Full house: Gen-Z flocks to bingo halls in latest leisure trend Hospitality Following in the wake of analogue trends including vinyl, polaroid cameras and Nokia phones, Gen Z Brits could be swarming into bingo halls as they take their retro obsession back to the 1950s. Buzz Bingo, which operates at 79 sites in the UK including five in London, claims interest from young people is driving its [...]
Loveholidays eyes £1bn London IPO as soon as March Markets London’s public markets could be set for a blockbuster £1bn spring listing from one of Britain’s largest online travel agents, giving the bourse welcome momentum in the new year after a strong end to 2025. Loveholidays’ private equity owners, Livingbridge, has reportedly added Investec to its roster of banks preparing to launch a listing. According [...]
Budget 2025: What exactly is happening with business rates? Retail Long-awaited changes to business rates were finally announced in the Budget, with a lower rate for small companies to be paid for by a higher levy for large firms. Retailers have been railing against for business rates for years, with concerns that the tax creates an unfair playing field between high street and online firms, which [...]
The View from The Shard makes first profit since 2019 September 3, 2025 The business behind the viewing gallery at The Shard has returned to profit for the first time since 2019, it has been revealed. The London attraction has posted a pre-tax profit of £1.6m for 2024 after having fallen to a pre-tax loss of £678,839 in the prior 12 months. The late total comes after the [...]
Zip World: Losses revealed ahead of £100m takeover July 15, 2025 Adventure park operator Zip World fell into the red before being acquired by a private equity firm in a deal worth £100m, it has been revealed. In January, City AM reported that the Wales-headquartered company had become the latest investment for Dolphin Capital. The firm currently runs eight sites in Wales, Manchester, Cumbria and London [...]
Battersea Power Station receives green light for next phase of development May 1, 2025 Battersea Power Station has received planning consent for the next phase of its 42-acre regeneration. A new group of residential, retail, community and leisure builds has secured planning approval from Wandsworth Council, completing “London’s newest street”, Electric Boulevard. Head of development at Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC), James Wixley, called the planning consent the [...]
Hammerson: Bicester Village sale hits earnings February 26, 2025 British shopping centre giant Hammerson has reported a drop in earnings due to the impact of portfolio sales despite an overall rise in rents and occupancy. Despite higher rents across its portfolio, Hammerson’s rental income fell to £189m during the year, down nine per cent year on year. Hammerson attributed this to the impact of [...]
Drayton Manor: Profit continues to slide as wet summer hits theme park February 21, 2025 Profit at Drayton Manor has fallen for a fourth year in a row since the theme park was rescued out of administration as wet weather continued to suppress sales. The Staffordshire-based attraction has reported a pre-tax profit of £1.2m for the year to 30 September, 2024, down from the £2m it posted for the prior [...]
Celebrity luxury spa group Champneys slips further into the red February 4, 2025 Celebrity luxury spa group Champneys slipped further into the red despite its turnover edging closer to a milestone, it has been revealed. The group, which has several sites across the country and was founded 100 years ago, has posted a pre-tax loss of £8.4m for the 12 months to 30 April, 2024. The figure has [...]
Belfast Harbour to welcome world’s largest cruise ships with £313m project January 21, 2025 Belfast Harbour has unveiled a £313m, five-year plan to help it welcome some of the world’s largest cruise ships. The strategy, which is entitled Advance Regional Prosperity 2025-2029, has also been designed to position the hub as a key player in the development of offshore wind energy port capacity in the UK and Ireland. A total of [...]