“The cost is absolutely ridiculous.”
Walmart’s $200 military smartwatch with a handy flashlight and ‘unbelievable battery’ is now $27
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Why we love this deal
“Maxxing” is just about everywhere these days, and even more so in the wellness world. You’ve likely heard this buzzword used as health-maxxing, fitness-maxxing, or gym-maxxing. In these cases, it means you’re fully optimizing your exercise routines and diet to get the best results possible. If you’re on a quest to “health-maxx,” or just want to improve your stamina or fitness levels, tracking your workouts is the best place to start. When it comes to tracking workouts, in terms of duration, average heart rate, and calories burned, there are few devices as helpful as a smartwatch.
This wearable tech can be expensive, but with one of Walmart’s weekly Flash deals, you can score a deep discount of 86% off one of the retailer’s best-selling smartwatches. The Geryst Military Smartwatch, which normally retails for $200, is now available for the low price of $27. It has all the features you’d expect from a higher-end model, but with the bonus of a built-in flashlight and ultra-long battery life. To put this exceptional markdown into perspective, you could get seven smartwatches and still pay less than you would originally.
Geryst Military Smartwatch, $27 (was $200) at Walmart
Courtesy of Walmart
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Why do shoppers love it?
Constructed with a spacious 1.53-inch high-definition touchscreen display, this smartwatch is easy to read and navigate. It has a rugged design proven to withstand outdoor adventures and heavy-duty workouts, passing 12 military-grade tests. With an IP68 waterproof rating, the smartwatch is dust-tight and can be submerged in 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes, so you can safely work up a sweat, shower, and wash your hands while wearing it.
It’s not just the durable design that makes this smartwatch deal so outstanding. It has two unexpected features you rarely see in this type of wearable tech, including an incredibly convenient LED flashlight that’s bright enough to reach over 16 feet away. It also has the longest battery life I’ve ever seen for a smartwatch, lasting up to 50 days in standby mode. If you’re actually using the smartwatch, it’s still remarkable, running up to 18 days on a single charge. “Unbelievable battery life, good flashlight, and a very nice watch,” wrote one shopper who was just as impressed.
Related: Amazon is selling $39 wireless earbuds with up to 43 hours of battery life
Compatible with both Apple and Android devices, this smartwatch has all the expected features, like taking calls, viewing notifications, and setting a timer from your wrist. It also offers over 110 sports modes, including running, cycling, yoga, and hiking, tracking your steps, distance covered, and calories burned in real time for helpful insight into your workouts. “I’ve used it at the gym, and it tracks my calorie burn perfectly,” raved one shopper. They also reported, “It paired perfectly with my iPhone.”
Details to know
Display size: 1.53 inches.
Compatibility: Most Apple and Android devices.
Is it waterproof?: Yes, it has an IP68 waterproof rating.
This smartwatch is compatible with iPhones running on iOS 9.0 or higher and Android smartphones using Android 9.0 or higher. As long as you’ve updated your phone sometime within the past 5 years, you should have no problems connecting to the smartwatch.
Shop more deals
Tikland Smartwatch and Fitness Tracker, $23 (was $190) at Walmart
Mingdaln Military Smartwatch, $30 (was $200) at Walmart
Cillso Smartwatch, $26 (was $190) at Walmart
The feature-packed Geryst Military Smartwatch is a practical accessory for everyday use, and there’s no better time to snag it for yourself than while it’s on sale for just $27 at Walmart. Don’t wait to add it to your cart, as Walmart’s Flash deals never last long.
Top analyst sees trouble looming for SpaceX stock
To some investors, SpaceX (SPCX) shares have already lost their shine. Now a fresh warning is landing at the worst possible moment.
The stock closed at $134 on Thursday, Aug. 20, down about 6% over the past five days and roughly 17% for the year so far.
That is a long way from the $225.64 high it touched days after its June debut.
Most of Wall Street still tells clients to buy. One analyst in Germany just told them to sell.
That single call, paired with a wave of freshly unlocked shares hitting the market, is the reason SpaceX investors are paying close attention this week.
Here is what the warning says, and what it means if you own the stock.
Why DZ Bank analyst Markus Leistner rates SpaceX a Sell
DZ Bank analyst Markus Leistner started covering SpaceX with a Sell rating and a $100 price target, according to 24/7 Wall St.
From Aug. 20’s $134 close, that target points to a drop of about 25%.
Leistner warned of what he called “crash risk in the valuation orbit.”
His point is simple. The money SpaceX must spend to build its future businesses is so large that today’s price is hard to defend.
That view puts him nearly alone.
SPCX carries a Moderate Buy rating, with an average target of $228.59. Leistner sits at the very bottom of that range.
SpaceX stock now trades well below its June IPO high as new share supply and a bearish analyst call collide.Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
The spending problem behind the $100 SpaceX target
The core of Leistner’s argument is the cash SpaceX is spending.
SpaceX spent $18.37 billion on capital projects in the second quarter, with $15.83 billion of that going to AI computing infrastructure, Reuters reported.
The company’s management also guided the next two quarters to a similar level.
Capital expenditure is the money a company spends building long-term assets such as data centers and rockets. SpaceX is spending it faster than the business currently earns.
The company also lost $541 million in the second quarter, even as revenue jumped.
More SpaceX Stocks:
Peter Schiff says SpaceX is a warning for hyped stocks
Former Fidelity manager sends troubling SpaceX signal
Nvidia just took a very serious step on SpaceX stock
Then there is the deal-making.
SpaceX closed a $60 billion all-stock purchase of AI coding platform Cursor on Aug. 14, issuing about 389 million new Class A shares, Investing.com reported.
When a company pays with new stock, existing shareholders own a smaller slice of the same business.
That is dilution, and it is a direct cost to current holders.
SpaceX also approached AI startup Cognition, valued near $26 billion, before those talks ended.
To Leistner, the pattern signals an appetite for large, stock-funded deals.
What the AI math has to prove
Leistner also questions the $28.5 trillion total addressable market SpaceX laid out in its IPO filing, a figure that counts space, connectivity, and AI.
A total addressable market is the full revenue a company could earn if it captured every possible customer. It is a ceiling, not a forecast.
AI makes up about 93% of that $28.5 trillion claim. Space and connectivity, the parts making real money today, are under 7%.
So the valuation leans heavily on a business that must still prove it can deliver years of profit.
The share unlock making the timing worse
The Sell call did not arrive on a quiet day.
SpaceX’s second post-IPO lockup tranche took effect on Aug. 20, freeing up to 319 million restricted shares.
That’s about 7% of the shares under the 180-day lock-up, GuruFocus reported.
A lockup expiration lets employees and early backers sell shares they were previously barred from selling. More sellers can mean more downward pressure on the price.
Related: Jim Cramer sees the writing on the wall for SpaceX investors
The first unlock on Aug. 6 was far larger at 911.5 million shares, and the market absorbed it without a collapse.
This time the added supply arrived alongside a high-profile Sell rating, and the stock slipped below its $135 IPO price.
More unlocks are coming. The lockup releases shares across more than a dozen dates rather than all at once, so holders face repeated waves of new supply into late 2026.
One name is not selling. CEO Elon Musk, who owns about 48% of SpaceX and controls more than four-fifths of the voting power, is restricted from selling until June 12, 2027.
Where DZ Bank sits against the rest of Wall Street
Leistner is the most bearish major voice, but he is not the only skeptic.
Five-star Phillip Securities analyst Glenn Thum holds a Sell rating and a $75 target, citing customer concentration and contracts that clients can exit on 90 days’ notice.
The bulls sit far higher. Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas rates SpaceX a Buy with a $300 base target, pointing to Starlink cash flow and AI upside.
Here is how the split looks right now:
SpaceX price targets from bears to bulls
DZ Bank (Markus Leistner): Sell, $100, due to heavy capital spending and dilutive deals
Phillip Securities (Glenn Thum): Sell, $75, due to customer concentration and cancelable contracts
Morgan Stanley (Adam Jonas): Buy, $300 base, due to Starlink cash flow and AI growth
Wall Street average: $228.59
The distance between $75 and $300 is unusually wide, and it tells you how much division exists on what SpaceX is worth.
SpaceX stock vs. the S&P 500
A quick comparison shows how differently SpaceX has traded from the broad market.
Year to date, SpaceX is down about 17%. The S&P 500 has held up far better over the same stretch.
Over the past five days, SpaceX fell about 6%, while the index moved only modestly.
The point is that SpaceX swings much harder than the market in both directions, so it behaves like a high-growth technology bet rather than a steady industrial holding.
What SpaceX holders can do now
For anyone holding the stock, the practical questions come down to time frame and tolerance for large price swings.
Key points for SpaceX shareholders
More supply is scheduled. Additional lockup tranches unlock across late 2026, which can keep pressure on the price, even without bad news.
Spending must turn into profit. SpaceX guided to sustained multibillion-dollar capex, so the AI bet has to convert into durable earnings.
The bull case is long-dated. Morgan Stanley’s target rests on growth years out, not this quarter.
None of this is a recommendation to buy or sell.
A long-term holder who believes in Starlink and the AI push may look past this unlock-driven weakness. To them, it is a short-term problem.
Anyone who prefers lower risk has real reasons for caution. The repeated share supply and the negative earnings are real risks, not distractions.
Two things are worth watching over the coming quarters.
Whether SpaceX turns its cloud contracts into multi-year deals instead of ones clients can exit in 90 days
Whether insiders actually sell as more shares unlock, or hold like they did after the Aug. 6 release
Those two answers will tell you more than any single price target.
Related: Louis Navellier sets eye-opening Nvidia stock price target for rest of this year
Amazon’s $212 Seiko luxury watch proves every collector needs a chronograph
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If there’s one accessory that gets me excited to walk out the front door every morning, it’s a beautiful luxury watch. While microbrand divers and neutral daily wears have their merits, I’ve always been partial to a good chronograph. These are watches that tend to have a little more style than a dive watch and more flair than a standard three-hander. That’s why they’re such an important puzzle piece for any shopper trying to put together the perfect watch collection. They bridge the visual gap between sports watches and dress watches, and give the wearer a conversation piece at almost any occasion.
That said, budgets tend to be tight these days for most of us. With energy uncertainty and persistent inflation continuing to plague consumers, keeping an eye on your bottom line is essential. That’s why brands like Citizen and Seiko are so popular with luxury timepiece fans. They offer a way into the hobby that’s manageable by almost anyone’s standards. While a step up in cost for most, these brands won’t break the bank if you don’t want them to. In fact, one of Amazon’s most beautiful Seiko Chronographs got my attention recently, and I think it will pique your interest as well.
Seiko SSB425 Luxury Chronograph Watch
Courtesy of Amazon
Check price at Amazon
The Seiko SSB425 Luxury Chronograph Watch is a stunning example of what you can get at a discounted price at Amazon. It’s currently just $212, down 20% from the regular price of $265. Even at the original price, this watch is a great deal, but the discount makes it that much more appealing. With a case and bracelet made from rustproof 316L stainless steel, the watch has a luster that looks the part of a luxury timepiece. The panda-style white dial with black subregisters is a popular choice among modern watch collectors. It’s a stylish pick that matches almost any outfit or occasion. The subdials measure running seconds, minutes, and hours, respectively. One of the most impressive aspects of the watch that you don’t often get with chronographs like this is 100 meters of water resistance. It’s a great all-around piece that you won’t regret buying.
Benefits of a chronograph
There are lots of advantages of a chronograph over standard three-hand models. Some of them are obvious, while others may be surprising to some. Aesthetically, a chronograph offers a sporty yet elegant look. The multiple subregisters hint at a more complicated timepiece that can do much more than just tell the time. Subdials also give the watch an additional design element, which allows for playful and interesting color combinations. Furthermore, Chronographs have a more modern look and feel than most traditional watches with a standard three-piece handset, giving them a bit more depth and dimension.
On the practical side, the actual chronograph function can be incredibly helpful in a number of different scenarios. It can function as a stopwatch, timing anything from a hard-boiled egg to your heartbeat. You never realize how nice it is to have a timer of sorts on your wrist until it actually happens. That’s why just about every collector has a chronograph in their collection. Aside from the cool looks, it’s straight up convenient. The tachymeter that surrounds the bezel on most chronographs gives an added layer to the timing function. It allows you to specifically time speed over a given distance, particularly useful for racing enthusiasts.
Perhaps the most surprising benefit you get from a chronograph is the ability to track a second time zone. While many think you need a GMT or dual time zone watch to do this, all you need is a dependable chronograph. All you need to do is start the chronograph function when it’s exactly 12:00 in the second time zone you want to track, and the hours subdial will continue to show you the time in that zone any time of day or night.
More luxury chronographs
If the Seiko SSB425 Luxury Chronograph Watch isn’t to your liking for any reason, Amazon has lots of other luxury chronographs that may be more your speed. The following list constitutes some of my favorites. Whether you want something subdued and classic or you prefer a more fashion-forward option, you’re sure to find it on Amazon. Just be sure to get yours sooner rather than later, as the best deals usually sell out rather quickly.
Citizen Eco-Drive Weekender Brycen Chronograph
Courtesy of Amazon
Check price at Amazon
Bulova Lunar Pilot Chronograph
Courtesy of Amazon
Check price at Amazon
About Vintage 1960 Racing Chronograph
Courtesy of Amazon
Check price at Amazon
Citizen Eco-Drive Weekender Sport Casual Chronograph
Courtesy of Amazon
Check price at Amazon
Seiko Essentials Sports Chronograph
Courtesy of Amazon
Check price at Amazon
TheStreet Shopping is your guide for shopping insights and advice. We look beyond the price tag to find the best value in home, tech, and wellness gear based on product features and real-world use. Read more about our Editorial Standards and How We Choose Our Shopping Deals.
Canada announces retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods after trade talks break down
Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday announced his country would impose “dollar-for-dollar” tariffs on U.S. goods — a retaliatory measure after trade talks between the two nations broke down.
Zillow warns Americans on mortgage rates, housing market
Real estate technology company Zillow has a warning for Americans about the time it takes to save for a down payment on a home and plan for high mortgage rates in a difficult housing market.
“Buying a home is a financial commitment measured not just in dollars, but in years,” Zillow wrote. “Whether to buy or rent is a complex question that depends on where you want to live and your lifestyle preferences, in addition to your financial situation.”
“Nationwide, a median-income household can save for a down payment and break even on their purchase in less than 15 years.”
To calculate the financial breakeven point for homeownership versus renting, Zillow measured two phases, including saving for a down payment and recovering the upfront costs.
On a national level, a household setting aside 10% of the median income needs 8.5 years to reach a 20% down payment on a typical single-family home, followed by another 6.2 years for buying to become more cost-effective than renting, according to Zillow.
“The common wisdom is that saving early to buy a home is the smart financial move, but the reality is more nuanced,” said Kara Ng, senior economist at Zillow. “The breakeven number tells you something about a market that a price tag alone doesn’t.”
“Buyers should think about not just when they can afford to buy, but how long they’d need to stay before owning makes more financial sense than renting,” Ng continued. “Homeownership comes with equity and stability, while renting offers flexibility and freedom from maintenance bills and emergencies.”
Freddie Mac clarifies high mortgage rate homebuyer strategy
The weekly 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.65%, slightly down from the previous week when it was 6.67%, Freddie Mac reported on August 20.
“The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage declined this week averaging 6.65%,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.
“With a dip in rates providing modest relief for homebuyers, it’s important to remember borrowers can potentially save thousands by shopping around for the best mortgage rate,” Freddie Mac emphasized.
The daily 30-year FRM was 6.77% on August 21, according to Mortgage News Daily (MND).
“While many news outlets continue focusing on the mid-week announcement regarding Treasury’s bond buyback program, today’s bond market volatility was unrelated,” wrote MND’s Matthew Graham.
“Current levels are close to where they were before Wednesday’s announcement and that makes sense to anyone who [viewed] Wednesday’s market reaction as ‘overdone.’”
Economic data picks up significantly this coming week, alongside anticipated remarks from Fed Chair Kevin Warsh at the Federal Reserve’s annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
Zillow explains major homebuyer dilemma
Homebuying timelines vary drastically by city, according to Zillow.
In Austin, Texas, a household saving for a down payment reaches the 20% mark in about eight years — faster than the national pace — but faces a massive 18-year wait to break even against local renting costs, which have dropped recently.
Conversely, Miami buyers spend five extra years saving up, but break even in half the time once they purchase. Consequently, Miami home buyers ultimately come out ahead three years sooner than those in Austin.
Buyers can speed up the process by opting for a starter home — defined by Zillow as a property in the bottom third of regional home values.
More on mortgage rates:
Americans face 3 major takeaways after mortgage rate news
Cooler PCE inflation data can’t fix today’s mortgage rates
Mortgage rate forecast resets after Fed decision
Zillow emphasizes an important dilemma people face.
On a national level, purchasing an entry-level home instead of renting a typical apartment cuts the total timeline in half, taking just 7.2 years to save for and break even.
“However, with the cost of homeownership this high, buyers have signaled they do not want an expensive project,” Zillow wrote. “Turnkey homes sell for 2.9% more than expected, according to Zillow research, while remodeled homes sell for 2.2% more than similar homes without renovations noted in the listing description.”
“Meanwhile, fixer-upper homes sell for 14% less. Not all starter homes need renovations, but buyers who go this route should account for the full cost of ownership, including the possibility of repairs.”
Real estate technology company Zillow warns Americans about the time it takes for homebuyers to save for a downpayment.Shutterstock
Zillow says housing shortage drives affordability crisis
Compared to pre-pandemic levels in July 2019, today’s national timeline is nearly four years longer than the 11-year wait homebuyers experienced back then.
“At the root of the housing affordability crisis is a shortage that stands at 4.7 million homes,” Zillow wrote. “The metros with the largest shortages tend to also have the longest break-even timelines.”
“Los Angeles, for example, has the second-largest deficit at nearly 345,000 homes, and a break-even timeline of nearly 38 years.”
Shrinking a disparity of this size requires taking action from multiple angles.
Policy changes designed to lower construction costs and boost development are among the ideas Zillow advocates, such as updating zoning laws for higher density, simplifying the permit approval process, and broadening access to financing for manufactured homes.
Related: Redfin warns homebuyers on mortgage rates, housing market
One quantum stock just posted a 9,000% revenue jump
A stock that reports revenue growth in the thousands of percent sounds like it invented something new.
Quantum Computing Inc. (QUBT) reported second-quarter revenue of $5.6 million, more than 9,000% higher than the $61,000 it posted a year earlier, according to the company’s earning release filed with the SEC.
That number is real. The business behind it is still small enough to fit inside a single university research grant.
QUBT shares traded near $9 on Friday, Aug. 21, part of a rally that lifted seven quantum computing stocks at once, according to a Seeking Alpha report.
D-Wave Quantum (QBTS), Rigetti Computing (RGTI), IonQ (IONQ), Infleqtion (INFQ), IQM Quantum Computers (IQMX), and IBM (IBM) all moved higher the same morning. That is to say, when one stock rallies in a particular industry, it pulls its peers along with it.
Quantum Computing’s 9,000% headline, despite a still-tiny business
The revenue jump came from photonics product sales across QCi’s government, educational, and commercial customers, the company said in its earnings release. Revenue also grew 51% from the first quarter’s $3.7 million, a smaller but still meaningful gain.
Most of the improvement in QCi’s bottom line, though, came from a shrinking paper loss on warrant derivatives rather than the core business turning profitable, according to a breakdown of the filing.
Net loss narrowed to $11.8 million from $36.5 million a year earlier. QCi ended the quarter with a $42.5 million order backlog and $1.3 billion in cash, giving it years of runway, even as it keeps losing money on operations.
The quarter also included QCi’s acquisition of NHanced Semiconductors, which launched a second chip fabrication facility and expanded the company’s U.S. manufacturing footprint, according to the earnings release.
The deal added complexity to the numbers: Operating expenses rose 114% year over year to $21.8 million, partly from acquisition-related costs.
Quantum Computing Inc. posted second-quarter revenue growth of more than 9,000% as seven quantum computing stocks rallied together on Friday, Aug. 21.John Keeble / Getty Images
7 stocks, 6 catalysts, one basket trade
D-Wave gained as much as 7%, Rigetti climbed 9.6%, IonQ rose 7.5%, Infleqtion added 9%, and IQM popped 7%. None of them moved for the same reason.
A new Outperform rating and $35 price target from BMO Capital Markets, implying roughly 85% upside, sent D-Wave (QBTS) shares higher, according to a BMO note covered by The Motley Fool.
Rigetti (RGTI) shares rose even more than D-Wave’s that same morning, even though BMO’s note never mentioned the company, The Motley Fool reported.
IBM (IBM) advanced 2% two days after saying it had successfully cooled and linked two cryogenic modules, a step toward the fault-tolerant quantum computer it has targeted for 2029, an IBM press release confirmed.
IonQ (IONQ) signed a non-binding agreement to become a listed cloud provider on a Canadian government quantum platform, a deal that carries no guarantee of revenue, according to TipRanks.
The common thread isn’t fundamentals. Quantum stocks increasingly trade as a single basket, correlated more with sector sentiment than with any one company’s earnings.
When one name gets a bullish headline, the rest of the group tends to move with it, whether or not the news applies to them specifically.
Percentages, not profits, drove quantum stocks’ rally
The percentages doing the talking this week say more about how small these companies still are than about how close quantum computing is to arriving. Infleqtion (INFQ) is the clearest example.
The company originally reported second-quarter revenue up 116% to $12.6 million on Aug. 12, then quietly raised that figure to $13.5 million, a 157% increase, in an amended SEC filing five days later. Most of the coverage that moved Infleqtion’s stock this week never caught the revision.
More Quantum stocks:
IBM CEO sends blunt message on quantum computing
Pentagon may see one of quantum computing’s first practical winners
IBM quietly cleared a quantum computing hurdle experts doubted
None of this means quantum computing isn’t real progress. It means a headline reading “9,000% growth” or “157% growth” is only useful once an investor knows the prior-year number.
A rounding error looks like a moonshot when the starting point is close to zero. Investors who buy on the percentage alone are betting on a narrative, not a balance sheet.
That’s not necessarily wrong, but it’s a different kind of bet than the quantum revolution framing on trading platforms suggests this week.
Watch backlog conversion, not quarterly percentages
This pattern isn’t unique to quantum computing. Early-stage solar, biotech, and electric-vehicle stocks went through the same phase, when triple and quadruple digit growth headlines outran the dollar figures behind them.
The percentages shrink as the denominator grows, and so does the market’s appetite for celebrating them.
The more useful numbers to watch are backlog conversion and repeat orders. IQM Quantum Computers (IQMX) has told investors to expect most of its 2026 revenue in the fourth quarter, tied to system deliveries already inside its EUR 102 million order backlog.
D-Wave has guided to two to three full system sales a year starting in 2027. Those figures will look smaller than this week’s percentages. They will say more about whether quantum computing is becoming a real business.
Related: IBM CEO sends blunt message on quantum computing
Ferryman Creators Hope To Beat Emmy Odds With Uncanny Alley A New Day
Uncanny Alley A New Day is one of three nominees for the Best Emerging Media Emmy, taking on
Clothing retailer returns to brick and mortar stores after 7 years
After its former owner collapsed under unsustainable debt and the brand lost its physical retail presence, a once-popular fashion brand is making an unexpected return to stores.
The brand disappeared from the high street in 2019 after its then-owner entered administration, resulting in the closure of dozens of standalone stores and more than 100 department-store concessions.
The brand making its return is Karen Millen.
Founded in 1981, Karen Millen is a British womenswear brand known for its tailored clothing, coats, and occasionwear.
Karen Millen comes back to physical stores
Karen Millen is returning to physical stores seven years after shifting to an online-only retail model.
The physical relaunch began rolling out on August 14 through a partnership with The Foschini Group (TFG), with Karen Millen concessions opening across the UK at retailers including Hobbs, Phase Eight, and Whistles. The rollout is also expanding to Liverpool One and Aberdeen Union Square in Scotland.
The initial release will feature Karen Millen’s occasionwear and bestselling pieces, including items from its Forever Collection. The collection includes dresses, shirts, blazers, and coats, with prices ranging from £49 to £429 ($67 to $586).
“Karen Millen is a brand with real heritage, recognition and a loyal customer base, so bringing it back to the high street is a significant moment,” Debenhams Group CEO Dan Finley told Drapers.
“Our customers want great fashion, but they also want to experience brands in different ways, and physical retail gives us another opportunity to do that.”
Karen Millen returns to physical stores.tupungato / Getty Images
Why Karen Millen closed its physical stores
Karen Millen’s retreat from physical retail came during a broader financial crisis for its then-owner, Mosaic Fashions.
Mosaic Fashions entered administration in August 2019 after struggling with unsustainable debt and high operating costs. The company also faced challenges affecting the wider UK retail sector, including declining foot traffic and sluggish consumer spending, while efforts to secure a buyer for the business were unsuccessful.
In the UK, administration is an insolvency process that can provide financially distressed companies with protection from creditors while licensed insolvency practitioners work to restructure the business or find a buyer. It serves a broadly comparable purpose to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S., although the two processes operate under different legal frameworks.
The collapse resulted in the closure of 32 standalone Karen Millen stores in the UK, along with 117 department-store concessions. The brand subsequently operated entirely online.
A few months later, Karen Millen was acquired out of administration by Boohoo Group in an £18 million ($24.55 million) deal after Mosaic Fashions failed to find a buyer for the entire business.
Boohoo Group later changed its name to Debenhams Group in 2021.
The return to physical stores marks a significant change from the online-only strategy that followed the 2019 administration. Rather than rebuilding the standalone store network it once operated, Karen Millen is using concessions within established retail locations, allowing the brand to regain a physical presence without returning to the same store-heavy model that preceded its 2019 collapse.
Other retailers have also pulled back from physical stores
Karen Millen’s return comes as other UK fashion and department-store brands continue to face financial pressure, with some entering administration, closing physical locations, or shutting down their operations entirely.
Here’s some of my previous coverage with recent examples:
Quiz: Entered administration in February 2026 and closed all its remaining standalone stores in June.
LK Bennett: Entered administration in January 2026, closed all stores and concessions, and ceased e-commerce operations in April.
Harvey Nichols: Was acquired by Frasers Group in August 2026 through a pre-pack administration as the luxury department store faced mounting financial challenges.
Related: Discount grocery chain closes 12 stores after expanding too fast
Alan Ritchson’s ‘Motor City’ Looks For Jump-Start On Streaming This Week After Sputtering At Box Office
“Motor City,” a revenge thriller starring “Reacher” star Alan Ritchson, will attempt to find an audience on streaming this week after the film with only a handful of lines of dialogue had a muted run at the box office.