Editors' top reads: News from Frasers Group, M&S, Stone Island and more...

Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.fashion team.

Frasers levels up stakes in ASOS and Boohoo yet again

Industry rumours of a mega-merger swirl as Frasers continues to buy up stakes in Boohoo and ASOS. Notably, the retail giant upped its ownership of both brands this week. We continue to watch closely to see how this plays out and await to see which retailer is next on Frasers Group's hit list as it continues to dominate the UK high street.

Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.

The luxury market needs a roll-back and a reset

Have luxury houses pushed their prices too far? In a bid to boost revenues, many luxury houses have pushed their prices up by eye-watering sums in recent years, reasoning that true luxury shoppers (particularly those in China) would pay. Chasing the occasional aspirational spender was not considered to be worth their while.

At some point, however, the consumer was bound to bite back, and it seems that point is now. Even if you aren’t affected by economic woes, there does come a point when even when the most affluent consumer feels exploited, while the aspirational consumer (whose money is as good as anyone’s) has disappeared off to the secondary market or to more accessibly prices bands.

Our contributor Marcus Jaye has written a thought-provoking piece on why luxury brands need to roll back on price and reset their strategies.

Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO & Editor-in-Chief.

Marks & Spencer to invest £30 million in Scottish stores

Following successful Christmas trading, Marks & Spencer seems to be going from strength-to-strength and has now announced plans to invest £30 million in stores across Scotland over the next 18 months. It comes as the British retailer continues its transformation journey, with plans to rotate from a base of 247 stores across the UK to 180 higher quality, higher productivity full line stores, promising an elevated customer experience.

Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.

Stone Island launches SS24 campaign starring Jason Statham and Tricky

Teaming up with actor Jason Statham for its new SS24 campaign is a smart move for Stone Island. Statham is clearly a fan of the Italian brand anyway, having been ‘papped’ in various Stone Island jackets in recent years.

His rugged looks, with presumably once broken nose, will appeal to Stoney’s large football terrace following. From Chelsea to Glasgow they’ll love this. Decent parka he's sporting in the photoshoot too. Rapper Tricky also adds a different dimension to the appeal.

Tom Bottomley, Contributing Editor.