‘Chicken king’ Boparan to close a third of Giraffe and Ed’s Diner restaurants March 4, 2019 Giraffe and Ed’s Diner have become the latest casualties in the struggling casual dining sector after the restaurant chains’ owner said it will close a third of their branches. The Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG), which is owned by ‘chicken king’ Ranjit Singh Boparan, is widely reported to have entered a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) that will [...]
Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct makes offer for Findel March 4, 2019 Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley is looking to continue his retail spending spree after announcing a £139m offer to buy Findel this morning. Sports Direct, which is currently Findel’s largest shareholder, said in a note to the London Stock Exchange that it has offered to purchase the remaining shares in Findel that it does not already [...]
Online gambling firm 888 buys Bet Bright’s sports betting platform for £15m March 4, 2019 Online gambling company 888 has snapped up Bet Bright’s sports betting platform in a deal worth £15m, the company said today. 888 said the deal, which will give it full control over Bet Bright’s technology and product development, will enhance its long-term prospects in the global sports betting market. Read more: 888 goes all in [...]
KFC taps London fintech startup Flux for paperless payments March 4, 2019 KFC has launched a partnership with London fintech startup Flux which will see the US fried chicken chain go paperless. From today, users of digital banks Monzo and Starling, as well as select Barclays customers in the near future, will be able to receive digital itemised receipts for transactions in their banking apps when they [...]
Ted Baker chief executive Ray Kelvin resigns following misconduct allegations March 4, 2019 Ted Baker chief executive Ray Kelvin resigned with immediate effect on Monday morning following allegations of harassment late last year. Kelvin has denied all allegations, including claims the chief executive and founder harassed female staff members with "forced hugs" and unwanted attention. His resignation follows a period of voluntary leave since the start of December when the [...]
McDonald’s kicks off National Apprenticeship Week with 750 apprenticeships March 3, 2019 McDonald’s will today announce more than £2m worth of apprenticeship opportunities for new and current employees in the UK this year, making use of the government’s apprenticeship levy. The fast food chain plans to create 750 new apprenticeship spaces in the UK. McDonald’s promised last summer that it would employ 43,000 apprentices in Europe by [...]
Gagging orders face the ban amid allegations against Sir Philip Green March 3, 2019 Leading politicians have vowed today to ban controversial “gagging orders” that have risen to prominence in the wake of recent harassment allegations made against retail tycoon Sir Philip Green. Ministers have revealed sweeping plans this morning to tighten rules around non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), which have been at the centre of bullying claims surrounding the Topshop owner [...]
Number of late night alcohol licences falls as consumer behaviour changes March 3, 2019 The number of pubs, bars and nightclubs with late-night licences has fallen by a fifth over the last five years as would-be revellers opt for dating apps and Netflix over boozy nights out, according to new research. While the number of pubs and clubs with 24-hour licences has dropped from 919 in 2018 to 742 [...]
Swann and Geddes in contention for John Lewis post March 3, 2019 Two City heavyweights are reportedly being weighed up for the top job at John Lewis Partnership, following the news of Sir Charlie Mayfield’s planned departure as chairman next year. Direct Line’s outgoing chief executive Paul Geddes and departing SSP boss Kate Swann are both in the running to succeed Mayfield, along with the department store [...]
Ex-Superdry boss Dunkerton calls shareholder meeting in bid to return to board March 1, 2019 A power struggle at the top of Superdry looks set to intensify as Julian Dunkerton, the founder and former chief of the troubled designer, has requisitioned a shareholder meeting in a bid to muscle back on to the firm’s board. Dunkerton, who is still an 18.4 per cent shareholder, left the business a year ago because [...]