Luke 1977: UK’s economic woes to hit fashion industry for next three years September 11, 2024 Menswear brand Luke 1977 has warned that the “current economic climate” will continue to impact on the fashion industry for the next two to three years. The Oxfordshire-headquartered business said the fashion industry is also “experiencing challenges relating to climate control”, ranging from the reduction of carbon foot prints to the use of recyclable materials. [...]
Rightmove formally rejects £5.6bn takeover proposal from Rupert Murdoch-backed REA September 11, 2024 This morning, Rightmove announced that it had formally rejected a £5.6bn takeover bid from Rupert Murdoch-owned property company REA group on 2 September. The property portal confirmed it had received an “unsolicited, non-binding and highly conditional proposal” from REA at 698p, which represented a a premium of 26 per cent to Rightmove’s share price on [...]
Former Chelsea boss persuaded us to hire Pochettino, say US football chiefs September 11, 2024 US football chiefs have admitted that a glowing reference from Emma Hayes helped persuade them to break the bank and hire Mauricio Pochettino as men’s national team manager. Pochettino will lead the Americans into a home World Cup in 2026 after agreeing to a contract worth $6m (£4.6m) a year – almost four times predecessor [...]
WH Smith shares jump on buyback plan after pension buy-out frees up cash September 11, 2024 WH Smith has announced strong revenue growth, driven by a boost in its airport and train station stores and a £50m share buyback programme. It also announced a £85m cash benefit as the result of its pension fund buy-out. Shares in WH Smith rose more than 12 per cent in early trades. Revenue at the [...]
Howard de Walden: Loss more than doubles at London property empire September 11, 2024 The London property empire which includes Marylebone Village and Harley Street saw its pre-tax loss more than doubled during its latest financial year. Howard de Walden Estates Holdings, which also includes some of the capital’s prime shopping areas as well as hundreds of homes, has reported a pre-tax loss of £254.2m for the year to [...]
Epwin expects demand for building products to ‘remain subdued’ in 2024 September 11, 2024 Building products supplier Epwin has posted a slide in revenue for the first half of 2024 and said demand would likely "remain subdued" through the rest of the year.
Dunelm prepares to open first London stores as sales and profit rise September 11, 2024 London-listed homeware retailer Dunelm has seen its sales tick up despite its customers facing “competing demands” for their disposable income. The Leicester-headquartered firm saw its overall revenue climb to £1.7bn in the 12 months to 29 June 2024, up from £1.64bn the previous year—growth of 4.1 per cent. This increase was largely driven by 6.2 [...]
The Gym Group swings to profit as growth plan pays off September 11, 2024 Budget fitness centre operator The Gym Group swung to a profit in the first half of 2024 and said it was “well set” to deliver full-year earnings at the top end of market forecasts. The London-listed firm, which has 240 locations across Britain, reported a pretax profit of £0.2m for the six months, compared to [...]
Amazon Web Services plots £8bn investment in UK data centres September 11, 2024 Amazon Web Services (AWS) is planning to invest £8bn to build, maintain and operate a number of data centres in the UK over the next five years. The tech giant’s cloud division estimates the cash injection will contribute £14bn to the UK’s total gross domestic product (GDP) through to 2028, and will support an average [...]
Why is the Bar Standards Board politicising our profession? September 11, 2024 The Bar Standards Board’s plans to introduce a professional duty to advance DEI will turn chambers meetings into maoist struggle sessions, says Andrew Lomas The Bar Standards Board (BSB) – the body that regulates barristers in England and Wales – has recently proposed to replace a barrister’s core duty to not unlawfully discriminate with a [...]