High street stalwart Claire’s explores a sale as cost pressures mount June 24, 2025 The accessories and piercings company Claire’s is exploring the possibility of a sale as it battles rising costs and competition. Claire’s, which is owned by US investors JP Morgan, Elliott Management and Monarch Alternative Capital, operates 2,750 shops worldwide and 281 shops on UK high streets and retail parks. Julie Palmer, partner at financial advisory [...]
AO World: Record earnings after Music Magpie acquisition June 18, 2025 AO World has reported better-than-expected revenue growth after its acquisition of Music Magpie and an expansion in its membership scheme helped boost the figures. The electrical retailers told markets this morning that life-for-like adjusted profit before tax grew 32 per cent to £45m in the year ended March 31, above the top end of its [...]
Tesco is tightening its grip on the UK supermarket crown June 12, 2025 Tesco has boosted market share again as it outperforms peers in the ever-more competitive UK grocery space. In its first-quarter results this morning, the supermarket giant reported a 5.9 per cent uplift in food sales and a 6.2 per cent rise in home and clothing sales. Tesco now has 28 per cent of the UK [...]
Optimism on construction boom lifts housebuilder stocks June 11, 2025 Shares in the UK’s major housebuilders have all risen in the past five days as news of government investment buoys the chances of a construction market boom. Vistry and Crest, which have recently boosted their focus on affordable homes, were particular winners: Vistry has risen by more than 20 per cent since June 6, while [...]
Glastonbury Festival: Huge debts of collapsed glamping firm revealed June 11, 2025 The huge debts racked up by a luxury Glastonbury Festival glamping company before it collapsed last month have been revealed. Yurtel, which is based in Corsham, Wiltshire, went into liquidation in May, leaving a number of Glastonbury glampers ticketless and out of pocket. The business had charged between £10,000 and £16,500 for its hospitality tickets [...]
Gino D’Acampo: Restaurant empire’s huge debts revealed before rescue June 9, 2025 The company behind TV chef Gino D’Acampo’s restaurant empire owed more than £11m as it collapsed into administration, it has been revealed. Upmarket Leisure Ltd, which controlled the former This Morning star’s venues, was served with a wind-up petition by HMRC in March and moved to appoint an administrator before being saved in a £5m [...]
WH Smith nears sale of high street chain as revenue rises June 4, 2025 WH Smith has confirmed it remains on track to sell its high street division to the owner of Hobbycraft by the end of the month. In March, the FTSE 250 company announced it had agreed to offload the arm to private equity firm Modella in a deal which valued it at £76m. When complete, the [...]
Wetherspoon, Marston’s and Young’s manage to fend off UK pubs crisis – for now May 13, 2025 Some of the UK’s biggest pub chains – JD Wetherspoon, Marston’s and Young’s – have all proved surprisingly resilient in avoiding the hospitality crisis predicted last Autumn. The London-listed companies have all reported better-than-expected trading over the last year, despite very low business and consumer confidence. In an update to markets this morning, Marston’s reported [...]
Asos: Losses narrow as e-commerce giant drives turnaround April 24, 2025 Struggling ecommerce giant Asos has reported reduced losses as its turnaround plan begins to take shape. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) moved into positive territory at £42.5m in the 26 weeks to March 2, from a loss of £16.3m last year. Its share price dipped by nearly two per cent in [...]
Wetherspoons: Pub group hikes dividend despite cost warning March 21, 2025 Pub giant J D Wetherspoon has reported a dip in profits in its half-year results despite an uplift in sales, while chairman Tim Martin warned that rising labour costs and tax disparities are set to hit the pub industry hard. Its share price fell more than seven per cent in early trades. Like-for-like sales rose [...]