Christmas adverts 2025 reviewed… Part 2 Life&Style To see part one of our Christmas adverts review click here Are you starting to feel Christmassy yet? It tried it’s damndest to snow last week didn’t it? And what with the lights getting switched on all over town ‘the season’ is increasingly hard to avoid. To be honest I gave in this week, and had [...]
Tinned tuna giant Princes confirms intention to float Business Tinned tuna heavyweight, Princes, has confirmed its intention to proceed with its IPO to list on London’s main index. The decision comes just one week after the Italian-owned business announced it was considering a listing. The offer will be comprised of new ordinary shares to be listed by the company, in order to raise net [...]
UK IPOs predicted to rebound as London anticipates listings Business London IPO activity remained subdued in the third quarter of 2025, but improved market sentiment and a strong 2026 IPO pipeline suggests confidence in the capital’s flagship index is beginning to grow. Between July and September, there were just three listings on London’s secondary AIM market, raising £16.3m, according to EY-Parthenon’s market tracker. Overall, there [...]
Boots: Profit jumps after closing hundreds of stores June 5, 2025 Profit at Boots has surged as the high street pharmacy chain closed hundreds of stores during its latest financial year as its owners abandoned plans for an initial public offering (IPO). The Nottingham-headquartered business shuttered 334 locations in the year to the end of August 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House have revealed. Instead [...]
Boots to be taken over by US private equity firm in $10bn deal March 7, 2025 Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), the owner of Boots, has agreed to a $10bn (£7.8bn) takeover by a US private equity firm. Sycamore Partners is expected to complete the takeover by the end of the year. The US-listed WBA said of the deal: “[Sycamore’s] experience in retail and consumer services would ensure WBA was better positioned [...]
Dr Martens: Asia drives recovery for FTSE boot-maker as Europe falters January 27, 2025 Dr Martens reported a recovery in revenue driven by e-commerce sales in Asia and a turnaround in America. Overall group revenue rose by three per cent to £267m in constant currency, an adjustment of figures to align the number of reporting days in the current and prior reporting periods, in the third quarter of the [...]
Former Asda and M&S boss Lord Rose: WFH is ‘not doing proper work’ January 20, 2025 The increase in home work has created a generation who are “not doing proper work,” according to the former boss of Asda and Marks & Spencer. Speaking to BBC Panorama, Lord Rose said more working from home was a part of the UK economy’s “general decline” and that productivity was suffering as a result. “We [...]
Boots warns of higher Budget costs amid sales surge January 10, 2025 High street pharmacy giant Boots has warned it faces “heightened cost pressures” in 2025 following the Autumn Budget as it revealed strong sales towards the end of last year. The new boss of the Nottingham-headquartered company, Anthony Hemmerdinger, added that while Boots has come under increased pressure, “the business is focused on navigating these and [...]
Warpaint London to acquire fellow beauty specialist Brand Architekts December 5, 2024 Cosmetics firm Warpaint London has announced the acquisition of fellow beauty brand specialist Brand Architekts. Warpaint London, the company behind makeup brands W7 and Technic, told markets today it has reached an acquisition agreement for the entirety of issued and to be issued share capital of the Brand Architekts. The company said under the terms of [...]
Dr Martens swings to the red but shares spike with analysts positive on future growth November 28, 2024 Despite a pre-tax loss from Dr Martens, analysts have remained positive on its future growth prospects as it cuts costs and shakes up its leadership team. The boot-maker told markets this morning that profit before tax swung into the red, with a loss of £28.7m in the 26 weeks ended September 29, from a profit [...]