After Brexit fears, Stonegate Pub Company toasts to sales growth over festive season January 5, 2017 Stonegate Pub Company today announced strong performance over the festive period despite fears of a tougher market after Brexit. The UK's leading privately owned managed pub company said total like-for-like sales grew 5.7 per cent in the four-week period from 5 December to 1 January following strong performance last year. Stonegate operates 691 drinks-led pubs and bars, including high [...]
A Lidl competition: Aldi becomes the highest-paying supermarket in the UK January 5, 2017 Aldi has given its employees a late Christmas present as it unveiled new pay rates this morning – and boasted that the new deal will make it the highest-paying employer in the supermarket sector. The supermarket is known for offering the cheapest groceries in the UK, but is now insisting it won't settle for a [...]
Professional advisers cash in on the carcass of BHS January 5, 2017 Professional advisers working on the BHS case have raked in £1m in just six weeks even as the retailer's former workers wait on Sir Philip Green to make a contrbution to the BHS pension black hole. According to Sky News, firms such as DLA and Savills earned £1.125m between 25 October and 2 December, and the [...]
Make 2017 a year of celebration – not the suffocation of London’s Night Time Economy January 5, 2017 We live in interesting times. This term, actually a Chinese curse, reflects all the hope, possibility and opportunity of a period – as well as the worst that we can imagine from it. What has been “interesting” recently is the overwhelming cultural and political view that the British public is a nasty species that requires [...]
Virtual visualisation could prevent the home improvement industry from missing out on as much as £1bn lost to the “imagination gap” January 4, 2017 UK consumers are looking to make home improvements this year, but many won't seal the deal because of the difficulty of imagining what renovations will look like in their own home, new research has found. In the next 12 months, 56 per cent of UK consumers are planning to make some kind of home improvement purchase, DigitalBridge [...]
Hilton Food Group’s share price jumps after a joint venture is formed with Portugal’s leading food retailer January 4, 2017 Hilton Food Group's share price increased more than five per cent to an all-time high of 695p in morning trading after it announced a 50/50 joint venture agreement with Portugal's leading food retailer. This extends the UK-based retail meat packing company's presence to a total of 15 countries. The meaty deal with Sonae Modelo Continente will allow Hilton to supply a range of packaged beef, [...]
Nisa bags a nicer Christmas trading period January 4, 2017 Convenience store chain and wholesaler Nisa Retail bagged a sales boost in the lead-up to Christmas, with like-for-like sales increasing 2.2 per cent. Total sales grew 2.7 per cent in the 10 weeks to the 1 January, reaching £235.6m, as compared to £229.5m during the same period last year. Read more: Christmas come early: CMA [...]
Top London chefs reveal food trends for 2017: British-grown, plankton and vegan January 4, 2017 Restaurant menus in 2016 were marked by the rise in avocado and gluten free foods. Starting to wonder what this year's food trends will be? Wait no longer. Top London chefs have revealed to Bookatable which trends are set to shake the restaurant market in 2017. Here are a few stand-out predictions. Plankton and charcoal will grace our menus Apparently, [...]
The tastiest deal of 2017? Ginsters owner confirms deal for West Cornwall Pasty Co January 4, 2017 We may only be a four days in to 2017, but there is already a contender for the tastiest – or, at least, stodgiest – deal of the year. Samworth Brothers, the company behind Ginsters, has reached an agreement to acquire West Cornwall Pasty Co. The deal will mean increased competition for Greggs. Read more: New [...]
Next’s shares tumble after company issues profit warning January 4, 2017 Next's shares have taken a hammering today after the retailer issued a profit warning. The retailer cut its profit forecast for 2017-18 to a range of £680m-£780m. Analysts had estimated the forecast would be £784m. Following the announcement, Next's share price tumbled by 12 per cent. Next's shares have now fallen nearly 50 per cent since [...]