Knoops on track to almost double sales after festive cheer January 21, 2025 Drinking chocolate chain Knoops expects to almost double its revenue by the end of its current financial year as it reported record Christmas trading results. The London-headquartered company has also confirmed the appointment of Lush co-founder Andrew Gerrie, who is also a former chairman of Hotel Chocolat, to its board as a non-executive director. Gerrie [...]
Knoops: Boss reveals plans to become £4bn global giant November 13, 2024 The boss of Knoops has outlined his plans to the grow drinking chocolate chain into a $5bn (£3.9bn) giant with at least 3,000 stores across the world. William Gordon-Harris, who is both the chairman and chief executive of the London-headquartered business, said his revenue target is “readily achievable” when each of its hoped-for stores hit [...]
How private equity swallowed up the UK – and why it’s unsettling regulators September 30, 2024 Private equity has been buying more and more of the UK over the past decade, with thousands of listed or private businesses now snapped up by buyout funds and venture capital investors. Iconic British businesses like Morrisons, Pret A Manger and Asda have been swallowed up by private capital, with deals like the takeover of [...]
Tesco boss Ken Murphy: ‘The AI revolution is upon us’ September 18, 2024 Tesco boss Ken Murphy has said that personalised grocery offers like Tesco Clubcard could “nudge” consumers towards making healthier decisions and that the AI “revolution is upon us” in retail. The Tesco chief executive said that, for example, an AI programme could note someone’s high sodium intake and encourage them to buy lower-sodium and healthier [...]
Knoops: Drinking chocolate chain eyes £5m boost after more than doubling sales September 17, 2024 Knoops is looking to raise an extra £5m to fuel its continued expansion in the aftermath of its revenue more than doubling during its latest financial year. The London-headquartered drinking chocolate chain has reported a revenue of £9.3m for the year to 31 March, 2024, up from the £4.4m it posted for the prior 12 [...]
Pret grows globally as £1 in every £4 now spent outside the UK September 17, 2024 Pret a Manger may be a London lunchtime staple but it has made a firm push for international growth, with over a third of its stores and a quarter of its sales now in international markets. In its half-year results, the sandwich and coffee chain said its sales grew by 10 per cent year on [...]
Pret founder and Itsu boss Julian Metcalfe banned from driving for using phone at the wheel September 3, 2024 Julian Metcalfe, the founder of Pret a Manger and current boss of Itsu, has been banned from driving after being convicted of using a mobile phone behind the wheel. He claimed he was using the Waze navigation system for directions to visit his daughter, and that he didn’t know it was illegal to use a [...]
Trash talk: Recycling boss Bruce Bratley on why we need to talk about rubbish August 5, 2024 Waste disposal can be revolutionary, as First Mile boss Bruce Bratley tells Lucy Kenningham
Coffee Wars: Inside the race to become London’s number one chain June 1, 2024 Coffee has played a vital role in reviving Brits for centuries. Despite feeling like a relatively new phenomenon, the first record of a coffee house in England dates back to 1652 and was said to be opened by a Turkish Man named Jacob in Oxfordshire.
Why Greggs is beating Pret in the battle of the lunch break May 30, 2024 While Pret has failed to commit to any real market position, Greggs is reaping the rewards of building an irreverent and loyal fanbase, says Dougie Hastings There’s an old saying in London – you’re never more than 6ft from a rat and 50m from a Pret a Manger. But the popular high street sandwich chain [...]