Trading standards seize thousands of counterfeit chocolate bars from Oxford St candy shops June 15, 2022 More than £100,000 worth of counterfeit or illegal chocolate bars and vapes were seized from US candy shops on Oxford Street yesterday. Trading standards seized a huge haul of dodgy goods yesterday, including 2246 counterfeit Wonka Bars, with a raid worth £22,000 from one shop alone. Council officials are endeavouring to crack down on the [...]
Thirty American candy shops on Oxford Street probed over tax dodging claims June 13, 2022 Dozens of American-candy shops on Oxford Street are being probed over claims they failed to pay £7.9m in business rates. Westminster City Council said on Monday that it had seized counterfeit and illegal goods amounting to a £474,000 sum over the past six months. The council told the BBC that the 30 shops under investigation [...]
West End: Shaftesbury investor raises concern with £3.5bn merger with rival Capco May 15, 2022 Concerns have been raised over West End landlord Shaftesbury’s planned £3.5bn merger with rival Capital & Counties Properties (Capco), by a key investor. Shareholders could be left worse for wear, Chris Hills, chief investment consultant at Investec, which has a 1.65 per cent stake in Shaftesbury, told The Times. As Shaftesbury trades at just an [...]
Oxford St raid: Officers seize thousands of counterfeit and dangerous items from two retailers May 4, 2022 Trading standards officers seized £58k worth of vapes and unsafe toys from two Oxford Street retailers. Westminster City Council officers seized more than 4,000 items that were thought to be counterfeit or possibly dangerous to the public. Items seized in the 26 April raid included vaping devices containing excessive levels of nicotine and which had [...]
West End set for booming recovery as tourists flock back to capital May 3, 2022 Londoners can bet on a roaring West End comeback, after Peel Hunt analysts pointed to a resilient recovery in occupier demand and rental tone. In a note yesterday, Peel Hunt said that the future looked cheery for the central London shopping and theatre destination, “despite wider uncertainty and the cost of living squeeze.” It comes [...]
Swingers’ CEO: Offices splash cash on crazy golf with pent up budgets May 3, 2022 Corporate bookings have returned with a bang as bosses are eager to spend two years’ worth of social budgets, the CEO of Swingers said. The crazy golf chain has seen business come “roaring back” since Covid restrictions eased, co-founder Matt Grech-Smith told CityA.M. Work bookings make up 45 per cent of Swinger’s trade, its chief [...]
West End woes: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella cancelled as cast learn of news ‘by press release’ May 2, 2022 Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of Cinderella has been cancelled after less than a year, after the West End show faced a turbulent launch. Cinderella had faced a tumultuous run and is understood to have suffered heavy losses since its opening night last summer. Equity UK, the trade union for actors and singers, has written to [...]
New West End Company chief leaves role as chief of business group for down under April 28, 2022 The head of the New West End Company is departing to oversee improvements to Sydney’s Western Harbour shopping district. After six years at the industry body, Jace Tyrell is leaving to head Australia’s first business improvement district (BID), the New Sydney Waterfront Company. NWEC works across 80 streets in the central London heartland, representing 150,000 [...]
The show goes on: Olivier awards return in sign of West End comeback April 10, 2022 The West End’s biggest stars donned their gladrags to walk the ‘green carpet’ tonight at the 2022 Olivier’s following a three-year pandemic-forced gap. Cabaret was among the big winners of the day, with Rebecca Frecknall winning best director for the London Playhouse production and Eddie Redmayne taking best actor for his performance as The Emcee. [...]
London shoppers evacuated from Oxford Street after gas leak April 4, 2022 Shoppers have been evacuated from Oxford St after emergency services have shut down the West End shopping destination. The Met closed several streets in the area on Monday afternoon, including Poland Street, Berwick Street, Oxford Street, Noel Street, Wardour Street and Great Marlborough Street. In a tweet, the police force said: “Please can we make [...]