​Alibaba Group Holding missed market expectations for first-quarter revenue as the company's domestic e-commerce sales came under pressure from cautious spending by Chinese consumers in a faltering economy.

UK retail sales bounced back in July after summer discounts and the Euros football competition unleashed spending at department stores and sports shops.

Women's accessories sold by some of the world's most popular online shopping firms contained toxic substances sometimes hundreds of times above acceptable levels, authorities in Seoul said.

On the business front, we’ve been hearing about brand revamps, key tech link-ups and lawsuits too.

​Product launches are continuing at pace with major developments in multiple categories ranging from the very practical to the totally quirky.

Summer may be here but companies are already focused on the autumn season with key campaign launches and other developments.

Technical innovation is becoming key to the creation process for fashion and we’ve recently heard about two major developments.

Winning athletes in Paris have received their medals on Louis Vuitton trays before being handed a Samsung flip phone for a selfie, heralding a new era of product placement at the Olympics that LA will build on.

​Capri Holdings is the latest luxury giant to prove that times are tough out there. The company’s Q1 results for fiscal 2025 saw revenue falling 13.2% on a reported basis and 12.1% in constant currency.

​Asda, Britain's third-biggest supermarket group, posted a 5.3% decline in underlying sales in the three months to the end of June, as it continues to underperform its rivals.

From Samsung phone selfies on the podium to Louis Vuitton cases at the opening ceremony, the Paris Olympics have widened the scope for sponsors' product placement like never before, and this will continue in future.

Coupang Inc posted its first loss in two years, after the acquisition of unprofitable Farfetch Holdings Plc and a government regulatory fine offset strong growth in its core e-commerce business.

Zalando said on 6 August it would open a new tech site in China's tech-hub Shenzhen, but it was not planning to expand its marketplace to China at this point in time.

LVMH's second-largest fashion brand Dior was until last month behind on disclosures required by UK law about working conditions in its supply chain, and made outdated statements online of a third-party certification.

Reneilwe Malahlela was one of almost 100 shoppers queuing at the opening of Shein's first pop-up store in South Africa, keen to check out clothes and accessories often selling for the equivalent of less than $10 each.

​Next delivered a trading update on Thursday with plenty of detail to show how strong trading continues to be for one of the UK’s most dynamic fashion retailers. It also upgraded its profit guidance for the year.