Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley ordered to replace signage on 180-year-old department store in row with council April 22, 2021 Frasers’ boss Mike Ashley has been ordered to replace the letters of a 180-year-old landmark department store in Edinburgh. Ashley, the founder of Sports Direct, has been issued with a formal notice to Sports Direct International, now rebranded as Frasers Group, over work “executed to the listed building… having regard to the effect of the [...]
Shopper, drinker and diner numbers recover as UK retailers and hospitality firms reopen April 22, 2021 Restaurant and pub reservations soared and shoppers headed back to the high street in vast numbers as coronavirus restrictions on outdoor hospitality and retailers lifted. The latest data showed that UK seated diner reservations on Saturday reached 60 per cent of the levels seen on the equivalent day in 2019, pre-pandemic. Figures were even higher [...]
Commercial landlord AEW UK to pay dividend as science and medical properties boost portfolio value April 22, 2021 Commercial property landlord AEW UK Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit) has announced a quarterly dividend payment as life sciences and medical sites recorded a jump in value during the pandemic. AEW, which mainly owns industrial sites across the UK and has some exposure to the retail, office and leisure sectors, said it will pay an [...]
Boozy Brits stock up on hangover cures as pubs in England reopen April 21, 2021 Britons stocked up on hangover “cures” in the week that English pubs were allowed to resume outdoor trading. Figures showed sales of painkillers surged in the week beginning 12 April as pubs reopened their beer gardens for the first time in months. Data from pharmacy chain Superdrug showed that co-codamol sales surged 64 per cent [...]
Hammerson completes retail park exit with £330m sale to Canadian private equity player April 21, 2021 Property giant Hammerson has confirmed that it has sold seven retail parks to private equity firm Brookfield in a £330m deal that completes the retail landlord’s exit from the struggling sector. The £330m price tag represents an eight per cent discount to the 31 December book value of £357m, and the deal concludes Hammerson’s disposal [...]
Pub chain Shepherd Neame toasts strong trading after beer gardens reopen April 21, 2021 UK pub chain Shepherd Neame this morning said trading has been “encouraging” since its beer gardens reopened last week. The firm, which is Britain’s oldest brewer, said more than 200 pubs reopened when restrictions on outdoor trading were lifted on 12 April. The rest of its 316 sites across south east England will reopen on [...]
UK house prices rise at fastest rate since 2014 April 21, 2021 UK house prices soared in February at the highest growth rate recorded in more than six years – but London lagged behind the rest of the country. Average house prices across the UK increased 8.6 per cent in the year to February, up from eight per cent in January. This is the highest house price [...]
Pure Gym suffers £200m loss due to Covid closures April 21, 2021 Pure Gym suffered losses of almost £200m last year after the budget fitness chain was forced to close all of its sites for several months during coronavirus lockdowns. The gym company reported a loss of £198.4m in 2020, compared to a loss of £39.6m in the previous year. Revenue dropped 39 per cent from £447m [...]
Mulberry ramps up sustainability pledges as retailers scramble to boost environmental reputations April 20, 2021 Mulberry has become the latest retailer to ramp up its sustainability measures as the spotlight on environmental and social issues has intensified in the wake of fast fashion scandals. The designer accessories brand today announced it will buy back, resell or repurpose any Mulberry bag when it becomes unusable. It has also pledged to achieve [...]
Bezos bets on the barbers: Amazon to open London hair salon April 20, 2021 US tech giant Amazon has announced it will open a huge hair salon across two storeys in London’s Spitalfields. The company said customers will use Amazon technology to trial hair colours and entertainment will be provided by its Fire tablets at the salon in Brushfield Street. Hairdressing and styling will be provided by London salon [...]
