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 [...]
Carlsberg ‘shocked’ at Russian capture of business August 16, 2023 The chief executive of Carlsberg has described his “shock” over Russia’s seizure of its business after the brewer left the territory. Last month, Russia took control of the beer maker’s eight breweries and 8,400 employees in the country after it closed a sale of the business to an undisclosed buyer. “We have known from the [...]
Lionesses’ win sees punters splurge £18.9m on drinks in the pub August 16, 2023 Footie fans flocking to the pub to support England’s win in the Women’s World Cup semi final against Australia were forecast to spend £18.9m on drinks in hospitality venues across the UK, a study has shown, in a welcomed boost to the sector. Total spending across the two stages of the semi-final rounds – including [...]
‘Disastrous’: London airports slam UK Government’s tourist tax August 16, 2023 Bosses at three leading UK airports have warned the government that its so-called ‘tourist tax’ is already making Britain a less appealing tourist destination. Senior figures at London City, Heathrow and Gatwick argued that the return of airside VAT-free shopping would be critical for the sector to finally shake-off Covid-19 and keep pace with international [...]
Australia v England: 2023 Women’s World Cup sees major rise in female gamblers August 16, 2023 As England take on Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-final this morning, new gambling data reveals that more women are betting on football. Bookmakers Ladbrokes and Coral report that 21 per cent of bets on England’s group stage games were made by women, up from 13 per cent at the last Women’s World Cup [...]
Harrods hails rise in profit as iconic London store recovers from pandemic lull August 15, 2023 Harrods, the world famous department store in Knightsbridge, recorded a profit for the year ending January 2023, as the iconic London shop fully rebounded from the pandemic lull. Luxury shoppers keen to blow their cash in the capital helped hike operating profits at Harrods to £202.7m up from a weak £71.4m the prior year. The [...]