Last week, UK fashion brand French Connection was forced to announce that it had received approaches from two interested parties to acquire the brand after a significant increase in its share price. The stock movement had been so unusual for the perennially underperforming business, that Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group decided to offload its 25 per cent stake and cut its losses. Some might be surprised that French Connection is around at all. Its overall sales, including wholesale, have fallen by