With Mike Ashley, founder of Sports Direct International Plc, trying to transform House of Fraser into the “Harrods of the High Street,” and uncertainty about Debenhams’s store portfolio, Label offers brands concerned about the sustainability of the department store model an alternative route to market. It utilizes Next’s online distribution and store network, and generates extra sales for the flagship label as customers collect more items from its shops. Sales have been growing strongly through this channel, though they are slightly lower margin.