Editors' Top Reads: News from M&S, Ted Baker, Hirestreet and more...

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

Ted Baker makes high street comeback with first standalone store in two years

After speculation swirling of a planned Ted Baker return to the high street in summer 2025, it finally happened this week with a first standalone store two years (after its last stores shut in August 2024 following falling into administration).

Coming after Ted Baker made physical retail return strides with a womenswear shop-in-shop in Selfridges in Manchester in May 2026, the emphasis for the new Ted Baker Tailored store at 155 Fenchurch Street in East London, right in the heart of the capital’s financial district, is very much on men’s tailoring and “everyday essentials”.

Baird Group-owned Suit Direct has been a Ted Baker formalwear license partner since 2020, so it’s little surprise that the new Ted Baker Tailored store was previously a Suit Direct. Presumably, it also sold Ted Baker suits, which would have given some indication of demand in the area.

What will be interesting is where we will see another Ted Baker Tailored store next, as Authentic Brands Group (now just referred to as ‘Authentic’, I believe) - which acquired Ted Baker in October 2022 - seems on a mission to bring it back to its former glory.

Whether that means Ted Baker getting up to a 46-store portfolio (as was the case pre-administration) remains to be seen, but the next phase of the brand’s UK retail strategy is clearly now firmly underway.

Tom Bottomley, Contributing Editor.

Thrift+ owner CTR Group acquires Hirestreet to scale subscription fashion rental

I am always interested in how the fashion industry is trying to become more circular, so I found CTR Group’s acquisition of Hirestreet particularly interesting. Bringing rental and resale together feels like a natural next step, particularly as the industry looks for ways to keep clothes in use for longer rather than treating them as disposable.

What I found particularly interesting is that garments rented through Hirestreet can eventually move into resale through Thrift+, giving them another life beyond their rental journey. Hirestreet’s subscription model is also helping to move rental beyond the traditional occasionwear model, with customers increasingly using it as part of their everyday wardrobes.

With subscription rental now accounting for more than half of Hirestreet’s revenue, it will be interesting to see how this model develops and whether combining rental and resale can help make circular fashion a more normal part of how people shop.

Catherine Rowe-Kosary, Junior Writer. 

Oxford Street pedestrianisation to begin in October ahead of Christmas shopping rush

I'm very much looking forward to strolling down Oxford Street later this month to do my Christmas shopping. The famous London landmark will being its transition to a pedestrianised street on 26 October, with vehicles banned from almost one kilometre.

Instead of black cabs, the street could at some point be filled with 100 new seats, dining tables and more than 50 new trees, with two new public squares expected to be in place by the end of spring 2027.

For now, however, the initial changes, which will see traffic diverted between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street, will be temporary, allowing data and feedback to be collected on Khan said the changes would begin “just in time for the busy Christmas shopping period”, describing the plans as a step towards creating a “world-class space” where retail sits alongside workplaces, leisure, fashion and cultural events.

I am not the only one who is in favour of the new plans. During previous approval stages major retailers including Selfridges and John Lewis backed the initiative, while a consultation in 2025 found broader local support.

Camilla Rydzek, Senior News & Features Writer. 

Marks & Spencer expands beauty offer with new Sephora partnership

Not exactly a fashion story, but one that went on both of our sites as a monumental partnership in retail. News emerged this week that Marks & Spencer and Sephora will launch Sephora at M&S in selected stores and on M&S.com from spring 2027, with plans to expand the partnership to 100 locations across the UK.

The shop-in-shop partnership will bring Sephora’s prestige beauty offer to M&S stores on high streets and retail parks. Specialist beauty teams will advise customers in-store, while Sephora will gain a way to reach shoppers beyond its own stores and London boutiques.

M&S expects the expanded offer to attract new customers and give existing ones more reasons to shop. The companies will confirm the final brand line-up, including names new to M&S, closer to launch.

I have to say, this can only be a good thing for M&S’s thriving fashion business too. As people head into stores to check out the new Sephora offer from spring, there’s every chance they’ll also have a browse through the fashion and even food departments along the way. It could therefore be another useful way for M&S to drive footfall and encourage shoppers to explore more of what the wider business has to offer.

Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.