Hedge funds bet against Ladbrokes owner GVC February 23, 2020 Hedge fund tycoon Ken Griffin is building a bet against Ladbrokes owner GVC as it battles a potential increase in regulation. Griffin, the founder of hedge fund Citadel, has taken an £80m bet against the bookmaker, as other traders also increased their positions, according to the Sunday Times. It has made GVC the FTSE 250 [...]
Hammerson expected to slash dividend amid high street woes February 23, 2020 Property development firm Hammerson will reportedly slash its dividend and write down the value of its assets in its results this week. Peel Hunt analysts have forecasted that the shopping centre owner will cut its dividend by 30 per cent, according to reports in the Sunday Times. Analysts estimate that the value of Hammerson’s assets, [...]
Waitrose ranked best UK supermarket in annual Which survey February 22, 2020 Waitrose has been ranked as the best supermarket in the UK in an annual satisfaction survey conducted by Which. The chain, which is owned by John Lewis, hit five stars on most categories, but did come joint-last in value for money. Budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl continue to be ranked highest in terms of value. [...]
Hammerson sells seven retail parks to Orion for £400m February 21, 2020 Hammerson has sold seven retail parks to Orion’s European real estate fund for £400m, the largest sale of its kind in the UK for a decade. The parks are dotted around the country in places such as Didcot, Falkirk, Rugby and Telford. The deal, which is expected to raise proceeds of £395m, takes the total [...]
Hornby eyes £15m raise for ‘solid foundation’ February 21, 2020 Model train maker Hornby is seeking to raise £15m today as it seeks a “solid foundation” to build on with brands like Airfix and Scalextric. It will do that by issuing almost 42m new shares at 36p each, with chief executive Lyndon Davies saying: “The strengthening of our balance sheet provides a solid foundation for [...]
Lidl to invest £1.3bn in UK store expansion February 20, 2020 Budget supermarket Lidl has announced it will invest £1.3bn in store expansion across the UK in the next two years. The German discounter – which has opened 50 new stores in the last 12 months – said this morning that it has committed to investing in growing its store portfolio in 2021 and 2020. The [...]
Victoria’s Secret to go private in $525m deal February 20, 2020 US lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret will be taken private after owner L Brands sold a controlling stake to investment firm Sycamore Partners, valuing the firm at $1.1bn. L Brands announced this afternoon that it will sell a 55 per cent stake to the private equity firm for around $525m. L Brands will retain a 45 [...]
Greggs honours Stormzy with first ever ‘black card’ February 20, 2020 Stormzy has become the first person to receive a Greggs black card, as part of the chain’s VIP service which it launched today. Ahead of his European tour, Greggs sent the rapper a black membership card with a pair of Greggs slippers. In a welcome video, broadcasted to Stormzy’s followers, the new concierge service boasts [...]
UK retail sales jump 1.6 per cent in January after Tory election victory February 20, 2020 UK retail sales excluding fuel jumped the most in almost two years in January, official figures showed today. Retail sales rose excluding fuel 1.6 per cent compared to the month before as the new year got underway, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. And retail volumes rose 0.9 per cent to recover from falls [...]
Laura Ashley scraps dividend after doubling losses to £4m February 20, 2020 Struggling retailer Laura Ashley will not pay an interim dividend after losses more than doubled in the first half of the year amid a “challenging” trading period. The figures Laura Ashley reported total group sales of £109.6m, down from £122.9m a year earlier, for the first half of the year. The decline in total revenue [...]