Angling Direct reels in bumper results as pandemic fuels fishing frenzy May 11, 2021 Angling Direct today reported a sharp increase in revenue for the full year after Brits flocked to fishing during coronavirus lockdowns. The specialist fishing tackle and equipment retailer posted revenue of £67.6m in the year to the end of January, up more than 27 per cent on the previous 12 months. The Aim-listed firm also [...]
Joules expects to beat profit and sales forecasts after PM confirms further lockdown lifting May 11, 2021 Fashion retailer Joules this morning said it expects to beat profit and revenue forecasts for this year following the confirmation that coronavirus restrictions will ease further next week. The brand said revenue and profit before tax before exceptional items will come in higher than the current analyst consensus of £187m and £4.1m respectively. It said [...]
Nightclubs ask Boris Johnson why hugs, but not clubs? May 10, 2021 Nightclubs ask Boris Johnson why hugs, but not clubs?
SoftBank subsidiary takes $2.33bn stake in The Hut Group May 10, 2021 SB Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group, has partnered with The Hut Group, in a deal that will see it take a stake worth a total $2.33bn in the online retailer. The deal will see SBM will take a 19.9 per cent stake in THG’s Ingenuity business, a subsidiary business and tech [...]
Landlords vs retailers: What the New Look legal case means for future of CVAs May 10, 2021 New Look today defeated a legal challenge to its restructuring plan by a group of its landlords in a landmark case that experts say will clear the way for other retailers to use Company Voluntary Arrangements to combat the impact of the pandemic. The ruling is likely to deepen tensions between tenants and landlords, as [...]
Rain dampens high street recovery as footfall drops 4.1 per cent May 10, 2021 Footfall in UK retail destinations fell 4.1 per cent last week from the week before, as wind and rain persuaded shoppers to stay home for another week. The number of high street shoppers fell 6.6 per cent last week, according to the latest data from retail insight company Springboard, while footfall in shopping centres and [...]
Secondary fundraising by retailers nears £2bn as firms eye M&A opportunities May 10, 2021 Listed retail companies have raised nearly £2bn in the past year as they sought to strengthen their balance sheets amid the pandemic. Now, they are starting to eye M&A opportunities. In recent years, listed firms in the UK have relied less on the public markets with private equity firms often considered a more attractive option. [...]
New Look landlords lose legal battle against retailer’s restructuring plan May 10, 2021 New Look landlords have today lost their legal battle against the high street retailer’s restructuring plan. The High Court ruled against the group of landlords that had challenged New Look’s company voluntary arrangement. The retailer launched its second CVA within two years last September after its sales suffered during the coronavirus pandemic. New Look’s proposal [...]
Travelodge’s interim chief executive Craig Bonnar secures permanent role May 10, 2021 Travelodge has appointed Craig Bonnar as its new chief executive, six months after former boss Peter Gowers stepped down. Bonnar took the reins as interim boss at the start of the year having previously served as Travelodge’s chief operating officer since January 2017. Gowers resigned last November following the conclusion of a dispute with its [...]
Hotel Chocolat to return furlough money after Easter and Mother’s Day sales beat pre-Covid levels May 10, 2021 Hotel Chocolat has pledged to return furlough money to the government after sales soared despite the closure of the British chocolatier’s stores during lockdown. The firm said this morning that revenue for the eight weeks ended 25 April- which included Mother’s Day and Easter – was 19 per cent higher than the comparable period in [...]