All French Connection articles
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NewsExclusive: French Connection partners with Hirestreet to launch rental service
French Connection has launched an on-demand rental service on its own site, powered by Hirestreet’s sister platform Zoa.
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News
French Connection takeover approved by shareholders
French Connection shareholders have backed a £29m takeover deal to save the struggling fashion brand.
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French Connection losses narrow following £29m takeover
French Connection has narrowed its half-year losses after slashing its overheads and ramping up sales in its wholesale division.
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Prospect Analysis
French Connection (Overview)
The French Connection group designs its own range of high-fashion clothing and operates retail stores and concessions in the UK and Europe. It wholesales to retailers in over 50 countries around the globe and has licensed partners operating 160 or so stores across Asia, Australia and the Middle East.
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Prospect Analysis
French Connection (Financials)
Impacted by the pandemic, which caused 21 weeks of store closures and reduced demand from wholesale customers, group sales plummeted 40.4% to £71.5m in the year to end January 2021 (FY2020). This reflected a 51.8% slump in retail sales to £22.5m and a 33.1% decline in wholesale revenue to £49.0m.
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Prospect Analysis
French Connection (SWOT)
The ongoing store closure programme is incurring high costs and significantly reducing scale. There have been a series of expensive about-turns, such as closing down the former franchised business in Japan just over a year after it was re-acquired and restructuring the US business as a wholesale operation with the closure of its last few US stores in 2020.
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Prospect Analysis
French Connection (Strategy)
French Connection is undergoing what has to be one of the longest-running restructuring programmes in UK retailing, but the sale of the business was eventually agreed in October 2021.
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Prospect Analysis
French Connection (People)
Founder Stephen Marks has been under pressure from shareholders for the past few years to relinquish one of his roles at French Connection and steps down as chairman and chief executive following the eventual sale of the business towards the end of 2021.
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Prospect Analysis
Ecommerce at French Connection
French Connection launched an on-demand rental service via its own website, powered by Hirestreet’s sister platform Zoa in May of 2022. The retailer is the first major UK brand to operate a standalone rental option directly serving its customers from its existing site.
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Prospect Analysis
Customer and marketing at French Connection
French Connection says its main goal is “to create distinctiveness in a crowded marketplace through focus on design”. It claims that “a passionate focus on fashion” underpins the business.
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Prospect Analysis
Stores at French Connection
French Connection accounts for its UK and mainland European stores within a single UK/Europe division. A rationalisation programme has been in place across the division for the past decade as the group has been trying to streamline the previously large UK store base in particular in order to restore profitability.
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Prospect Analysis
Technology strategy at French Connection
French Connection has been planning significant change in its technology to get its systems and infrastructure into a suitable state for a multichannel and digitally driven world. The aim is to improve customer experience and to build on its multichannel proposition.
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Prospect Analysis
Supply chain at French Connection
Distribution has been carried out by MIQ as part of a five-year contract, but this is due to expire in mid 2021. MIQ manages inventory for both the retail and wholesale businesses. The logistics provider also operates the group’s 150,000 sq ft distribution centre near Thurrock in Essex.
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Prospect Analysis
French Connection (Outlook)
If French Connection can survive the changed trading conditions brought on by the pandemic, its retail network will be reduced to a fairly small number of higher-profile stores in key markets in order to support the group’s more profitable wholesale and licensing operations and make more of multichannel.
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News
French Connection board mulls sale after approaches
The board of struggling fashion brand French Connection are considering the sale of the retailer after receiving approaches from two companies.
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News
French Connection faces toughest ever trading as losses spiral
French Connection has reported a nosedive in sales and widening losses in what boss Stephen Marks says is ‘the most difficult trading period that the group has ever faced’.
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French Connection turns to Hilco to boost liquidity
Fashion group French Connection has secured funding from investment and turnaround specialist Hilco, which will help it through the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
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Coronavirus: French Connection seeks urgent funding in battle for survival
French Connection is in urgent talks with potential funding partners as it battles to stay afloat amid the coronavirus crisis.
