UKH Hacker Young sanctioned after Laura Ashley audits July 13, 2022 UKH Hacker Young has been “severely reprimanded” and slapped with a £350,000 fine by the accounting watchdog over its audit of Laura Ashley. The Financial Reporting Council has imposed serious sanctions on the firm for its audit of the fashion retailer for the 2018 and 2018 financial years. The retailer, which had 155 UK stores [...]
London-listed Computacenter snaps up Chicago retailer BITS which made £206m in profit last year July 13, 2022 Computacenter confirmed this afternoon the London-listed company has bought Business IT Source (BITS), a US reseller based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, around 45 minutes away from Chicago. The business has around 100 employees and reported $245m, or roughly £206m in profit last year. Earnings before interest and tax (Ebit) reached $8.9m, or £7.5m, in the [...]
Shares in shipping services giant Clarkson soar after reporting profits of no less than £42m July 13, 2022 Shares in FTSE 250 shipping services company Clarkson soared by 11 per cent today after the business said it had a “strong” opening to the year, and promised shareholders it would beat expectations in 2022. The company expects to report underlying pre-tax profit of no less than £42m in the six months to the end [...]
Topps Tiles refuses to ditch chairman Darren Shapland despite shareholder revolt July 13, 2022 Retailer Topps Tiles said this afternoon it stands by its chairman months after a significant number of shareholder votes were cast against his re-election. The bathroom and kitchen tile retailer said that Darren Shapland is effective in the role. In January only 78 per cent of shareholder votes were cast for him to continue as [...]
Costa Coffee boss swaps frappes for fries with McDonald’s move July 13, 2022 The boss of Costa Coffee will step down to take up a top job at McDonald’s shortly. Jill McDonald, who has headed the high street chain since 2019, will take up the role of executive vice president and president for the brand’s international operated markets team. The move will mark a homecoming for McDonald, who [...]
Loungers sees ‘no shift’ in bargoer spending behaviour despite recession fears July 13, 2022 Bar goers have shown no change in spending behaviour at Loungers and Cosy Club venues, according to boss Nick Collins. While consumer-facing firms have reported declining sales in recent months, Loungers said its recent trading had bucked the trend, with “nothing to suggest a cautious consumer.” “We have looked for it [signs of change], clearly [...]
Competition watchdog CMA launches probe into Morrisons takeover of McColl’s July 13, 2022 The CMA, the UK’s competition watchdog, confirmed this morning the launch of a ‘phase one’ investigation into Morrisons’ takeover of McColl’s. Bradford-based supermarket chain Morrisons snapped up McColl’s in a £190m rescue deal in May after the convenience chain collapsed into administration in light of soaring costs due to supply chain disruption, inflation and its [...]
JD Wetherspoon beer sales lag pre-Covid levels as recovery ‘more laborious than anticipated’ July 13, 2022 JD Wetherspoon has said sales of pints were eight per cent below pre-pandemic trading and it expects to post higher losses this year. While a “boom in pub sales” had been anticipated following the easing lockdown measures, recovery for many venues had been “slower and more laborious than was anticipated,” the budget pub chain said. [...]
Women’s Euro 2022: Brits to spend £175m on food and beer when Lionesses play N. Ireland on Friday July 12, 2022 Following the Lionesses’ historic 8-0 victory against Norway, Brits are catching football fever and are likely to spend almost £175m when England play Northern Ireland on Friday. Supporters will soak up the atmosphere of the Women’s Euro 2022 with 4.7m expected to tune in, with England already through to the quarter finals and N. Ireland, [...]
Boohoo follows in Zara’s footsteps with return fee for online orders July 12, 2022 Fast fashion retailer Boohoo has introduced a return fee of £1.99, following in the footsteps of Zara. The Manchester-based brand said it had made the decision because costs for retailers, including shipping, have increased considerably over the past few months. A Boohoo group spokesperson told The Mirror: “As the cost of shipping has increased, we’ve [...]