Ex-Greene King boss raises £200m to invest in struggling pub companies January 19, 2021 The former boss of Greene King Rooney Anand has secured £200m in investment to pump into the UK’s struggling pubs sector. Anand, who stepped down as chief executive of Greene King in 2019 after 15 years with the chain, is planning to make a number of acquisitions in the coming months, Sky News reported. The [...]
More than 700 high street jobs axed as Arcadia closes 31 stores January 19, 2021 Administrators to Sir Philip Green’s collapsed retail empire Arcadia are planning to close a further 31 stores by the end of this month, resulting in more than 700 job losses. The majority of the branches set to close are Outfit stores, which sold a range of Arcadia brands including Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge. City [...]
Pubs left in the dark again as government fails to deliver thousands of lifeline grants January 19, 2021 The British Beer and Pub Association has today revealed that 3 in 4 wet-led pubs have still not received the Christmas grant promised to them by Boris Johnson. The Prime Minister personally announced the £1,000 one-off payment at the start of December to help drink-driven pubs that were forced to close during Christmas. However, as [...]
Deliveroo appoints Next boss Simon Wolfson to board January 19, 2021 Deliveroo has appointed Next chief executive Lord Simon Wolfson to its board as a non-executive director. Wolfson, who has led the high street fashion chain since 2001, took up the role this week. It comes as the food delivery platform gears up for what could be the largest initial public offering of the year. Deliveroo [...]
Hammerson receives less than half its rent as retailers grapple with Covid January 19, 2021 Hammerson received less than half of the rents due for the first quarter of 2021, as retailers struggled in the face of coronavirus restrictions across the UK and most of Europe. At a group level, 41 per cent of Q1 2021 rent due has been received by Hammerson, with the UK collecting 41 per cent, [...]
AO World revenue surges on demand for electrical goods over Christmas January 19, 2021 AO World reported significant revenue growth in the third quarter after strong demand for electrical goods in the run-up to Christmas. The online electrical retailer reported UK revenue growth of 67.2 per cent to £457.3m, while German sales jumped 77.4 per cent to €73.6m. The company, which sells washing machines, fridges, TVs and laptops, has [...]
Superdry woes continue as it flags going concern doubts January 19, 2021 Embattled retailer Superdry has flagged going concern doubts after lockdown took another hit to its revenue. Superdry’s underlying losses before tax widened to £10.6m from £2.3m in the same period the previous year. Superdry’s share price plunged more than 11 per cent to 213.40p this morning. It came as revenue plunged 23.4 per cent to [...]
Home cooking drives ‘exceptional’ year-end for Mr Kipling owner Premier Foods January 19, 2021 Sales at Premier Foods were up nine per cent in the final quarter of 2020, and 12.5 per cent year-on-year, shrugging off pandemic worries. The business, which owns brands Mr Kipling, Bisto and Oxo, saw branded sales up more than 12 per cent this quarter, and 16 per cent year-on-year, driven in part by lockdown [...]
Hotel Chocolat celebrates sweet six months despite Covid-19 January 19, 2021 Hotel Chocolat has defied pandemic challenges and boosted its revenue in the 26-week period ending 27 December. Total group revenue for the period increased 11 per cent year-on-year, as the group pivoted to online sales to offset the impact of pandemic restrictions. The end of the year was particularly tasty for the chocolate retailer, with [...]
Matalan ‘very cautious’ over impact of latest lockdown as Christmas sales drop January 18, 2021 Budget fashion retailer Matalan warned that it is “very cautious” about the coming months due to the ongoing impact of coronavirus, as it announced a drop in sales over the crucial Christmas trading period. In the five weeks to 2 January, total UK revenue was £119.2m, down from £134.3m in the previous year, as the [...]