In Review, May 2025: House of CB, SKIMS and M&S topped this month's news agenda

Chloe Burney

30 May 2025

As May comes to a close, TheIndustry.fashion reflects on another headline-grabbing month in British retail and beyond.

Fast-fashion giant Shein made headlines after shelving its much-anticipated London IPO in favour of a Hong Kong listing, dealing a blow to the UK’s ambitions as a global market hub. Meanwhile, M&S was forced to shut down its e-commerce platform temporarily following a major cybersecurity threat, joining a growing list of retailers, including Harrods and Adidas, which have been hit by digital attacks.

Across the high street, footfall saw modest recovery aided by warmer weather and the bank holiday weekend, while brands including Hugo Boss and NEXT reported better-than-expected quarterly results.

From openings to closures, appointments to promotions, TheIndustry.fashion has compiled a selection of the month's biggest fashion news.

New openings

TALA

TALA opened its debut store on London's Carnaby Street

TALA, the British activewear brand founded by influencer-turned-entrepreneur Grace Beverly, opened its first-ever store this month at 3-4 Carnaby Street in London. Marking a "major milestone" in the brand’s growth journey since its launch in 2019, customers can now shop the complete bestselling TALA collection under one roof for the first time.

Nobody's Child

Nobody’s Child opened its largest store yet in Brighton

Womenswear brand Nobody’s Child opened its latest store at 16-19 East Street in Brighton on 22 May. It is the brand’s largest store to date, adding to its other stores in Covent Garden, Spitalfields, Carnaby Street and St Albans. Nobody's Child will also be opening its sixth UK store in Leeds on 5 June.

George strayed from Asda, debuting fashion-led concept store

Asda, along with The Spice Girls' Mel B, opened the doors to its first standalone George concept store at Crown Point Retail Park in Leeds. Marking a new chapter for the retailer, the space was designed to feel like a high-street fashion destination rather than a traditional supermarket offshoot.

Ysé Paris King's Road

Ysé Paris made UK retail debut on the King's Road

French lingerie, swim and resortwear brand Ysé Paris opened the doors to its first UK retail store on London's King's Road this month. The opening of the boudoir-style boutique comes a decade after the brand opened its first ever store in the French capital.

TFG

TFG London opened its biggest multi-brand flagship at Liverpool ONE

TFG London opened a 12,000 sq ft flagship store on South John Street at Liverpool ONE – combining Hobbs, Whistles, Phase Eight and Inside Story – creating its largest ever multi-brand location.

The ‘four-in-one’ store "allows the distinct characters of each brand to stand out", covering everything from clothing fit for summer events, classic workwear, everyday staples and bridal looks.

Farm Rio

Farm Rio brought its colourful clothing to Carnaby Street with its third London store

Womenswear brand Farm Rio opened a new 2,034 sq ft store at 1 Carnaby Street, marking its third London location. The Brazilian brand, known for its colourful designs, opened its first UK store at 86 King’s Road in Chelsea in January 2024, and its second at 26 Marylebone High Street in November.

House of CB

House of CB announced it was heading to Liverpool for third UK store

British womenswear brand House of CB signed for its second UK store outside of London on Peter’s Lane at Liverpool ONE shopping centre. The 6,500 sq ft space follows on from the brand’s first store opening at 225 Oxford Street in London in July 2024, which started out as a pop-up before turning permanent.

Mamas & Papas

Mamas & Papas opened a new concept store at Manchester’s Trafford Centre

Baby clothing, pushchairs and nursery brand Mamas & Papas opened a new concept flagship store at the Trafford Centre in Manchester on 30 May. Located on the centre’s Regent Crescent, it marks a relocation from the brand’s existing store at unit 81-82.

Designed to offer an elevated shopping experience "tailored to modern families", the new space will introduce innovative point of sale features, interactive product experiences and adaptable displays.

SKIMS

SKIMS announced it will open first UK store on London's Regent Street

Kim Kardashian's SKIMS is to open its first UK standalone store on London's Regent Street, taking over a unit previously occupied by Ted Baker.

The brand has signed a ten-year lease on the 12,000 sq ft store, which has been vacant since last summer, with landlord The Crown Estate. It is anticipated that the new store will open in summer 2026.

Big name appointments

Marks & Spencer hired a new Retail Director

Marks & Spencer appointed Thinus Keeve to the newly created role of Retail Director, effective from 6 June.

Keeve brings experience from Australian supermarket Coles, where he served as Chief Sustainability, Property & Export Officer until July 2022. Prior to this, he held several leadership positions at the company, starting in 2010, including Commercial & Property Director for over two years.

Moose Knuckles

Moose Knuckles appointed a new CEO to accelerate expansion

Luxury Canadian outerwear brand Moose Knuckles appointed Ellen Kinney as Chief Executive Officer.

With more than two decades of experience leading high-growth fashion brands, Kinney joins Moose Knuckles following her tenure as President and CEO of luxury womenswear brand A.L.C., where she drove growth across direct-to-consumer and wholesale channels. Her other prior leadership roles include CEO of Kendall + Kylie and EVP and Chief Merchant at Derek Lam International.

Dr. Martens targets US growth after appointing new Americas President

Dr. Martens named Paul Zadoff as its new President of the Americas, as the British footwear brand looks to accelerate growth in one of its key markets.

Paul Zadoff, who will step into the role in June, brings three decades of leadership experience across global giants in footwear, fashion apparel, accessories and sporting goods. His career spans senior positions at Nike, Levi Strauss & Co., Patagonia, TRX Training and most recently, luxury eyewear brand Caddis.

Frasers Group Michael Murray

Frasers CEO Michael Murray joined Hugo Boss' board amid leadership shakeup

Michael Murray, CEO of Frasers Group, was appointed to the Supervisory Board of Hugo Boss following the company’s Annual General Meeting on 15 May 2025.

At just 35, Murray is the youngest member of the newly constituted board and brings a digitally-driven retail perspective to the German fashion giant. He was one of three new shareholder representatives elected to the Supervisory Board.

Timberland hired former Dr Martens Creative Director Darren Mckoy

Timberland named Darren Mckoy as its new Global Vice President of Product Design & Creative Direction. The appointment marks a return for Mckoy to Timberland owner VF Corp, having previously served as Product Manager EMEA for The North Face from December 2010 to February 2012.

Mr Porter, Mytheresa and The Outnet's new leadership teams confirmed

Following Mytheresa's acquisition of the YOOX NET-A-PORTER Group in April, it announced Mr Porter, Mytheresa and The Outnet's new leadership teams as the brands unite under the new entity, LuxExperience.

LuxExperience was formed following the completion of Mytheresa's acquisition of the YOOX NET-A-PORTER Group on 24 April. It unites Net-A-Porter, Mr Porter, YOOX, The Outnet and Mytheresa under one roof, while preserving and strengthening their distinct brand identities.

Read about the slew of appointments here.