September house prices show ‘last of stamp duty sizzle’ November 17, 2021 UK house prices leapt in the year to September in the run up to the final stamp duty holiday deadline, government figures show. HMRC’s latest house price index shows that house prices climbed 2.5 per cent in September and 11.8 per cent annually. The average price of a property in the UK was £269,945, hitting [...]
Life Science raises £350m in over-subscribed IPO as it plots ‘Golden Triangle’ growth November 17, 2021 A real estate investment trust (REIT) Life Science has raised gross proceeds of £350m as it anticipates a stock market debut this week. New ordinary shares were issued at £0.01 each and Life Science has made an application for 350m shares to be admitted to AIM. The admission will make it the first London listed [...]
Lidl to become UK’s highest-paying supermarket in £18m wage investment November 17, 2021 Lidl is set to become the UK’s highest-paying supermarket after it said it would invest £18m in wages. Entry-level wages are to increase £10.85 to £11.30 in London from March 2022 while new starters outside the capital will see wages hike from £9.50 to £10.10. Lidl colleagues are also to earn up to £12.25 in [...]
Retailers slam rocketing interchange fees as UK firms face £36.5m increase November 17, 2021 UK and European Economic Area (EEA) retailers are facing a cost increase of around £150m a year to accept cross-border card payments. UK businesses may be forced to take on an additional £36.5m, according to research by retail payments advisory firm CMSPI, alongside the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The BRC has called on ministers and [...]
In good spirits: Diageo shares rise after Guinness owner forecasts sales growth November 16, 2021 Guinness owner Diageo has said it expects organic net sales growth of at least 16 per cent in the first half of its new financial year. The announcement sent shares in the alcohol giant rocketing more than 3 per cent on Tuesday morning, to a high of £39.48. At its capital markets day, the beverage-maker [...]
Shoppers set to spend £33bn across major supermarkets in festive period November 16, 2021 Trips to UK supermarkets have shot up as Brits prepare to shop both online and in-store for Christmas. In-store visits to supermarkets swelled 6.5 per cent in the last four weeks ending 6 November. This represents 28m more visits compared with the same period last year, according to data from NielsenIQ. The online share of [...]
East End borough revealed as most at risk to online shopping scams November 16, 2021 Tower Hamlets in east London is the area most exposed to online shopping scams, according to cybersecurity experts. VNPOverview has pinpointed the borough as having the highest percentage of online shoppers in the UK, after an analysis of official data. It estimated that 90.68 per cent of people over 18 in the borough are preparing [...]
Wagamama owner hikes full-year estimates after sales surge November 16, 2021 Wagamama’s owner has upgraded its estimates for the financial year, forecasting adjusted EBITDA of up to £79m. In a trading update published on Tuesday morning, The Restaurant Group said its venues had traded well with like-for-like sales outperforming the market. There had been strong sales across the Wagamama brand, as well as its pubs and [...]
Burger chain Five Guys eyes accelerated expansion after seeing opportunity in pandemic November 15, 2021 “We’re just really early days still,” explains Five Guys’ UK CEO John Eckbert. The US-founded burger chain expects to ramp up its UK expansion plans after the pandemic has opened up real estate opportunities – but dark kitchens would only ever be “temporary.” Alongside Carphone Warehouse founder Sir Charles Dunstone, Eckbert was responsible for launching [...]
These aren’t just good results…M&S buoyed by update November 11, 2021 Marks and Spencers’ shares were back in fashion on the FTSE 250 yesterday, after a buoyant update indicated greener pastures for the once ailing brand. The retailer boosted full year profit expectations as it reported a profit before tax of £187.3m in the six months to 2 October, sending shares up more than 16 per [...]
