Three years of democracy protests followed by a pandemic have devastated Hong Kong retailers who had grown used to relying on cash from mainland Chinese tourists.

​It’s official — Thailand’s Central and Austria’s Signa are buying Selfridges Group from the Weston family. The transaction “will create one of the world’s leading omnichannel luxury department store groups”.

The US beauty group has promoted Umair Ansari to the post of VP and managing director of its European travel retail division, adding Europe to the Middle East and Africa regions he has been overseeing since 2019.

​Luxury London store Fortnum & Mason has named Iain Robertson to the newly created role of chief operating and innovation officer. He joins in February. 

More than half of Britons (52%) now claim they never take notes or coins with them on routine trips, instead using their mobile phone to make payments, according to a nationwide survey. 

​Sweden is to host Scandinavia’s largest designer outlet village with the project’s first phase set to open in summer 2025 while phase two will follow in autumn 2027.

​Thailand's Central Group is interested in bidding for Selfridges, a report said Thursday. Interestingly, it also owns La Rinascente, the Italian retailer of which ex-Selfridges CEO Vittorio Radice is Vice-Chairman.

​As many analysts and commentators question whether the retail recovery – and specifically the fashion retail recovery – can continue into the heart of the festive season, one key group thinks it can.

​Luxury department store Harrods has filed its accounts for the year to the end of January 2021 and they show just how big an impact closed borders and lockdowns had on its business.

We’re seeing a lot of high-end collaborations at present focused on the reviving travel segment and British leathergoods business Tusting has launched a range of bags in a link-up with designer and writer India Hicks.

In an iconic travel setting, Orient Express and Au Départ showed off their chic partnership collection this week inside a luxury passenger carriage, as the luggage brand gathers momentum in France and abroad.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd founder Jack Ma is in Europe on a study tour, South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday, making it the Chinese billionaire's first trip abroad in over a year.

Ever since it opened during last month fashionistas, fans and tourists have chorused that the retrospective Thierry Mugler: Couturissime inside the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris is essential viewing.

The signs are looking good. UK retail footfall “surprisingly" continued to strengthen in September, boosted by a slow return to office working together with the beginnings of the return of overseas tourists.

​Diamanti Per Tutti (DPT) wants to push deeper into the global travel retail sector. So the contemporary Belgian jeweller has appointed strategic retail consultancy Harper Dennis Hobbs (HDH) to assist in its journey.

Dior went into full court press in the first 48 hours of Paris Fashion Week – unveiling its new Cheval Blanc spa, feting its Dior Home and Kids creator Cordelia de Castellane, and unveiling a Miss Dior floral pop-up.