Made.com sees sales jump but still turns a loss in H1 2021 September 14, 2021 Homeware retailer Made.com saw gross sales jump by 54 per cent in the first half of the year, but the company struggled to balance the books. While sales topped £213.9m the company’s loss before tax stood at £10.1m, a 34 per cent improvement on the first half of 2020 when Made.com lost £15.2m. EBITDA climbed [...]
Hot under the collar: Ocado pins revenue tumble on warehouse fire September 14, 2021 Online supermarket Ocado has pinned a revenue dive over the last quarter on a fire at one of its London warehouses, in its latest trading update today. The fire, at its south London Erith Customer Fulfilment Centre in July, cost Ocado some £35m in revenue, it said in a statement – the equivalent of 300,000 [...]
Gradual recovery: Central London shows signs of return to the office September 13, 2021 Central London has begun to show signs of a return to the office, but the capital’s retailers and attractions are yet to reap the benefits of a complete footfall recovery. Londoners marching back to the office has seen footfall levels lift 4.2 per cent, but foot traffic as a whole has slumped 7.8 per cent [...]
Rail fares could be hiked by 5 per cent – it’s time for an overhaul of how we view public transport September 9, 2021 This week marked the start of the new academic year in earnest and for many it was also a return to work, coming back into London for the first time after months of working from home. But for rail commuters, the latest inflation figures could mean the biggest fare hike in a decade. If the government sticks to its current formula of bumping up fares by one percent [...]
London markets dragged down by tax hikes as City mulls impact on portfolios September 8, 2021 The wave of tax hikes launched by prime minister Boris Johnson weighed on London markets today as investors mulled the implications of higher dividend taxes on their portfolios. The capital’s premier index dropped 0.75 per cent to close at 7,095.53 points, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 slid 1.03 per cent to 23,848.89 points. Markets were [...]
Gordon’s wine bar: ‘Insane paperwork’ putting pressure on supplies September 8, 2021 London wine venues are experiencing shortages of some wines thanks to red tape and driver shortages. The Wine and Spirit Trade Association has warned some of the country’s favourite wines could be unavailable in the run up to Christmas. Bars and restaurants have struggled to keep menu items available because of shortages of packaging products [...]
Aquascutum and Gieves & Hawkes face being dragged down by Chinese parent’s debt struggles September 8, 2021 Struggles in China are pushing some of the most established British fashion brands into a dicey position, with Gieves & Hawkes facing a winding-up order and Aquascutum pulling out of the UK entirely. Chinese outfit Shandong Ruyi, which owns the two firms, has come under increasing pressure over its staggering $4 billion debt following an [...]
Hybrid working: Out of office… forever? September 8, 2021 During lockdowns, many started working from home for the first time. Now, 91% don’t want to go back to the office full-time. With hybrid models of work being adopted by many, Christian Koch talks to leading CAs about the chances of a new workplace revolution… This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. What does [...]
Ted Baker sales jump 50 per cent in a year September 7, 2021 Ted Baker has reported strong sales in Q2 with revenue up 50 per cent compared to last year despite the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on retail. Store sales surged by +142 per cent between April 25 to August 14 compared to the same period a year ago. While sales were down -45 per cent compared [...]
Lorry driver strikes could exacerbate supply chaos September 6, 2021 Lorry drivers at two companies supplying convenience stores and construction firms have threatened to strike amid ongoing supply chain disruption. Any industrial action would intensify the supply shortage chaos affecting sectors already hit by a shortfall of HGV drivers, union bosses warned. Drivers working for Booker Retail Partners voted unanimously for strike action while drivers [...]