Angling Direct expansion continues as it reels in record Black Friday sales December 9, 2019 Fishing giant Angling Direct hailed a record period of trading over the Black Friday week as savvy discounting helped drive up profit. Read more: Angling Direct records 21 per cent rise in H1 sales The retailer reported an 11.3 per cent rise in sales to £1.86m between 25 November and 2 December, with Black Friday [...]
UK restaurants and pubs hope for festive spending surge December 9, 2019 Restaurant and pub operators are hoping for a surge in festive spending after a slump in dining-out dented restaurant and pub food sales in the run-up to Christmas, according to research analysing sales at some of the UK’s best-known chains. Restaurant groups suffered a 0.1 per cent slump in food sales in November as wet [...]
Wet weather dampens November retail footfall figures December 9, 2019 Wet weather and the anticipation of Black Friday deals dampened retail footfall figures last month, according to the latest research. Footfall declined 3.4 per cent in November, compared to a drop of 3.2 per cent in the same month last year, as shoppers held out for Black Friday bargains. Read more: Retail footfall down 10 [...]
London luxury hotel market booms as weak sterling attracts tourists December 9, 2019 The London luxury hotel market has boomed in the last year as the fall of sterling against the dollar has attracted a surge in international tourists, new research showed. In total, 50 new luxury and premium hotels have opened in the UK in the last year, growing the number to 3,380. Meanwhile the number of [...]
Exclusive: Chilango eyes restaurant closures as it prepares to launch CVA December 8, 2019 Chilango is considering shutting some of its restaurants as it fights to avoid administration. The stricken Mexican chain will launch a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) as soon as tomorrow, ahead of a crunch meeting with shareholders next week. Read more: Questions over Chilango’s future after burrito chain calls in restructuring firm RSM The controversial restructuring [...]
Pho owners consider sale of restaurant chain December 8, 2019 The private equity owner of Vietnamese-style fast food chain Pho is considering offloading the business. Gresham House, which bought the fund and investment manager in charge of Pho from Livingbridge last year, is reportedly mulling a sale of the London-based casual dining chain. Read more: Food delivery apps serve up extra £400m in restaurant revenue [...]
Tesco mulls sale of Thailand and Malaysia operations December 8, 2019 Tesco is mulling the sale of its business in Thailand and Malaysia, the supermarket giant confirmed today. The grocer said it had launched a review of the strategic options for the two Asian divisions, where it operates under the Tesco Lotus brand, “including an evaluation of a possible sale”. Read more: Tesco chief resigns after [...]
Ted Baker hires headhunters to replace chairman December 8, 2019 Embattled retailer Ted Baker has appointed headhunters to find a replacement for chairman David Bernstein, as it seeks to reshuffle its senior management team following a challenging year for the upmarket brand. The retailer has hired consulting firm Korn Ferry to appoint a successor for Bernstein, who became chairman in 2013 and took on executive [...]
Stonegate takeover of pub chain Ei Group ‘may raise prices’ at local boozers December 6, 2019 A £1.3bn merger between Slug and Lettuce owner Stonegate and pub chain Ei Group may lead to higher prices in some local areas, the competition watchdog has warned. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today said that the deal, which would create the country’s largest pub group, did not raise competition concerns on a UK-wide [...]
Primark set to drive another year of growth for ABF December 6, 2019 Associated British Foods (ABF), the British multinational which owns Primark, reiterated its outlook for the new financial year ahead of this morning’s AGM. The new financial year will see Primark expand its selling space, with the most new stores being added in France and Spain. Read more: Primark bounce helps offset sugar slump at ABF [...]