Toys ‘R’ Us returns to high street with new WH Smith partnership June 1, 2023 Toys ‘R’ Us will make its return to the high street after five years, revealing plans to open nine concession stands in WH Smith. In 2017, the children’s retailers declared bankruptcy after years of rising debt and dwindling sales and the following year it shut all 100 of its UK stores. Its collapse was linked [...]
Dr Martens share price tumbles 11 per cent as pre-tax profits miss forecasts June 1, 2023 Dr Martens will launch a share buy back programme of up to £50m as the boot maker looks to up investment following a 26 per cent slide in pre-tax profits following bottleneck issues in its US warehouse. The London-listed retailer hit record revenues during the year of £1bn, as sales recovered post-pandemic and it opened [...]
Interest rate hikes triggers house price fall and analysts think there’s further to go June 1, 2023 House prices remain below their August peak as demand softens following a spike in interest in early spring. The annual rate of house price growth slipped back to -3.4 per cent from -2.7 per cent in April, figures from Nationwide show, as the Bank of England’s decision to hike interest rates rattled buyers confidence. In [...]
Bumper Bank Holiday drives footfall levels up June 1, 2023 Bumper bank holidays in May helped hike footfall levels as work-free Brits flocked to the high streets to drink and shop in a welcomed boost for businesses. Footfall over the last month climbed 3.6 per cent, the second month in a row in which levels have risen following a 3.3 per cent jump in April, [...]
EP: 203 Epsom Oaks Day June 1, 2023 The first day of the Epsom Derby meeting gets underway on Friday with the fillies taking centre stage in the Betfred Oaks over the famous mile and a half trip. We are joined by Irish maestro trainer Aidan O’Brien who runs his impressive Chester winner Savethelastdance in this year’s renewal. City AM Racing editor Bill [...]
The Notebook: Neil Bennett on Dubai’s past, present and future June 1, 2023 The Notebook is where interesting people say interesting things. Today, it’s Neil Bennett, global co-ceo of H/Advisors, a comms and advisory firm… Going green in the town that oil built I’m in Dubai for the launch of our new H/Advisors’ office here. We are focusing on sustainability communications as the city and the whole of [...]
Mark Kleinman dissects the CBI’s rescue plan – plus the boss of Vashi’s vanishing act and Man U’s other battle June 1, 2023 In five days time, Rain Newton-Smith must deliver the performance of her career. At an extraordinary general meeting of the CBI, she will seek to convince thousands of its members that it should survive the maelstrom which has brought it to the brink of collapse. The cards appear stacked against her. Already, the CBI’s principal [...]
Purplebricks bidder Lecram pulls out, claiming finances ‘worse than expected’ May 31, 2023 An 11th-hour rival bidder for Purplebricks has withdrawn its takeover approach, claiming the troubled estate agency’s financial condition is “significantly worse than expected”. It emerged last Friday that investor Lecram – the vehicle of property investor Adam Smith and a major shareholder in Purplebricks – was looking to muscle in with a proposal valuing the [...]
Falling value of commercial real estate likely to hit European banks, RBC warns May 31, 2023 The European banking sector could be at risk from the weakening outlook for commercial real estate, analysts have warned. In a note, Anke Reingen, analyst at Royal Bank of Canada, argued that European banks are “likely to take some hits from the worsening [CRE] sector outlook”. CRE has faced widespread problems in recent months as [...]
Rail strike pain is National Express’ gain: Bumper coach bookings as Brits find ways to reach Wembley, Epsom and Beyonce May 31, 2023 National Express has seen a 30 per cent jump in travel bookings over the week of rail strikes, figures shared with City A.M. show, as passengers flocked from rail to coach to get around the country. The long distance bus and coach group, who operate around 1,500 journeys per day in the UK, warned “we [...]