Supermarket sellout: After Morrisons, private equity firms are circling Sainsbury’s August 23, 2021 Private equity companies are circling British supermarket group Sainsbury’s with a view to possibly launching bids of more than £7bn. Watch the full report.
JD.com revenue jumps as pandemic boosts online shopping August 23, 2021 Chinese retailer JD.com has beaten expectations for second-quarter sales as the pandemic continues to drive up demand for online shopping. The tech giant reported a 26 per cent rise in net revenue to 253.8bn yuan (£28.6bn) in the three months to the end of June, beating analyst consensus of 249.27bn yuan. Sales in its product [...]
Currys PC World launches flexible mobile plan amid brand overhaul August 23, 2021 Currys PC World is looking to win over customers with a focus on flexibility as it launches a new mobile offering amid a major brand overhaul by owner Dixons Carphone. The retailer today unveiled a new mobile offer allowing customers to build their own package of handsets, data and minutes, as well as bundling together [...]
Jamie Oliver Group revenues fell 20 per cent last year amid lockdown August 21, 2021 Turnover at the Jamie Oliver Group fell by 19.7 per cent to £30m as the company felt the force of the pandemic and lockdowns, according to reports. Pre-tax profits for the group, made up of Jamie Oliver Holdings and Jamie Oliver Licensing, fell by 41.2 per cent to £4.9m according to The Times. The Holdings [...]
The award for London’s least hygienic borough to eat goes to… August 21, 2021 Waltham Forest is the most unhygienic London borough in which to eat, according to new research shared with City A.M. this afternoon. The area tops the list as London’s least hygienic borough for food as 13.2 per cent of its businesses received a rating of 2, meaning improvements are necessary, while 1 which means major [...]
Morrisons’ messy and dramatic takeover battle: Where are we now? August 20, 2021 Morrisons agreed a £7bn offer late last night in the latest twist in the UK supermarket chain’s dramatic takeover battle. Shares jumped this morning after investors digested the new deal from US private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). It comes weeks after a rival bidder, a consortium led by private equity rival Fortress, [...]
Happy investors: M&S shares jump after lifting full-year profit forecast August 20, 2021 British high street staple Marks & Spencer has lifted its profit guidance to around £350m for the year as its sales have begun to recover, inching towards its pre-pandemic recordings. The upbeat trading update seemingly left investors with a fresh bout of confidence in the retail heavyweight, as M&S shares jumped by 11.14 per [...]
Former boss of designer shoe brand worn by Meghan jailed for four years for £500k expenses scam August 20, 2021 The former boss of a designer shoe brand worn by the Duchess of Sussex has been jailed for more than four years after falsely claiming £500,000 in expenses. Roy Luwolt, 38, earned £150,000 a year as the self-styled co-founder and managing director of Malone Souliers, whose luxury footwear has been sported by celebrities including Meghan, [...]
Bidding war for Morrisons heats up as US private equity giant makes £7bn move August 20, 2021 A fresh £7bn bid for supermarket chain Morrisons has been put forward by US private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). The deal has been unanimously accepted by the board of the grocer and directors have said shareholders should vote in favour of the takeover at a meeting due in early October. It means [...]
Britain 2030: Writing off the high street is unambitious; its future is bespoke, local and community-driven August 20, 2021 After years of decline, the Covid-19 pandemic further hammered the high street, leading to boarded up shops and mass job losses, and some to declare the high street “dead”. But writing off the high street could prove to be unambitious, as, with the help of local government and private stakeholders, the post-pandemic high street could [...]