Paco Rabanne: Fashion designer dies aged 88 February 3, 2023 Spanish fashion designer Paco Rabanne has died at the age of 88, it has been announced. Rabanne, whose real name was Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo, founded the renowned fashion house named after him in 1966. Alongside French designers Pierre Cardin and Andre Courreges, he helped upset the status quo of Paris fashion of the time, earning [...]
Dragons’ Den-inspired Social Chain media agency that works with Amazon and TikTok sold for £7.7m February 3, 2023 Social Chain, the social media agency founded by Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett, is to be sold in a deal worth at least £7.7 million. Social and digital media group Brave Bison announced on Friday that it had struck a deal to buy Social Chain. Mr Bartlett, who is a Dragon on the BBC show [...]
Soaring cost of living leaves service sector at its weakest in two years, but recession fears fail to blight UK business optimism February 3, 2023 The UK’s service sector saw business activity at the start of 2023 decline for the fourth consecutive month, with the weakest performance for two years. The S&P Global/CIPS UK services PMI survey showed a reading of 48.7 in January, down from 49.9 in December; any reading below 50 is considered a decline. Although only marginal, [...]
‘No plans to do this at the moment’: Superdry boss plays down bid to go private February 2, 2023 Superdry’s chief executive Julian Dunkerton has reassured investors he has “no plans to do this at the moment”. The CEO said he was reserving the right to participate in an offer, were it to materialise within the next six months. The comments come after reports emerged in early December that Dunkerton was mulling a potential buyout, [...]
London restaurants: Outlook ‘bleak’ as insolvencies mount across the industry February 1, 2023 London restaurateurs have described the outlook for the sector as ‘bleak’ after research has revealed that the number of hospitality businesses going bust has jumped by 65 per cent in the last year. The figures, which were released by accountancy firm Price Bailey, show that 1,880 British restaurant businesses became insolvent in 2022, compared to [...]
Khan’s call to re-introduce VAT-free shopping backed by retailers who claim it would lure 1.5 million more tourists to London February 1, 2023 Kay Buxton, chief executive of Marble Arch London BID, said that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt “missed a trick” at the last Budget by not reintroducing tax-free shopping, noting that the move could have increased spending by £2.1bn.
H&M axes four UK stores outside London as retailer warned it needs to ‘raise its game’ to differentiate from rival fashion chains February 1, 2023 H&M has announced plans to shutter four of its stores across the UK due to a “rapid change” in customer behaviour. None of the fashion retailers’ London sites have been impacted by the move, however stores in Hartlepool, Maidenhead, Newport in Isle of Wight and Burton are set to close. A spokesperson for H&M UK [...]
Ladbrokes and Coral owner Entain gambles on men’s World Cup boosting its earnings February 1, 2023 Entain, the gambling giant behind Ladbrokes and Coral, has raised it earnings guidance after a strong final quarter of 2022. The sports betting and gaming group said net gaming revenues increased by 11 per cent in the quarter to December 31, compared with a year earlier, as it witnessed a “record” number of active customers. [...]
Tesco buys Paperchase brand but over 800 jobs remain at risk January 31, 2023 Tesco has purchased the brand and intellectual property of Paperchase, the supermarket has confirmed, after the embattled stationary company collapsed into administration this morning. However, it has not acquired the chain’s 106 physical stores across the UK and Ireland, leaving 820 jobs at risk. The supermarket will now sell its products in its UK stores. [...]
Paperchase: Struggling stationery chain expected to appoint administrators today – reports January 31, 2023 Paperchase, the high street stationery retailer, is believed to be on the verge of appointing administrators. The chain store’s parent company is reportedly in the process of bringing in insolvency practitioners from Begbies Traynor, according to Sky News. Paperchase’s shareholders are still holding out for a buyer but rumours are they are looking for a [...]