Hotel Chocolat leaves a sweet taste as growing profits bolster international expansion efforts September 25, 2018 Luxury chocolatier Hotel Chocolat signalled its plans to ramp up international expansion today after reporting a 13 per cent rise in annual profits. Pre-tax profit for the 12 months to the start of July rose to £12.7m, jumping from £11.2m in the same period the year before. The rise in profits was largely driven [...]
Next nudges up profit guidance after blistering summer despite ‘volatile’ market September 25, 2018 British fashion retailer Next nudged up its full-year outlook this morning, after the firm’s strong summer performance unexpectedly carried on into August and September. Next posted half-year pre-tax profits of £311.1m compared with £309m in the same period last year, raising its full year guidance by £10m to £727m. The better-than-expected forecasts have largely been [...]
German money rises in West End after Verde deal September 24, 2018 German investment in the West End has reached £515m for the year-to-date on the back of last week's announcement that German fund manager Deka Immobilien GmbH completing one of the largest deals this summer, buying the Verde office building in Victoria for roughly £460m on Friday. The deal pushed investment levels up to £515m, compared with £476m [...]
West End retailers ‘hit by staff shortages’ as property boss urges action on visa rules September 24, 2018 London’s renowned West End retail economy is under threat from staff shortages, according to the boss of one of the area’s largest investment firms. Shaftesbury Group’s chief executive Brian Bickell, whose £3.86bn FTSE 250 property company represents nearly 600 West End businesses, told City A.M. that a combination of tight visa restrictions and uncertainty around EU [...]
Debenhams looks to shore up investor panic with unveiling of its ‘store of the future’ September 24, 2018 Debenhams is gearing up for the unveiling of its “store of the future” later today, as the beleaguered retail giant looks to reassure both shoppers and investors after a challenging summer. The department store chain is also expected to reveal more details of its turnaround plans at the event in Watford today, having denied [...]
Versace set to walk the runway with rumoured sale ‘within hours’ September 24, 2018 Shares in fashion brand Michael Kors are down more than eight per cent on rumours that it is in talks to buy Versace. Fashion kingpin Versace is rumoured to be “within hours” of being sold, according to Italian news reports which emerged early this morning. Newspaper Corriere della Sera, which has cited unnamed sources, [...]
Gold rush: Barrick Gold to merge with Randgold in $18.3bn deal September 24, 2018 Two of the world’s largest gold producers are set to merge as Canada’s Barrick Gold said it has agreed to buy London-listed Randgold Resources in a shock $18bn (£13.7bn) deal. In plans to create what Barrick Gold and Randgold Resources hailed as an “industry-leading gold company”, the companies will be hoping to cement their [...]
Thomas Cook share price dives after summer heatwave hits profits September 24, 2018 Thomas Cook's share price crashed more than 20 per cent in early morning trading, after the firm was forced to slash its profit forecasts in the wake of a blistering summer heatwave. The UK travel giant said it expected core earnings (Ebit) would be roughly £280m for the 12 months to the end of September, [...]
Oil-producing giants in reported talks to raise supply amid US sanctions on Iran September 22, 2018 Some of the world’s largest oil producers are mulling the possibility of raising oil supply by as much as 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) in a bid to compensate for Iran’s falling output, it has been reported this morning. Countries within the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) as well as other producers are [...]
Worldpay boss rumoured to be in the hiring line for BT Group September 22, 2018 Britain’s largest telecoms company BT Group is in advanced talks to appoint Worldpay’s outgoing joint chief executive Philip Jansen as its new boss, according to Sky News. Jansen is believed to be the preferred candidate for the role, which opened up in June after BT’s boss Gavin Patterson revealed he would stepping down towards the [...]
