Oxford Circus to be transformed into two pedestrian-friendly piazzas June 17, 2021 Oxford Circus will be transformed into a two pedestrian-friendly piazzas in a plan that should also improve access to Oxford Circus tube station and create a greener space in Central London. Work in the area will begin later this year, and will be delivered through a phased approach, starting with two ‘car free’ piazzas on [...]
Dr Martens pays back furlough money after pandemic sales surge June 17, 2021 Dr Martens has handed back money borrowed under the Covid furlough scheme after reporting strong revenue growth in its first results as a publicly-listed company. The British bookmaker said it received £1.3m under the government’s job retention scheme in the early part of the pandemic, but had since returned the funds. It came as the [...]
Online bathroom retailer Victorian Plumbing to secure £850m value via IPO June 17, 2021 Victorian Plumbing will float on the alternative investment market (AIM) later this month, in a move expected to give the online retailer of bathroom products and accessories a value of £850m. The placing of new shares is expected to raise gross proceeds of £11.6m for the company, while the placing of sale shares is expected [...]
Simply Be brand owner N Brown signs up Amanda Holden and Davina McCall for some celebrity firepower June 17, 2021 Retailer N Brown has leaned heavily on its core brands in the last few months as the business signed up Amanda Holden and Davina McCall to provide some celebrity firepower. The business said that its five core brands, Jacamo, Simply Be, JD Williams, Ambrose Wilson and Home Essentials saw revenue grow by 15 per cent [...]
‘We keep getting crushed’ – hospitality reacts to Covid news June 16, 2021 News this week that Covid restrictions will not fully end on 21 June as previously planned has come as a fresh blow to the embattled hospitality industry. While bar and restaurant owners were hoping to capitalise on the combination of the good weather and Euros, they are now they are back in survival mode. We [...]
CMA clears Issa brothers’ Asda takeover after accepting petrol station sale June 16, 2021 The UK’s competition authority has today cleared the way for the Issa brothers’ £6.8bn takeover of supermarket Asda after accepting their offer to sell off 27 petrol stations. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had launched a probe into the deal in April due to fears that acquisition could increase petrol prices for motorists. The [...]
Made.com shares fall after £775m London IPO June 16, 2021 Shares in Made.com fell in their debut this morning after the furniture retailer listed in a £775m London initial public offering. The online furniture brand, which has enjoyed rapid sales growth during the pandemic, set its offer price at 200p per share. This will give the company a market capitalisation of roughly £775m. It was [...]
Debenhams could return to the high street to land beauty deals for Boohoo June 16, 2021 Boohoo is reportedly in talks about opening a Debenhams store to land deals with beauty and cosmetic brands that want to operate with a physical presence. Boohoo chief executive John Lyttle told The Times that if the talks came to fruition one small Debenhams store would return to a high street just outside of London. [...]
Electra Private Equity passes TGI Fridays on to London’s Hostmore in demerger June 16, 2021 Electra Private Equity, the company behind TGI Fridays, has confirmed this morning that new holding company Hostmore will be taking over the American diner brand. Taking place in the third quarter of this year, London-based Hostmore will also bag cocktail bar 63rd+1st in the demerger. In the four weeks since restrictions lifted on 17 May, [...]
€229m drop in April: Imports from Britain to Ireland continue downward slope June 15, 2021 Irish imports from Great Britain in April decreased 20 per cent from a year ago. Imports have continually fallen since Brexit, according to a Bloomberg report. Ireland’s statistics office today reported imports from Britain fell by €229m compared with April 2020. The greatest decreases were in the imports of “Food and live animals” and “Chemicals and related products”. Goods [...]