Mulberry swings to loss on tough UK retail market and House of Fraser collapse June 19, 2019 Luxury handbag maker Mulberry swung to a loss of £5m last year as the “challenging” UK retail market and the collapse of House of Fraser hit sales. The figures Mulberry reported a pre-tax loss of £5m for the year ending 30 March, down from £6.9m profit the previous year. Read more: Mulberry widens losses after [...]
Spanish retail billionaire zeroes in on £600m London building deal December 2, 2019 A Spanish retail billionaire who owns fashion chain Zara is close to acquiring a West End office block for £600m. Amancia Ortega, via his real estate investment vehicle Pontegadea, is set to acquire The Post Building a 320,000 sq ft development in an ex-Royal Mail sorting office on Museum Street in Holborn. A deal is [...]
If you were chancellor, what would be in your Budget? November 6, 2019 Today was scheduled to be the first Budget of Boris Johnson’s premiership. The chancellor announced the Budget last month, saying: “This is the right and responsible thing to do – we must get on with governing.” Unfortunately, to misquote a phrase, the best-laid plans of chancellors and Prime Ministers often go awry. The Budget has [...]
Snap reduces overseas losses as revenue doubles October 10, 2019 Snapchat parent firm Snap has narrowed its international losses, as sales from advertising and its Spectacles gadget doubled. Its UK-based entity, which manages all territories outside the US, reported a loss of $312.8m in 2018, down from $447m a year earlier. Meanwhile revenue, which Snap said is “substantially” created by sales of its advertising products, [...]
London housing market rebounds slightly after Brexit delay June 13, 2019 The London housing market showed signs of bouncing back last month as sentiment rose to its highest level since April 2017, according to the latest forecasts. Negative trends in agreed sales, prices and new instructions all eased in May after the Brexit deadline was extended to October, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) latest [...]
New mortgages hit 10-year high as lending activity grows September 11, 2018 Mortgage lending picked up in the second quarter of the year, with new commitments hitting their highest level in more than a decade amid a bump in the number of first-time buyers coming onto the property market. Read more: London house prices set to hit lowest growth levels since financial crash The value of new [...]
Stamp duty contortions and eco-warriors with private jets? Welcome to silly season August 21, 2019 August is traditionally the silly season. Brexit makes this year slightly different, of course, but it is good to see a fine British tradition still being preserved. Silly stories abound. Sajid Javid was linked (erroneously, he now claims) with the idea of fixing the housing market by making sellers pay the stamp duty rather than the [...]
Shares in Kate Spade owner Tapestry plunge on disappointing results August 15, 2019 Shares in the fashion house behind Kate Spade dropped more than 20 per cent today after it posted a surprise fall in revenue and profit for the quarter. Tapestry reported net profit of $148.9m (£122.8m) in the three months to the end of June. Net sales rose two per cent to $1.51bn, but fell short [...]
London house prices face further falls as experts warn of no-deal Brexit August 29, 2018 London house prices could fall a further 1.6 per cent this year, according to a new Reuters poll that signals more trouble to come for the capital’s sluggish housing market. In a survey of 30 housing market specialists, house prices in London are projected to tumble 1.6 per cent by the end of 2018 and a [...]
Troubled burrito bond chain Chilango postpones AGM amid questions over future November 26, 2019 Chilango has postponed its annual general meeting (AGM) amid continued questions over the burrito chain’s future, City A.M. can reveal. The Mexican restaurant group is in talks with restructuring firm RSM to secure its long-term future, and is almost eight weeks late posting its accounts to Companies House. Read more: FCA to ban marketing of [...]