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 [...]
Short haul powers London Gatwick’s return to profit after £830m pandemic loss March 16, 2023 London’s second busiest airport, Gatwick, is “cautiously optimistic” about a full recovery from the pandemic as passenger demand levels reach 70 per cent of pre-covid levels. The West Sussex hub reported 32.8m passengers in 2022 as it announced a £250m investment in the site to reach net zero by 2030. In its annual results this [...]
Rail strikes: Hospitality says it has lost £3bn as it becomes ‘collateral damage’ in rail dispute March 16, 2023 London retail and hospitality bodies have said that the sector is “suffering” due to ongoing tube strikes as the disruptions continue to take a large bite out of the sector’s earnings. As Tube and rail strikes grind London to a halt this week, trade body UKHospitality has claimed that pub and restaurant businesses are expected [...]
The Square Mile and Me: James Ashton on Occupy London, the City’s history, and Balfour’s oysters March 16, 2023 Each week we ask the City’s great and good to delve down memory lane. This week, it’s James Ashton, the chief executive of the Quoted Companies Alliance, representing small- and mid-cap listed firms, and a former newspaper journalist What was your first job in the City? I wrote about advertising and media for Reuters, based [...]
Zara owner sees sales soar to £28.8bn as young shoppers shrug off cost of living crisis to splash cash on latest trends March 15, 2023 The owner of high street fashion chain Zara said young shoppers remained to spend cash on the latest trends despite rising inflation and the cost of living crisis. Inditex, which also owns popular brands such as Pull&Bear and Bershka, reported a sales growth of €32.6bn (£28.8bn) up 17.5 per cent from the same period last [...]
Big Six energy firms ‘asleep’ and should be worried, Yu Group chief warns after record profits March 14, 2023 The Big Six are “asleep” and should be worried about challengers scooping up their customers, argued the boss of Yu Group.
Square Mile embraces hybrid working and tourism as post pandemic planning applications soar 30 per cent March 14, 2023 The Square Mile experienced a 30 per cent spike in planning applications during the pandemic, as investor confidence return to the City of London. The Museum of London, and new HQs for the City’s police and law firm Hogan Lovells were among the 56 applications submitted between 2020 and 2022, it has been revealed. The [...]
London: West End and Knightsbridge urge Hunt to relax Sunday trading laws to bring in £350m extra March 13, 2023 The West End and Knightsbridge have urged the chancellor to relax Sunday trading restrictions and help them rake in an estimated £350m a year. The duo have submitted a joint proposal to Jeremy Hunt ahead of this week’s budget, urging the government to relax Sunday trading laws within the popular London districts in an effort [...]
The Square Mile and Me: Tavier Taylor on Texas, job interviews and Pilates March 9, 2023 We dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good: this week it’s the Chartered Management Institute’s tech chief Tavier Taylor. What was your first job? I grew up in Texas and my very first “real” job – not counting underage babysitting at the age of 11 – was at Popeye’s Chicken on [...]
John Lewis comes under fire for lack of affordable housing in first build-to-rent scheme March 8, 2023 John Lewis has faced pushback over its first build-to-rent development after the leader of Ealing council accused the firm of “bullying” and raised concerns about the lack of affordable homes for locals in the area. Peter Mason, leader of Ealing council, took to Twitter to slam the retail group about the possibility of it not [...]