Markets roundup: Speculation lifts Paddy Power, while Carillion continues to struggle November 24, 2017 Black Friday is drawing to an end. The day has seen record spending on Barclaycard and all-time-high numbers on Argos’s website, though KPMG today warned of the impact discounting could have on retailers. Read more: Black Friday 2017: Purchases hit a record high this lunchtime, according to Barclaycard Although they may have been in the [...]
Coincidence? Retailers’ profit margins have been squeezed since Black Friday hit UK shores, KPMG reveals November 24, 2017 The Black Friday phenomenon seems to be sticking around in the UK, as more and more retailers have extended offers on both sides of the big day. But there could be a darker side to the shopaholic frenzy, according to KPMG. Data compiled by the accountancy firm has found that profit margins of the UK’s [...]
Christmas adverts 2017 round-up: Watch offerings from M&S, Aldi, Sky, TalkTalk – and even a teaser from John Lewis November 7, 2017 This year’s Christmas ad season is already shaping up to be a vintage one, with the return of an animated carrot, an over-enthusiastic elf and a shifty pair of eyes. Worried about missing out? Here’s what we’ve seen so far: 1. M&S: Paddington saves Christmas. Kind of. Paddington Bear helps out a would-be robber, thus [...]
Christmas shopping: Argos opens new fulfilment centres in Reading and Birmingham in time for Christmas rush November 3, 2017 Argos has opened two new regional fulfilment centres, boosting its online capacity ahead of the hectic Christmas shopping season. The centres in Birmingham and Reading will add 200,000 square feet of space for products offered on Argos’ next-day and same-day delivery services. Read more: Sainsbury’s suits up: Supermarket to sell smart mens clothes The new [...]
The march of time: How war led to some of horology’s finest innovations, from diving watches to the chronograph November 2, 2017 Halfway through Pulp Fiction, with typically unnerving intensity – not to mention outrageous casual racism – Christopher Walken’s Captain Koons coaxes a young Butch Coolidge from his TV cartoons and presents him with ‘The Gold Watch’. This time-piece, he explains, was so important to his father that, while detained in a Vietnamese prisoner of war [...]
Warehouse REIT heads for London Stock Exchange as it seeks to capitalise on the rise of e-commerce and consumer demand for fast deliveries August 21, 2017 A warehouse investment company that works with Amazon and Asda is planning to float on the London Stock Exchange. The real estate investment trust (REIT) is newly incorporated and will be seeking to raise £150m. After flotation, Warehouse REIT will seek to invest in UK assets in urban areas. It has already agreed to deal [...]
Mid-market M&A pricing in Europe increases as private equity funds pay record high levels May 30, 2017 The price which buyers will pay for mid-market companies in Europe has increased by 1.2 per cent in the first quarter of 2017, according to the Argos Mid-Market Index from Epsilon Research and French investment firm Argos Soditic. Buyers paid an average of 8.6 times earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda), while the [...]
Sainsbury’s share price dips after it warns of “uncertain” inflation impact and “competitive” conditions as retail sales decline March 16, 2017 Sainsbury’s reported retail sales excluding fuel fell in the last quarter and said it faced an “uncertain” impact from rising costs and warned the market environment remains competitive. Shares in Sainsbury's dipped as markets opened to lows of 263p, but recovered some of their gains to a loss of around one per cent at the [...]
Private equity firm Privet Capital cuddles up with Care Bears maker Vivid Toy Group March 14, 2017 Private equity firm Privet Capital has snapped up a toymaker behind Care Bears, Thunderbirds and Moshi Monsters. Vivid Toy Group sells its products to major retailers across the UK, France, Benelux, Germany and the US, including in Tesco, Argos, Wal-Mart, Toys ‘R’ Us and Amazon. Headquartered in Guildford, the firm also has operations in Paris, Frankfurt and [...]
Tesco returns nearly £10m to 140,000 employees after payroll error March 9, 2017 The UK's biggest supermarket will return nearly £10m to 140,000 current and former staff after discovering a payroll error that meant they did not receive the national minimum wage. Tesco said the payments will be up to £40 for each of the employees affected, and that they will be handing out the payments by the end [...]