Betting boom: Gambling giant 888 UK revenues surge over 50 per cent September 1, 2021 Online gambling giant 888 has enjoyed an upbeat first half of the year as its total revenue has jumped 39 per cent, hinting that the lockdown betting boom is here to stay. The company pulled in $528.4m in the six months to 30 June, up from $379.1m in the first half of 2020 – carried [...]
‘Death by PowerPoint’: Next boss on Zoom and the future of remote work September 1, 2021 Next boss Lord Simon Wolfson has said endless video meetings risk “death by PowerPoint” as firms begin to feel the benefit of workers returning to the office. The retail chief, the longest serving chief executive across the FTSE 100, earlier this year likened Zoom calls to lectures – and yesterday warned digital conferences can become [...]
Absolut vodka maker sees operating profits rebound and Q4 sales rocket September 1, 2021 French spirits producer Pernod Ricard, which makes Absolut vodka, has seen its operating profits rebound over the past year due to easing Covid-19 restrictions across China and the US. Operating profit just surpassed the company’s expectation of 17 per cent growth, recording an 18.3 per cent organic rise for the full year. The spirits producer, [...]
Playhouse, a shrine to video games, launches at Selfridges as industry sales surge August 31, 2021 Video games have been big business for decades, with the top titles vastly out-grossing the most popular cinema releases. Were there any remaining doubts over whether the medium now represents one of the cultural megaliths of our time, lockdown answered those. Almost two third of UK adults played video games over 2020, with every age [...]
24m cats and dogs in UK: Pet food giant Jollyes eyes 20 new shops as pet ownership explodes August 31, 2021 To deal with increased demand from Brits who bought animals during the pandemic, pet food seller Jollyes said this morning will create around 150 new jobs as it opens 20 new shops. The company stressed it had seen significant growth over the past two years and was accelerating its plans by opening the new sites [...]
McColl’s share price falls after cash call comes up short August 31, 2021 McColl’s shares were down more than four per cent in early trading Tuesday after an attempted cash call came up slightly short. The convenience store had been looking to raise around £35m-worth of finance to expand its partnership with takeover-target Morrisons. The firm had hoped an open offer would raise £5m of the figure, but [...]
Pandemic: High Street demise leads to explosion in demand for gigantic warehouses August 31, 2021 The enforced closure of high street stores saw the trend towards greater online sales rocket further this year, with retailers having to invest further into their warehousing capabilities to cope with delivery demand. In fact, the explosive growth in e-commerce, as a result of the pandemic, has seen almost 15m sq ft of new “super [...]
500 new jobs: Heineken to inject £38m into its UK pub business Star August 31, 2021 Beer giant Heineken is planning to invest £38m into its UK pub and bar business, in a move set to create 500 jobs. The Dutch beer giant said the cash injection will benefit around 700 pubs in its Star Pubs & Bars operation by the end of 2021. It comes as the group seeks to [...]
Nick Nairn: Celebrity chef’s restaurant burns down as customers flee August 29, 2021 More than 30 firefighters tackled a “terrible fire” at a Nick Nairn restaurant in Bridge of Allan. Fire crews were called to the scene at Nick’s on Henderson Street at 8.17pm on Saturday and found a “well developed” fire in the kitchen. Customers were seen fleeing the building, according to various reports. Pictures on social [...]
Higher food prices loom due to gigantic pay rises for drivers as shortfall swells to 100,000 August 27, 2021 Shoppers could face long-term higher prices for food as result of systemic changes to the supply chain, supermarkets chiefs and hauliers warned today. Bosses at the Road Haulage Association said the “substantial” pay rises offered by firms in need of new drivers could force supermarket bosses to pass the costs on to customers. Hauliers have [...]
