Pre-booking investment drives Stonegate Pubs’ festive sales success January 4, 2019 Stonegate Pub Company saw a 17.8 per cent surge in pre-bookings this Christmas following “significant” investment in its facilities as it reported strong sales over the festive period. The pub chain, which has 735 venues across the country, revealed that it had invested in a central call centre hub to take bookings and that total [...]
Travel chaos averted as rail union suspends Christmas strike action on Central and Bakerloo lines December 20, 2018 The rail union has suspended its planned action on the Central and Bakerloo lines that was set to wreak havoc over the Christmas period. The Central Line strike was due to take place from 9pm tomorrow and last until Saturday at midnight, when the the line would reopen for the night service. Drivers on the Waterloo [...]
Mountain Warehouse on track for bumper year of profits as Christmas and Black Friday sales climb January 21, 2019 Outdoor clothing retailer Mountain Warehouse said this morning that it was on course for record full-year profits after reporting a bumper Black Friday and Christmas trading performance. The firm defied the swathe of poor trading results among its retail peers today after saying that sales jumped nearly 12 per cent to £84.7m in the 13 weeks to [...]
M&S’s FTSE exit is a symbol of its terminal decline September 6, 2019 Archie Norman, the Marks & Spencer chairman, put a brave face this week on the retailer’s demotion from the FTSE 100. Nothing to see here, he said: the business was exactly the same on the day after its relegation. Focusing on it was the reddest of herrings. In a sense, he is right – but [...]
Debenhams share price plunges as investors fear disappointing Christmas trading January 2, 2019 Shares in Debenhams plunged almost nine per cent this morning amid fears of poor trading over the festive period. The department store chain saw its share price tumble to 4.68p on the first day of trading in 2019, ahead of an update due on 10 January. The sliding shares suggest investors have low expectations for [...]
Bonmarche shares drop as billionaire Philip Day snaps up retailer in cut-price deal April 2, 2019 Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group owner Philip Day is set to take struggling retailer Bonmarche private in a deal that values the firm at just £5.7m. Bonmarche has been plagued by profit warnings, issuing its third in late March when it told investors to expect up to a £6m loss due to “significantly weaker” March trading. [...]
Every Lidl helps: German discount chain boosts sales in bumper Christmas trading January 11, 2019 German discount supermarket Lidl boosted sales eight per cent over the Christmas period, it revealed today. In the six weeks to 30 December sales were up eight per cent on the same period last year with Saturday 22 December the busiest day. Lidl’s results were aided by a 33 per cent jump in sales for [...]
It’s Christmas party season, so heed these words of wisdom to avoid embarrassment December 12, 2018 While a Christmas get-together is a great way to thank and reward employees for their work over the year, it can also be a time of trepidation if you don’t know how to approach these festivities. So, to make sure that everyone can relax, we’ve put together five essential rules for the work Christmas party. [...]
Snapchat filter brings Big Ben back to life for Christmas December 20, 2018 Snapchat today unveiled a new filter that will bring Big Ben back to life for Westminster visitors over the Christmas period. The iconic clock tower is currently undergoing repair work and the Great Bell, known as Big Ben, has been silent since August last year. But the photo app will now strip away the scaffolding, [...]
John Lewis defies retail troubles as it reports festive sales rebound December 18, 2018 John Lewis has bucked the downward retail trend, reporting a rebound in sales last week as it matches rival pre-Christmas promotions. The department store said total sales for the week to 15 December were up 1.8 per cent compared to the same period last year. The employee-owned company said the sales boost was due to [...]