Addison Lee launches click and collect delivery service November 10, 2020 Online taxi service and courier Addison Lee has launched a new delivery service that will enable customers to use drivers as their own click and collect collectors. Al REQUEST is a new click and collect feature that has been added to its existing courier service. It will allow users to get access to everyday items [...]
Virtual events company Hopin raises £125m leading to £2bn valuation November 10, 2020 Hopin, the UK virtual events provider, has raised $125m from venture capitalists, including Tiger Global and Accel, helping to drive a surge in its valuation to $2bn from $43m less than a year ago.
Christmas shoppers flock to toy shops ahead of second Covid-19 lockdown November 10, 2020 Toy and entertainment retailers reported a surge in shopper numbers in the days leading up to the coronavirus lockdown, as Brits snapped up Christmas presents ahead of the closure of non-essential stores. The latest analysis showed that toy stores more than doubled their share of pre-pandemic footfall between Monday and Wednesday last week. But one [...]
Mr Kipling owner Premier Foods raises outlook as lockdown feeds demand November 10, 2020 Premier Food has raised its full-year profit outlook, saying it expects a higher demand for its brands – which include Mr Kipling, Bisto, and Oxo – due to fresh lockdown restrictions on eating out. The group reported a 35.5 per cent increase in pre-tax profit to £50.5m for the six months to 26 September, as [...]
DEBATE: Will Black Friday save the retail industry? November 10, 2020 Will Black Friday save the retail industry? Kam Phullar, lead strategist at Feed Agency, says YES. Occuring during England’s second lockdown, this Black Friday will be an online-only affair. But if brands get it right, 2020 could be the biggest online Black Friday yet, and a step towards saving the retail industry in the long [...]
Aldi to extend click and collect to 200 stores ahead of Christmas November 9, 2020 Aldi has announced that it will extend its click and collect trial to more than 200 stores by Christmas as the budget supermarket seeks to capitalise on the boom in demand for online shopping. The German discounter launched the service from one Midlands store in September, before rolling it out to a further 17 branches [...]
Nestlé snaps up majority stake in UK’s Mindful Chef November 9, 2020 Nestlé has agreed to acquire a majority stake in the healthy recipe box and prepared frozen meals company Mindful Chef, bolstering its food and direct-to-consumer offerings in the UK and Ireland. Financial details and terms of the deal, which is expected to close before the end of the year, were not disclosed but school friends Giles Humphries, [...]
Young Britons worst hit by Covid lockdowns, says new study November 8, 2020 Young people have been disproportionately affected by the UK’s Covid lockdowns and other restrictions, according to a new study. A study by NatWest/Centre for Social Justice found 20 per cent of all Britons saw their income fall this year, with 27 per cent of young people reporting decreases. Debit card spending on local services, such [...]
Private equity circles William Hill’s European arm November 8, 2020 Buyout firms are once again circling William Hill, this time for its European operations following a deal with American firm Caesars Entertainment. In late September William Hill said it had given Caesars Entertainment the green light for a £2.9bn deal, which will be put to a shareholder vote on 19 November. Once shareholders have approved [...]
More than 2,000 jobs at risk as Edinburgh Woollen Mill collapses into administration November 6, 2020 High street giant Edinburgh Woollen Mill has collapsed into administration, putting more than 2,000 jobs at risk in the latest blow to the beleaguered UK retail sector. The firm, which is owned by billionaire businessman Philip Day, has appointed FRP Advisory as administrators to its Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home brands, it announced this [...]