Morrisons inks £220m sale of warehouses as it aims to become ‘more popular’ December 9, 2022 Morrisons has inked a £220m sale and leaseback transaction of seven logistics properties, as it aims to become “more popular and more accessible.” The supermarket – which is owned by New-York private equity titan Clayton Dubilier & Rice – announced the completion of the deal with asset manager ICG on Friday. Morrisons has undertaken to [...]
Twinings owner Associated British Foods boosted amid cost of living crunch December 9, 2022 Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF) has said its food business will fair better this year than the last, as it faces the UK’s economic downturn with low-cost offerings. At its annual general meeting today, chairman, Michael McLintock is expected to keep the group’s full year outlook unchanged, as many businesses in the country nudge [...]
On the Beach’s boss to step down as group returns to black for first time December 8, 2022 On the Beach’s boss Simon Cooper is set to step down just as the group returns to profit for the first time since the pandemic hit. Cooper, who founded the beach holiday retailer in 2004, will leave within the next year and will be replaced by the firm’s current chief financial officer Shaun Morton. The [...]
In The Style owners mull sale as founder returns to head fast fashion retailer December 8, 2022 A sale of fashion firm In The Style is being considered while the retailer’s founder will return to head the firm next year. Investment bankers at Lincoln International have been hired to assist with a strategic review of the firm, which may result in a sale of the firm or some of its assets. The [...]
Frasers reaps rewards of e-tailer takeovers as sales swell December 8, 2022 Sports Direct owner Frasers has seen profit leap up after a slew of high street and e-commerce acquisitions, backing its full-year expectations. The House of Fraser owner said it was confident in existing guidance for adjusted profit before tax of between £450m to £500m for this financial year. The retail titan posted a 53 per [...]
Loosening Covid-19 laws in China will not be economy’s silver bullet, says ING December 7, 2022 The loosening of strict Covid-19 restrictions in China Is unlikely to be the silver bullet the local economy needs, according to banking giant ING. China announced today that it is further relaxing its pandemic measures, meaning only those working in high-risk positions and located in elderly homes, hospitals, child care and primary schools will need proof of [...]
‘They had their chance and walked away,’ Octopus boss slams rivals in Bulb battle December 7, 2022 Octopus Energy has hit back at rival firms challenging its takeover of Bulb amid a protracted legal battle over the fallen supplier's future.
Quiz swings to profit as it heads into Christmas party dress season December 7, 2022 Fashion retailer Quiz has continued to bounce back after a torrid lockdown, swinging back into the black in the first-half of the year. The retailer – which operates 62 stores in the UK and an e-commerce platform – posted a £1.8m profit before tax, for the six months to 30 September. It had suffered a [...]
The fate of John Lewis vs Debenhams is a parable in how to adapt to the future December 7, 2022 Emerging technologies, from AI and machine learning to edge computing and the metaverse, are fundamentally revolutionising how data is captured and used by businesses in the UK. The effective application of this data can have a transformational effect on the performance of an organisation. In the UK, we’ve had clear examples of this working to [...]
‘Thousands of jobs at risk’: Bar bosses despair over fresh Christmas rail strikes December 6, 2022 Pub and bar bosses were last night left despairing over a slew of fresh strike dates, which fall over Christmas. Rail union RMT announced three more days of walk-outs on Monday night, with workers set to strike from 6pm on Christmas Eve to 6am on 27 December. Industrial action had already been planned on 13, [...]