment to
go 100 percent renewable, with 58 percent of its total energy (including 68
percent of its electricity) currently obtained from renewable sources.
During 2018/19, Burberry achieved a 43 percent reduction in market-based
emissions compared to its 2016/17 base year.
“At Burberry, we are passionate about building a more sustainable future
and setting these new targets in line with the latest climate science is an
important milestone for us,” Pam Batty, Burberry’s VP corporate
responsibility, said in a statement. “For the first time, we are setting
targets for greenhouse gas emissions that apply to our extended supply
chain, which is a significant addition to our already ambitious target of
becoming carbon neutral in our own operational energy use by 2022. Changing
the system requires collaboration, and we will be working closely with our
supply chain partners to take the action needed to stay on track and
achieve our goals.”
Cynthia Cummis, director of private sector climate mitigation at World
Resources Institute (WRI), one of the Science Based Targets initiative
partners, added: “The fashion industry’s environmental impact is
significant and growing. Burberry’s ambitious science-based target
demonstrates the leadership and innovation needed to succeed in a
zero-carbon world. To prevent catastrophic climate change, it’s important
that all major apparel and footwear brands set science-based targets and
pursue comprehensive strategies to decarbonize their businesses.”
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Photo credit: Burberry, Facebook
Tottenham hero Ndombele says Premier League 'intensity' will take some getting used to
The France midfielder fired in a superb strike in Spurs’ comeback win over Aston Villa, but he admitted to finding it ‘difficult’ to adapt to the pace
Tanguy Ndombele says his first experience of Premier League football was more intense than what he was used to in his native France.
Tottenham’s record signing made an impression on his first outing, scoring a superb equaliser to help his side come from behind to beat Aston Villa.
His rifled half-volley from the edge of the area was followed by a brace from Harry Kane, with Spurs making the perfect start to the new season.
“As I have said, I am not used to scoring, so, it’s good for me and for the team,” Ndombele told Canal+.
“The most important thing is that we won today. It was difficult for me. The football moves quicker here, there is more intensity.
“In France, often when you win the ball you try to calm the play down, but here you try to push forward immediately. And I am going to try to adapt as quickly as possible.
“This is a nice squad, the young ones as well as the older ones, the squad seems quite harmonious, it is a squad that has gotten close over several years. I am just trying to integrate and do what is needed on the pitch.”
Ndombele had an impressive debut for Spurs overall, his ball progression through midfield reaping more reward once the added guile of Christian Eriksen was brought from the bench.
Villa certainly gave Mauricio Pochettino’s side a scare but there was plenty to be optimistic about with Ndombele’s fellow arrivals yet to feature.
Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon, both signed on deadline day, will be eased into the first-team picture while Dele Alli is working his way back from injury.
Ndombele is set for another intense game next week. Tottenham’s first away game of the season sees them travel to reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, who started the defence of their title in ominous form.
City weren’t at their best against West Ham but weathered an early storm to win 5-0 in a game defined by Raheem Sterling’s hat-trick and some hairline offside calls from VAR.
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After the City game, Spurs host Newcastle before the first North London derby of the season at the Emirates on September 1.