Sales down again for Frankie & Benny’s owner The Restaurant Group but share price rises August 31, 2018 Frankie & Benny's owner The Restaurant Group reported another slip in sales this morning, as this year's changeable weather deterred punters from eating out. But shares in the company were up 3.8 per cent in early trading as it flagged improved trading since the end of the first half of the year. The figures Like-for-like [...]
Plastic bag charge could double to 10p and be extended to all shops August 30, 2018 The plastic bag charge could double to 10p and be extended to all shops as the government promises further action to tackle plastic waste. Sales of plastic bags in the country's 'big seven' supermarkets have dropped by 86 per cent since the 5p charge was introduced in October 2015. Until now the charge has only [...]
Labour MP Frank Field resigns, claiming party is ‘force for antisemitism’ August 30, 2018 Veteran MP Frank Field has resigned from Labour, claiming the party has become "a force for antisemitism in British politics". Field, the MP for Birkenhead and chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, issued a statement saying he was resigning the whip from the party he has represented since 1979 to serve as an independent MP [...]
WH Smith trading update: Airport sales keeps retailer’s shares aloft August 30, 2018 Airport passengers shopping for a holiday read helped boost WH Smith in the 12 months to the end of August, it said today, as it delivered a trading update on its full-year results. The retailer, voted the UK’s worst high street store earlier this summer, teased its latest results ahead of their official release on [...]
Tiffany’s unveils higher than expected sales and profits August 28, 2018 Iconic jeweller Tiffany & Co. reported better than expected sales and profit growth today, with higher sales across all products and several geographies. The figures Worlwdwide net sales rose 12 per cent to $1.1bn (£850m) in the second quarter, while net earnings were up 26 per cent to $145m. This was driven by a particularly [...]
Revealed: The skills that will get you jobs with the highest salaries August 28, 2018 Automation isn’t just putting lower-earning jobs at risk; it’s a threat to higher-earning roles too. While AI is putting the likes of customer service agents’ roles are under threat , the technology could replace up to half of banking jobs too, according to Barclays’ former boss Antony Jenkins. Read more: Technology could replace half of [...]
Sports Direct named least reputable retailer in annual rankings while Amazon takes top spot August 28, 2018 Sports Direct has been named the least reputable retailer in the UK after a survey of consumer attitudes. The sports gear retailer languished at the bottom of the rankings compiled by the Reputation Institute for its annual UK Retail RepTrack. Sports Direct scored poorly on four measures: workplace, governance, citizenship and leadership. It comes just weeks after [...]
Property of the Week: Find out how much it is to have former prime ministers and BBC presenters as neighbours in Connaught Village August 24, 2018 Most London villages are affluent places that aim to be the best of both worlds. Leafy streets and indie retailers take the beauty and community of rural life, but the school run can be done on foot and the office is half an hour away on the Tube. Albion Street, Hyde Park, £5m Connaught Village [...]
Foot Locker steps up its game to beat analyst expectations August 24, 2018 Foot Locker surpassed Wall Street expectations today as it reported higher than predicted growth in both sales and earnings. The figures The sports retailer saw sales grow 4.8 per cent to $1.78bn (£1.39bn) in the three months to 4 August, pipping analyst estimates. Meanwhile net income climbed to $88m, compared to just $51m in the [...]
Chinese behemoth Alibaba hails significant revenue hike, despite profit blip August 23, 2018 Alibaba today bolstered its position as China’s largest online retailer, revealing revenue growth of 61 per cent for its first quarter. The group published an income of 80.9bn yuan (£9.2bn) in the three months ending June, marginally ahead of forecasts, and an increase in customers on the Taobao shopping platform as 576m people flocked to the website and app, up four [...]