HOW MEN’S SHOES PUT A SPRING IN THE STEP OF JIMMY CHOO

VELVET slippers that cost £3,500 and trainers at £595 helped Jimmy Choo’s men’s collection remain its ‘star performer’.

The British shoe designer, made famous by US TV drama Sex and the City, ventured into men’s footwear in 2011, and it now makes up 8pc of total revenues.

The collection includes slippers with embroidered crystals for £3,500, and yellow crocodile print espadrilles for £325.

In a trading update ahead of the company’s AGM yesterday, Jimmy Choo also said it had seen strong sales in Asia and Japan, and would soon launch in the UAE and South Korea. But there was no update on the future of the business, which is up for sale.

The first round of bids will be called later this month. US fashion firms Coach and Michael Kors are thought to be interested, while it will also be attractive to Chinese, Middle Eastern and Russian investors.

And private equity firm Investcorp, based in Bahrain, is said to have joined the queue of interested buyers for the firm, which was founded in 1996. Shares rose 1.3pc, or 2.5p, to 200p.