Piece of cake: Revenue and profits grow after Cake Box’s Aim IPO November 26, 2018 Cake Box boosted revenue by 44 per cent in its first half-year results following its £43m initial public offering (IPO), the company revealed today. The cream cake specialist listed on Aim in June and has since opened 15 new franchise stores, bringing the total to 101, with franchisee turnover up 29 per cent to £14.1m. [...]
Investors on the look-out for sales and dividend ahead of Greene King results November 25, 2018 The City will be looking to see whether Greene King can maintain its dividend this week, with interim results set to reveal whether the pub and brewing giant has been able to carry its bumper summer spell of higher sales into the autumn trading period. Analysts have forecasted that full-year sales will reach £2.17bn in [...]
Investors show mixed appetite for Wagamama takeover as vote draws near November 25, 2018 A shareholder showdown looms over The Restaurant Group’s £559m planned takeover of Wagamama this week, with a number of major investors gearing up to oppose the deal. The Frankie and Benny’s owner could suffer a shareholder rebellion on Wednesday after several top investors signalled their intentions to vote against the proposed acquisition. Columbia Threadneedle Investments – [...]
Black Friday fatigue hinders much-needed boost for Britain’s retailers as year-on-year footfall drops November 25, 2018 Black Friday footfall dipped this year while e-commerce sales soared, in a stark reminder of the perils facing high street retailers under threat from online rivals as the Christmas season approaches. Retailers continued to roll out discounts to the public over the course of the weekend but the latest figures show that footfall this afternoon [...]
Giggling Squid founder Andy Laurillard on provincial dining and the secrets of his chain’s success November 25, 2018 It’s a laugh a minute for Giggling Squid. The Surrey-based restaurant chain is cropping up in more and more affluent market towns and sleepy suburbs across the south of England, looking to entice customers with its unique offering of accessible Thai cuisine in a relaxed environment. Co-founders Andy Laurillard and his wife Pranee opened their [...]
Giggling Squid founder used ‘Range Rover count’ to choose locations for Thai restaurants November 25, 2018 The founder of Thai restaurant chain Giggling Squid counted the number of Range Rovers in suburban towns to decide whether they would be suitable locations for his restaurant. Andy Laurillard told City A.M. he counted how many Range Rovers passed a potential restaurant site during morning rush hour as part of his research into a town’s [...]
Jingle sells: Ice rinks and golden baubles on the wishlist as Christmas decorators report best year yet November 25, 2018 Live reindeer, ice rinks and 22 carat-gold Christmas tree baubles – these are the extravagances on offer as wealthy homeowners increasingly turn to interior designers to decorate their houses this festive season. For a growing number of the rich and famous, gone are the days of struggling to put up the tree with the children. [...]
George Osborne’s family wallpaper firm blames Brexit wobbles for loss November 25, 2018 The high-end fabric and wallpaper maker run by Sir Peter Osborne, father of former chancellor George Osborne, has pinned a substantial drop into the red on Brexit “uncertainty” and investment. Osborne & Little’s latest accounts, for the year ended 31 March, show a loss before tax of £350,000 on a turnover of £32.1m. In 2016, [...]
Crazy golf club Swingers tees up multimillion-pound investment as it prepares for US expansion November 25, 2018 London-based crazy golf club Swingers has received multimillion-pound funding from a private investment firm as the popularity of competitive leisure activities continues to grow. Cain International today announced it has made a “significant investment” in the golf club’s parent company Competitive Socialising, which it said would allow the leisure brand to open new venues in the US. [...]
Black Friday transactions jump 10 per cent on 2017, according to Barclaycard data November 24, 2018 The number of transactions on Black Friday jumped ten per cent year-on-year but the amount spent plummeted compared to 2017, according to credit card data. Consumers spent 12 per cent less while shopping using Barclaycard yesterday compared to Black Friday the previous year. Barclaycard processed an all-time record number of transactions yesterday, hitting 1,087 transactions a [...]