London shops hit by falling footfall as Brits tighten belts amid inflation July 7, 2022 Central London shops may see a spending slowdown in the weeks to come, with city centres still reeling from the impact of office workers remaining at home, industry experts have warned. While the gap between 2019 footfall levels did narrow slightly in June versus May due to the Platinum Jubilee, sales lagged towards the end [...]
High Street footfall nosedives by staggering 25 per cent with London commuters and foreign travellers not returning June 27, 2022 High street footfall fell 25 per cent in May, from the previous month, according to RSM UK’s analysis of the latest data from Datscha, published this morning. London continues to be hit by hybrid working with less workers commuting into the city, and international and business travel is still not back at full capacity. Whereas [...]
Short haul powers London Gatwick’s return to profit after £830m pandemic loss March 16, 2023 London’s second busiest airport, Gatwick, is “cautiously optimistic” about a full recovery from the pandemic as passenger demand levels reach 70 per cent of pre-covid levels. The West Sussex hub reported 32.8m passengers in 2022 as it announced a £250m investment in the site to reach net zero by 2030. In its annual results this [...]
Letters: Support for small businesses December 2, 2022 [Re: Exclusive: Business rates hike a ‘ticking time bomb’ for London economy, Mayor warns, November 29] The nation’s small and independent retailers are often described as the backbone of our high streets because of their important role in local communities and how much they contribute. While it’s rarely an easy environment for small businesses to [...]
Coronation weekend: Brits to splash out an extra £3bn on food, drink and entertainment May 4, 2023 Brits are expected to ring in the Coronation of King Charles III this weekend in the time honoured tradition of emptying their wallets faster than usual. It is predicted consumers will fork out around £8bn over the Coronation bank holiday weekend, with £3.22bn more spent than during a typical May bank holiday. Of the £3bn [...]
HMV to reopen flagship London Oxford Street store after ‘dramatic turnaround’ under new owner April 28, 2023 Music and entertainment giant HMV will reopen its flagship London store on Oxford Street after four years, in wake of a “dramatic turnaround” under new ownership. The move comes after the company fell into administration in 2019, shuttering its store on the high street, partially due to the increase in streaming, which dented physical sales [...]
FTSE 100 close: London index runs out of steam ahead of expected Fed interest rate hike February 1, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 edged higher this morning, before running out of steam later in the day ahead of the US Federal Reserve launching a big week for central banks with an expected 25 basis point interest rate hike. The capital’s premier index eventually fell 0.17 per cent to 7,758.21 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE [...]
Swing at Lunch: London’s Indoor Golf Revolution at Pitch April 24, 2024 The founders of Pitch on their journey from running a coaching and club-fitting studio to building one of golf’s hottest new brands.
Have Brits fallen out of love with DIY? B&Q and rival Wickes eye lower profits after costs soar and demand dwindles March 20, 2023 B&Q owner Kingfisher and rival Wickes are set to reveal falls in profits over the past year as surging costs dampen the outlook for the home improvements market. Kingfisher, which runs B&Q and Screwfix, has previously indicated its sales and profits have weakened over the past year, as it also saw DIY demand from locked-down [...]
Shares fly for THG as bidding war pushes online retailer’s value to £1.8bn May 20, 2022 Shares in the online retailer THG surge as much 25 per cent this afternoon as investors back the bidding war taking hold of the ecommerce firm. The online health and beauty retailer said that it had batted away a £2.07bn bid from two investment companies, Belerion Capital and King Street Capital Management last night. It [...]