400 jobs saved in Dirty Martini deal June 13, 2023 Some 400 hospitality jobs have been saved thanks to Night Cap bar group’s acquisition of Dirty Martini and Tuttons Brasserie following a pre-pack administration sale for close to £5m. The deal includes five Dirty Martini bars in London and five across Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and Cardiff. Tuttons Brasserie, a restaurant in Covent Garden, which [...]
Mortgage commitments plummet to pandemic levels as rate hike jitters spook housing market June 13, 2023 The number of new mortgage commitments has fallen to the lowest levels since the Covid pandemic as speculation the Bank of England’s will keep on hiking interest rates rattles the market. As the central bank raised interest rates for the 12th consecutive time during the quarter, in a bid to cool inflation, the number of [...]
Online shopping sales slump to lowest levels since before pandemic June 9, 2023 The cost of living crisis has hindered the online shopping sales boom with digital sales falling to their lowest levels since before the pandemic. The number of online sales fell by 3.3 per cent during May as punters, under the cosh, have had to cut down on the number of goods they buy from digital [...]
Cheap and cheerful: Poundland owner to open 550 new sites as inflation drives expansion June 6, 2023 Poundland owner Pepco has plans to roll out 550 more sites this year across the UK and Europe as its cheap and cheerful goods continue to perform well with customers amidst the cost of living crisis. In its interim results the value shop, which sells everything from groceries to clothes, posted a 22.8 per cent [...]
Simply Be and Jacamo owner hit by revenue fall and warns 2024 will be tough June 6, 2023 The owner of Simply Be and Jacamo has told investors that it expects the hangover of high inflation and low consumer confidence to continue to impact the business next year, as the retailer posts a 82.6 per cent decline in profit before tax. N Brown, which trades solely online posted a 5.3 per cent decline [...]
Cost of weekly shop continues to rise as Brits opt for TV nights in June 6, 2023 Brits are continuing to fork out more on their weekly shop, with households spending 8.9 per cent more on groceries year on year, with the nation increasingly turning to takeaways and nights in front of the telly in efforts to cut down on spending costs. During May, consumer card spending rose just 3.6 per cent [...]
Craft breweries battered by soaring operational costs June 5, 2023 Soaring operational costs and a greater competition between brands have battered the UK’s brewery industry with the number of beer factories going under tripling over the past year. The number of breweries which have become insolvent has risen from 15 to 45 over the last year, new figures out from audit, tax and advisory firm [...]
Bumper Bank Holiday drives footfall levels up June 1, 2023 Bumper bank holidays in May helped hike footfall levels as work-free Brits flocked to the high streets to drink and shop in a welcomed boost for businesses. Footfall over the last month climbed 3.6 per cent, the second month in a row in which levels have risen following a 3.3 per cent jump in April, [...]
It has to be Heinz? Not in this economy, till reports suggest May 31, 2023 Shoppers are continuing to switch to supermarket ketchup, milk and cereal own-brands to cut down on spending amidst the cost of living crisis. Volume sales in store branded products surged 63.3 per cent in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) category during May, figures by consumer intelligence company NIQ show. Food prices have surged since [...]
Slowing UK economy appears good news for discount retailer B&M May 31, 2023 Brits seeking out bargains has helped drive B&M customer numbers up every month since June, as the group plans to roll out 30 more stores across the UK to up keep demand. For the year, the budget chain, which sells homewares and food, gained revenues of £4.9bn up from £4.6bn, as the group improved its [...]