Margin pressure and bad weather take a slice out of Pizza Express profits but overall sales grow August 29, 2018 Pizza Express unveiled what it called a "resilient" performance today, despite pressure on margins driving down profits. The restaurant chain, which is owned by Chinese private equity group Hony Capital, has faced cost pressures as well as a significant impact from this year's changeable weather. The figures Group turnover in the 26 weeks to the beginning [...]
Richoux shares drop as restaurant group raises extra funds August 29, 2018 Restaurant group Richoux has announced a plan to raise £1.1m through a share subscription as it faces "continued pressure" from headwinds in the casual dining industry. Shares in the Aim-listed company dropped more than 14 per cent in early trading after the announcement. The group, which also includes the brands Villagio, Friendly Phil's, Zintino and [...]
Pernod Ricard toasts strong growth in India and China August 29, 2018 The world’s second-largest drinks maker Pernod Ricard announced six per cent sales growth in the last financial year, boosted by strong sales in China and India. The French company, which owns brands such as Jameson whiskey, Martell cognac and Beefeater Gin, posted revenue of €8.987bn (£8.148bn) for the 2017-18 financial year. Read more: Rising prices [...]
The Gym Group flexes its muscles with strong expansion and member growth August 29, 2018 Budget gym operator The Gym Group reported another strong period this morning, as membership numbers soar in line with expansion. The figures With six new openings and a string of 13 easyGym sites acquired just after the period end, the total number of gyms reached 147. The group's rapid expansion saw member numbers jump to 720,000, [...]
British shop prices rise for first time in five years August 29, 2018 British shop prices have risen for the first time in five years as hot weather and the rising price of oil conspired to add to inflationary pressure. Shop prices increased by 0.1 per cent in August 2018 compared to last year, figures from the British Retail Consortium, prepared by Nielsen, will today show. The rate [...]
Tiffany’s unveils higher than expected sales and profits August 28, 2018 Iconic jeweller Tiffany & Co. reported better than expected sales and profit growth today, with higher sales across all products and several geographies. The figures Worlwdwide net sales rose 12 per cent to $1.1bn (£850m) in the second quarter, while net earnings were up 26 per cent to $145m. This was driven by a particularly [...]
Sports Direct slams ‘greedy’ House of Fraser landlords August 28, 2018 Mike Ashley's Sports Direct has slammed "greedy landlords" as the group conducts discussions over the future of 59 House of Fraser stores. Several branches of the department store chain which were due to close in early 2019 have been given a reprieve after the new owners negotiated with landlords. But the fate of several shops [...]
Brewdog temporarily takes down parody porn site after backlash August 28, 2018 Brewdog has pulled a parody porn site from the internet to "tweak" it after a backlash from beer fans. The pugnacious Scottish brewer, known for its attention-grabbing marketing initiatives, announced yesterday that it had launched a parody porn website under the URL beer.porn, which showcased videos from its new streaming network under sexually suggestive titles. [...]
Sports Direct named least reputable retailer in annual rankings while Amazon takes top spot August 28, 2018 Sports Direct has been named the least reputable retailer in the UK after a survey of consumer attitudes. The sports gear retailer languished at the bottom of the rankings compiled by the Reputation Institute for its annual UK Retail RepTrack. Sports Direct scored poorly on four measures: workplace, governance, citizenship and leadership. It comes just weeks after [...]
Ryanair will charge you for 10kg hand luggage from November August 24, 2018 Ryanair passengers will have to make do with one item of carry-on baggage from November – unless they want to pay. The reason behind the move is "to eliminate boarding/flight delays", according to the budget airline. Nevertheless, passengers will have to pay £6 to add a 10kg cabin bag to their carry-on, with tickets otherwise [...]