Restaurant sector defies confidence slump as UK leisure spending grows February 6, 2019 Restaurant goers continued to show an appetite for dining out towards the end of last year, with net spending in the UK’s leisure sector rising in the final three months of 2018. According to a new report from Deloitte, the UK’s leisure industry grew by two percentage points year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2018, [...]
Islington AI-powered gig economy startup Catapult nabs £4.3m February 6, 2019 On-demand staffing platform Catapult has raised £4.3m in fresh funding, taking its total amount raised in three years to £10m. The funding was led by Novator Partners, and supported by Dollar Shave Club and Jobbio-backer Elkstone Ventures. The Islington-based startup uses artificial intelligence to match the skills and experience of workers to employers' requirements, with [...]
China gives Carlsberg a bright spot but boss warns profit growth could slow February 6, 2019 Carlsberg trumped expectations this morning after a bumper summer and appetite from Asia helped boosted sales, despite the brewing giant's boss warning that growth is likely to slow in the year ahead. Buoyed by consumer demand in China and prolonged summer weather across much of Northern Europe, the Danish brewer said that net profits had [...]
Food giant Delivery Hero enjoys revenue rise thanks to order growth February 6, 2019 German food delivery firm Delivery Hero has posted a huge rise in revenues for 2018 thanks to an increase in orders and expansion into new markets. Revenues including Germany grew 65 per cent to €792m (£817m), ahead of previous forecasts of between €780m and €785m, while fourth quarter sales soared 75 per cent to €248m. [...]
24-hour blaze at Ocado’s flagship robotics centre burns sales growth February 6, 2019 A major fire at one of Ocado’s key robotic distribution centres is expected to dent sales growth after worsening overnight, with several hundred firefighters being called to the scene in a bid to put out the flames. Ocado's share price slumped eight per cent in morning trading, after the firm released a statement saying that the blaze, [...]
Watchdog takes action to end ‘misleading’ online hotel booking practices February 6, 2019 A watchdog is taking action against several hotel booking sites including Expedia and Trivago to tackle hidden charges and other “misleading” activities. Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, Hotels.com, Ebookers and Trivago have agreed to end “misleading” practices such as hidden charges and “pressure selling”, in what the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is calling a victory for [...]
Barratt Developments builds profit in strong first half February 6, 2019 The UK’s largest housebuilder Barratt Developments boosted its profit before tax 19 per cent in the first half of its financial year. Barratt said its profit before tax stood at £408m in the six months to 31 January, with revenue growing seven per cent to £2.13bn and total completions rising four per cent to 7,622 [...]
Food waste startup Too Good To Go gobbles up €6m from investors February 5, 2019 Danish leftover food startup Too Good To Go has grabbed €6m (£5.3m) from some of its existing investors, as it prepares to expand into four new countries in 2019. The firm, which enables users to collect leftover dishes from restaurants and stores at discounted prices, has partnered with 1,500 retailers in London to date, including [...]
Apple turnover: Former Burberry chief to leave executive role at iPhone maker February 5, 2019 Former Burberry chief executive Angela Ahrendts is to leave her role as Apple's head of retail in April, after five years at the company. Having led Apple's retail and online stores, Ahrendts will now be chasing “new personal and professional pursuits”. It was revealed last month that Ahrendts received a total pay packet of $5m (£3.9m) from Apple in [...]
Unilever swallows healthy food startup Graze February 5, 2019 Retail giant Unilever has agreed a deal to buy UK healthy snacks firm Graze at a reported valuation of £150m. Founded in 2008, the brand had raised just £2m from London investors Octopus Ventures and Draper Esprit before being acquired by US buyout group Carlyle in 2012. The bidding war for Graze had garnered interest from [...]