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Charles Tyrwhitt founder slams government as being anti-business

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January 29, 2025

The founder and majority owner of UK menswear retailer has hit out at the government over its move to raise employer National Insurance and the Minimum Wage in April, calling the measures “anti-business”.

Nick Wheeler said the decisions were to blame for him curbing investment in Britain, and instead targeting investment overseas, he told The Telegraph newspaper.

He said this week: “With the National Insurance changes, the Minimum Wage increase and the bureaucracy that [the government] is putting into businesses, it’s just ridiculous.”

The minimum wage increase will give workers aged 21 and over an extra 77p an hour from April.

He also claimed chancellor Rachel Reeves’ policies were “driving out wealth-creating people from the country.”

He referred to her Budget-introduced policies as “anti-business”, adding that a recent move by Reeves to ask regulators for ideas on how to drive growth “was misguided… Regulators know how to stop growth. What they know is how to regulate the hell out of the country and stop everything.

“[The government] is saying the UK is open for business and they’re trying to get people to invest here. Well I’m saying, I’m sorry but I’m not going to be investing in the UK.”

Wheeler said Charles Tyrwhitt still planned to open some stores in the UK this year but he added: “Given the choice, I will invest overseas, which is a real shame. When we look at where we’re investing, it’s the US, it’s Germany, Australia, France, Sweden. It’s overseas growth.”

Expansion is based on Wheeler saying the business is only getting stronger with Charles Tyrwhitt having grown every year bar three since he founded it at university, he noted.

The plan is to open 10 stores a year, from 52 currently.

He added: “I always said, when this business stops growing, I’m not interested anymore”, but noted he has freedom to make longer-term decisions as he owns 95% of the business.

“I’m not thinking about next year, I’m thinking about 30 years’ time. If ever there’s a question about one of our stores looking tired, I’ll say, just redo it.

“If you’re planning to sell out in three years, then you’d think I don’t want to spend a million quid doing the store.”

Most recent accounts for the retailer showed sales jumped more than 45% to hit £269 million financial year to July 2023, ahead of pre-pandemic levels.

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Arc’teryx names new chief merchandising officer, expands leadership at Veilance

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January 30, 2025

Canadian design company Arc’teryx announced on Thursday the appointment of Matt Bolte as chief merchandising officer, as well as Marissa Pardini as general manager, and Ben Stubbington as creative director of the company’s Veilance brand.

Arc’teryx names Matt Bolte as chief merchandising officer. – Arc’teryx

Bolte brings nearly 35 years of retail leadership experience across global markets to Arc’teryx. He previously served as a partner at ThenWhat, focusing on brand consulting and launching innovative apparel brands. Prior to that, he had a 17-year tenure at Nike including key roles in product and merchandising across men’s performance and sportswear categories in multiple regions.

In his new position, Bolte will oversee the strategic direction of merchandising, planning, and business development across all product categories.

“Matt’s deep expertise in executing complex, global merchandising strategies and extensive industry experience will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our leadership position in both our technical outdoor and premium apparel businesses,” said Stuart Haselden, CEO of Arc’teryx. 

“Over the past year, the merchandising team has undergone a transformative journey. With Matt’s deep understanding of merchandising and his passion for the Arc’teryx brand, he is an excellent fit for this role.”

Meanwhile, Pardini joins Arc’teryx from Vans, where she most recently served as chief product and merchandising officer. In this role, she oversaw the global apparel and footwear product functions, helping drive Vans’ direct-to-consumer sales past the $1 billion mark. Pardini’s experience also includes leadership roles at The North Face and Bloomingdale’s.

As general manager of Veilance, Pardini will lead the brand’s global strategy, ensuring continued alignment with its mission to deliver precision-engineered apparel for urban environments.

Lastly, Stubbington brings nearly 20 years of design leadership experience to Veilance. He previously served as senior vice president of design for Lululemon, where he oversaw men’s, men’s and women’s Lab, and overarching creative direction for the business. Prior to that, Stubbington was creative director for Theory’s men’s division for nearly eight years. He is also a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Stubbington will oversee Veilance’s creative direction, shaping its product offerings and brand identity.

“The addition of Marissa and Ben to our Veilance team marks a pivotal moment in our journey as we double down on our commitment to innovation and excellence with this unique line in the Arc’teryx collection,” added Haselden. “Their combined leadership and innovative thinking will be instrumental in elevating Veilance as a leader in the performance luxury space.”

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Kering sells Italian luxury outlets to U.S. investor Simon

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January 30, 2025

French luxury group Kering announced on Thursday it had sold 100% of its Italian The Mall Luxury Outlets to U.S. real estate investor Simon, generating some €350 million in net proceeds as part of a wider plan to restructure its real estate portfolio.

KERING

Kering’s brands will maintain a presence in the two sites, located near Florence and Sanremo, the company said.

© Thomson Reuters 2025 All rights reserved.



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ESW names new chief revenue officer

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January 30, 2025

​E-commerce firm ESW announced on Thursday the appointment of Tonia Luykx as chief revenue officer.

ToniaLuykx – Courtesy

Luykx replaces Martim Avillez Oliveira, and will be based in ESW’s Dublin headquarters. She will report directly to ESW chief executive officer, Eric Eichmann.

With more than 20 years of expertise in sales and leadership, Luykx joins ESW from Xeneta, a freight intelligence and analytics platform, where she served as CRO. Prior to Xeneta, the executive held positions of increasing importance at Sift, the AI-powered security platform, where she was most recently vice president of global sales and interim CRO. She was also head of Amazon Pay Ireland for Amazon Pay UK and Ireland, and head of strategic accounts for Dropbox in the UK and Ireland.

Earlier in her career she was country sales manager for Google Enterprise Ireland, and Microsoft Dynamics sales manager for Logica UK. She began her career at SAP Business Development.

“Tonia’s extensive international experience leading strategic planning, marketing, customer success and sales for some of the world’s top businesses makes her the perfect candidate to fill this role,” said Eichmann.

“Her leadership skills and deep knowledge of enterprise solutions encompassing shipping, payments, fraud and customer service will benefit the entire organization as we expand into new business verticals and markets.”

ESW offers brands solutions that reduce cross-border complexity, localizing the online shopping experience to increase conversions and loyalty while also taking on the complications of doing business in international markets.

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