Ex JD Sports’ boss Peter Cowgill makes retail return with top job at The Fragrance Shop November 23, 2022 Former head of JD Sports Peter Cowgill has been named by online perfume seller The Fragrance Shop as its new chairman. Cowgill departed the sneaker seller earlier this year after a slew of controversies, following decades at the helm of the retailer. He is to take on the job of non-executive chairman immediately, as the [...]
Simpson’s Tavern raises £100k in crowd-fund amid ‘fight to preserve history’ November 23, 2022 The Simpson’s Tavern has raised £100,000 from public donations, amid a battle to save the City chophouse. Simpson’s, known as a City institution, was served with a winding up petition as a result of rent arrears accrued during the pandemic. Its general manager Benjamin Duggan launched a fund-raising campaign in a bid to save the [...]
Halfords focusing on offering shoppers more essentials as they slash discretionary spending November 23, 2022 Halfords must transform into offering more essential products as shoppers trim back discretionary purchases, bosses said on Wednesday morning. The cycling specialist said that a switch-up to selling more “needs-based” items was key as the firm must become less “reliant and exposed to the volatility of more discretionary product markets.” It warned it was expecting [...]
Pets At Home: Animal ownership ‘not just Covid trend’ as profit slips November 23, 2022 The chief of Pets At Home has said pet owners are keen to treat their animals still, as the FTSE 250 firm posts subdued profit before tax. In interim results, the London-listed business posted underlying profit before tax of £59.2m, some 9.3 per cent below its previous half-year sum of £65.3m. Profit slipped due to [...]
Shoppers set to fork out more than last year on Black Friday buys November 23, 2022 Shoppers are set to splash more cash on Black Friday purchases this year, despite cost of living pressures. Consumers will fork out seven per cent more for the shopping occasion, which falls amid a rare winter World Cup tournament, estimates from Nationwide have revealed. The building society forecast that its members would spend more than [...]
New Bond St second priciest shopping street in Europe as West End hopes for Christmas rebound November 23, 2022 New Bond St has been dubbed as the second most expensive shopping street in Europe, missing out the top spot to Milan’s Via Montenapoleone. The new rankings from real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield show a robust landscape for retail real estate, despite a torrid few years due to Covid. New Bond St boasts [...]
Rail strike action will hit those Lynch claims to care about the hardest November 22, 2022 In days past, newspapers had a tried-and-tested way of covering rail strikes. The key element was the photo spread of suit-and-tie workers in unusual situations – perhaps one had got the boat in for the first time, or cycled in on their child’s bike. Combine that with a few snaps of Wimbledon-esque queues to get [...]
Cost of living crisis shocks AO World as electrical retailer’s losses swell November 22, 2022 Electricals retailer AO World has been shaken by the cost of living crisis sweeping the UK in recent months, as its revenue plunges and losses take hold. The London-listed company had already rolled out a streamlining operation, including shutting up shop in Germany, in a bid to slash overheads and shield revenue from rising inflation [...]
Union bosses warn of cash shortages at supermarkets as G4S workers vote to strike November 22, 2022 Some 1,200 cash and coin delivery workers employed by G4S are set to walk out, with union bosses warning of shortages at Tesco shops and JD Wetherspoon pubs. Union GMB said this would mark the first ever industrial action for G4S workers, with a strike set to begin at 3am on Monday 4 December. Some [...]
£4bn takeover of HomeServe set for early 2023 as profit rises for repairs firm November 22, 2022 A £4.1bn takeover of repairs firm HomeServe by a Canadian suitor is on track to be completed by early 2023 at the latest. The pipe-fixing company has been snapped up by Bidco, a subsidiary of Canadian company Brookfield Infrastructure funds. HomeServe said all necessary regulatory and competition approvals have now been obtained in the UK [...]