Patisserie Valerie overstated financial position by £94m, auditors say March 16, 2019 The amount of money missing from Patissserie Valerie's consolidated accounts has grown to more than double a previous estimate to a total of £94m, according to a new report by its administrators, KPMG. The company fell into administration in January and was found to have overstated its financial position by £30m while also failing to disclose £10m of overdrafts. Read [...]
Sir Philip Green set to axe jobs and stores in vast Arcadia restructure March 15, 2019 Sir Philip Green is set to close vast numbers of Top Shop, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge in a huge restructure of his Arcadia retail empire, it is reported. Read more: Philip Green closes 210 Arcadia stores over two years The high street billionaire is preparing a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) that could result in [...]
Profits fall at The Restaurant Group after £559m Wagamama merger March 15, 2019 The Restaurant Group has posted a drop in profits for last year as well as warning of falling like-for-like sales, but said its controversial takeover of Wagamama will prove “transformative”. Read more: Like-for-like sales fall at The Restaurant Group despite Wagamama boost The figures Adjusted profit before tax slipped eight per cent year on year [...]
Wetherspoons profits take a hit as wage increases kick in March 15, 2019 Wetherspoons has posted a sharp drop in pre-tax profits in its half-year report as increased labour costs took their toll. Read more: Wetherspoons profits slow amid surge in labour costs The figures Revenues increased 7.1 per cent to £889.6m for the 26 weeks to 27 January. Like-for-like sales were up 6.3 per cent over the [...]
Mortgage finance hub Lendinvest targets £500m London listing March 14, 2019 Online property finance marketplace Lendinvest has reportedly appointed advisers for a potential £500m float. Lendinvest has appointed corporate finance firm Lazards to advice on a listing, Sky News reported. It is set to appoint a syndicate of banks for a float that could happen as soon as this year. Sky reports that the banks are [...]
Sofa giant DFS doubles profit but warns of ‘challenging’ market in 2019 March 14, 2019 Sofa giant DFS more than doubled profits at the end of last year but warned of a softer start to 2019 and a “challenging” market in the year ahead. The furniture retailer reported pre-tax profits of £14.1m in the 22 weeks to the end of December, compared with £6.2m the previous year as online sales [...]
Cineworld hails kingsize profits after purchase of US cinema chain Regal March 14, 2019 Cineworld’s mega £2.7bn purchase of US cinema chain Regal sent profits soaring 125 per cent in 2018 the group revealed today, even as UK cinemas struggled. Read more: Cineworld shares slide due to disappointing UK revenue growth The figures Cineworld saw profit before tax grow 125 per cent to $349m (£262.9m) last year, up from [...]
Superdry founder Dunkerton calls for investor support amid plan to ‘supercharge’ firm March 14, 2019 Exiled Superdry founder Julian Dunkerton has written to shareholders urging them to vote him back onto the board as he outlined a plan to “supercharge” the company. Dunkerton, who left the firm in March last year, pledged to return the company to revenue growth, restore double-digit earnings margins and rebuild profitability within three years if he [...]
Debenhams considers Mike Ashley’s £150m loan offer March 14, 2019 Debenhams said it will give “careful consideration” to Sports Direct’s proposed £150m loan this morning, after receiving the offer last night. Read more: Sports Direct accuses Debenhams of 'deliberately misleading' the market The struggling department store chain received the 12-month loan offer from billionaire Mike Ashley last night, as the retail magnate accused the board [...]
Ray Kelvin held Ted Baker too tight March 14, 2019 Yet another big-name chief executive has stepped down from their position at the helm of a well-known British business. The founder of fashion retail brand Ted Baker, Ray Kelvin, announced last Monday that he was going to be resigning from his position as chief executive, as the firm investigates allegations that he behaved inappropriately toward [...]