Fashion
LK Bennett close to collapse as it prepares administration filing
Published
December 31, 2025
It looks like LK Bennett might be the first 2026 casualty of the tough retail environment in the UK with the premium fashion and footwear chain having filed an intention to appoint administrators.
It would be the second time in six years that the company has failed with the notice having been submitted at the High Court on Tuesday.
If the application is granted, it’s likely that the company will go into administration.
The news comes in the wake of reports just before Christmas that it was working with Alvarez & Marsal and looking for an 11th-hour rescue deal due to very weak trading in recent periods.
However, in such circumstances potential buyers often prefer to wait for a business to go into administration. Buying it after such a filing usually gives them an easier ride than taking it on as a going concern with all the obligations (such as leases) that come with it.
If it does go into administration, it’s likely that there will be no shortage of interested parties. The company, which employs around 280 people, is currently owned by China’s Byland UK and it’s not uncommon for existing owners to buy back a business out of administration.

But there will also be other possible bidders with deep pockets. When it originally went into administration there were reports that Frasers Group was interested and that company remains a big buyer of distressed businesses. Other big UK retail names that have bought a number of companies include Next (owner of premium brand Reiss) and M&S (which bought another premium label, Jaeger). Plus there are private equity companies that could also be looking at it.
And it’s an attractive proposition on some levels. Despite its relatively small size compared to some of the giants of UK fashion retail, 35-year-old LK Bennett has a strong name and a high profile given its popularity with major fashion influencers including the Princess of Wales. It could succeed as part of a larger operation.
The company had gone into administration in 2019 as it struggled with rising business rates but failed to find fresh funding. It closed a number of stores at the time and laid off HQ staff as well as those in the affected stores.
Rebecca Feng, who ran its franchises in China, acquired it via Byland and in the early days, that acquisition looked to be successful. It expanded its categories with an entry into the bridal sector and opened new stores in key premium locations. In 2022 it moved its London flagship and its HQ to Bond Street. It also reported a return to profit as sales recovered.

In the following year it became an official Ascot sponsor and in the 12 months up to early 2023 its sales jumped as event dressing made a comeback after the pandemic. It also launched important initiatives on conversion and loyalty as well as sustainability, and in 2024 launched on the M&S webstore. That year also saw it opening a new Knightsbridge flagship in London.
But in early 2025 its latest set of accounts showed the company enduring falling sales, contracting margins and a swing to a loss.
Business conditions during the rest of 2025 clearly didn’t improve as those recent reports of it seeking a sale underlined. As well as sluggish consumer confidence, it battled higher costs following National Insurance and minimum wage increases.
It currently has only nine standalone stores and 13 concessions in the UK and Ireland.
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Fashion
Australian wool prices climb this week as cardings lead rally
Carding wool prices jumped 4.5 per cent over the week, marking the standout performance across the catalogue. Cardings, which are shorter staple wools used in woollen spun yarns such as locks, crutchings and lambs wool, have historically led sustainable market rallies. After lagging other wool types during the past six months of steady price gains, the strong lift in this segment may encourage renewed buying interest from both domestic and overseas buyers, the Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) said in its commentary for week 33 of the current wool marketing season.
Supply conditions continue to underpin sentiment. Test house data show a seasonal 10 per cent decline in volumes, while wool representatives in growing regions report lower sheep numbers and reduced wool flows into stores due to challenging climatic conditions. The most striking figure was a 21 per cent year-on-year drop in wool tested last month. Over the past two years, Australia’s wool production has fallen by an amount equivalent to the entire South African wool clip, highlighting the scale of tightening supply in the global Merino market, the AWI commentary added.
Australian wool prices rose again this week, led by a 4.5 per cent surge in carding wool, despite a stronger Australian dollar.
Supply concerns intensified as wool tested fell 21 per cent year on year and sheep numbers declined.
China expanded its export share to 88.4 per cent, while Italy increased imports 6.3 per cent.
Auctions will resume on February 24, 2026, after a scheduled break.
Export data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that China extended its dominance in the first half of the 2025-26 season, accounting for 88.4 per cent of Australian wool exports by volume. India held a 5.4 per cent share, while Italy accounted for 3.3 per cent. Italy was the only major destination to increase imports year on year, with volumes rising 6.3 per cent compared to the same period last season.
The market will pause next week at the request of major customers observing their Spring festival and New Year celebrations, with auctions scheduled to resume on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)
Fashion
India’s Vipul Organics Q3 revenue jumps 16.92% QoQ to reach $5 mn
The profit after tax (PAT) for the quarter came in at ₹185.55 lakh (~$204,700), up 27.89 per cent YoY. On a QoQ basis, PAT grew 2.33 per cent from ₹181.32 lakh reported in the previous quarter.
Vipul Organics has posted revenue of ₹4,637.57 lakh (~$5.11 million) in Q3 FY26, up 11.65 per cent year on year and 16.92 per cent quarter on quarter.
PAT rose 27.89 per cent YoY to ₹185.55 lakh (~$204,700).
For nine months, revenue grew 3.82 per cent while PAT jumped 35.17 per cent.
Management expects capex benefits and stronger order flow ahead.
On a standalone and consolidated basis, Q3 FY26 profit before tax (PBT) stood at ₹252.2 lakh and ₹251.94 lakh respectively, compared to ₹182.94 lakh and ₹182.79 lakh in the corresponding quarter of FY25. Earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter was ₹1.1, Vipul Organics said in a press release.
For the nine months (9M) period, total revenue reached ₹12,372.74 lakh, reflecting a 3.82 per cent rise from ₹11,916.75 lakh recorded in the same period of the previous year. PAT for the nine-month period increased significantly by 35.17 per cent to ₹493.76 lakh, compared to ₹365.28 lakh in the nine months in FY25.
During the 9M period, standalone PBT stood at ₹653.29 lakh against ₹518 lakh a year earlier. Consolidated PAT was ₹492.86 lakh, up from ₹364.33 lakh in the corresponding period last year. EPS for 9M improved to ₹2.92 on a standalone basis, compared to ₹2.26 in the previous year.
Commenting on the results, Vipul Shah, managing director, Vipul Organics Limited, said: “We have seen an improvement in our topline in this quarter. With our Capex almost done, we expect the benefits to kick in from the coming quarters. Our water membrane division has also shown traction, and we are hopeful of order flow in the coming fiscal. With Macroeconomic indicators showing improvement, your company is fully positioned to take advantage of the existing and newer business opportunities. We are also geared towards taking advantage of AI for improved operational performance and predictive analysis of product demand.”
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Fashion
South Indian cotton yarn under pressure on weak demand
In the Mumbai market, cotton yarn prices remained unchanged as the loom sector slowed production. Although spinning mills are looking to raise their selling rates, they have not found sufficient demand. A Mumbai-based trader told Fibre*Fashion, “Power and auto looms are facing limited fabric buying from the garment industry. Export prospects are still unclear. Domestic demand is also insufficient to support any price rise. Mills are comfortable with falling cotton prices, while buyers remain silent on yarn purchases.”
In Mumbai, ** carded yarn of warp and weft varieties were traded at ****;*,***–*,*** (~$**.**–**.**) and ****;*,***–*,*** per * kg (~$**.**–**.**) (excluding GST), respectively. Other prices include ** combed warp at ****;***–*** (~$*.**–*.**) per kg, ** carded weft at ****;*,***–*,*** (~$**.**–**.** per *.* kg, **/** carded warp at ****;***–*** (~$*.**–*.**) per kg, **/** carded warp at ****;***–*** (~$*.**–*.**) per kg and **/** combed warp at ****;***–*** (~$*.**–*.**) per kg, according to trade sources.
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