B&Q owner Kingfisher appoints new finance boss October 9, 2019 B&Q owner Kingfisher has appointed a new chief financial officer, it said today. Bernard Bot joins the home improvement group after his most recent role as finance boss of travel technology firm Travelport Worldwide which was New York-listed until June. His appointment comes less than a month after chief executive Thierry Garnier took up his [...]
Center Parcs owner to mull sale of holiday resort chain October 8, 2019 The owner of Center Parcs UK is preparing to conduct a strategic review of the business with a view to explore a potential sale or stock market listing. Brookfield Property Partners, a subsidiary of Canadian firm Brookfield Asset Management, is preparing to appoint advisors to weigh up options for the UK holiday chain, Sky News [...]
Retailers brace for tough Christmas trading as confidence slumps October 8, 2019 Retailers are bracing themselves for a challenging Christmas trading period as consumer confidence this autumn slumped to a five-year low. Only 21 per cent of shoppers think they will have more disposable income in the coming year, while 28 per cent expect their amount of extra cash to decrease, marking the lowest autumn sentiment levels [...]
DEBATE: Will owning status symbols become a thing of the past? October 8, 2019 Can we really foresee a time when owning status symbols will be a thing of the past? YES, says Mark Davis, co-founder and creative director of property branding agency me&dave. It’s already happening. The way we live is changing, as are the things we care about, and this is affecting our attitudes to the old [...]
Hollywood Bowl strikes double figures profit growth October 8, 2019 Shares in UK bowling alley operator Hollywood Bowl have shot up this morning after it said it expected profit growth to be over 10 per cent in the year to 30 September. Read more: Hollywood Bowl boosts revenue in strong first half The firm said that due to the good performance, it is considering returning [...]
Selfridges makes record sales as Oxford Street accessories wow department store customers October 8, 2019 Selfridges has thrilled its way to a record year of sales, driven by accessories such as an indoor skate bowl. Customers were happy to go along for the ride for the 12 months until February, with the department store raking in a whopping £1.85bn sales, a six per cent increase on the previous year. Read [...]
Unilever pledges to cut plastic use in half October 7, 2019 Unilever has pledged to halve the amount of new plastic it uses over the next five years by increasing its efforts in producing reusable and recyclable packaging. The consumer goods giant, which owns brands such as Dove and Ben & Jerry’s, said it will reduce its use of plastic packaging by more than 100,000 tonnes [...]
Angling Direct records 21 per cent rise in H1 sales October 7, 2019 The UK’s largest fishing retailer Angling Direct has defied High Street trends by recording a significant rise in first-half sales. Angling Direct recorded £26.6m of sales in the six months to September, which represented a 21 per cent annual increase. Read more: Angling Direct pushes ahead with expansion plans This was underpinned by a 41 [...]
Oh (dough) balls: Twitter’s scared Pizza Express will fold like a calzone October 7, 2019 Pizza Express fans were thrown into panic today following reports the restaurant chain has called in financial advisers over its mounting debt pile. The firm has hired advisers from Houlihan Lokey ahead of talks with creditors, while a group of secured bondholders has tapped Perella Weinberg Partners, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. [...]
Ikea to face back tax payment order from EU October 7, 2019 Ikea could be forced to pay millions of euros in back taxes by the end of the year as the European Union competition watchdog cracks down on unfair deals for multinational companies. The European Commission is preparing to complete its probe into Inter Ikea, the brand owner of the furniture store, however the investigation could [...]
