Topps Tiles hails record turnover with Brits still hooked on home repairs May 24, 2022 Topps Tiles, the UK’s largest tile specialist, has hailed a record turnover for the first half of the year, with Brits still hooked on repairing and improving their homes following the easing of lockdown restrictions. The London-listed retailer snagged £199m in the six months to 2 April, up more than 15 per cent in comparison [...]
West End landlord Shaftesbury reaps rewards of London’s exploding rents May 24, 2022 West End landlord Shaftesbury has reaped the rewards of exploding rental growth in London, as its portfolio valuation swells as the new Elizabeth line is unveiled. The real estate investment trust raked in nearly £19m in rent in the six months to 31 March, as its offices, hospitality and leisure, retail and residential portfolio increases [...]
Strong B&Q earnings rebuild investors’ risk appetite to kick off week May 23, 2022 Investors picked up their risk appetite again during the opening trading day of the week as B&Q owner Kingfisher helped mend market sentiment. London’s premier FTSE 100 index jumped 1.67 per cent to 7,513.44 points, while the mid-cap domestically-focused FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, climbed 1.56 [...]
US issues final Brexit warning to UK not to take unilateral action as American delegation visits Dublin and Belfast May 23, 2022 The UK government has been warned by a delegation of US politicians not to unilaterally remove the Northern Ireland Protocol as such a move “will not work”. Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee urged Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to engage in face-to-face negotiations with Brussels to resolve the outstanding issues. It comes as the bipartisan US congressional [...]
US private equity titan Sycamore abandons bid for Ted Baker May 23, 2022 Private equity giant Sycamore has pulled out of the race to snap up iconic fashion firm Ted Baker.
Gymshark nets £45m profit as founder Ben Francis climbs up Sunday Times Rich List May 22, 2022 Sportswear brand Gymshark has pocketed a £45.4m pre-tax profit – a further jolt of good news for its young founder, who has risen in the Sunday Times Rich List. The e-commerce fashion retailer saw profit rocket in the year to July 2021, compared to 2020’s sum of £30.4m, according to accounts filed to Companies House [...]
Shares fly for THG as bidding war pushes online retailer’s value to £1.8bn May 20, 2022 Shares in the online retailer THG surge as much 25 per cent this afternoon as investors back the bidding war taking hold of the ecommerce firm. The online health and beauty retailer said that it had batted away a £2.07bn bid from two investment companies, Belerion Capital and King Street Capital Management last night. It [...]
TfL looks for investment partners to take up office space at Bank, Southwark and Paddington stations May 20, 2022 Transport for London is looking for an investment partner to work on commercial developments at the sites of Bank, Paddington and Southwark stations. In a bid to reduce its reliance on fares for income, TFL is looking to offer commercial office space at the stations which could generate significant revenue. All three sites have either [...]
London ensnared by global market turmoil as recession jitters spread May 19, 2022 The City was ensnared by a global market sell off today driven by investors ditching stocks over fears soaring inflation will tip major economies into recession. Britain’s biggest companies shed around £40bn today. London’s premier FTSE 100 index tumbled just under two per cent, taking its total losses for the year so far to nearly [...]
GPE boss warns London’s office rebound could hit a wall amid runaway inflation May 19, 2022 The boss of GPE, formerly known as Great Portland Estates, has warned that London’s office leasing rebound could hit a wall as inflation shrinks the appetite for new developments. The capital’s post-pandemic recovery for offices has seen some of the UK’s largest developers – as well as GPE – hail record leasing activity and surging [...]