Topshop, the fashion retailer owned by billionaire Philip Green, said supermodel Kate Moss has signed a new contract to continue to endorse the brand.

Fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz on Monday posted a larger-than-expected 4 percent year-on-year fall in sales at established stores in November. This was well below the average 2.

Two shopping center operators failed to reach key agreements, one with a lender and one with a potential partner, reflecting an increasingly tough environment for real estate investment trusts as they try to shore up their balance sheets in the face of the credit crisis.

Consumer spending is fragile across Europe, trading updates from three major retailers showed on Monday, though Germany's Arcandor lifted the gloom by keeping its growth forecast for next year.

Target Resources Plc said on Monday its marketing partner Laurelton Diamonds Inc, a unit of U.S. jeweller Tiffany & Co , had agreed to give another loan of $1.5 million to the alluvial diamond and gold miner.

Single mother Kelly Dukes has lost her house, her car and her salary, but rather than curse the U.S. recession, the Cincinnati mom said she's grateful to have learned a whole new way to live.

Zara fashion store owner Inditex reported nine-month net profit up 2 percent on Thursday boosted by the aggressive store opening rate of Europe's biggest clothing retailer.

Many retailers posted sharply lower November sales at stores open at least a year, prompting some investors to pour into the sector on hopes the dismal results signaled a bottom for share values.

Retailers that offer good value or the hottest products should come out on top this holiday season, while those that need deep discounts to lure shoppers could see earnings pressured, analysts said on Monday.

French fashion designer Pierre Cardin, who has maintained close links with Russia since the Soviet era, was named Thursday an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts.

Swedish fashion giant Hennes & Mauritz said celebrity designer Matthew Williamson would create its next guest collection.

Retail stocks have been slashed as the financial crisis has hit consumer spending and brought an end to a buying binge.

Two of the biggest names on high street, DSG and Marks & Spencer, are tipped to be among the most vulnerable retailers this Christmas as stores begin the battle for the consumer purse.

Marks & Spencer and Debenhams, two of the country's biggest retailers, will this week hold pre-Christmas sales to stimulate trade after a tough October.

Swedish fashion group Hennes & Mauritz posted a shallower-than-expected fall in October underlying sales on Monday, raising hopes its focus on low-cost clothing would shield it from a consumer downturn.