Can online favourite Ocado make a comeback, or will its share price sink lower? March 28, 2023 Ocado’s share price fell nearly six per cent in afternoon trade as the “magic” of the online retailer’s venture with Marks and Spencer did little to buoy the confidence of investors In its start of year trading update Ocado revealed that retail revenue grew slightly by 3.4 per cent, although a 7.5 per cent decrease [...]
Exclusive: Home REIT’s biggest tenant dished out £1.2m to bosses before bankruptcy March 27, 2023 The three bosses of Home REIT’s now-bankrupt biggest tenant pocketed over £1.2m last year even as the firm struggled to pay rent and slumped to a multi-million-pound loss, City A.M. can reveal. Gurpaal Judge, the chief of Wolverhampton-based social housing provider Lotus Housing, hiked his own and two directors’ pay to £1.2m in 2022 – [...]
Tim Martin’s JD Wetherspoon blames ‘ferocious’ inflation for profits plummeting 91 per cent March 24, 2023 The chief of JD Wetherspoon has said blamed “ferocious” inflationary pressures in the pub industry as the pub giant reveals a 90.9 per cent loss in profits for the 26 weeks to January. As the cheap beer chain felt the hangover from Covid-19 and Brexit supply issues, pre-tax profits were down to £4.6m compared to [...]
Explainer: Why Waitrose is no longer the jewel in the John Lewis crown and how the group’s future may lie in property, not produce March 17, 2023 Times are tough for John Lewis as chair Sharon White admitted when the high street stalwart this week announced it had made a £234m loss in 2022. The sum was worse than market expectations and marked the second year the upmarket retailer had gone into the red. In a sympathetic letter addressed to the company’s [...]
‘Google of the property market’ Rightmove shrugs off housing fears to post £241m profit March 3, 2023 Rightmove, the UK’s largest property portal, saw its operating profits rise seven per cent to £241m as the group revealed it was “not materially affected” by the difficult property market. The London-listed company, which lists homes for rent and sale, also saw revenues increase 9 per cent to £332.6m up from £304.9m the prior year. [...]
Begbies Traynor boosted by collapse of Paperchase and host of insolvencies February 27, 2023 Restructuring specialist Begbies Traynor Group says its finances have been boosted by the collapse of Paperchase earlier this year. Begbies Traynor was appointed as administrator after the struggling stationery chain failed to secure any buyers. The retailer’s 106 branches could face closure after Tesco agreed to buy the brand but not its stores or workforce. [...]
England Rugby chief to hold crunch talks with Stourbridge over Worcester merger February 23, 2023 England Rugby chief Bill Sweeney will tomorrow travel to Stourbridge RFC to hold crunch talks about the club’s potential merger with Worcester Warriors. The chief executive is set to hear the views of a number of clubs in the area before the Rugby Football Union chooses to back or block any plans the Warriors’ new [...]
Worcester and Wasps’ future in doubt as councillors plot to seize Sixways from owners February 22, 2023 The Mayor of Worcester wants the Atlas consortium to be stripped of the Sixways stadium site, plunging the futures of Worcester Warriors and Wasps into fresh uncertainty. Worcester Warriors are set to return to Sixways next year in a controversial deal with Stourbridge RFC, while the club’s new owners say Wasps have agreed to play [...]
City A.M. Awards 2023: Accountancy Firm of the Year February 15, 2023 Auditors and accountants have spent plenty of time in the spotlight in recent years, but some firms are leading the way in putting audit and accountancy’s reputation back on the right track – and some are choosing innovative ways to respond to today’s challenges. BEGBIES TRAYNOR The country’s leader in “business rescue and recovery” has, [...]
Worcester Warriors name change plan could be scrapped after backlash February 13, 2023 The new owners of former Premiership club Worcester Warriors have said their plans to abandon the club’s name could be reversed. Having announced plans last week to disband the brand and drop into the lower divisions of English rugby to avoid agreeing to Rugby Football Union demands, the Atlas consortium have now said they may [...]