All the big high street retailers that collapsed in 2019 December 23, 2019 It has been another turbulent year for the UK high street, which has struggled to adapt to changing consumer behaviour while battling rising overhead costs. Household names such as Debenhams, Mothercare and Clintons hit the news after they were forced to launch restructuring plans, close stores or simply stop operations. Read more: Why high street [...]
Teenage Dick at the Donmar review: High school reimagining is a hit December 19, 2019 Teenage Dick transposes Shakespeare’s murderous monarch Richard III from Plantagenet England to the halls of a modern American high school; the perfect setting for a twisted tale of ambition and resentment. Roseland High School junior class secretary Richard’s desire for respect and attention is frustrated by his physical disability in a community that worships sporting [...]
Sports Direct shares soar on profit jump December 16, 2019 Sports Direct’s shares soared this morning as the retailer posted a jump in profit and revealed that it was beginning to see the “green shoots of recovery” at House of Fraser. The figures The company’s share price surged more than 30 per cent to 470p after the high street store said reported profit before tax [...]
Mike Ashley urges government to reform business rates system quickly December 16, 2019 Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley has warned that more House of Fraser stores will be forced to close unless the new government tackles the “broken and unworkable” business rates system. Retailers have repeatedly urged politicians to take action on business rates, and ahead of his election win Boris Johnson pledged to launch a fundamental review [...]
WPP offloads stake in sports marketing agency Two Circles December 16, 2019 WPP today announced it has sold a majority stake in sports marketing agency Two Circles to New York-based private equity firm Bruin Sports Capital. Two Circles, which sat in WPP’s Group M division, analyses data on sports fans across the world to create marketing campaigns. It counts the Premier League, UEFA, Formula 1, and Wimbledon [...]
Mike Ashley mulls £100m staff bonus scheme December 16, 2019 Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley revealed that his business, which today rebranded as Frasers Group, is mulling a £100m share bonus scheme for employees. The proposals are at an early stage, but the scheme would only be open to full-time employees and would not include staff members on zero-hour contracts, Ashley said today. Read more: [...]
Arsenal 0-3 Manchester City: Kevin De Bruyne masterclass leads City to comfortable win at the Emirates December 15, 2019 Being torn apart by a player as brilliant as Kevin De Bruyne is not in itself embarrassing. But the ease and speed with which the Belgian playmaker ended Manchester City’s trip to Arsenal as a contest was dispiriting. As the popular refrain goes, Gunners fans arriving at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon expected little and [...]
My life after cricket: How I transitioned from fast bowling to property investment December 11, 2019 When I was 23 my cricket career was nearly over. I had a nasty operation on a ruptured hamstring, which put me out of action for six or seven months, and after it became infected the surgeon told me I might not be able to play again. Back then I had no idea what I [...]
JD Sports shares drop after top investor Pentland slims down stake December 11, 2019 Shares in JD Sports fell as much as nine per cent this morning following reports majority shareholder Pentland has slimmed down its stake in the company. Read more: Competition watchdog ploughs ahead with investigation into JD Sports Pentland, a brand management firm and retailer, is said to have offloaded 24m shares priced at 740p each. [...]
Debenhams strengthens board as department store implements rescue plan December 10, 2019 Beleaguered department store Debenhams has appointed the former boss of Argos as a non-executive director in order to strengthen its board as it implements a turnaround plan. John Walden, who was chief executive of Home Retail Group until it sold Argos to Sainsbury’s in 2016 and is currently chairman of Naked Wines, has been appointed [...]