Stylo struggles in retail gloom

SHOE retailer Stylo today warned that it faces a “challenging” outlook and its board is exploring “strategic options” for the business.

The Bradford-based owner of Barratts and PriceLess, which made a £9.3m loss in the first half of its trading year, said that margins continue to be hit and it is managing stock levels and costs tightly.

Chairman Michael Ziff and his team face a tough battle to keep the shoe chain trading through one of the worst retail slumps in living memory which has already seen a clutch of retail chains collapse including, Officers Club, USC, Miller Brothers and Empire Direct.