Home Retail and TfL take Argos underground at Cannon Street Tube station November 25, 2014 Commuters will now be able to pick up everything from laptops and televisions to furniture as they hop on the Tube after Argos launched its first Underground store yesterday. The retailer’s parent company Home Retail Group has signed a partnership with Transport for London to open a store “the size of a large family kitchen” [...]
City Moves for 26 November 2014 | Who’s switching jobs November 25, 2014 Standard Chartered Euan Campbell has been appointed to the newly-created role of global head of retail segments for retail clients at the bank. He joins from Santander Group, where he was executive vice president responsible for the strategic direction of its US cards business. Campbell has also held senior roles at HSBC. Cordea Savills The [...]
Santander share price rises as Ana Botin replaces chief exec with José Antonio Álvarez November 25, 2014 Banco Santander’s new executive chairman Ana Botin has wasted no time in restructuring the bank, replacing its chief executive within her first two months in the role. José Antonio Álvarez is the new chief executive of Europe’s biggest bank, taking the place of Javier Marin, who had held the role for less than two [...]
AO World revenue rises 25 per cent on improved website sales November 25, 2014 Online white goods retailer AO World said total revenue rose 25.1 per cent to £384.9m in the six months to September 30. The retailer, which launched its IPO in February, said website sales increase by 38.6 per cent during this period to £173.7m. This was offset slightly by third-party website sales, which fell 11 per cent, [...]
Home Retail Group sells Homebase in Battersea for £52m to homes developer Fifth Capital London November 24, 2014 The housing market in London’s Nine Elms area is booming. But Home Retail Group has decided to sell its DIY store Homebase in Battersea after receiving a £57m offer for the sought-after site. The retailer said yesterday it had exchanged contracts to sell the huge site on York Road to Fifth Capital London, a little-known [...]
TfL does something ahead of schedule for once: Bond Street tube station re-opens for Jubilee line London Underground travellers November 24, 2014 Christmas shoppers can enjoy the relief of easy access to the heart of London’s shopping district, as Bond Street station partially re-opens for business today. However beleaguered secret santas weighed down with stocking-fillers will have to wait until mid-December to use the tube station as an escape route from the busy retail hub. [...]
Fortnum & Mason reports record profits as it boosts local footfall November 23, 2014 Iconic food and gift retailer Fortnum & Mason reported record full-year profits today on the back of its strategy to attract more local Londoners into the shop. For the year up to July 2014, the 307-year-old retailer increased sales by 14 per cent to £74.4m and boosted profit before tax to £3.8m – more than [...]
London ahead in UK regional output growth November 23, 2014 London is leading the pack in the UK’s broad-based economic recovery, new figures show. The London economy grew by 3.7 per cent year-on-year, according to estimates by RBS published today. The professional, scientific and technical sector – which includes lawyers, accountants, consultants and engineers – fuelled the capital’s output growth but the administrative and support [...]
London wine map shows river of red flowing along the Central Line November 23, 2014 A wine map of London, revealing drinkers’ favourite tipple, shows a “river of red wine” flowing along London’s Central Line, according to Naked Wines. The customer-funded wine company, which invests in independent winemakers, polled 2,000 Londoners to find the favoured wines in the capital’s boroughs. The map showed an overwhelming preference for [...]
From Ukip and bird flu to RBS and Lidl: 10 things we learned this week November 21, 2014 1. Ukip got its second member of parliament. Mark Reckless retook the seat he'd held as a Conservative. But that was really the side show to accusations of snobbish tweets and comments around immigration that were so inflamatory Ukip distanced itself from them. 2. Bird flu returned to the UK. It's unlikely to pose [...]