PureGym: “If we build it, they will come” says gym chain riding out cost hikes August 24, 2023 Value fitness club PureGym appears to have muscled its way through the start of the cost of living crisis with revenues spiking almost a fifth. During the quarter it steamed ahead with its expansion plans to open one new site per week, amounting to 20 new sites in the UK. The business, which offers competitive [...]
Ocado unveils price cuts on 200 goods as shares rise slightly August 23, 2023 Ocado’s share price grew just under one per cent on Wednesday following news it would slash prices on 200 more goods to entice customers. In recent months the tech-driven supermarket, which is owned as part of a joint venture with M&S, has been distancing itself from its reputation as an upmarket grocer with the brand [...]
Staff at UK aviation regulator vote to strike in feud over pay August 23, 2023 Workers at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in a dispute over pay. Members of the Prospect union backed strikes by 2-1 and by almost 9-1 for other forms of industrial action. The union said the CAA had refused to provide a “fair” pay rise for this year. Prospect added [...]
Waitrose: Supermarket gets with the times and launches £5 meal deal August 23, 2023 Upmarket grocer Waitrose has followed in the footsteps of its fellow highstreet stores and launched a meal deal offer. It will launch the British lunchtime staple, which usually consists of a sandwich, drink and snack, on the 30th of August, pricing it at £5. Waitrose has sold pre-packaged sandwiches and wraps in its stores but [...]
Homes more affordable but borrowers stretched by rising mortgage costs August 23, 2023 The cost of a typical house is 6.7 times average earnings in Britain despite the recent slowdown in the property market, according to new figures. Mortgage lender Halifax said this is down from a record high of 7.3 times average earnings last summer, when a UK home cost an average £293,586 and the average annual [...]
A gig in five years: An immersive dream or virtual insanity? August 23, 2023 The pandemic is over and live music is back. But as the music industry cheers the return of gigs, a number of tech companies are hoping to radically change the way we consume live events in the future.
Keep dreaming if you think Brexit is the reason craft beer breweries are going bust August 23, 2023 Microbreweries never stood a chance in an over-saturated market of craft beer - it's not the fault of Brexit, writes Paul Ormerod.
Getir to slash 2,500 job roles as demand for delivery fades August 22, 2023 Grocery order service Getir will slash 2,500 jobs from its global workforce, in the latest signal that demand for rapidly delivered goods is dwindling. The startup has said it is cutting 10 per cent of its 23,000 strong workforce across the UK, Netherlands, Germany, the US and its homeland of Turkey. In recent months the [...]
Pubs push on with demand to loosen licensing laws after World Cup sales boost August 22, 2023 Pubs are continuing with their demands to amend the country’s licensing laws to permit them to sell alcohol earlier in the day on special occasions. Calls to change the law were ignited in the run up to the Women’s World Cup final. Typically, trading laws only prohibit pubs from pouring drinks from 11:00am, so many [...]
Under-offer Lookers nets £46m profit amid tough economic headwinds August 22, 2023 Car dealership Lookers, which looks set to be swiped from London markets in a £504m take-private deal, reported resilient trading in the first half against significant macroeconomic headwinds. The UK’s biggest car seller reached an agreement late last month with Global Auto Holdings – an entity linked to the Canadian Alpha Auto Group – to [...]