Last orders: US private equity giant calls time on bid to buy pub chain Marston’s February 11, 2021 Platinum Equity Advisors today announced its intention to pull out of its bid to buy British brewer and pub chain owner Marston’s. Marston’s, which runs around 1,400 pubs, rejected a £690m takeover offer from the US private equity firm last month, claiming that the bid undervalued the company. The British Hobgoblin brewer has seen shares [...]
Superdry poaches new finance chief from Marks & Spencer’s clothing division February 11, 2021 Fashion retailer Superdry has poached a senior Marks & Spencer director to be its new chief financial officer. Shaun Wills, who has served as the finance director of M&S’s beleaguered clothing and home division since 2018, will join Superdry at the end of April. Wills, who has worked in the retail sector for 30 years, [...]
Royal Mail reports busiest Christmas on record as parcel revenue soars February 11, 2021 More than 496 million parcels were delivered by Royal Mail during the third quarter, the busiest period in its history. The postal service distributed 11.7 million parcels during its toughest 24 hours, 32 per cent more than the busiest day throughout the first national lockdown. Covid-19 restrictions prompted a surge in demand, leading to Royal [...]
Ted Baker races to improve ecommerce offering as online sales disappoint February 11, 2021 Fashion retailer Ted Baker said it is racing to improve its digital shopping platform as it reported disappointing online sales in the fourth quarter, which were unable to offset the impact of store closures on revenue. The firm also revealed that it will take a £5m Brexit-related hit in its full-year results, reflecting extra duty [...]
Westfield London owner posts €7.6bn loss after rent squeeze as UK tenants go bankrupt February 10, 2021 The shopping centre landlord that owns Westfield London, Stratford City and a swathe of similar mega-malls across Europe and the US has seen its like-for-like rental income drop 24 per cent.
Man Down: Rihanna’s Fenty fashion line closes after two years February 10, 2021 Pop star Rihanna is closing her Fenty fashion line less than two years in production. Luxury goods group LVMH announced it was putting the brand “on hold” but pledged to concentrate on the “Fenty ecosystem” which includes Rihanna’s lingerie and beauty ranges. The singer and Louis Vuitton owner launched the brand in May 2019 and [...]
London pubs and restaurants face ‘bombshell’ without action on business rates, Khan says February 10, 2021 London pubs, restaurants, shops and other hospitality firms have saved more than £3bn due to the business rates holiday, it was revealed today, as pressure mounted on the government to extend the break. Figures showed that 73,140 retail, leisure and hospitality businesses in the capital had benefited from the business rates holiday during the pandemic [...]
Prezzo to shut 22 restaurants after insolvency deal February 10, 2021 Italian chain Prezzo will permanently close 22 restaurants after being bought out of pre-pack administration by private equity firm Cain International. As a result of the deal, 22 of the high street stalwart’s 178 restaurants will not reopen. Cain said that 216 of its 2,900 jobs would be lost. The deal came after Prezzo was [...]
Dunelm reinstates dividend as pandemic continues to drive homeware sales February 10, 2021 Dunelm this morning announced it will reinstate its dividend as sales boomed – despite store closures in lockdown – due strong consumer demand for homewares. Total sales soared 23 per cent from £585m to £719.4m in the first half of the year and profit before tax was up 34.4 per cent from £83.6m to £112.4m. [...]
Heineken cuts 8,000 jobs in sobering company restructure February 10, 2021 Dutch brewer Heineken said it was cutting around 8,000 jobs following a review of its operations launched in October. The cuts will lead to a total restructuring charge of around €420m and savings on personnel expenses of around €350m. The brewer, which also owns brands Sol, Desperados and Amstel, has been hit hard by the [...]
