Retail start-up loans rise as entrepreneurs defy UK high street gloom February 5, 2025 Start-up loans for retail businesses rose by a fifth last December, with entrepreneurs still determined despite the gloom surrounding the sector, according to new figures. In December 2023, 32 loans were provided to retail business owners. In December 2024, this rose to 39, an increase of 22 per cent, according to The British Business Bank. [...]
Pandora: US drives double-digit growth in ‘outstanding year’ for Danish jeweller February 5, 2025 Danish jewellery brand Pandora has reported an “outstanding year” for the business despite continued caution in global markets. Organic growth at the jewellery brand was 13 per cent in the financial year 2024, above the already-upgraded guidance of 11 per cent to 12 per cent. This comprised seven per cent life-for-life sales growth and five [...]
Aldi to create 1,600 new jobs and expand as supermarket rivals cut February 4, 2025 Discount grocer Aldi is set to create 1,600 new roles this year as it expands its store presence in the UK, while its rivals slash jobs. The announcement stands in marked contrast to news of 3,000 jobs cuts at Sainsbury’s, and small reductions in staff numbers at Tesco’s and Morrisons. All three supermarkets have attributed [...]
Caffè Nero brews record sales success February 4, 2025 The group behind coffee house Caffè Nero has revealed a sharp increase in sales for the first half of its current financial year. The Nero Group has posted sales of £310m for the six months to the end of November 2024, a new record. The total represents an eight per cent like-for-like rise and 13.6 [...]
Savile Row label Hackett hails international success as profit rockets February 4, 2025 International success has helped up-market Savile Row clothing label Hackett almost quadruple its profit during its latest financial year as sales surged. The London-headquartered chain has reported a pre-tax profit of £3.8m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2024, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The figure comes after Hackett posted a pre-tax [...]
Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett quits Huel board February 4, 2025 Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett has stepped down as a director of nutrition brand Huel, it has been revealed. The celebrity entrepreneur, who has been a long-time investor in the company, had held the role since early 2021. However, a new filing with Companies House has confirmed the Diary of a CEO podcast host has [...]
Dear developers, no one actually wants all these retail units February 4, 2025 Big retail units may appeal to developers' fantasies about what towns could be. But they need to focus on actual demand, writes John Andrews.
Asda equal pay dispute advances as UK supermarkets look on nervously February 3, 2025 Asda workers equal pay can advance to the final legal stage after the Tribunal ruled some of their jobs are of equal value to the jobs in the distribution centres
Magnet: Kitchen maker bets on premium as huge losses continue February 3, 2025 The group behind kitchen maker Magnet is hoping expanding into the premium market will help it return to profit after falling to another huge loss and cutting hundreds of jobs. Nobia Holdings UK, the company behind the brand, has set about restructuring itself in recent years after not making a pre-tax profit since 2019. But [...]
High street sales grow but threat of closures looms February 1, 2025 High street sales grew in January but the gains failed to offset volume losses last year, leading analysts to warn of closures as costs mount. Total retail sales in discretionary spend categories grew by 7.1 per cent in January, although this comes off the back of a 0.8 per cent drop last January, according to [...]
