Eddie Stobart accelerates growth with new contract wins August 30, 2018 Logistics group Eddie Stobart reported strong revenue growth and reiterated its expectations for the full year this morning. Due to a technical error posting the results to the stock exchange, figures were not uploaded until 9.20am. Shares were up 1.1 per cent following the release. The figures Revenue grew 25.3 per cent to £359.3m in the [...]
Panasonic to ditch UK to move headquarters to Amsterdam August 30, 2018 Panasonic is to move its European headquarters to Amsterdam from London, in a decision thought to be a result of uncertainty around Brexit. The Japanese electronics company confirmed today that it would move to the Netherlands due to concerns that it could face a hefty tax bill once the UK leaves the EU. Laurent Abadie, [...]
Half of BHS’s former stores are still empty two years on from collapse August 29, 2018 More than half of BHS's former sites are still vacant two years after the retail chain's collapse, new data showed today. Some 84 of the 164 stores remain empty, according to the Local Data Company. This comes two years after the final branches of the business closed their doors, resulting in the loss of 11,000 jobs. [...]
Margin pressure and bad weather take a slice out of Pizza Express profits but overall sales grow August 29, 2018 Pizza Express unveiled what it called a "resilient" performance today, despite pressure on margins driving down profits. The restaurant chain, which is owned by Chinese private equity group Hony Capital, has faced cost pressures as well as a significant impact from this year's changeable weather. The figures Group turnover in the 26 weeks to the beginning [...]
Richoux shares drop as restaurant group raises extra funds August 29, 2018 Restaurant group Richoux has announced a plan to raise £1.1m through a share subscription as it faces "continued pressure" from headwinds in the casual dining industry. Shares in the Aim-listed company dropped more than 14 per cent in early trading after the announcement. The group, which also includes the brands Villagio, Friendly Phil's, Zintino and [...]
The Gym Group flexes its muscles with strong expansion and member growth August 29, 2018 Budget gym operator The Gym Group reported another strong period this morning, as membership numbers soar in line with expansion. The figures With six new openings and a string of 13 easyGym sites acquired just after the period end, the total number of gyms reached 147. The group's rapid expansion saw member numbers jump to 720,000, [...]
Tiffany’s unveils higher than expected sales and profits August 28, 2018 Iconic jeweller Tiffany & Co. reported better than expected sales and profit growth today, with higher sales across all products and several geographies. The figures Worlwdwide net sales rose 12 per cent to $1.1bn (£850m) in the second quarter, while net earnings were up 26 per cent to $145m. This was driven by a particularly [...]
Sports Direct slams ‘greedy’ House of Fraser landlords August 28, 2018 Mike Ashley's Sports Direct has slammed "greedy landlords" as the group conducts discussions over the future of 59 House of Fraser stores. Several branches of the department store chain which were due to close in early 2019 have been given a reprieve after the new owners negotiated with landlords. But the fate of several shops [...]
IG Design Group wraps up acquisition of US gift and decor business for £57m August 28, 2018 A British gift and wrapping companies has acquired a US firm in a move which will bolster its presence stateside. IG Design Group has agreed to buy Impact Innovations for £56.5m, creating what it says will be the world's largest consumer gift packaging business. To fund the acquisition, the London-listed Design Group has announced a [...]
Brewdog temporarily takes down parody porn site after backlash August 28, 2018 Brewdog has pulled a parody porn site from the internet to "tweak" it after a backlash from beer fans. The pugnacious Scottish brewer, known for its attention-grabbing marketing initiatives, announced yesterday that it had launched a parody porn website under the URL beer.porn, which showcased videos from its new streaming network under sexually suggestive titles. [...]
