The family will invest up to £3 million with the Headline Group ahead of the latter’s move to roll out the leading British maternity brand, Mothercare, in Australia.

The announcement of the substantial investment coincides with the news that Headline has moved to acquire Babies Galore, the struggling baby retailer, in a move that will see 13 new stores added to the group’s operation, with forecasted revenues set to reach as much as £65 million.

Managing director of Headline Group, Brent Dennison, said that negotiations with the Myer family had been going on for some time. These discussions revolved around what would be considered the most ideal time to invest in the group, and how the cash injection would be best utilised. The Headline board of directors will now feature an appointment from the Myer family.

Famous for its in-store trained midwives in the UK, the Mothercare chain opened its first Australian store in March in Melbourne, with a further 10 stores launched since then. With the addition of the Babies Galore outlets, which will be converted to Mothercare over the next 18 months, the group will total 31 dedicated Mothercare stores, while also operating the 29 Early Learning Centre stores around the country. Mothercare Plc has been so impressed with the roll-out of the new stores this year  that they invested around £8 million in July with the Headline Group, obtaining a 25 per cent stake in the process.

The mid-market own-label selection will be rebranded to become Chosen by You, as Asda splashes out around £100 million in the new facelift which is aimed at addressing the ongoing slide in the group’s market share.

Over 3,500 items from food to drink were overhauled in the nine month process, which saw customers involved in more than 200,000 taste test according to Andy Clarke, Asda CEO, speaking at a London conference yesterday. The new range, which previously has recorded annual sales of around£8 billion, will be available in all of the group’s outlets as from today.

According to figures from Kantar Worldwide data, the share of the UK grocery market held by Asda has fallen steadily for the past nine months, while the group’s market share price has slid to just 17.2 per cent over the past three months, significantly trailing its major competitor Tesco, who leads the pack with a 30.8 per cent market share. The own brand range, which includes the Extra Special premium range and the Smart Price value range, makes up around half of Asda’s total sales.

Asda said the rebranding marked a real change for the group, which will now focus on the mid-tier Asda brand Chosen by You. This will see the group highlight what they call their ‘value hat-trick’ of service, quality and price. Careful consultation has been made with the UK public, with some 40,000 customers participating in blind taste tests across the country in recent months, leading to the addition of 500 new products and the modification of 1,000 more that reported room for improvement.

Now, it appears as if the last taboo in the fashion industry has finally been broken, after models showed off what not to wear.

Adorned in just heels and big hair/ hat combinations, the models showcased the offerings of wig maker Charlie Le Mindu, although viewers were treated to the runway nudes showcasing rather a lot more.

As a wig maker, there can be no denying that naked models will draw attention to your designs, but industry purists may find the bold decision less than appropriate. There has, for some time, been an unwritten rule that the catwalk is not the place for full nudity, though few designers offer pieces that require no clothing at all. French-born Le Mindu has only been at the helm of his new label for just over a year, but in that time has managed to grab headlines with a series of flamboyant and quirky creations such as wigs in the style of the Eiffel Tower.

The 24-year-old Le Mindu, whose creations are a favourite of Lady Gaga, has caused the biggest stir so far at London Fashion Week, only days after the launch. The audience was certainly not prepared, with many of the industry’s leading lights visibly discomforted by the nudity. Still, the naked forms on the runway were an improvement from his Fashion Week debut last year, when animal rights activists were outraged at a full headdress made from rat and mice carcasses.

After the first six months of 2010 resulted in a profit for the British outfitter, slow sales in recent weeks at retail outlets have kept celebrations muted.

The impending VAT rises and winter budget constraints have hampered spending by consumers, many of whom are returning from summer holidays and tightening their purse strings. Despite this, French Connection said last week that year-on-year comparisons with wholesale orders were still ahead, with the group forecasting slow by steady progress for the full financial year.

Like many in the fashion industry, French Connection has been streamlining its services to achieve greater profitability, with the latest round of restructuring seeing the sell-off of the loss making Nicole Farhi brand. In addition, partnerships in Europe and Japan have been scaled back in favour of the US, with the group claiming it has signed a new North American licensing partner. The deal will see LF USA, owned by the Hong Kong consumer goods exporter Li & Fung Ltd earn up to $10 million in net royalties over the next five years.

The latest direction for French Connection follows recent years of struggle following the decline of the popular FCUK brand. In stark contrast to last year’s £5.4 million pound loss, the group has finally been able to report a profit, though tough times are still ahead.

The fashion industry has changed in the past few years, with smart designers responding to widespread changes in attitudes. This means that having a wardrobe with a conscience is now almost as important as celebrity endorsement.

Today, for the first time in its history, the British Fashion Council – which runs the iconic London Fashion Week – has added a sustainable catwalk show to its program. While ethical fashion has existed on the periphery of the industry for some time, it now finds itself sharing the limelight thanks to acclaimed international designers such as Christopher Kane and Burberry.

Clarence House is the setting for the open air event which will see established designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney joined by the likes of People Tree and Junky Styling – the former known for its celebrity partnership with Sienna Miller and Emma Watson. While both Westwood and McCartney will have later shows in London and Paris, their presence at the ethical runway adds significant clout and influence.

The show will be held in conjunction with the Prince’s Charities Foundation initiative START, which seeks to promote and celebrate sustainable living. London Fashion Week is already the site of Esthetica, the static exhibition which showcases those designers on the edge with a commitment to eco-sustainability.

The stick-on strapless bra, which retails for £20, is marketed as being ideal for backless and strapless dresses or tops, and comes complete with a manufacturer’s tag that states the bra should not be worn any more than the eight hour period.

The warning is thanks to the bra’s high silicone content. While this helps the strapless number stick to the skin, it can also lead to irritation among some users. According to the Marks and Spencer website, the bra is in fact 100% polyester, with the only silicone being a small trim edging. The website also praises the bra for its ability to look invisible under clothes, its ability to provide support and for its smoothly moulded cups.

Further advice on the site confirmed that eight hours was the maximum recommended wear time, though this has been met with a less than favourable reaction by some. Customers have laughed off the suggestion that after eight hours the bra should be removed, with many women pointing to a 12 hour day on the run as over-riding the maker’s label. There was also the notion of a great strip down at the end of the eight hours, though most customers are usually in the workplace, school or supermarket at this time, none the most suitable for undressing.

Debenhams announced yesterday that its yearly pre-tax profit would likely rise by 20m per cent. The increase comes on the back of designer range performance and online sales.

The company predicted that it would hit the £150 million profit mark, with the recent trends of store expansion and discounting helping to fuel coffers by £3 million over what analysts had previously forecast. However, at stores that had been open to the public for at least one year, overall sales were flat compared with the previous 12 months.

Despite the unsteady consumer environment, which has seen the public sector suffer widespread job cuts, material costs rise and austerity measures hinder spending, Debenhams has been able to produce the upbeat estimate which covers the year until 28 August. Deputy chief executive for Debenhams, Michael Sharp, said the store was well placed to cope with what has been a challenging storm. Mr Sharp said the impending VAT rise was an obvious concern for all retailers, but that his company’s commitment to offering the right products at right prices had served them well in times of financial hardship. Mr Sharp also acknowledged that online sales had seen a significant rise, with many customers trending towards the time and money saving alternative.

With 160 stores across Britain and Ireland, Debenhams is the UK’s second largest sales retailer behind John Lewis, and also features stores in Denmark and over 60 franchised outlets overseas.

Debenhams announced yesterday that its yearly pre-tax profit would likely rise by 20m per cent. The increase comes on the back of designer range performance and online sales.

The company predicted that it would hit the £150 million profit mark, with the recent trends of store expansion and discounting helping to fuel coffers by £3 million over what analysts had previously forecast. However, at stores that had been open to the public for at least one year, overall sales were flat compared with the previous 12 months.

Despite the unsteady consumer environment, which has seen the public sector suffer widespread job cuts, material costs rise and austerity measures hinder spending, Debenhams has been able to produce the upbeat estimate which covers the year until 28 August. Deputy chief executive for Debenhams, Michael Sharp, said the store was well placed to cope with what has been a challenging storm. Mr Sharp said the impending VAT rise was an obvious concern for all retailers, but that his company’s commitment to offering the right products at right prices had served them well in times of financial hardship. Mr Sharp also acknowledged that online sales had seen a significant rise, with many customers trending towards the time and money saving alternative.

With 160 stores across Britain and Ireland, Debenhams is the UK’s second largest sales retailer behind John Lewis, and also features stores in Denmark and over 60 franchised outlets overseas.

Primark, whose expansion drive has placed them on many British shopping lists, has reported slow summer sales as consumer confidence took a battering.

Shares in Associated British Foods (AB Foods), the firm’s parent group, fell 1.5 per cent as the news became known of marked slowdown in sales growth.

While full-year budgets and profit earnings for the retailer are still on track to beat forecasts, Primark warned that tough times lie ahead as increased living costs and the impending VAT changes would spell trouble times in 2011. The fashion industry is now bracing itself for the next round of sales updates from fellow high street staples Next and Debenhams, due out next week, with analysts anticipating that similar grim outlooks will be commonplace.

The Primark chain, which consists of 204 retail outlets, makes up one-third of the group’s profit at AB Foods. Its like-for-like sales slowed in the three months till mid-September by around 4 per cent, meaning the year now sits at an increase of 6 per cent following the 8 per cent first half performance.

John Bason, AB Foods finance director, said that the previous fourth quarter sales, made longer by an Indian summer in 2009, meant that the last quarter showed a decline of closer to ten per cent. Bason added that Primark would remain cautious in the way it handled the outlook and the UK consumer.

The philanthropic Tory peer has made a £25 million donation to the British Museum, in what could herald a new shift in funding.

The culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, called on the rich of Britain to do more to fund the preservation of cultural institutions on Sunday, after the Lord Sainsbury pledge has outstripped government funding on its own. Hunt said that the government did not wish to rely on the generosity of private individuals to fill the funding gap in the culture budget, which has been shaved by 25 per cent, but added that he hoped more like Lord Sainsbury would come forward to help bankroll national institutions.

The donation, which was the largest in Britain since the National Gallery was given £50 million in 1995 by Sir Paul Getty, naturally delighted museum officials who have been anxiously awaiting on news for how to go about managing their own funding cuts.

The money from the donation will go towards a new Lord Rogers-designed £135m exhibition space and conservation centre, which will house temporary, blockbuster shows and play home to specialist conservation laboratories. Popular exhibits, including the soon to be released Book of the Dead show on Egyptian antiquity, are currently displayed in a temporary viewing area inside an old reading room. The government had initially promised to donate 22.5m for the new facility, with around 70 per cent of the funding target now met.