British Land widens losses in challenging retail market November 13, 2019 British Land reported widening losses in the first half of the year, driven by a fall in value in its retail portfolio amid a string of store closures and rent reductions. The figures Underlying profit fell 10.1 per cent to £169m and the company’s loss after tax increased from £48m to £404m. Read more: British [...]
£2.9bn of investment planned for Oxford Street by 2022 November 13, 2019 Oxford Street and the surrounding area is set to receive a total of £2.9bn in investment over the next two years, according to a new report. Westminster City Council has committed to investing £150m up to 2023 to transform the area, including a proposed public piazza at Oxford Circus, a public square at Marble Arch [...]
London’s New Bond Street has the most expensive retail rents in Europe November 13, 2019 London’s New Bond Street is the most expensive shopping street in Europe for retailers to rent store space. The street in the West End is more expensive than the Avenue de Elysees in Paris and shopping destinations in Milan, Zurich, Vienna and Munich. Read more: London falls on list of best cities for living and [...]
Galliard Homes to develop £140m luxury flat complex above Crossrail station November 12, 2019 Galliard Homes will develop a £140m luxury residential and retail development above Tottenham Court Road’s Crossrail station. The property investor has exchanged contracts with Transport for London for £43m, it announced today. Read more: Crossrail will not open until 2021, bosses admit Tottenham Court Road West (TCRW) will include 92 flats – with prices for [...]
Mobile shopping platform Rezolve bags tie-up with Korean retail giant Lotte November 11, 2019 Mobile shopping tech firm Rezolve has signed a multi-million-pound deal with South Korean conglomerate Lotte Corporation as it expands its presence in Asia. Lotte will use the London startup’s technology in its supermarket app, allowing customers to make purchases by scanning promotional print leaflets with their smartphone. Read more: Mobile shopping platform Rezolve secures bumper [...]
More than 200,000 UK workers get Christmas pay rise in line with real living wage November 11, 2019 More than 200,000 employees from major UK companies are set for a pre-Christmas pay rise thanks to the “real living wage” campaign. Businesses signed up to the campaign will raise its London employees’ hourly wages by 20p to £10.75. Read more: Sajid Javid promises to increase nationa living wage to £10.50 Meanwhile, the hourly rate [...]
Lidl ramps up expansion plan with 230 new stores November 10, 2019 Lidl’s expansion spree is set to accelerate, with the German discounter planning 230 extra store openings. The new store plan, first reported today in the Sunday Times, is the latest in a string of bullish moves from Lidl and Aldi, which have been snapping up an increasing share of the grocery market. In a bid [...]
Christmas adverts 2019: Watch retailers from Argos to M&S and Amazon launch their festive ad campaigns November 8, 2019 We might only be a week into November but some of UK’s biggest retailers have already launched their 2019 Christmas advert campaigns, as firms race to make the most of the crucial festive trading period after a challenging year for the high street. In what has become a festive tradition, retailers have pulled out all [...]
Ikea shrugs off retail gloom to post sales rise November 7, 2019 Ikea reported an increase in full-year sales as it managed to overcome the challenges facing the UK retail market. Sales in Ikea’s UK business were up eight per cent year on year to £2.1bn, the retailer said in its annual report. Read more: Ikea to face tax repayment order from EU The company reported that [...]
Peer-to-peer lender Zopa makes banking debut as pressure mounts November 7, 2019 Zopa, one of the UK’s three largest names in peer-to-peer lending, is to launch its first foray into banking after receiving partial authorisation last year. The debut comes as the peer-to-peer sector is facing scrutiny from regulators and falling demand from investors, placing pressure on the likes of Zopa and its rivals. The firm said [...]