HomeServe founder pours £110m in crusade to revive flailing British high street August 20, 2023 HomeServe founder Richard Harpin is injecting £110m of his own cash into medium-sized businesses, aiming to breathe life back into the UK’s beleaguered high streets. After cashing in on the sale of insurance company HomeServe to Brookfield last year for a cool £4.1bn, the home repairs mogul Harpin said he is trying to “help others [...]
M&S digital chief exits amid business boom August 20, 2023 The top dog behind Marks & Spencer’s digital growth is reportedly leaving the retailer just months after being promoted. Chief digital and technology officer Jeremy Pee, who landed the position in January, is understood to be leaving the business to return to Canada. According to a report in The Sunday Times, M&S’s co-chief executive officer [...]
Coca-Cola HBC faces questions over Russia operations August 20, 2023 Questions are being asked about the extent of Coca Cola HBC’s operations in Russia after a report suggested the firm has not fully withdrawn from the country despite pledging to do so. The London-listed firm, which is the European bottler for the Coca-Cola Company, said in March 2022 that it was suspending all operations in [...]
Wilko: ‘Genuine grounds for hope’ over future of troubled retailer as possible buyers circle August 18, 2023 There are “genuine grounds for hope” over the future of stricken retailer Wilko after interest from potential suitors, the GMB union has said. The retailer tumbled into administration last week, putting the future of its 400 shops and 12,500 workers at risk. Administrators from PwC swiftly sought offers from potentially interested firms which could save [...]
London Oxford Street to get new retail space near Tottenham Court Road’s Elizabeth Line with £70m GPE swoop August 18, 2023 London’s West End could be getting a new retail and office space, following the purchase of King Sloane Properties by Great Portland Estates for £70m. The acquisition means GPE get their hands on the freehold interests at 16/19 Soho Square, 29.43 Oxford Street 7 Falconberg Mews, from Belgravia & Chelsea Property Services Limited. Worth around [...]
July washout drags retail sales down 1.2 per cent as supermarkets and high street hit August 18, 2023 July’s awful weather dragged down UK retail sales by 1.2 per cent, as supermarkets suffered the most from the washout with Brits not splashing cash on food and clothes. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show retail sales volumes in July went down following a small rise of 0.6 in June, [...]
Women’s World Cup Final: Pubs ask to open at 10am and serve booze so England can get behind Lionesses August 17, 2023 Pub bosses have called on the government to loosen licensing rules for Sunday opening hours and alcohol sales for the Women’s World Cup final. The Lionesses will play Spain at 11am on Sunday August 20 in their first World Cup final, after beating hosts Australia on Wednesday. But industry bosses have warned that licensing rules [...]
Birkenstock UK profits stumble as brand preps for £8bn IPO August 17, 2023 Birkenstock’s UK arm reported a drop in profits for the year but its sales continued to soar. The German business, whose stripped-back shoes are sometimes called ‘Jesus Sandals’, said total turnover reached £34m in the year ended September 2022 up from £23m in the same period the prior year. Full year retail revenues also more [...]
Aldi on the hunt for 1,700 new staff members as demand for value goods grow August 17, 2023 Aldi is looking to hire 1,700 more warehouse staff this year as the grocery discounter steams ahead with its UK expansion plans. The German value retailer is ramping up the number of full-time and part-time positions at its Regional Distribution Centres and employees will be offered salaries of up to £53,000 per year. Its hiring [...]
UK high streets risk becoming ‘wastelands’ with 15,000 shops to shutter by 2025 August 16, 2023 Up to 15,000 shops could disappear from the UK’s high streets by the end of 2025, a new report has warned, as more and more consumers choose to online over in-store shopping. Data from the Local Data Company showed that between 2018 and 2022, over 41,000 stores opened and 79,000 stores closed, resulting in 37,700 [...]