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 [...]
Top Hollywood Bowl bosses lined up for massive pay day January 3, 2025 The top bosses at Hollywood Bowl have been lined up to receive a bonus worth 150 per cent of their base salary if the FTSE 250 group continues to hit its financial targets. Chief executive Stephen Burns and chief financial officer Laurence Keen are eligible for a bonus up to the new total for the [...]
Eden Project losses nearly double despite visitors spike January 3, 2025 A spike in visitor numbers failed to stop Cornwall tourist attraction Eden Project falling deeper into the red during its latest financial year. The site welcomed more than 604,000 visitors in the year to 31 March, 2024, up from the over 551,000 who went there in the prior 12 months. As a result, Eden Project’s [...]
Cineworld: The six cinemas to close as restructuring plan completes December 10, 2024 Cineworld has revealed it will close another six of its cinemas across the UK as its major restructuring process comes to an end. The troubled chain will shutter its sites in Castleford, Leigh, Middlesbrough, Northampton, Poole and Weymouth. The move comes after Cineworld previously closed five sites after first announcing the overhaul in July. The [...]
Concern for British high street as sector set for four-fold tax rise in April October 16, 2024 The double effect of inflation-linked tax bumps, as well as the end of business rate relief for consumer-facing firms, will lead to a four-fold tax increase for high street businesses next April, industry bodies have warned. Industry leaders across the board have been increasingly vocal about the need for reform to business rate taxes, and have [...]
In defence of wasting time October 3, 2024 Pleasure-focused pastimes such as reading fiction are being sacrificed for productivity-boosting pursuits. Anna Moloney, in repose, defends idleness.
Pond life: The politics of Hampstead Heath’s swimming ponds August 27, 2024 Hampstead Heath's ponds are a wild swimming utopia, but politics bubble beneath the surface, writes Anna Moloney.