Department store chain Beales falls into administration January 20, 2020 Department store chain Beales has entered administration this morning, putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk. The retailer had been in crisis talks with potential buyers in a bid to stave off a collapse, however the company was unable to secure a deal. Professional services firm KPMG has been appointed as administrator, and the firm’s [...]
City groups join forces for new mental health care commitments October 21, 2019 City businesses are joining forces with charities today in an effort to promote mental health care in the work place. Leading business and non-governmental figures have signed up to the Mental Health at Work Commitment, a set of standards for the industry which launched this morning. Read more: Accountancy sector lagging behind business on diversity, [...]
Amazon eyed buying Waitrose but was held off by John Lewis Partnership May 6, 2018 Amazon considered an acquisition of Waitrose last year, but was blocked from entering formal talks, reports suggest. A senior executive at the online shopping giant’s UK arm pushed for a meeting with the John Lewis Partnership but was “shut down” by the board, the Sunday Times reported today. The tech company’s acquisition of Whole Foods [...]
Former Formula One driver and Le Mans winner Johnny Dumfries dies aged 62 March 22, 2021 Former Formula One driver and Le Mans winner Johnny Dumfries has died at the age of 62 after a short illness. The Scot was born John Crichton-Stuart, the seventh Marquess of Bute, but adopted a pseudonym to disguise his background. Dumfries won the British F3 title in 1984 and tested for Ferrari in 1985 before [...]
You’ll never guess who ended Apple’s reign as the UK’s best employer November 26, 2019 iPhone titan Apple has been toppled from its top spot on a list of the UK’s top 25 employers. But it wasn’t another tech giant that took Apple’s crown – that honour, in fact, goes to pest control company Rentokil. The Camberley-based rat catchers topped recruiter Indeed’s list of the most popular employers in the [...]
Retail bosses call for £6bn corporation tax hike to fund business rates cut February 5, 2020 Retail bosses are preparing to urge the Treasury to increase corporation tax in order to cut business rates by £6bn in a bid to save the UK’s struggling high streets. The recommendation to the government will be made in a report by a sub-committee of the Retail Sector Council, due to be shared in the [...]
Khan: Crossrail’s Bond Street station can revitalise “tired” parts of Oxford Street October 18, 2022 London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said the opening of Bond Street’s Elizabeth Line station next week will help revitalise a “tired” part of Oxford Street – and keep big-ticket retailers in the West End. The station is the last of the Crossrail stations to open, having been delayed due to the complexity of the build. [...]
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 [...]
Local election bloodbath: Furious Tories turn on Boris Johnson as Labour’s victory train rolls into Westminster, Wandsworth and Barnet May 6, 2022 The Conservative Party has lost all major London authorities to Labour and suffered setbacks across England as Boris Johnson faces a backlash from local Tory leaders. Labour has taken control of Westminster City Council in London for the first time since its creation in 1964. The Conservative Party has also lost control in Wandsworth, considered [...]
Confidence tricks: How advertising can predict a recession November 25, 2019 “There’s going to be a recession,” someone says at a dinner table or boardroom meeting, certain of the fact. “You can see it coming.” In advertising, we’re at the coal-face of confidence — the barometer and engine room of recession and recovery. What we look for are three measures of confidence which correlate with historic [...]