English National Opera defends bottled water ban after punters sneak vodka into shows October 1, 2018 Both are known for giving people headaches and have strong associations with Russia, but fans are now allegedly mixing opera and vodka – sneaking the latter into the former by “decanting” the party-friendly spirit into water bottles – according to the chief executive of the English National Opera (ENO). Stuart Murphy said some patrons were “decanting [...]
Too little too late – why the Debenhams rebrand is a frivolous deckchair rearrangement October 1, 2018 According to the press stories that announced a rebrand of Debenhams at the beginning of September, the objective of the exercise was to put “joy” back into the brand. Six days later, the company announced that it was calling in KPMG to help it restructure, which doesn’t sound too joyful. It’s quite farcical really. [...]
The clever science behind consumer promotions at retailers and supermarkets October 1, 2018 You’ve probably never thought twice about consumer promotions – things like Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF), discount coupons, competitions, and prize draws. They’re just another marketing trick to push more products, right? But when you think about it, promotions are kind of odd. Selling two for the price of one means that a company [...]
Aldi to expand into 130 new stores as sales rocket to £10.2bn October 1, 2018 German supermarket giant Aldi today announced major plans to open 130 new stores in the UK on the back of impressive sales growth last year. The expansion will create 5,000 new jobs in the UK, Aldi says, and is a big step on the way to the firm reaching its target of setting up 1,000 stores [...]
Planet Organic prepares for expansion drive after fund takeover October 1, 2018 Scottish private equity firm Inverleith has taken a majority stake in London-based retailer Planet Organic, unveiling plans to double the organic supermarket’s store count over the next five years. Inverleith has made an equity investment into the company, which currently has seven stores in London, to grow its footprint. Planet Organic, the UK’s largest fully-certified [...]
Bloom & Wild aims to woo Europe with letterbox flowers, following £15m investment October 1, 2018 Bloom & Wild will expand into new European markets following a £15m fundraiser led by private equity house Piper. The online flower gifting brand aims to become the UK market leader and continue expanding in new and existing European markets. The latest fundraiser will also help the company invest in technology and staff. Founded in [...]
EU to decide on Radisson hotels sale to Jin Jiang in November, European Commission says September 30, 2018 HNA Group will soon find out if its sale of the Radisson hotel chain will be approved after European authorities said they would decide on the case by 6 November. The cash-strapped company, which has offloaded $17bn (£13bn) so far this year to lower debt, agreed to sell its hotel chain to a consortium led [...]
New Pret a Manger owner backs company’s CEO after teenager died from allergic reaction to baguette September 30, 2018 Pret a Manger’s new owner has stood by the food chain’s pressured CEO Clive Schlee after a teenager died from an allergic reaction to one of the company’s baguettes. The coroner investigating the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse concluded allergy labelling on Pret’s products was inadequate. JAB, a Luxembourg-based German-owned investor, announced its acquisition of Pret in [...]
Bumper summer and Booker buyout set to boost Tesco profits September 30, 2018 Tesco will be hoping to post strong first-half profits on Wednesday, as a blistering summer heatwave, successful World Cup run and a royal wedding are all likely to have boosted the firm’s performance. Consensus estimates compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence show that earnings before tax (excluding exceptions) could hit £795m in the first six [...]
Ted Baker expected to boost revenues despite high street worries September 30, 2018 Retailer Ted Baker is expected to show it has raised revenues in results released this week, despite tough high-street conditions. Analysts suggest the clothing company’s half-year revenue will be shown to have gone up around 4.5 per cent when it announces results this Thursday, as luxury goods continue to escape the bloodbath at the lower [...]