New stomping grounds: Dr Martens posts strong growth after opening 25 new stores last year October 22, 2018 Dr Martens’ new chief executive said there is room for further growth as the company posted strong results for the financial year, opening 25 new stores. The iconic footwear brand increased revenue by 20 per cent to £349m, while growing operating profit by a third to £50m. Read more: Fintech startup Worldremit poaches former Paddy [...]
DEBATE: Will our growing enthusiasm for low-alcohol drinking change the very culture of the City? October 22, 2018 Will our growing enthusiasm for low-alcohol drinking change the very culture of the City? Christi Tronetti, marketing director at creative agency isobel, says YES. If New York is the city that never sleeps, London has always been the city that never stops drinking. When I first moved here from NYC, I thought I could drink – [...]
Fintech startup Worldremit poaches former Paddy Power chief as its next boss October 22, 2018 London money transfer fintech startup Worldremit has today revealed former Paddy Power Betfair chief Breon Corcoran will be its newest chief executive. Corcoran joins the fintech as it hurtles towards so-called unicorn status – a company worth over $1bn (£764.6m) – after successfully managing the merger of betting firms Paddy Power and Betfair in 2016. Worldremit's current founder and chief [...]
Vue buys German cinema group Cinestar for €221.8m October 22, 2018 Cinema group Vue has entered into a deal to buy Event Hospitality & Entertainment's (EVT) German cinema division Cinestar for as much as €221.8m (£195.5m). The agreement signifies Vue's largest ever acquisition, totalling 57 premium multiplex sites with 449 screens. This is the cinema chain's third acquisition this year, after it bought Cinema3D in Poland [...]
Winemakers running out of storage space in wake of ‘record’ harvest October 21, 2018 The 2018 English wine harvest is so enormous that there is not enough space to hold it, astonished wine makers are reporting. The long hot summer has produced an unprecedented volume of grapes, in what is certain to be the biggest vintage since the English wine industry began to take off thirty years ago. With [...]
Hamleys’ Chinese owner eyes exit with strategic review of toy shop October 21, 2018 Hamleys’ Chinese owner is considering a sale of the toymaker a week after it posted a 500 per cent decrease in profits. C.banner, which acquired Hamleys for around £100m in 2015, has started a strategic review after being approached by potential buyers. Read more: Hamleys replaces finance chief after disappointing results However it is unlikely [...]
Debenhams could close dozens of stores as it looks to cut costs October 21, 2018 Debenhams is expected to announce further store closures on top of the 10 it already has planned, as it presents its full-year results on Thursday. The beleaguered retail giant, which has issued three profit warnings and has lost two-thirds of its share price since the start of 2018, is looking to save £30m by axing [...]
Take me back says Superdry founder as he slams clothing company’s ‘disastrous eight months’ October 21, 2018 Superdry's co-founder has said the business is being led in the wrong direction after a poor start to the year which has seen shares plunge. Julian Dunkerton, who left the clothes store’s board in March, said he wants to return to help the struggling businesses fortunes after a “disastrous eight months.” Read more: Superdry shares [...]
Patisserie Valerie could face investor action over £40m black hole in accounts October 21, 2018 Cafe chain Patisserie Valerie could face legal action from shareholders over the £40m black hole in its accounts. Lawyer Philip Rubens, from the firm Teacher Stern, is canvassing institutional shareholders and claims to be on the verge of securing third-party funding. He is aiming to make a claim against the AIM-listed firm for losses endured [...]
Procter & Gamble shares spike in surprise profits boost October 19, 2018 Rising profits for the first quarter at consumer goods group Procter & Gamble (P&G) took the market by surprise today, leading its share price to rise almost eight per cent. The giant behind brands such as Pampers, Bounty and Pantene reported organic sales growth of four per cent in the last three months, its best results in [...]