London’s store closures finally return to pre-pandemic levels March 21, 2025 Retail closures in London stabilised last year after rising during the pandemic, according to a new survey. The capital lost about a store a day last year, with five stores closing and four new stores opening, according to PwC. Head of retail at PWC Jacqueline Windsor said the figures indicated “cautious optimism” for UK retail. [...]
Sibstar: Fintech backed by Dragons’ Den stars Deborah Meaden and Sara Davies seeking extra cash March 20, 2025 Fintech Sibstar, which is backed by Dragons’ Den stars Deborah Meaden and Sara Davies, has launched a new crowdfunding campaign in a bid to raise £350,000. The mobile app and debit card for people with dementia was founded by chief executive Jayne Sibley and secured £125,000 after appearing on the hit BBC One show last [...]
Norwegian oil fund buys a quarter of Covent Garden from Shaftesbury March 20, 2025 Shaftesbury Capital has sold a quarter of Covent Garden to Norwegian oil fund Norges for £570m in the latest bet by Noway’s sovereign wealth fund on the capital. Under the terms of the contract, Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) will buy a 25 per cent non-controlling stake in the £2.7bn Covent Garden estate, which Shaftesbury [...]
‘I lament the pairing of trainers with suits’: Cheaney shoes’ Jonathan Church on swapping banking for brogues March 20, 2025 Church's shoes Jonathan Church is a veteran of the British footwear business. He tells us why he swapped banking for brogues.
Eat, drink, sleep, repeat: The best restaurants in Florence March 20, 2025 Last week began with a wonderfully long lunch in Bluebird Chelsea with Mirabeau founder Stephen Cronk and his chief exec Richard Larkin. Everyone in the drinks business loves these guys, but I take credit for introducing the Batman and Robin of Provencal rose to each other back in 2017. In Bluebird, the restaurant atmosphere was [...]
In The Style: Fast-fashion brand saved after administration collapse March 19, 2025 In The Style has been sold after collapsing into administration in a move which put hundreds of jobs at risk of being lost. FTS Recovery had been appointed to oversee the administration process at the Manchester-based company before a deal with Alps Sourcing Limited was agreed. It has now been confirmed that 87 jobs in [...]
MHA: Watchdog opens probe over audits of folded construction firm March 18, 2025 Accountancy watchdog launched an investigation into MHA for its audit of construction company in administration
Mike Ashley-owned Frasers to cut a third of design and editorial staff March 18, 2025 Mike Ashley-owned Frasers Group may cut nearly a third of staff within its design and editorial teams, according to reports. It entered into a consultation with staff of March 7 as part of the company’s latest restructure, Retail Gazette reported. Sources told the trade publication that the redundancy process will not affect managerial roles and [...]
Old Mutual earnings spike as firm gears up to find a new boss March 18, 2025 Pan-African financial services group Old Mutual recorded headline earnings growth of 20 per cent last year as the firm gears up to find a new CEO. The London-listed group reported 14 per cent growth in adjusted headline earnings, while profit after tax climbed nine per cent in its full-year results. However, the financial services group’s stock price [...]
JD Sports: Retailer partners with UFC ahead of London Fight Night March 17, 2025 UK retailer and FTSE 100 giant JD Sports has partnered with fighting organisation UFC in a deal that begins this weekend at London’s Fight Night. The Manchester-headquartered brand forms half of a European partnership, which will see it become a key partner across UFC despite it issuing a profit warning in January. JD Sports forecast [...]