Just Eat faces pressure as Cat Rock says investors back calls for merger February 20, 2019 Activist investor Cat Rock Capital said today that it has the backing of fellow shareholders after calling for Just Eat to merge, in a fresh headache for the takeaway ordering website. US-based Cat Rock, which owns a 1.7 per cent stake in Just Eat, said that it had the support of investors after hitting out [...]
Iceland Christmas sales fall despite furore over banned palm oil advert February 20, 2019 Iceland is set to reveal a decline in underlying sales over the festive period after its controversial Christmas advert failed to boost business. A report prepared for bondholders, obtained by the Financial Times, showed underlying sales fell by one per cent in the 16 weeks to 4 January. Read more: Iceland mulls bid for potential [...]
CMA may block Sainsbury’s-Asda merger, finding deal could push up prices and reduce quality February 20, 2019 Sainsbury's suffered a 15 per cent drop in its share price this morning after the grocer's £12bn proposed merger with Asda was thrown into doubt following a swathe of concerns raised by Britain's competition watchdog. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the tie-up could lead to "a substantial lessening of competition at both a national and local [...]
Laura Ashley warns on full-year performance amid market turbulence February 20, 2019 Laura Ashley has warned its full-year performance will fall short of market expectations after posting a drop in sales for its interim results. The homeware chain, which is owned by Malaysian United Industries, suffered a 4.2 per cent decline in like-for-like retail sales for the 26 weeks to the end of December. Read more: Laura [...]
DEBATE: Should we charge clothing brands for the cost of recycling to combat the environmental impact of fast fashion? February 20, 2019 Should we charge clothing brands for the cost of recycling to combat the environmental impact of fast fashion? Mary Creagh, MP and chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, says YES. Fashion shouldn’t cost the earth. But our desire for fast fashion means that carbon emissions, water use, and chemical and plastic pollution are destroying our [...]
Asda sales growth falters amid competition probe into Sainsbury’s merger February 19, 2019 Asda today reported a slowdown in sales growth in the fourth quarter as it waits for the green light over its planned merger with Sainsbury’s. The supermarket chain, which is owned by US grocery giant Walmart, posted a one per cent rise in like-for-like sales excluding petrol in the three months to the end of [...]
HMV Meadowhall brought back from closure in latest reopening February 19, 2019 HMV has reopened its fifth store earmarked for closure today, as new owner Doug Putman continues his run of rental renegotiations with high street landlords. The music chain’s branch in Meadowhall, which was the only one in Yorkshire to shut down after HMV was acquired, opened up its doors this morning. We're so stoked! The [...]
Lloyds unveils plan to pay retailers offering cashback February 19, 2019 Lloyds Banking Group and Visa are piloting a scheme to pay retailers that offer cashback to customers, amid fears for rural town shops that have been hit by the disappearance of ATMs in recent months. In a bid to increase the number of outlets where people can withdraw their money, Lloyds and Visa have said today [...]
Slowdown in retail investment as Brexit uncertainty puts sellers on hold February 19, 2019 Investment in retail property tumbled by several billion pounds last year, as owners of high street stores, retail parks and shopping centres showed a reluctance to sell at discount prices despite uncertainty over Brexit and a swathe of industry-wide pressures. A gap in price expectations between buyers and sellers of retail property is causing a [...]
Fashion industry magnate Karl Lagerfeld dies February 19, 2019 Karl Lagerfeld, the designer of haute-couture, died today aged 85, according to reports. The fashion icon died this morning at the American Hospital on the outskirts of Paris after being admitted yesterday, French site Pure People reported. Read more: MPs call for a penny tax on new clothes to cut waste Designer Donatella Versace posted a [...]