Harrods faces major Christmas strike as staff demand inflation-busting festive bonus November 11, 2024 London’s iconic department store Harrods is facing the prospect of major strike action by its staff over the critical Christmas period. Hundreds of staff, who are members of the United Voices of the World (UVW) union, will vote on strike action in December over what they have described as “poor working conditions” and their festive [...]
Burberry braced for Moncler takeover as staff given heads up November 11, 2024 Luxury fashion house Burberry is braced to be taken over by Italian company Moncler amid staff at one of its flagship London stores being given a heads up on the deal, according to reports. Rumours began to circulate last week that the listed brand was set for a takeover by the skiwear maker, but both [...]
Bentley pushes back full all-electric switch to 2035 November 7, 2024 Bentley Motors has pushed back its switch to only making electric cars to 2035, it has been confirmed. The Crewe-headquartered luxury car maker, which is owned by Volkswagen, had originally announced in November 2020 that it intended to go all-electric by 2030. The aim was again reiterated in January 2022 when Bentley revealed plans to launch [...]
Burberry shares jump on Moncler takeover rumours November 4, 2024 Shares in British luxury retailer Burberry have jumped this morning on rumours that the fashion house could be a takeover target for Italian outerwear brand Moncler. Burberry’s share price rose more than seven per cent in early trades, before paring back gains to just over four per cent. Specialist fashion site Miss Tweed reported that [...]
Selfridges sinks further into the red as sales at luxury department store falter October 31, 2024 Luxury department store chain Selfridges has lost more than £400m since it last made a pre-tax profit, it has been revealed. The business, which has UK stores in London, Birmingham and two in Manchester, passed the milestone after falling to a £41.9m loss in the year to 3 February, 2024. It comes after Selfridges previously [...]
Aston Martin slashes loss by over £100m October 30, 2024 Aston Martin slashed its pre-tax loss by 90 per cent during its latest financial period after being boosted by a rise in its wholesale volumes. The Warwickshire-headquartered luxury car maker has reported a pre-tax loss of £12.2m for its third quarter, down from the £117.6m loss it posted during the same three-month period in 2022. [...]
This will change how you think of Morocco October 22, 2024 THE LOCATION When the Portuguese landed on the stony face of the Atlantic coast in the early 16th century, they stopped at El Jadida, a Moroccan port just an hour south of Casablanca. To protect trade routes between Europe and Asia during their two-and-a-half-century occupation, they built a stronghold known as Mazagan. The centrepiece of [...]
Burberry, LVMH and Kering: Rebound of travel and China to boost luxury market October 22, 2024 Analysts have stressed the problems in the luxury market are cyclical, not structural, and predicted an upswing at brands like Burberry, LVMH and Kering as international travel looks set to rebound past pre-pandemic levels. The downturn in the luxury market, which has been suffering from the cost-of-living crisis in the West and a slowdown in [...]
Mulberry rejects ‘untenable’ second offer from Mike Ashley’s Frasers October 22, 2024 The board of Mulberry has unanimously rejected the second bid from retail giant Frasers as “untenable”. Frasers launched its first bid on 1 October for £83m, which was subsequently rejected as too low by Mulberry, and its second of £111m on 11 October. Mulberry reiterated its statement from the first time it rejected Frasers’ bid: [...]
This trip to Languedoc turned me into a wine snob October 17, 2024 I’m not a wine guy. The oenophile subjects alcohol to a level of scrutiny that, to me, feels antithetical to the loosening joys of boozing. I enjoy wine. I prefer wine that tastes nice. But to theorise about it, to intellectualise it, to hold it to the light and inspect its colour, to soliliquise about [...]