Labour squeeze shows no signs of loosening before Christmas November 12, 2021 The ongoing labour squeeze shows no signs of loosening in the run up to Christmas, raising fresh concerns that usual festive activities could be scuppered. In the first week of this month alone, over 220,000 new job ads were posted in the UK, a historically high print since records began, according to the Recruitment and [...]
The Tulip wilts: Skyscraper set for scrap-heap after appeal fails November 11, 2021 Proposals for the proposed Tulip skyscraper in the eastern heart of the City are set to be scrapped after central Government dismissed the planning applications. The Corporation of the City of London had approved the plans in 2019, but they were blocked by Mayor Sadiq Khan’s office, which feared the unique skyscraper would damage the [...]
Whole Foods was Amazon’s grocery debut, now it’s time for a main course November 11, 2021 Amazon took its first major step into grocery when it bought Whole Foods Market in 2017 for $13.7bn. The purchase sent shockwaves through the retail world at the time. It marked Amazon’s first step into brick-and-mortar retail and analysts interpreted the move as an effort to muscle in on the supermarket sector. But Amazon’s Whole [...]
Klarna challenger Zilch becomes fastest-ever British unicorn November 10, 2021 London-based fintech Zilch has today closed a mammoth $110m Series C funding round and become the UK’s latest billion dollar company in record-breaking time. The round brings Zilch, whose product capitalises on the lucrative Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) sector but in many ways resembles a credit card, to a $2bn valuation – four times [...]
This is not just results: London markets boosted by M&S profit hike November 10, 2021 UK retail institution Marks and Spencer boosted London markets during the opening session today as investors poured into the stock after it hiked its profit outlook. The capital’s mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which M&S is listed on, advanced 0.34 per cent to 23,445.61 points. The premier FTSE 100 index was up 0.33 per cent to [...]
ProCook London IPO set to stir a near £160m valuation November 10, 2021 ProCook’s upcoming London initial public offering (IPO) is set to secure the gourmet kitchen retailer a nearly £160m valuation. The retailer will offer shares for 145p a piece, which will rally the £158m valuation. “We have been thrilled with the level of interest and support from a range of institutional and retail investors,” CEO and [...]
Shepherd Neame reports strong recovery as pandemic restrictions end November 9, 2021 Shepherd Neame is brewing a comeback as demand recovers following the end of pandemic restrictions. Its full-year results reveal consumer appetite has been robust in a recovering market, with retail pubs achieving 62 per cent of 2019 sales between 12 April and 16 May when pubs re-opened outside, and 97 per cent of previous sales [...]
Abrdn confirms talks underway for £1.5bn Interactive Investor acquisition November 8, 2021 FTSE 100 asset manager Abrdn has confirmed it is in talks to snap up Interactive Investor, the UK’s second-largest fund supermarket, in a £1.5bn deal that would represent its third major digital investment this year. In a move that would represent another push into UK adviser and consumer markets by CEO Stephen Bird, who took [...]
Abrdn in advanced talks to buy Interactive Investor for £1.5bn November 7, 2021 Asset manager Abrdn has set its sights on snapping up DIY stock-picking platform Interactive Investor in a deal worth £1.5bn. Reportedly Abrdn is being advised by bankers at JP Morgan and is in advanced discussions with JC Flowers and Co, the private equity group that has owned a majority stake in Interactive Investor since 2016. [...]
Focus On: Islington – An area that has all a savvy buyer needs November 5, 2021 One of those neighbourhoods that has it all, Islington combines lively restaurants and bars, inviting pubs and attractive residential areas with Georgian townhouses, garden squares and quaint terraces. Less bourgeois than west London, it attracts a mix of high-earning middle class millennials and boomers, families, and hipster house sharers with a liking for arts and [...]