Exclusive: ‘Covid papered over many cracks which gave firms a false positive’, warns Leonard Curtis CEO September 20, 2022 City A.M. reported recently that millions of people across the UK are now struggling to make ends meet, with only one in ten saying they don’t have any financial concerns. And it’s not just individuals that are struggling: Rising bills are the biggest worry for UK businesses, with many concerned about the spiralling cost of [...]
Eve shares crash after sleep wellness brand further cash injection needed September 20, 2022 Mattress seller Eve Sleep has seen shares crash by almost 50 per cent after admitting it will need further funding in October. Shares were down 47.5 per cent on Tuesday morning, after the firm said shoppers had shunned big ticket items and homeware goods amid pressure on household budgets. While a number of indicative offers [...]
Multi-billion FTSE newcomer Haleon shows there is life after GSK September 20, 2022 The owner of popular health products such as Sensodyne and Panadol said this a.m. its revenues have jumped up by more than 13 per cent, to a record £5.2bn, during the first half of the year. Healthcare giant Haleon further reported a double-digit hike in profits in the group’s first-ever set of company results since [...]
Hospitality firms plead for urgent detail on energy support September 20, 2022 Pubs and restaurants are “still in the dark” about how energy support promised by the government will help them “to not only survive but thrive again.” Prime Minister Liz Truss is set to unveil more details about a six-month scheme to support businesses on Friday, after promising firms equivalent aid to an energy price cap [...]
B&Q owner Kingfisher profit nosedives 30 per cent amid economic gloom September 20, 2022 B&Q owner Kingfisher posted slumped profit in half-year results, with bosses citing an “exceptionally strong” comparable period last year. Operating profit was down 29.1 per cent, the DIY retailer highlighted, in results for the six months ended 31 July. Depleted sales came against a “backdrop of exceptionally strong” trading in the first-half of 2021, Thierry [...]
Mike Ashley to relinquish director role on Frasers’ board September 20, 2022 Frasers Group founder Mike Ashley will relinquish his role as a director on the Sports Direct owner’s board. Ashley will not be standing for re-election as a director at the high street giant’s Annual General Meeting, Frasers announced on Tuesday. The former CEO, who handed the reins of his retail empire over to son-in-law Michael [...]
1 in 3 high street businesses miss out on rates relief September 20, 2022 The Government failed to support a third of high street businesses in England promised a discount on their business rates bills, according to new data. Property specialists at Gerald Eve found that just 272,000 out of a promised 400,000 retailers, leisure and hospitality venues were able to claim a 50% discount on the commercial property tax announced [...]
Childcare costing parents up to 70 per cent of total pay with huge differences across UK September 19, 2022 Childcare in England, Scotland and Wales for children under the age of two is costing some parents more than half of one person’s weekly take-home pay. In fact, in some areas, this figure climbs to a staggering 70 per cent of parents take-home pay. The analysis was shared by Business in the Community, The Prince’s [...]
Hospitality hit ‘from both sides’ of energy price crisis as number of insolvent firms shoots up September 18, 2022 There has been a huge spike in the number of company insolvencies in the past year by 72 per cent, as hospitality bears the brunt of soaring energy bills. New figures from the Insolvency Service show pubs, bars and restaurants have been the worst affected, being “from both sides” by the cost of living crisis. [...]
Frasers bid for majority stake in Aussie fashion marketplace MySale rejected September 16, 2022 Frasers’ bid to become the largest shareholder in Australian fashion marketplace MySale has ben rejected. Mike Ashley’s fashion empire Frasers, which also owns Sports Direct, offered to buy a 28.7 per cent stake in the company at 2p per share in late June. The offer was the minimum price Frasers could have offered MySale, which [...]