UK-based womenswear fashion brand Sosandar PLC has reported a revenue rise of 15 per cent year on year to £18.7 million (~$24.7 million), with own site sales jumping 28 per cent, for the six months ended September 30, 2025 (H1 FY26). Gross margin held steady at 62.2 per cent, reflecting the company’s continued focus on strategic margin improvement.

The retailer posted a loss before tax of £1.1 million (~$1.45 million), broadly in line with expectations, due to seasonal second-half profit weighting and the impact of its own store roll-out alongside an earlier M&S cyber incident.

Sosandar ended the period with £7.7 million in net cash, slightly higher compared with £7.3 million on March 31.

The business continues to perform strongly with its third-party partners, especially Next, where it ranks as a top-selling brand. The company also launched a licensed homeware range with Next in September, which has delivered a strong initial performance in line with expectations.

Physical retail stores continue to weigh on profitability while they mature, although Chelmsford and Marlow are reported to be progressing toward breakeven in their second year, Sosandar said in a release.

Recent trading in October and November has been in line with expectations, with the website delivering continued strong growth. Trading through M&S has resumed following its cyber disruption. Gross margin improved further to 67.2 per cent in the ongoing period, driven by higher intake margins on new season ranges.

“We are really pleased with how the business has performed over the past six months. During this period, we delivered a return to revenue growth, supported by strong momentum through our own website which remains a key driver of both sales and customer engagement, alongside a resilient gross margin,” Ali Hall and Julie Lavington, co-CEOs commented.

Cash has strengthened to £9.5 million as at November 22 following the seasonal uplift, and the firm has completed a capital reduction, buying back 5,000,000 shares held in treasury.

Sosandar said full-year outlook remains on track, reiterating revenue expectations of £43.6 million and profit before tax of £0.4 million for FY26.

“The Autumn/Winter season has delivered another robust trading performance, with customers continuing to respond positively to our unique collections across both occasion and everyday dressing. Looking forward, the foundations have been laid for sustainable, profitable, cash generative growth,” the co-CEOs said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)

Deep structural weaknesses along with the political transition period could constrain economic momentum, the November 2025 issue of Economic Update and Outlook by the general economics division (GED) of Bangladesh’s Planning Commission said.

As Bangladesh heads towards general election in February next year, the GED’s economic outlook is cautiously optimistic.

Deep structural weaknesses along with the political transition period could constrain economic momentum, Bangladesh’s Planning Commission recently said.
The economy could regain pace if the election leads to a clear political direction and reforms are carried out.
Election-related spending and possible disruptions may add further pressure on inflation and the foreign exchange market.

The update said the economy could regain pace if the election produces a clear political direction and the next government decisively undertakes long-delayed reforms, particularly in improving the business climate, stabilising the banking system and ensuring fiscal and energy security.

Without such reforms, the recovery may be short-lived, it noted.

Election-related spending and possible disruptions during the transition are expected to add further pressure on inflation and the foreign exchange market, complicating stabilisation efforts, domestic media reports cited the GED document as saying.

Overall inflation dropped to 8.17 per cent in October from 10.87 per cent a year earlier. Non-food inflation inched up to 9.13 per cent.

While bank deposits grew at nearly double-digit rates through August and September, private-sector credit growth fell to just 6.29 per cent—the lowest in at least four years and well below the central bank’s target of 7.2 per cent for fiscal 2025-26.

High lending rates, cautious bank behaviour and political uncertainty have depressed investment appetite. Meanwhile, government borrowing from commercial banks surged by 24.45 per cent in September, raising concerns about crowding out private borrowers, said the document.

Revenue collection in October this year fell short of the target by Tk 8,324 crore, achieving only 77.37 per cent of the month’s goal. All major revenue streams—import duties, domestic VAT, and income tax—underperformed.

Foreign exchange reserves improved significantly, rising from $24.35 billion in November 2024 to $32.34 billion in October 2025.

Export earnings remained volatile. Exports peaked in July at $4.77 billion, but suffered sharp declines in April and June.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)

IKEA opened its first store in New Zealand on Thursday, entering its 64th market and marking the furniture retailer’s most distant outpost from its native Sweden. The long-awaited ⁠34,000 square-metre (365,973 square foot) store at the Sylvia Park shopping ⁠centre in Auckland employs 500 people and is IKEA’s 505th store.

IKEA’s New Zealand expansion ‍was ‌announced in 2019 and comes 50 ⁠years after opening ‌in neighbouring Australia. IKEA ‌now operates in 64 markets around the world.

IKEA franchisee Ingka Group said the opening, which drew thousands of people, ‍was special given New Zealand’s distance from Sweden. “It’s a real leap of ‌faith, ⁠investment ​and friendship, showing we’re not ⁠just ​exporting a store, we’re planting roots for the long term, creating jobs, ​learning from local communities and tailoring our offer for Kiwi ⁠homes,” Retail ⁠Manager Tolga Oncu said in a statement.