High street recovery blown off course as footfall drops 6.1 per cent May 4, 2021 Wind and rain blew the high street recovery off course this week as footfall dropped 6.1 per cent, according to figures from retail insight company Springboard. The number of shoppers across all retail destinations fell by two per cent last week from the week before. Meanwhile, footfall rose by 2.8 per cent in shopping centres [...]
Exclusive: Four out of five on furlough consider switching to jobs they are overqualified for May 4, 2021 Four in five furloughed Brits are considering applying for jobs they are overqualified for if they cannot return to their existing employment. Some 62 per cent of respondents feared they would not have a job to return to after furlough, according to new research by consultancy firm NTT DATA UK, shared with City A.M. this [...]
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group launches £60m buying spree despite recent Covid setbacks May 4, 2021 Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has announced plans to spend £60m between now and and July despite warning less than a month ago that it would suffer a £200m hit from the Covid-19 pandemic. The company, which includes House of Fraser, Sports Direct, Evans Cycles and Jack Wills, among others, will start the buying spree later [...]
Travelodge to open 17 new hotels in 2021, creating 360 jobs May 4, 2021 Travelodge this morning announced that it will open 17 new hotels this year, creating 360 new jobs across its network. The new hotels mean that the firm will have a total of 597 venues across the UK, Ireland, and Spain. Two of the new hotels will be in London, with the rest spread around the [...]
Exclusive: EU’s biggest hemp producer sees profits grow 616 per cent in 2020 May 3, 2021 HempFlax saw its profits before tax skyrocket 616 per cent in 2020 to €659,000, as demand grew for its construction materials and CBD. The EU’s biggest hemp grower, headquartered in Holland, saw full year revenues up 43 per cent to €14.5m in 2020, with EBITDA increasing 63 per cent to €1.8m. The numbers were in [...]
Starbucks on hiring spree for 400 new jobs across UK as demand revives May 3, 2021 High Street giant Starbucks has launched a hiring spree for 400 roles as the coffee chain has been buoyed by the easing of pandemic restrictions. Positions will be available across almost 200 sites including city-centre, suburban high street and drive-thru locations as it builds its workforce to deal with higher demand. Starbucks, which currently employs [...]
Exclusive: A heavy metal drummer working to infuse rhythmic harmony into the payments space May 3, 2021 Meet Tom Cregan, a heavy metal drummer and martial arts enthusiast who is on a mission to infuse rhythmic harmony into the world of global payments. The managing director and CEO of digital payments giant EML’s favourite part of any day as chief executive is, what he calls, finding a ”1+1=5 moment” by thinking and [...]
Bargain bin: Topshop’s former Oxford Street site on sale for £420m May 2, 2021 For years it was the jewel in the crown of Sir Philip Green’s retail empire. But with the collapse of Arcadia last November, the former home of Topshop on Oxford Street is now on the market for a cool £420m. Marketing materials seen by The Times suggest the property will offer a “new age retail [...]
Thousands hit the dance floor in Liverpool to party like it’s 2019 May 1, 2021 Thousands of clubbers returned to the dance floor last night for a Covid safety pilot event in Liverpool that saw partygoers head to a nightclub mask-free and with no social distancing. Some 3,000 individuals turned out for the event, which took place at Circus nightclub in Liverpool, and required ticket holders to provide proof of [...]
Boom time for Boohoo: Online retail giant to unveil soaring lockdown sales April 30, 2021 Boohoo is expected to reveal a surge in sales as house-bound shoppers swapped dresses for jogging bottoms. The online retailer will also unveil the initial impact of its rescue deals for the Debenhams and three Arcadia brands – Dorothy Perkins, Burton and Wallis – which it snapped up earlier this year. Investors will be hopeful [...]