Marks & Spencer profit dented as Ocado joint venture books £0.7m loss November 9, 2022 Marks & Spencer’s half-year profit slid on Wednesday after it said its joint venture with online grocer Ocado had suffered a £700,000 loss. In half-year results to 1 October, M&S said its group profit before tax was £205.5m, versus a £269.4m sum the previous year. Bosses pointed to a lack of business rates relief compared [...]
Barry’s: Office return to City comes ‘hand in hand’ with thriving fitness industry November 8, 2022 The return of office workers and recovery of the fitness sector come “hand in hand”, according to Barry’s Bootcamp London co-founder Sandy Macaskill. Gym-goers’ routines were set off course during the pandemic with “stop-start” closures hitting the fitness industry hard over the past three years. For the head of Barry’s, which has seven studios in London [...]
Restaurants ‘entering winter in freefall’ as insolvencies leap by almost half November 8, 2022 There has been a tsunami of restaurants entering liquidation in the quarter to September, causing hospitality leaders to renew cries for government support this winter. According to recent numbers from the Insolvency Service, the number of food venues facing insolvency sky-rocketed 46 per cent in the most recent quarter. Some 158 businesses went into liquidation [...]
Shoppers continue turning to own label groceries as yearly food bill to leap by £682 November 8, 2022 Sales of own-brand groceries shot up last month while fewer consumers forked out for a Halloween pumpkin this year, as households seek to trim down costs. Shoppers are increasingly switching to cheaper alternatives of food essentials, as historically high levels of inflation amp up the pressure on Brits this winter, according to data from insights [...]
Primark owner takes £1bn extra inflation hit amid ‘most challenging’ economy for many years November 8, 2022 Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF) saw inflationary costs leap by £1bn this year alone, as it weathers “highly volatile” economic conditions and hopes to retain shoppers with its low prices. The chairman of the fashion and food business, Michael McLintock, said ABF had “encountered the most challenging economic conditions for many years with sharply [...]
Hashtag Ad: Competition watchdog asks brands to be more transparent over influencer adverts November 4, 2022 The competition watchdog has published fresh guidance for Instagram influencers and big tech firms to help users identify a paid for endorsement. Regulators want to see social media publishers commit to being more open and transparent about when posts are paid for adverts. Under the new guidance, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has asked [...]
DFS sees “more positive” order trend after gloomy sales warnings earlier this year November 4, 2022 Sofa seller DFS said it hopes to buck a trend of furniture firms struggling amid the economic crunch, after having a more optimistic September. Since early September, the London-listed company said it had observed “a more positive trend”, in comparison to prior warnings about a softening of demand for homeware. It said group order volumes [...]
Bleak Friday? Retailers hit by spending slowdown as shoppers shun high street November 4, 2022 High street bosses are nervously awaiting Black Friday as retail sales volumes dropped dramatically last month. Sales volumes have dropped significantly, although this has been masked by historically high levels of inflation, data from accountancy firm BDO revealed today. In-store like-for-like sales saw the lowest growth since lockdown in February 2021, with growth of just [...]
Working from home sees London karaoke bars enjoy rise in Sunday Fundays November 3, 2022 Londoners are staving off the Sunday Blues with karaoke nights – taking advantage of an extra lie-in on work-from-home Monday mornings. Charlie Elek, the managing director of Lucky Voice, a capital-focussed karaoke chain, told CityA.M. that a rise in hybrid working had “worked in our favour”. The number of punters through the door at his [...]
Sainsbury’s profits dip as supermarket giant battles to keep prices low November 3, 2022 Sainsbury’s has posted subdued half-year profits, after taking a hit to keep prices competitive for customers and boost pay for staff. The supermarket giant, which also owns Argos, said underlying pre-tax profit dipped eight per cent to £340m over the half-year to 17 September , compared with the same period last year. It had previously [...]
