PEMBROKE:Hinchliffe goes into Red

Stephen Hinchliffe is determined to turn himself into Harry High Street. Not content with buying the Sock Shop chain, the Salisbury bag shops and the Torq jewellery stores in the past few months, the Sheffield-born entrepreneur yesterday paid "se veral million pounds" for Red or Dead, the right-on fashion designer and retailer.

Founded by Wayne Hemmingway, one of the presenters of the BBC's Clothes Show, Red or Dead has sold something called the Watch Shoe to Bros, the former pop group. In 1989 it launched a designer collection called Space Baby, which proved a success.

Mr Hinchliffe, who acquires 14 shops as part of the deal, declines to comment on whether he will be purchasing some trendy threads from the stores.