Mulberry feels the chill of recession as boss calls for VAT-free shopping to boost tourist sales November 30, 2022 High-end accessories retailer Mulberry is beginning to feel the effects of the cost of living crisis and recession in the UK, with sales and revenue slipping over the past six months. Sales at its London stores on Bond St and Regent St have been hit hard by affluent tourists from the US and the Arab [...]
Loss of tax-free shopping costing the UK £4.1bn, say London bosses July 26, 2023 Scrapping the tourist tax could generate £4.1bn annually for the UK economy, new research suggests, as a cluster of prominent business owners call for the government to reinstate VAT shopping for international tourists. Rishi Sunak scrapped the tax which saw international shoppers able to claim 20 per cent back with their purchases. It was largely [...]
Oxford Street on cusp of something really ‘special’, New West End chief says April 23, 2023 Oxford Street is on the cusp of something “really special” and “exciting”, the chief of the New West End company has said, as store development and a boost in international tourism signals a return to better times for London’s most iconic shopping district. Dee Corsi, who oversees operations for the retail strip which spans from [...]
British retailers cheer Christmas sales, but City analysts warn of coming storm January 15, 2023 Britain’s largest retailers kicked off 2023 strongly last week, posting better than expected Christmas sales, signalling the consumer is holding up a bit better than feared. Tesco’s like for like sales were 7.9 per cent higher, while Marks and Spencer pocketed a 7.2 per cent rise. Sainsbury’s also posted record Christmas sales. Those bumper numbers, [...]
Harbour Energy ramps up industry calls for price floor inclusion in windfall tax April 3, 2023 Harbour Energy has made fresh warnings about the UK’s investment climate amid uncertainty over a price floor in the windfall tax.
Rapid rise of ‘advance fee’ loan scams: Cases rise by 90 per cent in just 12 months May 30, 2022 So-called ‘advance fee’ loan scams have soared by more than 90 per cent this year, according to new data shared with City A.M. this morning. The rising number of cases comes as Lloyds Bank warned that, on average, the amount stolen from victims is around £231. “Advance fee” loan scams take place when victims applying [...]
Empty offices due to hybrid work cost 9 in 10 businesses in London around £190,000 per year August 5, 2022 The poor use of physical office space – as a result of the increased uptake of hybrid working – costs 88 per cent of all London businesses around £190,000 on average per year. London businesses whose employees work in the office two to three days per week are taking a big financial hit by leaving [...]
Amazon strike ballot ‘making history’ says UK union boss September 15, 2022 AMAZON workers at a Coventry warehouse became the first in the UK to take part in a formal strike ballot against the ecommerce titan. Hundreds of workers began voting this morning on whether to walk out over Amazon’s 35 pence per hour pay offer, with union GMB lobbying for a £2 per hour increase as [...]
The City View: Consumers borrowing more, and Victoria Scholar on $15bn Barclays blunder March 29, 2022 Today Andy Silvester chats to Interactive Investor’s Victoria Scholar. They go through Barclays’ rough start to the week after an unknown investor sold over £900m worth of shares in the bank following its $15bn securities blunder; Waitrose’s legal row with ASDA, and consumers turning to discount retailers amid the cost-of-living crisis; and Tesla’s stock split. [...]
All Bar One owner Mitchells & Butlers complains of ‘significant uncertainty’ over energy bills next year December 7, 2022 Mitchells & Butlers has said “significant uncertainty” remains over the heftiness of its energy bill next year, as pub bosses have called for more financial aid. The All Bar One and Toby Carvery owner said its trading environment “remains very challenging,” as cost inflation headwinds were expected to be as much as 12 per cent [...]