TG Jones owner Modella puts jobs at risk in shoe retailer overhaul June 2, 2026 Modella Capital is set to put hundreds of jobs on the line as it pursues its latest drastic restructuring, this time of northern shoe seller Wynsors World of Shoes. The private equity firm which owns hundreds of former WH Smith stores has briefed staff on its plans for an overhaul at the shoe retailer it [...]
Not just for lockdown: Pets at Home adapts to life after pet-buying boom May 27, 2026 Are pets for life, or just for lockdown? James Bailey, the new boss of Pets and Home, will be hoping it’s the former but the company faces a challenge in finding sustained growth without the influx of demand that came during the pandemic. Embarking on its turnaround – led by Bailey, a former Waitrose boss [...]
TG Jones owner Modella buys Flying Tiger in latest high street swoop May 27, 2026 Modella Capital has snapped up Flying Tiger Copenhagen in the private equity firm’s latest swoop on the British high street. The private equity firm sealed the previously trailed deal with Danske Bank and Nordea, the owners of Flying Tiger, on Wednesday. Modella bought Claire’s Accessories before shortly pushing it into administration and its empire of [...]
Next boss slams Labour’s zero-hour contracts crackdown May 26, 2026 The boss of Next has slammed the government’s crackdown on zero-hour contracts and called on Labour to unwind its “employment taxes”. Lord Simon Wolfson, chief executive of the FTSE 100 retailer, said the government’s plans to force employers to offer guaranteed hours to those on flexible contracts will make it “much harder” for Next to [...]
Ebay rejects Gamestop’s not ‘credible nor attractive’ $56bn bid May 12, 2026 Global commerce giant Ebay has dismissed an audacious play from video game retailer Gamestop that sought to merge the two companies into a new titan to take on the dominance on Amazon. Ebay’s chairman Paul Pressler said the firm’s board had “thoroughly reviewed [the] proposal and has determined to reject it”. In a letter to [...]
WH Smith made only £10m from sale of 500 stores May 10, 2026 Retail giant WH Smith made just £10m from the sale of its 480 high street stores to a private equity firm after already slashing its asking price. Private equity firm Modella Capital bought WH Smith’s high street locations in a £42m deal last year but is poised to launch an emergency restructuring as the stores [...]
‘Political choice’: Retailers urge government to act on rising costs May 6, 2026 Retailers have urged the government to cut tax and red tape to counter soaring energy costs caused by the Iran war. The British Retail Consortium (BRC), an industry trade body, has accused Labour of making a “political choice” not to cut energy taxes and delay costly regulation to avoid the worst shop inflation. The effective [...]
Controversial £2bn packaging tax could be scrapped as food inflation looms May 5, 2026 The government is reviewing a controversial £2bn sustainable packaging tax as it faces increasing pressure from retailers to prevent food prices from soaring. The Treasury is reportedly looking at potential changes to the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) tax, which requires large businesses to pay towards the cost of disposing of their packaging. Retailers have been [...]
Next boss Simon Wolfson takes record £7.4m pay packet April 17, 2026 Next boss Simon Wolfson took home a bumper £7.4m pay packet last year, as his best-ever pay day could be beaten by next year’s £9.3m – if the firm meets growth targets. Wolfson’s total pay soared from £4.9m the year before, as he took £967k in basic pay and more than £6m in bonuses. The [...]
Currys shares soar after retailer defies high street gloom January 21, 2026 Shares in tech retailer Currys soared this morning after the firm released an upbeat Christmas trading update, defying wider gloom on the high street. The London-listed firm recorded a three per cent uptick in UK and Ireland revenue as it clawed a bigger market share from strong sales in mobile, as well as growth in [...]