Back to basics: Three ‘Rs’ can revive the High Street February 9, 2021 The news this week that Asos has bought Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge from the failed Arcadia group is the latest evidence of the rapidly increasing dominance of younger online retailers over the traditional bricks-and-mortar fashion stores. The deal comes hot on the heels of Boohoo agreeing to pay £55m for the Debenhams brand last week. And [...]
Is central London finished? International investors think otherwise February 9, 2021 It is a strange experience going into central London right now. Areas that are normally bustling with crowds or chaotic with commuters lie still – even Pret A Manger has reduced its menu and opening times. Those who live outside of Zone 1 and for whom memories of maroon coffee cups, the underground and the [...]
Napster set for London listing after MelodyVR deal February 8, 2021 Napster is reportedly preparing to list in London later this month following the $70m (£53.8m) reverse takeover by startup MelodyVR. Napster will start trading on Aim from 26 February, according to the Guardian, the first time it has ever had its own IPO. Virtual music tech company MelodyVR, which launched in 2018, announced it had [...]
Special wines to treat your beau this Valentine’s Day February 8, 2021 “We sold a bottle of Sine Qua Non The Hussy Roussanne 2000 to a customer for Valentine’s Day. It currently retails for £1,580. The most expensive bottle we have in the shop is the Macallan Lalique 2 55YO, which sells for £145,000.” Established in 2012 in the heart of London’s Mayfair by Russian mobile phone entrepreneur [...]
Window shoppers flock back to Central London as footfall jumps on lockdown fatigue February 8, 2021 Window shoppers flock back to Central London as footfall jumps on lockdown fatigue
E-commerce group Samarkand announces float plans February 8, 2021 Cross-border e-commerce technology and retail group Samarkand has announced its intention to float on the Aquis Exchange Growth Market. Samarkand is proposing to raise around £10m from the float, which is targeted for March 2021. Headquartered in London, Samarkand focuses on connecting Western brands with China. Samarkand CEO and co-founder David Hampstead said in the [...]
The Week Ahead: Look out for GDP data, Ocado, AstraZ, Twitter and Ted Baker February 8, 2021 Start your week informed: here are the announcements and results to look out for this week. UK GDP: A double dip recession is looming After a fairly decent third quarter, and an expansion of 16 per cent, the UK economy has had a much more troubled fourth quarter, with the likelihood that we may well [...]
Central London retail investment doubles as fresh brands swoop on empty high street stores February 5, 2021 Less established brands swooped on discounted central London property in the final quarter of last year, as the collapse of former high street stalwarts has prime space up for grabs. Total central London retail investment in the fourth quarter of 2020 reached £475m, more than double the volume reported in the final three months of [...]
City Spirits: Our new drinks column takes on the Super Bowl February 5, 2021 Several years ago, Joel Harrison and Andy Silvester met in a south London pub discussing lower-league football. Fast forward, and Joel is now the co-author of several books on spirits and one of the world’s leading booze writers and creative consultants, and Andy Silvester is City A.M.’s Acting Editor – with a penchant for cocktails [...]
GameStop and the ethics of short sellers February 5, 2021 The global media has recently been entranced by a battle between retail traders and hedge funds over the US computer game store, GameStop. It has also shone a light on a practice that makes many people feel uneasy: “short selling”. So much so that lots of members of the Reddit community which spearheaded the attack [...]