High rents force three in four hospitality businesses to consider restructure or insolvency October 5, 2020 73% of London-based hospitality and leisure operators are considering a restructure or insolvency as a result of the economic impact of the ongoing pandemic. Advisory firm Cedar Dean, which surveyed 230 hospitality and leisure businesses with around 2,000 venues across the UK, found that rental obligations are currently the most pressing issue. 86% of London-based [...]
Mulberry swings to full year loss as coronavirus shuts down high street October 5, 2020 Fashion house Mulberry fell to a £14.2m loss in the last financial year, the firm announced today, as the coronavirus pandemic derailed the firm in its final month of trading. The firm said that it had been on course to report a profit for the second half of the year before the virus shut down [...]
Sazka mounts challenge against Camelot to take UK National Lottery licence October 4, 2020 European firm Sazka has mounted a challenge to take the licence to run the UK’s National Lottery from current operator Camelot for the first time since the prize draw’s launch in 1994. Sazka has entered the Gambling Commission’s competition to select an operator to run the National Lottery when Camelot’s licence expires in 2023. The [...]
Betfred owner denies rival bid for William Hill October 4, 2020 Betfred co-founder Fred Done has pushed back against reports that he will make a rival bid for William Hill, which has already given the green light to a £2.9bn deal with Las Vegas casino owner Caesars Entertainment. Done, who is William Hill’s second-biggest investor, was weighing up “all options” this weekend, the Sunday Telegraph reported. [...]
Cineworld to close all UK theatres over Covid-19 film release delays October 4, 2020 Cineworld is reportedly drawing up plans to shutter its entire collection of cinemas across the UK and Ireland
Airbnb aims to raise roughly $3bn in IPO October 3, 2020 Home rental company Airbnb is aiming to raise around $3bn in its upcoming initial public offering (IPO), people familiar with the matter said on Friday, taking advantage of the unexpectedly sharp recovery in its business after the Covid-19 pandemic roiled the travel industry. Airbnb will be one of the largest and most anticipated US stock [...]
Walmart confirms Asda sale to billionaire UK brothers in £6.8bn deal October 2, 2020 Asda is back in British ownership after Walmart today agreed a sale to the Blackburn-based Issa brothers in a £6.8bn deal.
Exclusive: Unilever’s Kingston campus plans unveiled October 2, 2020 Plans have been unveiled for a new Unilever headquarters in Kingston-upon-Thames, which will consolidate the conglomerate’s offices across London and Surrey. The developer, Cube Real Estate, has submitted a planning application for a mixed-use redevelopment, including two office buildings, a car park for electric vehicles and new homes. If the scheme is given the green [...]
Pepsico sales jump on demand for snacks during Covid-19 pandemic October 1, 2020 Pepsico reported a jump in sales in the third quarter, fuelled by demand for its snack brands including Doritos and Cheetos. Overall net revenue rose more than five per cent to $18.09bn in the quarter ended 5 September, beating analysts’ expectations of $17.23bn. Sales of snacks under the company’s Frito-Lay North America unit rose 7 [...]
Ocado sued by Norwegian tech firm over alleged patent infringement October 1, 2020 Shares in online supermarket Ocado dipped this afternoon after Norwegian tech firm Autostore announced it is suing the firm for alleged patent infringement. Ocado’s share price fell more than five per cent after Autostore said it had filed lawsuits in the UK and the US to prevent the FTSE 100 firm using retail storage and [...]