Record warm weather and a Bank of England interest rate cut lifted retail sales in August, according to the latest survey, but retailers fear that speculation about tax rises could weigh on consumers in the crucial pre-Christmas trading period.
Retail sales increased 3.1% year on year as consumer spending on food and drink rose, and sales of computers and related equipment performed well as parents readied children for the new school year.
However, the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which publishes the monthly figures in conjunction with KPMG, said the 4.7% boost in spending on food and drink was due to price rises as opposed to consumers buying more products.
The report said food inflation was driven by rising prices across staples including beef, chocolate and coffee.
And while computing – and gaming – continued to show strong sales, parents facing an expensive start to the new school year cut back on buying uniforms.
The BRC said businesses were concerned about sales in the golden quarter, the crucial three-month period in the run-up to Christmas that many retailers rely on for the bulk of their revenues.
“Sunny weather and an interest rate cut helped August round off a solid summer of sales,” said the chief executive, Helen Dickinson. “Despite a better summer, retailers approach the golden quarter with caution.
“With the later-than-expected budget falling just days before Black Friday [discount sales], many are uneasy about how consumer confidence and spending could be impacted by tax rise speculation in the run-up to Christmas.”
Last week, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced the budget would be held on 26 November, later than many had expected.
Last month’s sales increase followed a rise of 2.5% in July, fuelled by warm weather and England’s successful Euros football campaign, and 3.1% in June.
The latest report also found furniture sales grew for the second month in a row, after months of decline, as did home goods such as appliances, DIY products and garden tools.
Linda Ellett, the head of consumer, retail and leisure at KPMG, said: “Sales of many home goods have been seeing monthly increases since the spike in property transactions ahead of the changes to stamp duty in April.
“Home appliances, accessories and DIY and garden tools all saw sales growth in August. New product launches also boosted mobile phone sales.”
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In late July and August, Samsung launched two models of its Galaxy foldable phone, and Google rolled out the Pixel 10.
Overall non-food sales increased by 1.8% year on year last month, the third consecutive monthly increase.
However, the report also found that shopper confidence fell for the third consecutive month in August, with many expecting further food price inflation and other financial pressures.
Sarah Bradbury, the chief executive of the Institute of Grocery Distribution, said: “The emotional weight of rising energy bills and fears of tax hikes in the autumn budget are adding to the strain, especially as unemployment ticks upward
“Yet there are glimmers of relief: interest rates have been cut again, and mortgage rates are easing, offering some financial respite. Financially resilient shoppers may remain more confident, even as they brace for a challenging winter.”
It was not until the end of July that the Asian Cricket Council announced the schedule for this month’s men’s T20 Asia Cup. The tournament had remained under a cloud of uncertainty following a four-day aerial war between Pakistan and India in May, and it was only after a conclave of the heads of the ACC that the organisation’s president, Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan Cricket Board chairperson, announced that the continental championship would be played.
Despite the announcement of a detailed schedule the next day, doubts remained. There had been calls in India to boycott matches against Pakistan after an Indian team had forfeited their group-stage and semi-final matches against a Pakistani side in the World Championship of Legends, a competition for retired players, in July.
The dust, however, settled late last month when India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports greenlit their sporting teams’ participation in multi-team events that included Pakistan.
Such are the new realities.
Cricket, of late, has become hostage to the India-Pakistan geopolitical tensions and the fate of global and continental competitions is settled at the eleventh hour. The schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy – held in Pakistan earlier this year – was announced less than two months out of the opening fixture, and, in 2023, the match details for the 50-over World Cup were made public only 100 days out of the tournament.
But, from Tuesday, cricket will take centre stage as Afghanistan and Hong Kong play the tournament opener in Abu Dhabi. India, the hosts of this Asia Cup, will play the UAE on Wednesday in Dubai.
The rivalry between Afghanistan and Pakistan has shaped up nicely over the years with the contest offering some thrilling encounters.Its not a strong team vs minnow clash anymore, with Afghanistan’s spin resources and improving batting prowess making them one of the most balanced T20 sides in the world. — AFP
Pakistan’s first match is on Friday against Oman in Dubai, which also hosts the final of this 19-match tournament on 28 September.
Wait! Why is the tournament being played in the UAE when India are the hosts?
The new realities, remember?
In the lead-up to the aforementioned Champions Trophy, Pakistan and India agreed to host each other on neutral venues in multi-team tournaments for the next three years due to the ever-increasing geopolitical tensions between them.
Since India had to stage Pakistan’s matches out of their country, the Board for Control of Cricket in India and ACC agreed to move the entire tournament to the UAE, with the BCCI retaining the hosting rights.
Pakistan provided Dubai as a neutral venue for India earlier this year when they hosted the Champions Trophy, the first major tournament in the country since the 1996 World Cup.
India will host Pakistan’s women’s team in Colombo in the 50-over women’s World Cup, which begins immediately after the Asia Cup. Sri Lanka will also be the venue for Pakistan’s T20 World Cup matches – again hosted by India – next year.
It is, however, not the first time that the tensions between the two neighbours have moved the Asia Cup out of India. The 2018 50-over Asia Cup had to be shifted to the UAE due to similar reasons. Coincidentally, the ACC presidency at the time also sat with the PCB.
The last T20 Asia Cup, in 2022, was to be played in Sri Lanka but was moved to the UAE because of the economic and political turmoil in the country.
There is also a strong feeling among the ACC members that the UAE serves as a perfect venue for the Asia Cup since the country boasts large diasporas from every nook and corner of Asia, which results in healthy support for each side and helps with decent crowd turnover.
Dubai hosts a total of 11 matches, and the remaining eight will be played in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan will play all their games in Dubai.
You mentioned that the 2018 Asia Cup was an ODI tournament. Are there two formats of this tournament?
Correct. The ACC, since 2016, has aligned its calendar with the ICC’s to provide more context to its tournaments and better preparation to the teams for the global tournaments.
The first T20 Asia Cup was played in Bangladesh in 2016, weeks out of the T20 World Cup in India, and the second in 2022 ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia. With the next year’s T20 World Cup in February-March, this tournament presents teams a crucial opportunity to finesse their combinations in a high-pressure tournament environment.
Bangladesh are not pushovers anymore and they showed it to Pakistan during the latter’s tour to Dhaka for a three-match T20I series. The Tigers have been able to build a decent side over the past few years but they still have to prove their mettle outside their own den, with Asia Cup the next opportunity. — AFP
The 2018 and 2023 editions of the tournament were played in ODI format, in line with the 2019 and 2023 50-over World Cups.
How many teams will play this Asia Cup, and what is the format of the tournament?
There is a bump of two teams this time around. So, for the first time, the tournament is being contested by eight teams.
The five full members – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka – are joined by Hong Kong, Oman, and the UAE, the top three sides from last year’s ACC Premier Cup, which served as a qualifier for this tournament.
The eight teams are equally divided into two groups – A and B. Each team will play the other three teams in its group once, and the top two sides from the two groups will qualify for the Super Four round.
The Super Four will also be played in a round-robin format, and the top two teams will play in the final.
We have seen Pakistan and India come face to face twice in Asia Cups of late. What are the chances of the same happening again?
Let us start with how the two groups look.
India, Oman, Pakistan, and the UAE are in Group A. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka are in Group B.
It is not a coincidence that two weaker teams are drawn in the group that has India and Pakistan, and the three other stronger sides in this tournament find themselves in the same group.
The draws in the ICC and ACC tournaments are never televised, and the global and continental championships are especially designed to ensure at least one match between these two sides.
The reality is that India v Pakistan fills coffers. The money earned from this match is distributed among cricket boards around the world at the ICC and ACC levels. So, no cricket board really protests about the draws.
Pakistan and India will play the group stage match on 14 September. Considering all goes as usual and there are no upsets, the two teams will meet again in the Super Four A1 v A2 match on 21 September. Interestingly, 21 September this year is coming on a Sunday. (winks)
The two teams can meet for the third time if they make it to the final. They, however, have never faced off in an Asia Cup final.
How have the teams fared in T20 Asia Cups so far?
The first men’s T20 Asia Cup, in 2016, was won by India, who comfortably beat the hosts Bangladesh in the final.
Pakistan were stunned by Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s dazzling 71 not out off 45 in the final of the last T20 Asia Cup in 2022 and lost to Sri Lanka by 23 runs.
India have the best men’s T20 Asia Cup record, winning eight of their 10 matches. The next are title-defenders Sri Lanka, who have won six out of 10. Pakistan are the only other team to have played 10 men’s T20 Asia Cup matches, and they have won half of them.
Afghanistan have won four out of eight. Bangladesh and the UAE have three wins from seven games each. Oman have one win from three games. Hong Kong are yet to register a win in the tournament.
Team record in men’s T20 Asia Cup by Dawn
How have the eight teams prepared for this month’s competition?
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the UAE enter the Asia Cup fresh from the tri-series in Sharjah. The series was organised specifically to help the three sides prepare for this tournament after the UAE had emerged as the venue for the Asia Cup.
Afghanistan were supposed to tour Pakistan for a bilateral T20I series, but the two boards decided to move those matches to the UAE to acclimatise to the conditions in this part of the world. UAE, the new hosts, were included as the third team, as a bilateral series was turned into a trilateral affair.
India, the T20 world champions, last played a T20I on 2 February 2025. They have played only five matches in the format this year in a home series against England that they won 4-1. Prior to the team’s arrival in the UAE, most of their players had been playing red ball cricket at home in the Duleep Trophy.
Bangladesh, over the last week, hosted the Netherlands for a three-match T20I series in Sylhet and won it 2-0, with the third match getting washed out.
Sri Lanka arrive in the UAE from Zimbabwe, where they played the home team in two ODIs and three T20Is.
Pakistan-Sri Lanka matches have been friendly affairs historically but that doesn’t rule out the title defenders capability to shine in tough matches. Their fiery show in the 2022 Asia Cup final must be etched in the Pakistan players’ minds. — AFP
Oman, captained by Jatinder Singh and coached by former Sri Lankan batter Duleep Mendis, announced four uncapped players in their squad for this tournament. They enter this tournament after playing a domestic T20 competition recently. Their last international outing was in May in the men’s Cricket World Cup League 2.
Hong Kong, in July, named Kaushal Silva, a former Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter, as their head coach, and this Asia Cup will be his first assignment. They also have a new captain in Yasim Murtaza, who has played for Rawalpindi in Pakistan’s domestic first-class, List A, and T20 competitions. Hong Kong lost to Malaysia in the title round of the Asia Pacific Cricket Champions Trophy in Singapore.
Suryakumar Yadav’s India lineup will have one eye on an Asia Cup title defense and the other on the Twenty20 World Cup it is co-hosting next year when it opens Group A against United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.
India is the designated host of this 2025 edition of the Asia Cup, although it is being played at a neutral venue in the UAE under Asian Cricket Council’s guidelines for when the continental tournament is scheduled for either India or Pakistan.
India vs. Pakistan
The Asia Cup marks a resumption of cricket ties between India and Pakistan only months after the neighbouring countries were engaged in a tense border tension in May that disrupted the IPL and the Pakistan Super League.
India’s government has given the national cricket team permission to play against Pakistan only in multi-nation tournaments.
The first of a potential three meetings at the Asian Cup will be on Sunday — with a chance for more in the Super 4 stage and the Sept. 28 final. India also faces tournament newcomer Oman in the group stage on Sept. 19.
Shubman Gill returns
India’s test captain Shubman Gill has returned to the T20 squad after a year out. He last played T20s against Sri Lanka in July 2024 when coach Gautam Gambhir took charge of the Indian team.
Gill scored 754 runs in England as India’s new test skipper, helping the team draw 2-2 in the five-match series, and now returns as T20 vice-captain.
T20 ace Suryakumar Yadav retained captaincy, so there’s some speculation about where Gill will slot into the XI.
“He has been very successful in the IPL. He was part of the Indian team earlier, too. The kind of form he is in, it really augurs well,” India great Sunil Gavaskar, who is part of the commentary panel for the Asia Cup, said. “Having him back was a no-brainer.”
The Sanju Samson question
In Gill’s absence, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma formed an attacking opening partnership for India in T20s. While left-hander Sharma has shored up his opening spot with a mix of clever left-arm spin, Samson will be vying with Gill for the other opening slot.
Since July of last year, Samson has scored 487 runs in 17 matches at an impressive strike-rate and hit three centuries. Those three hundreds inflated his run-tally, though, and masked a string of poor scores in between. Samson scored 111, 107 and 109 not out across five innings last October and November against Bangladesh (home) and South Africa (away). Take away those scores and he is left with 160 runs in 13 innings.
Samson does play the dual wicketkeeper-batter role, but should Gill open, Jitesh Sharma provides a middle-order alternative. Sharma helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru win its first IPL trophy and his hitting prowess in the late overs didn’t go unnoticed.
Along with Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya, he provides a solid finishing platform for India, putting Samson’s place in some doubt.
“Samson should be left alone as opener – he is most dangerous at the top and can win you matches,” Ravi Shastri, former India captain and coach, told the Asia Cup’s broadcasters. “Gill can come in for someone else.”
No bowling headache for India
Jasprit Bumrah ‘s fitness and availability leaves Samson’s position as India’s only selection headache. Bumrah featured in three of India’s five tests in England and, after being released from the squad ahead of the fifth test, has had sufficient rest ahead of the Asia Cup. The next T20 World Cup is India’s – and Bumrah’s – foremost assignment and team management is balancing the paceman’s workload.
Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh are expected to share pace duties with Bumrah, while Pandya will back up as the allround pace option. He will share allrounder duties with Axar Patel and Dube. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy should headline India’s spin attack.
The format
The last Asia Cup played in the T20 format was in 2022, when Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the final. This edition is a precursor to the T20 World Cup next February, where India will be playing at home and Pakistan will play its games in Sri Lanka.
The Asia Cup has alternated between ODI and Twenty20 white-ball formats since 2016, when India won the first of the T20 edition in Bangladesh.
Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi franchise has been flying high… until now. Baaghi 4 has stumbled out of the gate, posting the lowest domestic collections in the franchise’s history. After a lackluster opening weekend, the Monday numbers made it official: a mere Rs 4.25 crore, down from Sunday’s Rs 10 crore and Saturday’s Rs 9.25 crore. Its best single-day haul remains the opening-day Rs 12 crore. Four days in, according to Sacnilk, Baaghi 4 has amassed Rs 35.5 crore, enough to barely edge past Shahid Kapoor’s cop thriller Deva (Rs 33.97 crore), but still lagging behind re-releases and dubbed hits like Sanam Teri Kasam, Coolie, and Maa.
After the Meteorological Department predicted heavy rain in Hyderabad, the district administration announced that educational institutions will remain closed in the city today, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
In this regard, Deputy Commissioner of Hyderabad issued notification on Tuesday.
According to the notification, all private and government educational institutions will remain closed today.
The Asia Cup 2025 begins on September 9, with India’s campaign starting against UAE on September 10 in Dubai. The most-awaited India vs Pakistan clash is scheduled for September 14, followed by India’s final group-stage game against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India enter as defending champions and the most successful team in Asia Cup history with eight titles. With stars like Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav, India aim for their ninth crown. Fans can catch Asia Cup 2025 live streaming on Sony LIV and TV telecast on Sony Sports.
Already at the high end of luxury fragrances, Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s hero Baccarat Rouge 540 is getting a five-figure upgrade.
In mid-September, the perfume house will unveil a $28,000 special-edition offering of the scent, complete with a crystal case and exclusive refill membership. The brand joins a wider range of LVMH labels unveiling fragrances at prices once reserved for handbags and jewellery as collectors’ enthusiasm drives demand.
The Baccarat Rouge 540 Édition Millésime will be released in 54-product batches over the next decade, for a total of 540. With permanent collection bottles at $695 for 6.8 ounces, its price premium comes partly from the addition of ambergris to its ingredient list. But its crystal packaging takes top billing. The brand’s original bottle designer Fred Rawyler was enlisted to design a red crystal vessel. A crystal-compatible spray function was added to its 24-carat-gold cap, while 19 Baccarat artisans created a crystal display for the bottle that took 500 hours. The fragrance comes in a leather and beveled mirror-lined spruce box and a hand-stitched lambskin sleeve by Paris leather workshop Atelier Renard.
“When I create, I never begin by thinking about the client. I simply follow my creative vision, striving to bring beauty into the world through my fragrances,” said Kurkdjian, the brand’s perfumer and artistic director.
While Kurkdjian has long offered pricier bespoke fragrances for VIP clients, the launch is the label’s first “exceptional piece” to be unveiled by the maison.
Owners will have access to what CEO Marc Chaya describes as “the ultimate customer journey,” an exclusive members club called Les amis du Rouge, inclusive of up to five refill purchases a year. Club membership will also include curated brand experiences such as dinners, masterclasses with Kurkdjian, shows at the brand-partnered Vienna State Opera and a visit to the perfumer’s upcoming Palais de Tokyo solo exhibition.
Ultra-high-end collectible fragrance launches, long a practice of fellow LVMH-owned perfumier Guerlain, have become more frequent at the luxury house as avid collectors have helped drive a high-end fragrance boom. Some of the most expensive perfumes have been Bulgari’s Opera Prima launched for $235,000 in 2014 and Dior’s J’adore L’or Prestige Edition for $75,000 in 2016.
Learn more:
The Fragrance Market’s Squeezed Middle
Fragrance may be booming, but the premium category has cratered compared to high-end niche perfumes and affordable body and hair mists that have become an expansion focus for brands.
Disclosure: LVMH is part of a group of investors who, together, hold a minority interest in The Business of Fashion. All investors have signed shareholders’ documentation guaranteeing BoF’s complete editorial independence.
The lack of strong menswear talent on the schedule is a sticking point. “Tokyo’s designer fashion scene has traditionally been very strong in menswear, yet unlike other global cities, Tokyo does not have a dedicated men’s fashion week aligned with the international menswear calendar,” says Mami Osugi, a Tokyo-based editor who serves on the jury of the Tokyo Fashion Award. “As a result, Tokyo’s talented menswear designers often miss out on the global attention they deserve.”
JFWO is currently working on solutions, says Imajo. “One thing we may do in February is try and get the [off-schedule] brands to show closer to each other, but stretching everything out is easier for the designers because they are able to get the models and the venues [they want],” he says. Staying in closer contact with visiting buyers and inviting them to off-schedule shows is also an option JFWO are considering, Imajo adds.
A growing front row
Another of Tokyo Fashion Week’s main challenges has been its lack of international buyers and press. JFWO is gradually addressing this, and this season, invited more influential figures from Asia and beyond. Returning attendees this time included Andreas Murkudis of the eponymous store in Berlin, and journalist Eugene Rabkin of Style Zeitgeist; new invitees included menswear and womenswear buyers from 10 Corso Como in Seoul and IT in Hong Kong.
Rabkin intends to continue attending Tokyo Fashion Week whenever possible, finding it more interesting than Europe. “There are a lot of designers that you can only see here in Tokyo,” he says. “There is more of a connection between the brands, the fashion shows, the shops and the people in the street. In Paris, I always feel like I’m in a circus, and I don’t get that feeling in Tokyo, because you actually see interesting kids in the street. There’s more congruence.” Kohei Hashimoto, a womenswear buyer at Isetan, echoes the sentiment. “Tokyo stands out for the depth of consumer understanding of clothing and the closeness of fashion to everyday life. I believe it surpasses any other city in this respect,” he says.
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June Moon, chief womenswear buyer for 10 Corso Como Seoul, served on the jury of the Tokyo Fashion Award and was invited to attend Tokyo Fashion Week for the first time. “Compared to Seoul, which is very trendy and changes very fast, Japan is more consistent,” she says. “Japanese designers have their core philosophy and build the brand around this story.”
Legacy designers, new faces and breakthrough talent
Even with its smaller size, the week offered a blend of newcomer debuts alongside the return of legacy designers. Tsumori Chisato, known for her pastel kawaii prints and bold silhouettes, joined the schedule for a show celebrating her brand’s 35th anniversary. “It was my first time showing in seven and a half years,” she told press after the show. “I put all the rainbows and colours in my clothes to show my appreciation for everyone, for supporting me for all these years.”
