Poker face or bets off? William Hill rejects revised offer from Rank Group and 888 Holdings August 15, 2016 Bookmaker William Hill has rejected a second, increased offer made yesterday by Rank Group and 888 Holdings. The consortium formed by online gambling giant 888 and Grosvenor Casino operator Rank had proposed a three-way tie-up in which the two companies would merge and contemporaneously acquire William Hill. The revised offer maintained the 199p per share cash offer for the [...]
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan boosts police funding by £3.4m to protect Night Tube travellers August 15, 2016 Around 100 extra police officers will be deployed when the Night Tube launches this weekend, as part of a £3.4m boost in security funding for the new 24-hour services. The British Transport Police (BTP) officers will patrol trains and all 51 stations on the Central and Victoria lines on Friday and Saturday night, Transport for London (TfL) [...]
Disappearing deliveries cost online shoppers £250m last year as Britons shun leaving packages with neighbours August 15, 2016 Sometimes, it seems, the postman doesn't ring at all. More than 3.6m unlucky online shoppers have been sent a package that has gone missing or not been delivered in the past year, according to figures released today by Direct Line Home Insurance. The disappearing deliveries have cost Britons more than £250m, with the average value of [...]
Pop: Sparkling wine has fizzed in the last five years as the amount on sale nearly doubles August 15, 2016 The market for sparkling wine has fizzed over the last five years as the amount on sale in the UK has grown by 80 per cent. A burst in demand for champagne and cheaper alternatives, such as prosecco, has also driven a boom in English sparkling wine, according to accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young. The amount [...]
Pressure is on for Rank Group and 888 Holdings to up their bid for bookmaker William Hill before Sunday August 14, 2016 The pressure is mounting for Rank Group and 888 Holdings to submit an increased takeover offer for bookmaker William Hill ahead of a looming final deadline this Sunday. Last week, William Hill swiftly rejected an offer from a consortium formed by Grosvenor Casino operator Rank and online gambling giant 888. The bookie described the proposal, [...]
Appetite for expansion outside of London hammers profits at sushi and Asian-inspired food chain Itsu August 14, 2016 Profits at healthy eating chain Itsu dived 73 per cent last year as the company developed a taste for expansion outside of London. The sushi and Asian-inspired food group reported a 22 per cent increase in sales to £82.6m in the year ended 31 December 2015, according to accounts filed at Companies House. However, profits slid [...]
Punctured biking market prompts Evans Cycles owner to pump up investment August 14, 2016 Punctured sales in the UK's "difficult" bike market have prompted Evans Cycles' majority shareholder to pump more cash into the chain. ECI Partners, which bought Evans in a deal last year for an undisclosed sum, has "invested additional funds" into April Topco, the company through which it owns Evans, to cut bank debts and provide additional liquidity. [...]
Coca-Cola HBC AG’s share price fizzes on popping profits August 11, 2016 A leading Coca-Cola bottler has jumped to the top of the blue chips today as its share price fizzed seven per cent on better-than-expected results. The figures Cost efficiencies and better pricing in established markets drove Coca-Cola HBC AG's operating profit up 10.8 per cent to €220.6m (£188.8m) in the six months to 1 July, from €199.1m in the same period [...]
The Jungle Book and Deadpool draw in moviegoers in first half for Cineworld August 11, 2016 Blockbusters including Deadpool and The Jungle Book drove a rise in revenues at Cineworld, while the chain has said it has a promising string of films on its side for the second half of the year. The figures Group revenue at the cinema chain rose 8.4 per cent to £356.7m in the six months to 30 [...]
Brexit vote hasn’t affected sales but 21 pubs a week are still shutting August 11, 2016 The Brexit vote has not yet affected turnover at the country's watering holes, but hefty beer prices are still driving pubs to close at the "alarming" rate of 21 per week. Enterprise Inns, the UK's largest pub company, said sales rose 1.9 per cent in the 44 weeks to 30 July and the group remains [...]
