River Island news and archive

River Island unveils festive collection with Nephthys Foster

British fashion retailer River Island has launched a playful Christmas knitwear collection with London-based artist Nephthys Foster. The capsule River Island x Nephthys collection is inspired by Foster’s signature style of vibrant, bold and colourful artworks and features festive swearers in playful designs to “spark joy”. Capturing the...

Business

River Island reports loss of 32.2 million pounds in 2023

Clothing brand River Island reported a full year pre-tax loss of 32.2 million pounds, while the total turnover for the year under review decreased 15.1 percent to 701.5 million pounds. The company said in a filing that the negative performance resulted in a reduction in gross profit to 46.7 million pounds and loss after tax was 24.4 million...

Business

River Island and Boohoo battle suppliers over quality concerns

UK fast fashion giants River Island and Boohoo are reportedly tackling quality concerns with suppliers leading to either the withholding of payments or threats to send back orders. River Island is the latest to have raised issues over quality with its suppliers, according to The Times, with the fashion retailer understood to have requested...

Business

River Island receives Science Based Target initiative approval

British fashion retailer River Island has announced that its science-based targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the global body that supports businesses to reduce emissions in line with the latest climate science. In a statement, River Island said it is committed to long-term and near-term emissions...

PeopleFeatured

River Island appoints co-managing directors, chief people officer

River Island has announced three new hires to its board, including the appointment of Jane Eskriett and Richard Grainger as co-managing directors. The British fashion retailer announced the news in a short message on LinkedIn. “We are very excited at the future prospects for our brand and our journey ahead,” the company said. Eskriett joins from...

BusinessFeatured

River Island’s former CEO to return as executive chair

River Island’s former chief executive officer Richard Bradbury is reportedly set to return to the British fashion retailer as executive chair 12 years after his exit. From January 1, Bradbury will be succeeding Will Kernan, who announced he would be stepping down as CEO in November after three years at the business. Kernan will remain at the...

Business

River Island marketing director steps down with immediate effect

River Island has reportedly announced that its marketing director Jill Gate has stepped down from her position, effective immediately. According to a report by Drapers, Gate has left the fashion retailer to pursue new opportunities elsewhere. She joined the business in December 2020 from Photobox and previously served in senior marketing roles...

PeopleFeatured

River Island chief executive Will Kernan to exit

The CEO of high street fashion retailer River Island is leaving the business after three years. Will Kernan is stepping down “to pursue personal projects”, Retail Week reports, citing sources close to the company. Kernan joined River Island as chief executive in September 2019, taking over from previous boss Ben Lewis, who led the company for...

Retail

River Island integrates Scandit as it looks to modernise store operations

High street retailer River Island has opted to implement Scandit, a data tech company, into its operations in order to modernise its store environment. Store associates for the UK brand have been provided with a Scandit-enabled Samsung smartphone, which has been installed with Microsoft Teams, replacing shared hardware-based scanning devices. It...

Retail

River Island said to be preparing US store opening

According to its chief executive officer, River Island is reportedly preparing to open its first store in the US after it experienced a bounce back following the pandemic. Speaking to This is Money, CEO of the British retailer Will Kernan had said the retailer’s online demand had “soared” across various US States, with sales in the region now...

Business

River Island launches tree planting initiative with Ecologi

River Island has announced the launch of an app-driven tree planting programme, developed alongside climate action platform Ecologi. Throughout September 2022, the high street retailer said it will plant one tree for every new email registration and app download. Each of the trees will be planted by one of the platform’s partners in its project...

BusinessFeatured

River Island unveils its 'The Kind Society' sustainability strategy

British retailer River Island has unveiled its sustainability strategy, ‘The Kind Society,’ featuring 12 key commitments, aligned to the United Nations Sustainability Goals, focusing on the “four Ps” - people, planet, principles and partners. “Kindness goes beyond compliments and favours. At River Island, kindness is about us, as a business,...