Latest news with #DebenhamsGroup
Scottish Sun
13-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing to make MAJOR AI change and it could lead to surge pricing on clothing
Several other retailers are using AI to make online shopping more personal SHAKE UP Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing to make MAJOR AI change and it could lead to surge pricing on clothing Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BIG names in fashion, including Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing, are making a major AI change and it could lead to surge pricing. Debenhams Group brands are getting a tech makeover by using artificial intelligence to decide how much items will cost. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 But experts have warned it could lead to surge pricing Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk Brands owned by the group are now letting AI set prices in real-time, reacting instantly to trends, demand and what rivals are charging. The retail giant has teamed up with AI firm Peak to make it all happen. They reckon this AI system will mean more targeted discounts, so you're more likely to see deals on stuff you actually want. It also means the brands can avoid having piles of unsold clothes hanging around. Dan Finley, chief executive of Debenhams Group, said: "We've totally changed how we do pricing." "AI helps us make faster, smarter choices, so we can give our customers better value." But experts are wary, warning that shoppers could be at the mercy of surge pricing, where AI algorithms automatically raise prices during periods of high demand. Consumer champion Martyn James warns that "corporate-speak" can obscure the real purpose of these changes. While the company talks about "automated pricing" and targeted discounts, James points out that "there is also nothing to stop the business increasing prices on demand either." He fears that without proper oversight, shoppers could be vulnerable to AI-driven "surge pricing," as has been seen with hotels and Uber. Edinburgh's Bold Transformation: From Debenhams to Pod Hotel Echoing these concerns, consumer expert Scott Dixon believes this is about protecting profits first and foremost. He said: "The use of AI clearly benefits Debenhams as they can protect profit margins, cut waste and implement surge pricing in-line with increased demand. "Debenhams needs to show AI is working for its customers, not just shareholders." He also warns of potential price hikes during peak shopping periods like Black Friday and Christmas, stating that dynamic pricing is only fair if it works both ways. Debenhams Group brands DEBENHAMS Group (formerly known as Boohoo Group) has a whole stable of well-known brands under its umbrella: Boohoo: The original online fashion giant known for its trend-led pieces and affordable prices. The original online fashion giant known for its trend-led pieces and affordable prices. PrettyLittleThing: Another fast-fashion favourite, offering a similar vibe to Boohoo but with its own distinct style. Another fast-fashion favourite, offering a similar vibe to Boohoo but with its own distinct style. BoohooMAN: Bringing the Boohoo formula to menswear, with on-trend clothing and accessories for guys. Bringing the Boohoo formula to menswear, with on-trend clothing and accessories for guys. Karen Millen: A more premium brand offering sophisticated and stylish clothing for women, often with a focus on occasion wear. A more premium brand offering sophisticated and stylish clothing for women, often with a focus on occasion wear. Debenhams: The department store itself, now operating as an online marketplace selling a wide range of fashion, beauty, and home products. The group also owns labels, including Nasty Gal, Coast, Misspap, Oasis, Warehouse, Burton, Wallis, and Dorothy Perkins. Several retailers, including ASOS and Iconic London, are using AI to make online shopping more interactive. One example is Nibble, an AI negotiation platform that lets shoppers haggle for discounts before adding items to their cart. The technology enables a back-and-forth negotiation with a bot, and some users have reportedly secured discounts of up to 40% on ASOS Sample Sale purchases. The option to negotiate only appears if it's offered before adding an item to your cart. In some cases, the feature is timed to pop up when a shopper hesitates over the buy button or seems ready to leave the site.
The Sun
13-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing to make MAJOR AI change and it could lead to surge pricing on clothing
BIG names in fashion, including Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing, are making a major AI change and it could lead to surge pricing. Debenhams Group brands are getting a tech makeover by using artificial intelligence to decide how much items will cost. 1 Brands owned by the group are now letting AI set prices in real-time, reacting instantly to trends, demand and what rivals are charging. The retail giant has teamed up with AI firm Peak to make it all happen. They reckon this AI system will mean more targeted discounts, so you're more likely to see deals on stuff you actually want. It also means the brands can avoid having piles of unsold clothes hanging around. Dan Finley, chief executive of Debenhams Group, said: "We've totally changed how we do pricing." "AI helps us make faster, smarter choices, so we can give our customers better value." But experts are wary, warning that shoppers could be at the mercy of surge pricing, where AI algorithms automatically raise prices during periods of high demand. Consumer champion Martyn James warns that "corporate-speak" can obscure the real purpose of these changes. While the company talks about "automated pricing" and targeted discounts, James points out that "there is also nothing to stop the business increasing prices on demand either." He fears that without proper oversight, shoppers could be vulnerable to AI-driven "surge pricing," as has been seen with hotels and Uber. Edinburgh's Bold Transformation: From Debenhams to Pod Hotel Echoing these concerns, consumer expert Scott Dixon believes this is about protecting profits first and foremost. He said: "The use of AI clearly benefits Debenhams as they can protect profit margins, cut waste and implement surge pricing in-line with increased demand. "Debenhams needs to show AI is working for its customers, not just shareholders." He also warns of potential price hikes during peak shopping periods like Black Friday and Christmas, stating that dynamic pricing is only fair if it works both ways. Debenhams Group brands DEBENHAMS Group (formerly known as Boohoo Group) has a whole stable of well-known brands under its umbrella: Boohoo: The original online fashion giant known for its trend-led pieces and affordable prices. PrettyLittleThing: Another fast-fashion favourite, offering a similar vibe to Boohoo but with its own distinct style. BoohooMAN: Bringing the Boohoo formula to menswear, with on-trend clothing and accessories for guys. Karen Millen: A more premium brand offering sophisticated and stylish clothing for women, often with a focus on occasion wear. Debenhams: The department store itself, now operating as an online marketplace selling a wide range of fashion, beauty, and home products. The group also owns labels, including Nasty Gal, Coast, Misspap, Oasis, Warehouse, Burton, Wallis, and Dorothy Perkins. Several retailers, including ASOS and Iconic London, are using AI to make online shopping more interactive. One example is Nibble, an AI negotiation platform that lets shoppers haggle for discounts before adding items to their cart. The technology enables a back-and-forth negotiation with a bot, and some users have reportedly secured discounts of up to 40% on ASOS Sample Sale purchases. The option to negotiate only appears if it's offered before adding an item to your cart. In some cases, the feature is timed to pop up when a shopper hesitates over the buy button or seems ready to leave the site. How to compare prices to get the best deal JUST because something is on offer, or is part of a sale, it doesn't mean it's always a good deal. There are plenty of comparison websites out there that'll check prices for you - so don't be left paying more than you have to. Most of them work by comparing the prices across hundreds of retailers. Here are some that we recommend: Google Shopping is a tool that lets users search for and compare prices for products across the web. Simply type in keywords, or a product number, to bring up search results. Price Spy logs the history of how much something costs from over 3,000 different retailers, including Argos, Amazon, eBay and the supermarkets. Once you select an individual product you can quickly compare which stores have the best price and which have it in stock. Idealo is another website that lets you compare prices between retailers. All shoppers need to do is search for the item they need and the website will rank them from the cheapest to the most expensive one. CamelCamelCamel only works on goods being sold on Amazon. To use it, type in the URL of the product you want to check the price of.
Fashion Network
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Beyoncé Cowboy Carter tour drives UK surge in Western fashion searches says Debenhams Group
Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour — which arrived in London last week — has sparked a boom in Western-themed items, according to data from Debenhams Group, whose brands 'have seen a surge in demand' for such items from fans. At PrettyLittleThing, searches for 'Cowboy jackets' surged 617% in May and Boohoo recorded a 166% increase in denim top sales last month. At the company's Nasty Gal brand, 'sequins' topped search terms in the week leading up to the opening date. Sales for Chocolate Calf-High Western Boots were also up 268% in the last month at PrettyLittleThing. The company owns a vast range of brands (including Debenhams itself, plus Karen Millen and Boohoo Man) and also said that overall searches for cowboy hats (+85%) and boots (+53%) underlined the appeal of the theme. The PrettyLittleThing youth brand also saw a 75% jump in accessory sales in the last month, with items like studded belts and fringe bags appealing to thousands of customers. At urban fashion brand Nasty Gal, that sequin obsession saw the search term overtaking 'bikinis' and 'co-ords' as the top search in the pre-tour week, closely followed by 'western' and 'cowboy', which both saw a 40% increase in searches compared to the previous week. Meanwhile, Boohoo womenswear saw an uplift in searches of 40% month-on-month for 'Jorts' and denim shorts 'as fans pay tribute to Beyoncé's hit' Levii's Jeans. The brand saw suede jacket sales rising 271%, denim tops up 166% as mentioned, cowboy hats rising 58% and cowboy-themed T-shirt sales up 33%. Dan Finley, CEO of Debenhams Group, said: 'Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour is proving to be a powerful cultural catalyst, reshaping style trends almost overnight. Customers are moving from inspiration to purchase faster than ever – trading typical staples for cowboy boots and denim as western fashion takes centre stage. It's a clear sign of how swiftly cultural movements translate into retail trends and why agility, relevance, and the ability to respond at speed are essential to modern retail.'
Fashion Network
21-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Revolution Beauty gets takeover approach, puts itself up for sale
Revolution Beauty had another twist to add to its long saga of business ups and downs on Wednesday, announcing that it has received a possible takeover offer, that it's making a big board change and that it's kicking off a formal sale process. So where do we start? Perhaps the possible offer is the best place. It said it can 'confirm that it has received a preliminary approach regarding a possible offer for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of the company'. That came after its 13 May announcement that it was 'reviewing its funding structure and in light of this [was] exploring discussions in respect of support for an equity raise from its key shareholders'. Against this background and to 'widen its strategic options, the board has now unanimously concluded that it would also be appropriate to investigate the sale of the company and therefore has decided to commence a formal sale process'. The unnamed party that made the approach has agreed to participate in that, although there's no guarantee it will result in a sale. But in order to support that process, it announced that Iain McDonald will be appointed as non-executive chair and that current chair Alistair McGeorge is standing down from the board. McDonald 'has significant PLC experience as a non-executive director, including in takeover situations, and is considered by the board to have the right skills to oversee the immediate strategic steps of the company'. He's currently a non-executive director of Debenhams Group. As for the sale process, the board is inviting 'expressions of interest from parties regarding a potential offer' before 11 June. Of course, the announcement raises as many questions as it answers. Why has McGeorge — a Debenhams Group (formerly Boohoo Group) appointee — stepped down? Where does Debenhams Group stand as it holds a more-than-27% stake in the firm? And is the appointment on a non-exec chair who's also a non-exec at Debenhams significant? It's intriguing that McDonald is also executive chairman of Selkirk and was previously a non-executive director of e-tail giant THG. Last month THG rejected a takeover approach by Selkirk for its MyProtein business, saying it was 'wholly unsolicited, largely unfunded, highly conditional and non-binding'. We're not likely to get answers to those question for a while with Revolution simply saying on Wednesday that 'further announcements will be made as appropriate'.
Fashion Network
21-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Revolution Beauty gets takeover approach, puts itself up for sale
Revolution Beauty had another twist to add to its long saga of business ups and downs on Wednesday, announcing that it has received a possible takeover offer, that it's making a big board change and that it's kicking off a formal sale process. So where do we start? Perhaps the possible offer is the best place. It said it can 'confirm that it has received a preliminary approach regarding a possible offer for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of the company'. That came after its 13 May announcement that it was 'reviewing its funding structure and in light of this [was] exploring discussions in respect of support for an equity raise from its key shareholders'. Against this background and to 'widen its strategic options, the board has now unanimously concluded that it would also be appropriate to investigate the sale of the company and therefore has decided to commence a formal sale process'. The unnamed party that made the approach has agreed to participate in that, although there's no guarantee it will result in a sale. But in order to support that process, it announced that Iain McDonald will be appointed as non-executive chair and that current chair Alistair McGeorge is standing down from the board. McDonald 'has significant PLC experience as a non-executive director, including in takeover situations, and is considered by the board to have the right skills to oversee the immediate strategic steps of the company'. He's currently a non-executive director of Debenhams Group. As for the sale process, the board is inviting 'expressions of interest from parties regarding a potential offer' before 11 June. Of course, the announcement raises as many questions as it answers. Why has McGeorge — a Debenhams Group (formerly Boohoo Group) appointee — stepped down? Where does Debenhams Group stand as it holds a more-than-27% stake in the firm? And is the appointment on a non-exec chair who's also a non-exec at Debenhams significant? It's intriguing that McDonald is also executive chairman of Selkirk and was previously a non-executive director of e-tail giant THG. Last month THG rejected a takeover approach by Selkirk for its MyProtein business, saying it was 'wholly unsolicited, largely unfunded, highly conditional and non-binding'. We're not likely to get answers to those question for a while with Revolution simply saying on Wednesday that 'further announcements will be made as appropriate'.
