Mulberry feels the chill of recession as boss calls for VAT-free shopping to boost tourist sales November 30, 2022 High-end accessories retailer Mulberry is beginning to feel the effects of the cost of living crisis and recession in the UK, with sales and revenue slipping over the past six months. Sales at its London stores on Bond St and Regent St have been hit hard by affluent tourists from the US and the Arab [...]
FTSE 100 lifted by investors cheering HSBC Canada arm sale November 29, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 was boosted today by investors pouring into HSBC after it confirmed it has ditched its Canadian business for £8.4bn. The capital’s premier index jumped 0.51 per cent to 7,512 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, fell 0.55 per cent [...]
HSBC shares top FTSE 100 after it offloads Canada business to RBC for £8.4bn November 29, 2022 BRITAIN’S biggest bank HSBC has sold its Canadian business to Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) for $10.1bn (£8.4bn) in a move that may save some face with disgruntled Asian investors demanding the firm be broken up. The Canary Wharf headquartered lender said today it plans to redistribute a chunk of the $5.7bn (£4.7bn) profit it [...]
Shaftesbury back in the black as West End landlord sees ‘rapid rebound’ in shopping destination November 29, 2022 West End landlord Shaftesbury has swung back to profit as the capital’s retail heartland bounced back from Covid-19 disruption this year. The landlord, which is set to merge with neighbouring property giant Capital and Counties next year, shared a £119.1m profit after tax in full-year results. This was a strong come-back for the Carnaby, Seven [...]
Supermarkets ‘implored’ to lower forecourt fuel prices after steady wholesale drop November 28, 2022 Motoring group the RAC has urged supermarkets for not lowering prices in forecourts despite wholesale fuel going down in price. The car-owners’ organisation appealed to the big four – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda to make consumers’ lives easier amid the cost of living crisis. In new figures released, the RAC showed wholesale fuel prices [...]
Retail sales fall off cliff in November in sign of Christmas spending slump November 28, 2022 Retail sales have fallen off a cliff, pushed by consumers reining in spending as scorching inflation eats away at their finances, a new survey out today reveals. A net 19 per cent of retailers said spending fell over the year to November, down from a net rise of 18 per cent in October, according to [...]
Nightcap: Cocktail group urges RMT to move rail strikes in exchange for free drinks November 25, 2022 The owners of UK cocktail group Nightcap have called on the union RMT to switch the rail strike dates in exchange for free drinks. Co-founders Sarah Willingham and Michael Toxvaerd – who own the likes of Cocktail Club, Barrio and the Adventure Bar Group – pleaded with the RMT to move their planned walkout from [...]
Nationwide and Barclaycard say Black Friday spending off to steady start November 25, 2022 Nationwide and Barclaycard have said Black Friday sales are up, as Brits looks to cash in with bargains for Christmas during the cost of living crisis. Early days showed there had been 1.37m transactions from Nationwide members, up 17 per cent from a regular Friday. The building society said the number of purchases were up [...]
Black Friday: Cash-strapped shoppers look to snap up Christmas bargains before cutting back November 25, 2022 Cash-strapped shoppers will take advantage of Black Friday discounts this weekend as they try to make Christmas special, before tightening their belts as the UK enters into a recession. While retailers may see a temporary boost in sales this weekend, shoppers will pull forward Christmas spending rather than “buying twice” as in previous years, Hargreaves [...]
Mothercare hires new top boss as Covid recovery ‘taking time’ November 24, 2022 Baby clothes seller Mothercare has named Dan Le Vesconte as its new CEO, as the retailer admitted that a recovery to pre-pandemic trading was “taking time.” The Watford-based company is seeking to recover from a torrid pandemic, which shuttered some 79 high street stores after collapsing into administration just before the first Covid lockdown. Le [...]