Interim Debenhams chair shortlisted for Moss Bros role February 1, 2019 The interim chair of Debenhams could be in line for the role of chair at suit retailer Moss Bros. According to Sky News, Terry Duddy has been shortlisted as a potential successor to current Moss Bros chair Debbie Hewitt, who will step down from her role later this year. Duddy took on the chairman role [...]
ScS Group ends talks to buy Sofa.com leaving Mike Ashley in the driving seat February 1, 2019 Home furnishings retailer ScS Group said today it had ended talks with furniture retailer Sofa.com, leaving the way clear for Mike Ashley who is reportedly putting together a multi-million pound bid. ScS said today it is “no longer in discussions regarding a potential acquisition of the business and assets of Sofa.com”. Sky News reported that Ashley, [...]
Billionaire Mike Ashley’s retail empire balloons by a third in one year January 31, 2019 Mike Ashley’s retail footprint has swollen by more than a third in the last year, following a spending spree in 2018 that saw the billionaire tycoon snap up some of Britain’s largest high street chains. The Sports Direct owner, who is reportedly now in talks to add beleaguered music retailer HMV to his growing estate, bought House [...]
Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 review: Improving the classic Jaguar E-Type is a tall order, but a Kent-based company has done just that January 29, 2019 Can you improve on perfection? In the case of the Jaguar E-Type, it seems so. Thankfully, that doesn’t mean giving the ‘World’s Most Beautiful Car’ a modern makeover; this Series 3 Roadster looks near-identical to how it left the factory in 1971. Under those voluptuous curves, however, many mechanical and electrical parts have been upgraded. [...]
A year in YouTube – the marketing lessons to learn from 2018 January 28, 2019 As we begin 2019 in earnest, it is important to reflect on some of the marketing lessons that last year provided. For YouTube, 2018 presented an opportunity for us to demonstrate how we used a combination of human review and machine learning to address some of the challenges that we had with ensuring that ads [...]
Mike Ashley tells HMV landlords: Give me six months rent-free January 25, 2019 Retail tycoon Mike Ashley is reportedly demanding a rent holiday from landlords of HMV stores as he negotiates a rescue deal for the music retailer. Ashley has written to HMV’s landlords to see a six-month period without having to pay rent if he buys the chain, according to reports. The landlords include major players in [...]
The Premier League is one of the UK economy’s star players January 24, 2019 I am a Stoke City supporter and a huge fan of all football. For me, it really is the beautiful game, and that makes me especially pleased that EY’s new report on the economic and social impact of the Premier League demonstrates just how much football contributes to the UK economy and society. The Premier League [...]
Sports Direct and Intu strike deal to save four House of Fraser sites January 22, 2019 Four House of Fraser stores have been brought back from the brink of closure following a deal struck between Sports Direct and shopping centre landlord Intu. Last-minute talks between Mike Ashley’s sportswear firm and Intu Properties has led to department stores in Norwich, Thurrock, Gateshead and Nottingham being saved, having previously been earmarked for closure. More [...]
Mike Ashley enters talks to buy struggling music store chain HMV and eyes new PR team January 20, 2019 Mike Ashley is looking to strengthen his grip on the high street by entering talks to buy struggling music store HMV while searching for a new communications firm to oversee his expanding retail empire. The ambitious business tycoon, who has bought House of Fraser and Evans Cycles in the past six months, is bidding to [...]
Debenhams shares slide as Moody’s hands struggling retailer a negative outlook January 17, 2019 Debenhams’ share price slumped seven per cent in morning trading, after ratings agency Moody’s lowered its outlook for the beleaguered retailer from stable to negative. Concerns over the risks that creditors might incur when lending to the embattled department store chain were flagged by Moody’s, pushing shares in Debenhams down 7.26 per cent to 2.8p [...]