Investors show mixed appetite for Wagamama takeover as vote draws near November 25, 2018 A shareholder showdown looms over The Restaurant Group’s £559m planned takeover of Wagamama this week, with a number of major investors gearing up to oppose the deal. The Frankie and Benny’s owner could suffer a shareholder rebellion on Wednesday after several top investors signalled their intentions to vote against the proposed acquisition. Columbia Threadneedle Investments – [...]
Black Friday fatigue hinders much-needed boost for Britain’s retailers as year-on-year footfall drops November 25, 2018 Black Friday footfall dipped this year while e-commerce sales soared, in a stark reminder of the perils facing high street retailers under threat from online rivals as the Christmas season approaches. Retailers continued to roll out discounts to the public over the course of the weekend but the latest figures show that footfall this afternoon [...]
Giggling Squid founder Andy Laurillard on provincial dining and the secrets of his chain’s success November 25, 2018 It’s a laugh a minute for Giggling Squid. The Surrey-based restaurant chain is cropping up in more and more affluent market towns and sleepy suburbs across the south of England, looking to entice customers with its unique offering of accessible Thai cuisine in a relaxed environment. Co-founders Andy Laurillard and his wife Pranee opened their [...]
Giggling Squid founder used ‘Range Rover count’ to choose locations for Thai restaurants November 25, 2018 The founder of Thai restaurant chain Giggling Squid counted the number of Range Rovers in suburban towns to decide whether they would be suitable locations for his restaurant. Andy Laurillard told City A.M. he counted how many Range Rovers passed a potential restaurant site during morning rush hour as part of his research into a town’s [...]
Jingle sells: Ice rinks and golden baubles on the wishlist as Christmas decorators report best year yet November 25, 2018 Live reindeer, ice rinks and 22 carat-gold Christmas tree baubles – these are the extravagances on offer as wealthy homeowners increasingly turn to interior designers to decorate their houses this festive season. For a growing number of the rich and famous, gone are the days of struggling to put up the tree with the children. [...]
George Osborne’s family wallpaper firm blames Brexit wobbles for loss November 25, 2018 The high-end fabric and wallpaper maker run by Sir Peter Osborne, father of former chancellor George Osborne, has pinned a substantial drop into the red on Brexit “uncertainty” and investment. Osborne & Little’s latest accounts, for the year ended 31 March, show a loss before tax of £350,000 on a turnover of £32.1m. In 2016, [...]
Crazy golf club Swingers tees up multimillion-pound investment as it prepares for US expansion November 25, 2018 London-based crazy golf club Swingers has received multimillion-pound funding from a private investment firm as the popularity of competitive leisure activities continues to grow. Cain International today announced it has made a “significant investment” in the golf club’s parent company Competitive Socialising, which it said would allow the leisure brand to open new venues in the US. [...]
Black Friday transactions jump 10 per cent on 2017, according to Barclaycard data November 24, 2018 The number of transactions on Black Friday jumped ten per cent year-on-year but the amount spent plummeted compared to 2017, according to credit card data. Consumers spent 12 per cent less while shopping using Barclaycard yesterday compared to Black Friday the previous year. Barclaycard processed an all-time record number of transactions yesterday, hitting 1,087 transactions a [...]
Black Friday weekend: How to find the best deals and avoid the worst November 23, 2018 British shoppers are set to drop £7bn on products this Black Friday weekend, as they surf the web and hit the high streets in search of the most generous deals. But as price comparison site Finder.com predicts bargain hunters will spend an average of £220 each, with everybody discounting products it’s hard to know where [...]
Asda and Sainsbury’s slash petrol prices as Black Friday shopping event begins November 23, 2018 Asda and Sainsbury’s have slashed petrol prices today as UK consumers participate in Black Friday. Both supermarkets have cut 1p per litre off the price of unleaded and 2p off each litre of diesel following a decrease in the wholesale cost. Customers of the UK’s second and third largest food stores will pay no more [...]