Brexit: Hospitality sector slams Government’s decision to exclude overseas restaurant and bar workers in shortage occupancy lists March 17, 2023 Hospitality figures have described the government’s decision to not include overseas restaurant and bar workers in its shortage occupation list as “disappointing” as the sector claims that ongoing labour shortages are “crippling” businesses. “Ongoing labour shortages are crippling hospitality businesses, forcing them to reduce their hours and costing the industry billions in lost trade,” Kate [...]
Explainer: Why Waitrose is no longer the jewel in the John Lewis crown and how the group’s future may lie in property, not produce March 17, 2023 Times are tough for John Lewis as chair Sharon White admitted when the high street stalwart this week announced it had made a £234m loss in 2022. The sum was worse than market expectations and marked the second year the upmarket retailer had gone into the red. In a sympathetic letter addressed to the company’s [...]
John Lewis blames ‘pain of inflation’ for £234m loss and admits it will not be paying partner bonuses March 16, 2023 John Lewis Partnership has blamed shoppers feeling the “pain of inflation” and a write down in the value of its Waitrose stores for its second year of losses in a row. For the year ending January, the middle class favourite, which owns John Lewis department stores and grocery chain Waitrose, posted a loss of £234m [...]
Deliveroo shares slide as £1.9bn reported revenue fails to bolster market confidence in food delivery favourite March 16, 2023 Deliveroo shares have continued to pedal downwards this morning as investors struggle to regain confidence in the brand following its decision to slash some 350 job roles and disastrous IPO listing. It comes as the food delivery group, which has seen its share price fall consecutively over the past 12 months due to tough market [...]
Rail strikes: Hospitality says it has lost £3bn as it becomes ‘collateral damage’ in rail dispute March 16, 2023 London retail and hospitality bodies have said that the sector is “suffering” due to ongoing tube strikes as the disruptions continue to take a large bite out of the sector’s earnings. As Tube and rail strikes grind London to a halt this week, trade body UKHospitality has claimed that pub and restaurant businesses are expected [...]
Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury benefits as Brits turn to books as affordable treat in cost of living crunch March 15, 2023 People turning increasingly to books as an affordable hobby in the cost-of-living crisis has helped Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury hike its full-year profit outlook. The group – which is also the publisher behind Bake Off star Paul Hollywood’s latest cookbook Bake – said it was seeing surging demand for titles in print, ebook and audio, [...]
John Lewis annual partner bonus ‘at risk’ as middle class favourite takes on first CEO and faces down talk of pre-tax loss March 15, 2023 John Lewis has drafted in its first chief executive as chairman Sharon White looks to get another pair off hands on deck to help the retail group ahead of its trading update tomorrow. John Lewis Partnership, which oversees the management of department store John Lewis and upmarket grocery chain Waitrose, has appointed retail veteran Nish [...]
Zara owner sees sales soar to £28.8bn as young shoppers shrug off cost of living crisis to splash cash on latest trends March 15, 2023 The owner of high street fashion chain Zara said young shoppers remained to spend cash on the latest trends despite rising inflation and the cost of living crisis. Inditex, which also owns popular brands such as Pull&Bear and Bershka, reported a sales growth of €32.6bn (£28.8bn) up 17.5 per cent from the same period last [...]
Retail: Employment figures slump to new lows with 150,000 jobs predicted to go by end of the year March 14, 2023 Retailers were cautious about hiring extra workers in the run up to Christmas, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has claimed after ONS figures show that the number of roles were down 14,000 year on year in the last leg of 2022. “Low consumer confidence and falling sales volumes meant many retailers were more cautious in [...]
Sainsbury’s forks out £431m to buy 21 store freeholds as it looks to dump lease liabilities March 14, 2023 Sainsbury’s has secured a £430.9m deal to buy the freeholds of 21 supermarkets from real estate investment group Supermarket REIT. The grocery chain has acquired the remaining 51 per cent stake it did not already own in the Highbury and Dragon investment – which is a portfolio of stores Sainsbury’s acquired a 49 per cent [...]