Boohoo urged to link bonuses to workers’ rights and sustainability improvements March 5, 2021 The chairman of fast fashion retailer Boohoo has been urged to link its bonus scheme for senior executives to improvements on workers’ rights and sustainability. MPs have written to Mahmud Kamani asking him to update the Environmental Audit Committee on the firm’s progress on its environmental and social responsibilities, and welcomed the “positive steps” it [...]
Budget: Looming tax hike met with shock and horror within the self-employed community March 2, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to announce new taxes on online deliveries and freelance workers in tomorrow’s Budget, largely aimed at helping to pay off the UK’s Covid spending. Moreover, he may up taxes for self-employed people. The taxes are aimed at targeting online firms like Amazon, Boohoo and Asos, which have seen profits soar [...]
Pontins accused of racial discrimination after ‘undesirable guest list’ targeting Irish customers emerges March 2, 2021 Pontins has been accused of racial discrimination after a whistleblower revealed that the holiday park firm had used an “undesirable guest list” to block customers with Irish surnames. The company’s owner Britannia has signed a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission forcing it to investigate and review its policies. The whistleblower [...]
Boohoo unaware of potential US import ban over slave labour links March 2, 2021 Boohoo today said it had not been contacted by US customs authorities, following reports that America could block the fast fashion retailer’s imports over modern slavery allegations. The e-commerce giant said it had not “received any correspondence from, nor is it aware of any investigation by, US Customs and Border Protection”. It said it “will [...]
Sunday Sitdown: Time Out boss Julio Bruno on the ‘renaissance’ of cities February 21, 2021 While no one could have predicted the outbreak of coronavirus, few companies have been blighted by worse timing than Time Out. In the face of shrinking revenue from its core events listings business, the media group has spent recent years shifting its focus to a new offering of food and culture markets. But when the [...]
High street redundancies: Which retailers have cut jobs in the pandemic so far? February 13, 2021 Thousands of high street jobs have evaporated during the coronavirus pandemic, as retail chains have fallen under the pressure of lockdown restrictions on trading. The UK high street, which was already struggling before the pandemic, is set to look very different when shoppers return after lockdown following high profile collapses that have cost many retail [...]
Arcadia staff gear up for legal action against Philip Green’s retail empire February 9, 2021 Dozens of ex-Arcadia staff have vowed to take legal action against the retail consortium, after it became clear their jobs would not be saved when the Arcadia brands were sold. Arcadia fell into administration in December, becoming the biggest high street casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier this week online fashion giant Boohoo announced it [...]
Back to basics: Three ‘Rs’ can revive the High Street February 9, 2021 The news this week that Asos has bought Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge from the failed Arcadia group is the latest evidence of the rapidly increasing dominance of younger online retailers over the traditional bricks-and-mortar fashion stores. The deal comes hot on the heels of Boohoo agreeing to pay £55m for the Debenhams brand last week. And [...]
Around 2,450 high street jobs lost as Boohoo buys Arcadia brands at ‘discount price’ February 8, 2021 The sale of Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton to Boohoo has put 2,450 jobs at risk, as all of the Arcadia brands’ physical stores are set to close. Deloitte, which was appointed as administrator to Sir Philip Green’s collapsed retail empire, announced today that Boohoo has bought the brands’ digital assets for £25.2m. All 214 [...]
TDR Capital aims for bullseye with £540m Arrow offer February 8, 2021 Private equity firm TDR Capital has made a fourth offer for European investor and asset manager Arrow Global. The offer stands at a price of 305 pence per share, TDR said on Monday. Shares in Arrow rose 29 per cent to 298 pence following the bid, which would value the company at around £540m. The [...]