Tesco completes £8bn Malaysia and Thailand business sale prompting £5bn shareholder windfall December 18, 2020 Tesco has completed the £8bn sale of its Thailand and Malaysia businesses and is gearing up to pay a £5bn special dividend to shareholders. The supermarket announced this morning that the division’s have been acquired by C.P. Retail Development Company, which is backed by Charoen Pokphand Group, CP All Public Company and Charoen Pokphand Foods. [...]
Hammerson seeks secondary Irish listing amid Brexit worries December 18, 2020 European shopping centre owner, Hammerson has sought admission to Dublin's stock exchange to maintain access to the European market.
Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group slams current Covid tier system December 18, 2020 Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group has warned that the current coronavirus tiering system in England will have a significant negative impact on the firm and the wider hospitality industry. Shares in Restaurant Group, which also owns Frankie & Benny’s, dipped more than four per cent this morning after it announced that more than 60 per [...]
Franco Manca owner on a bargain hunt despite revenue hit December 18, 2020 Restaurant group Fulham Shore is on a bargain hunt for expansion sites despite a 44 per cent fall in revenues in the six months to September. The group, which operates more than fifty Franco Manca pizza restaurants and 19 The Real Greek outlets, saw revenues fall from £36m in 2019 to £19.9m as lockdowns took [...]
Retail sales dip in November as lockdowns bite December 18, 2020 Retail sales remained above their pre-pandemic levels in November despite a month-on-month fall, new figures reveal. The closely watched retail sales figures from the Office for National Statistics show a 3.8 per cent drop in November compared to October, with many stores particularly in England forced to close for much of the month. Online retailing [...]
Nation of beer drinkers: Brits spend extra £2.1bn on booze in lockdown December 18, 2020 Booze-drinking Brits spent an extra £2.1bn on alcoholic beverages this year as they stocked up on lager, wine and spirits while pubs were closed during lockdown. Despite its name, Corona was one of the lager brands to toast the largest growth, with sales up £68m compared to last year. Lager was the fastest growing drink [...]
Nightclub operator Deltic rescued by Danish bar group, saving 1,300 jobs December 17, 2020 Nightclub operator Deltic, which owns the Pryzm and Atik chains, has been bought out of administration by Danish group Rekom, in a deal that is expected to save more than 1,300 jobs. Around 10 Deltic venues are expected to close, while 42 will reopen when restrictions on nightlife are lifted. Peter Marks, the current chief [...]
Revolution Bars Group blames UK government’s ‘scandalous’ and ‘inept’ decisions for £31.7m losses December 17, 2020 Revolution Bars Group recorded pre-tax losses of £31.7m for their preliminary yearly results, following a tough year for the hospitality industry. However, the company laid scathing criticisms for its losses on the door-step of the government. ”The UK government’s actions towards wet-led bars and late-night hospitality are nothing short of scandalous. It has little evidence [...]
Asda ramps up partnerships strategy with Accessorize and Decathlon trials December 17, 2020 High street chains Accessorize and Decathlon have launched trials with Asda to sell products in supermarket stores, as retailers seek to adapt to new consumer shopping trends that have formed during the pandemic. Fashion and jewellery brand Accessorize will sell its products in an Asda West Midlands store as part of a “test and learn” [...]
Upper Crust owner SSP swings to huge loss as travel restrictions continue December 17, 2020 Upper Crust owner SSP swung to a huge loss this year as the travel food operator’s sales suffered a sharp drop due to a reduction in passenger numbers. Profit plunged from £197.2m in 2019 to a loss of £425.8m in the year ended 30 September as the impact of coronavirus restrictions hurt sales. SSP reported [...]