‘We want to be the regional magic circle firm,’ says Knights CEO January 19, 2021 Regional law firm Knights saw revenues jumped by some £14m in the second half of 2020, up to £46.2m from £31.9m in H1, and the positive year has only fuelled the firm’s ambitions. The promising results were in part delivered in part by the successful remote acquisitions of Shulmans, ASB and Fraser Brown, and the [...]
Grocery sales on track for bumper Christmas after reaching record high in November December 8, 2020 November was the largest month ever for the UK’s grocery market as out of home socialising was restricted by a second national lockdown, figures show. Market researcher Kantar said grocery sales rose 11.3 per cent in the 12 months to 29 November and climbed 13.9 per cent year-on-year in the last four weeks. Last month [...]
Waitrose pledges to keep meat and fish counters open as rivals shutter services November 11, 2020 Waitrose has this morning pledged to keep its meat, fish and deli counters open, taking on the supermarkets that have shuttered the services to cut costs amid falling demand. The up-market grocer said it is committed to the long-term future of its food service counters, and is planning to expand its meat and fish range [...]
Coronavirus: Mike Ashley ‘deeply apologetic’ for series of mistakes March 27, 2020 Frasers Group boss Mike Ashley has said he is “deeply apologetic” for a series of blunders in the company’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak. The Sports Direct owner wrote an open letter in which he apologised for his own personal actions and those of the Frasers Group business. Earlier this week, the group had pledged [...]
Boohoo kicks off search for new auditor as PwC steps down October 19, 2020 Controversial fast fashion retailer Boohoo (BOO) has launched a search for a new auditor, with PwC stepping down in the wake of a report into abuses in the clothes company’s supply chain. Boohoo said in a statement that it had “recently launched a competitive tender process for the group’s audit”. It said that PwC – [...]
Ocado sales surge on new M&S deal amid online shopping shift October 13, 2020 Ocado added thousands of new customers following the launch of its partnership with Marks & Spencer amid a sustained rise in the number of consumers choosing to shop online. In the 12 weeks to 4 October, Ocado increased sales by 41.9 per cent as the ecommerce retailer was buoyed by its new deal with M&S [...]
Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct bags stake in designer brand Mulberry February 3, 2020 Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley has snapped up a stake in British luxury handbag company Mulberry, as the billionaire businessman seeks to rebrand his company as a premium retailer. Sports Direct, which has recently been rebranded as Frasers Group, has taken a 12.5 per cent stake in the designer brand. The deal signals a further [...]
Topshop owner Arcadia collapses putting 13,000 jobs at risk December 1, 2020 Sir Philip Green’s retail empire Arcadia, the owner of Topshop and Dorothy Perkins, has collapsed into administration, putting more than 13,000 jobs at risk. The company, which has become the biggest retail casualty of the coronavirus crisis, announced this evening that it has appointed Deloitte as administrator. More than 13,000 jobs are at risk following [...]
Sports Direct hikes prices after store closures amid coronavirus crisis March 24, 2020 Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct has reportedly hiked the price of some sports equipment by as much as 50 per cent amid the coronavirus crisis. The retailer has increased the price of exercise equipment such as skipping ropes and weights, according to documents seen by the Press Association. It comes on the same day Sports Direct [...]
Daley Thompson interview: Double Olympic champion on why the world needs Tokyo 2020 to happen and why he’d be happily compete with Covid restrictions July 2, 2021 Daley Thompson chuckles as he remembers the contrasting backdrops to his two Olympic gold medals. “The first time I won was in Moscow. It was pretty dull and dreary, the weather wasn’t great and the place didn’t seem to hold a lot of joy,” Thompson tells City A.M. “The next one was in Los Angeles [...]