Ikea snaps up former Topshop Oxford St flagship for £378m October 26, 2021 IKEA has bought the former Topshop flagship store for £378m on Oxford St. The 214 Oxford St store was formerly owned by Arcadia, before the demise of fashion brands Topshop and Topman. Now, the Swedish-origin furniture giant is set to open up in autumn 2023, after the site was bought by Ingka Investments, the investment [...]
Drift to office slows as workers put off by Covid concerns October 26, 2021 A return to the office has appeared to have stalled as London’s office hubs marked a drop in footfall last week. Retail experts Springboard found that footfall declined by 4.2 per cent in areas in central London dominated by offices in the week beginning October 17. The ‘Back to the Office’ benchmark metric suggests that [...]
Ocado turns to robots for delivery of groceries to Londoners amid shortage of workers October 26, 2021 Built by UK online supermarket pioneer Ocado, the washing-machine sized bots have caught the eye of international retailers battling a shortage of workers and rising wage demands. Watch the full report.
If Sunak’s budget delivers for financial services, they can deliver for the globe October 26, 2021 At Conservative party conference, the Chancellor promised to deliver an economy based on “good work, better skills and higher wages” and embrace “the agility, flexibility and freedom provided by Brexit”. This will create a dynamic, high-tech economy. Financial services are critical to delivering this ambition. The engine of the UK economy has not only withstood [...]
UK petrol prices reach record highs October 25, 2021 Petrol prices soared to an all-time high on Sunday, reaching 142.94p a litre. The new record is 28p a litre higher than a year ago, when petrol cost about 114.5p. Motoring group RAC has described the outcome as a “dark day for drivers.” The rebound has seen prices rise from pandemic lows of 106.48p in [...]
South Western Railway won’t restore pre-pandemic rail service in ‘attack’ on business October 21, 2021 South Western Railway (SWR) will not restore its London rail services to pre-pandemic levels next year in a move that has been labelled as “an attack” on central London’s economic recovery. Figures, compiled by the Liberal Democrats, show SWR will cut their services across South West London from December 2022, compared to pre-pandemic levels, by [...]
Gymshark director buys majority share in HERA October 21, 2021 Gymshark director and former chairman Paul Richardson has purchased the majority share in streetwear brand HERA London. Richardson has taken the position of executive chairman at the fashion firm, which aims to grow into a £100m label over the next three to five years. In his new position, Richardson will oversee company strategy, create significant [...]
London business groups call on government to stop five per cent rail fare hikes in 2022 October 20, 2021 London business groups have called on the government to ensure rail fares do not surge next year on the back of above expected inflation, warning this would cripple the capital’s recovering economy. London First and the Centre for London said today that a 5 per cent rise in rail fares next year, which is the [...]
Life Science announces intention to launch London IPO October 19, 2021 Real estate investment trust Life Science has declared its intention to launch an initial public offering on London’s AIM market. Life Science will launch an IPO by way of a placing, offer for subscription and intermediaries offer, targeting the issue of 300 million ordinary shares of £0.01 each in the capital of the company, at [...]
The City of London should once again be a 24/7 city packed full of culture October 19, 2021 Seeing the old familiar buzz returning to the streets of the City of London is a welcome sight and one which cannot help but bring a smile to one’s face. The sight of friends and colleagues greeting one another, restaurants and cafes thriving once more and a vibrant cultural scene underlines what we always knew: [...]