Asos shares jump as retailer confirms exclusive talks to buy Topshop January 25, 2021 Shares in Asos jumped more than five per cent this morning after the online retail platform announced it is in exclusive talks to buy Topshop – the jewel in the crown of Sir Philip Green’s collapsed business empire. Asos said this morning that it is in discussions with Deloitte – Arcadia’s administrator – to buy [...]
Boohoo buys Debenhams brand and website for £55m – but stores set to close January 25, 2021 Online retail giant Boohoo has announced it will buy Debenhams’ brand and website for £55m, but will not rescue the high street chain’s stores or jobs. The deal – announced this morning – means Debenhams’ remaining 118 department stores will close down and could result in up to 12,000 job losses. Boohoo said the acquisition [...]
London house prices: Which exclusive areas suffered the biggest drop in property values? January 25, 2021 House prices in some of London’s most exclusive neighborhoods plunged due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest research. Sold prices across prime central London postcodes have fallen 10 per cent since the start of the pandemic, while property values across the capital grew three per cent on average. The W1J postcode in Mayfair [...]
UK high street set for comeback after lockdown eased due to ‘pent up demand’, experts say January 25, 2021 The UK high street is set to bounce back after lockdown as the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions is expected to release a wave of pent up demand for in-person shopping experiences, retail experts have said. Data showed that footfall jumped dramatically in the first weeks after the first and second national coronavirus lockdowns, with shoppers [...]
London first-time buyers undeterred by Covid and rising house prices January 25, 2021 First-time buyers in London were largely undeterred by the coronavirus pandemic and rocketing prices last year, the latest research found. London’s first time buyer figured dipped six per cent in 2020 as the housing market was closed for months during the first national lockdown. However the slump was the lowest in the capital compared to [...]
Gatwick Airport borrows extra £75m from government due to pandemic January 24, 2021 Gatwick Airport has borrowed an extra £75m from the government to bolster its finances due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic on the travel sector. The airport has reportedly borrowed £250m so far under the Covid Corporate Financing Scheme, after being forced to keep applying for new funds due to lockdowns and restrictions on [...]
Banks claw back fraudulent bounce back loans January 24, 2021 High street banks are scrambling to claw back emergency coronavirus loans linked to suspected fraud. Banks including HSBC, Barclays, Natwest and Lloyds are among those that have started to freeze accounts over fears that government-backed bounce back loans have been obtained fraudulently. They have reclaimed up to £50,000 from customers, according to the Mail on [...]
Dr Martens to announce cornerstone investors in £3.5bn London listing January 24, 2021 Iconic footwear brand Dr Martens will launch a £3.5bn London listing tomorrow, with the retailer’s top management set to pocket multimillion-pound payouts. Dr Martens is expected to announce tomorrow that it has secured cornerstone investors when it publishes the prospectus for a share sale ahead of the initial public offering (IPO) next month, The Sunday [...]
Asos emerges as frontrunner to buy Topshop January 24, 2021 Online retail giant Asos is now the frontrunner to buy Topshop, the flagship brand of Sir Philip Green’s collapsed high street empire Arcadia. Asos has reportedly put in an offer of more than £250m to buy Topshop, according to Sky News, days after Next withdrew from the race. If Asos’ bid is successful, the future [...]
Retail therapy: How has the Covid-19 pandemic changed the way we shop? January 22, 2021 The lifestyle changes from Covid-19 were reflected in where people chose to spend their hard-earned cash in 2020, with local shops, fitness platforms and recipe boxes feeling the benefit of a year in the coronavirus pandemic.