Boohoo hires retired judge Leveson to oversee supply chain revamp November 26, 2020 Boohoo has appointed retired judge Brian Leveson, who handled the Leveson inquiry, to independently check its drive to improve its supply chain and business practices. In September an independent review found several failings in the online fashion retailer’s supply chain in England, after allegations about working conditions and low pay. The review then set out [...]
All Bar One and Toby Carvery owner cuts 1,300 jobs as Covid-19 pushes it to annual loss November 26, 2020 Pub chain Mitchells & Butlers has cut 1,300 jobs this year having made a £123m loss in the last year. The group, which owns cocktail bar All Bar One and Toby Carvery, said it could no longer support the employees due to store closures and reduced levels of activity because of the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier [...]
Fuller’s loses £22m in six months following coronavirus restrictions November 26, 2020 Brewery and pub chain Fuller’s made a £22m loss before tax in the six months to 26 September, following coronavirus restrictions that meant the business lost 66% of trading weeks. The business made £45.6m in revenue in the six months, down from £167.1m during the same period last year. From the end of July to [...]
Pubs beg for emergency support for ‘scapegoated’ sector November 25, 2020 Over fifty of the country’s pubs and brewers have written to Boris Johnson to beg for emergency support amid the “darkest of moments” for the sector. They warned that unless the government changed its guidance, or provided extra funding, “the focal point of countless communities in every region of the UK could be lost forever”. [...]
B&Q owner Kingfisher acquires trade services platform to roll out to UK stores November 25, 2020 B&Q owner Kingfisher has acquired home improvement services firm Needhelp for €10m, with plans to roll the platform out in the UK. The company said today that it has taken an 80 per cent stake in the company as it seeks to ramp up its mobile and digital services. Needhelp founder Guillaume de Kergariou will [...]
Franco Manca owner The Fulham Shore to open new sites in vote of confidence for London’s restaurant sector November 25, 2020 Franco Manca owner The Fulham Shore is opening new London restaurants in a vote of confidence in the capital’s hospitality sector despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The company said today that it launched a Franco Manca restaurant in Waterloo in September that had traded well before the most recent lockdown, despite lower than [...]
Hoxton hotel chain Ennismore to merge with Ibis owner Accor November 25, 2020 Ennismore, the owner of London hotel chain Hoxton, is planning to merge with Accor, the parent company of Ibis, Novotel and Mercure, in further consolidation for the struggling travel and tourism industry. The companies announced an all-share merger which is expected to create cost synergies of €15m a year, while the deconsolidation of existing leases [...]
Deliveroo appoints new chair ahead of rumoured public listing November 25, 2020 Takeaway delivery app Deliveroo has appointed Claudia Arney as the company’s first chair, as the business heads for change in 2021. The move comes as Deliveroo prepares to pursue a rumoured public listing in the coming months. Arney has worked in executive roles primarily focused on building digital businesses including at Pearson, The Financial Times, [...]
New Covid rules are a ‘disaster’ for hospitality, based on non-existent data, says D&D London boss November 24, 2020 The head of restaurant group D&D London has slammed the new government Covid restrictions, calling them a “disaster” and a “kick in the teeth” for the hospitality sector. Des Gunewardena writes in an exclusive column for City A.M. that the government is failing to back up its new regulations, which place tough restrictions on bars [...]
Leadenhall Market tenants offered turnover-based rents to see them through Covid-19 November 24, 2020 The City of London Corporation has offered Leadenhall Market tenants the option to switch to turnover-based rents amid a surge of closures in the UK retail and hospitality sectors.