Ocado CEO Tim Steiner: M&S products are more popular than Waitrose March 18, 2021 Ocado’s M&S products are favoured over the former Waitrose partnership products with customers, as the company enjoys a doubling of new registrations, the company’s chief executive said this morning. “The M&S product is more popular with our customers than the Waitrose products were,” chief executive Tim Steiner said during an investor call earlier this morning. [...]
Consumers to splash cash on haircuts and holidays – but retailers might have to wait longer for post-lockdown boom March 18, 2021 Consumers have big plans to spend when coronavirus restrictions are lifted, although retailers may have to wait until more vaccinations are rolled out before they benefit from a bounce back in trade. Brits are planning to spend more on holidays, haircuts and days out when the latest lockdown rules are eased, according to the latest [...]
Young’s lenders restrict pub chain’s dividend to £5m for next year March 17, 2021 Young’s has warned shareholders that its lenders have restricted the amount it can pay in dividends to £5m in the next financial year, as the pub chain outlined its reopening plans. The company said it had agreed with Natwest and the holder of its senior secured notes that any shareholder payouts will not go above [...]
British fashion brand Ralph & Russo enters administration after Covid hits sales March 17, 2021 British luxury fashion brand Ralph & Russo has collapsed into administration after the coronavirus pandemic decimated sales. Ralph & Russo has appointed Begbies Traynor and Quantuma as administrators to investigate “all possible options” for the company. In a statement this afternoon, the company’s co-founder Tamara Ralph said trading conditions during the pandemic had put “tremendous [...]
Dija acquires Genie in bid to expand 10-minute delivery service March 17, 2021 London-based grocery delivery startup Dija has acquired Cambridge startup Genie as it expands its service across the UK. Dija, which was founded by former Deliveroo executives, launched earlier this month and promises to deliver groceries within 10 minutes. It is the latest player to join the ever-expanding food delivery space and already has four warehouse [...]
I moved to an island paradise during the pandemic: You can too March 17, 2021 Like many others, the pandemic changed my outlook on life. I found myself looking at the same four walls every day with no boundaries separating work and home life. My wife and I were juggling our careers and home-schooling, it was a precarious circus act and we had to work hard at making sure all [...]
SSP plots £475m rights issue to patch up battered balance sheet March 17, 2021 Upper Crust owner SSP today said that it would raise £475m through a rights issue to shore up its battered finances amid the ongoing pandemic. The travel food provider announced the raise as part of a suite of measures to tackle problems on its ailing balance sheet, warning that revenue would not return to pre-pandemic [...]
Hostelworld revenues plummet as bookings collapse March 17, 2021 Hostelworld saw its revenues collapse last year as the coronavirus pandemic put paid to booking volumes at the budget holiday firm. The company said that net bookings had fallen nearly four-fifths during the year, sinking its revenue from €80.7m to €15.4m. The fall meant the firm swung to an earnings loss of €17.3m, down from [...]
Government should crack down on Uighur forced labour in business supply chains, MPs say March 17, 2021 The government should toughen its anti-slavery measures to ensure that forced labour plays no part in the supply chains of major businesses, MPs have said. A report from the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) committee said that there was “compelling evidence” that major retail, media, and fashion companies are “complicit” in the forced labour [...]
Corona Impact Series: How a small Wandsworth womenswear boutique embraced click-and-collect March 16, 2021 In this series, City A.M. looks at the financial and economic impact of the ongoing pandemic on a range of small and medium-sized businesses across London. This week: how a small Wandsworth womenswear boutique is bouncing back from the third lockdown thanks to the world wide web. Pre-pandemic, independent stores were thriving – popping up on local high [...]