M&A quarterly transactions down as investors nervy amid war in Ukraine June 7, 2022 The number of merger and acquisition transactions in the UK has plunged in the first quarter of the year, versus the end of last year. According to fresh figures published by the Office for National Statistics, there were some 370 completed M&A deals in the first quarter of the year. This was a significant drop [...]
Service sector dealt hammer blow as cost of living crunch sinks in June 7, 2022 The UK service industry was hammered last month, posting its worst performance for more than a year, as soaring inflation weighed down consumer demand. The closely-watched IHS Markit/CIPS UK services PMI survey scored 53.4 last month, tumbling from a 58.9 reading in April. Any score above 50 shows growth in the sector. However, this represented [...]
FTSE 100 brushes off Prime Minister’s no confidence vote June 7, 2022 The FTSE 100 opened flat on Tuesday as investors were largely unaffected by the Prime Minister narrowly dodging a vote of no confidence last night. The capital’s premier index was mostly unchanged at 7,610 points on opening on Tuesday. Tory MPs voted by 211 to 148 in support of the Prime Minister as part of [...]
JD Sports prepares for £2m bill after watchdog finds it broke law by fixing Rangers FC merch prices June 7, 2022 JD Sports may face a hefty penalty after the competition watchdog found it broke rules by fixing retail prices of some Rangers Football Club branded clothes. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had provisionally found that Elite Sports and JD Sports fixed the retail prices of a number of Rangers-branded replica kits and [...]
Ted Baker’s chosen bidder drops takeover plans as hunt for buyer continues June 7, 2022 Ted Baker’s chosen suitor has decided to drop its sales bid for the fashion retailer at the eleventh hour. The London-listed company confirmed that it had selected a chosen firm to oversee a public to private takeover at the end of last month. There has been speculation that this firm was Reebok and Forever 21 [...]
Boris Johnson gives diners at son’s restaurant in Hackney the finger and takes off after being booed June 7, 2022 Prime Minister Boris Johnson was reportedly booed at the London restaurant that his son Theo works in on Friday. In response, the Tory leader reportedly ‘flicked his finger’ at fellow dinners and left the establishment. Johnson visited Morito in Hackney during lunch time yesterday when he faced a ‘severe unwelcome’, according to various media, including [...]
No more Netflix and chill: Consumers cancel subscriptions and miss out on meals out amid historic inflation June 7, 2022 Consumers are tightening their purse strings by cancelling digital subscriptions and holding off on buying new sofas, as inflation sits at a 40-year high. Shoppers’ hesitancy to splash the cash on unnecessary treats or big ticket purchases has contributed to a retail sales growth slowdown, according to a tranche of spending statistics published today. May [...]
New Look CEO to step down from high street fashion chain June 6, 2022 The CEO of New Look, Nigel Oddy, will step down from the helm of the high street fashion chain. The retailer said a hunt to select a successor was “currently well-advanced”, with a further announcement to come in due course. Oddy navigated the company through two Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) restructuring processes and shuttered 39 [...]
Platinum Jubilee fuel price surge could become a ‘national crisis’ and needs ‘radical’ intervention – RAC June 6, 2022 A “national crisis” is emerging as a result of surging fuel prices over the platinum Jubilee bank holiday, motoring giant the RAC has said. The driving champions warned unless there was “radical” intervention from the government, people would suffer at the pump even further. This comes after the price of petrol went up by £3.16 [...]
Brits hit the shops: High street buoyed by Jubilee crowds June 6, 2022 The UK saw a football boost of 6.9 per cent over the long weekend, as Brits flocked to high streets to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. Retail destinations across the country saw an uplift in crowds over the weekend, compared to the average for May 2022, according to BRC-Sensormatic IQ data. Thursday, the first bank holiday [...]
