Union raises public interest concerns after reports of Newsquest bid for JPI Media November 13, 2019 The journalists’ union has issued a stark warning over a potential merger between Newsquest and JPI Media, saying the deal could harm the public interest and put jobs at risk. Newsquest, which owns a string of titles including the Oxford Mail and Brighton’s Argus, has reportedly taken pole position in the race to snap up [...]
Microsoft opens flagship London store on Oxford Circus July 11, 2019 Microsoft opened its flagship store on Oxford Circus today, marking the US tech giant’s first major retail location in Europe. The new store offers a string of hands-on customer experiences, including a McLaren Senna racing car experience, a gaming lounge and a digital learning hub offering coding lessons for children. Read more: Microsoft and Oracle [...]
Transport operator Go-Ahead calls for national strategy to tackle falling bus use October 1, 2018 Leading transport operator the Go-Ahead Group has called for a national bus strategy to address decline in the use of buses in the wake of a massive shakeup of the London network. The Go-Ahead Group, which carries over two million passengers a day on its buses, has raised alarm at the decline in the use of [...]
City Moves for 1 November – Who’s switching jobs at Cripps Pemberton Greenish, Winckworth Sherwood and Mayer Brown? November 1, 2019 Today’s City Moves includes Cripps Pemberton Greenish, Winckworth Sherwood and Mayer Brown Crsipps Pemberton Greenish Leading law firm Cripps Pemberton Greenish has announced the appointment of Melanie Stancliffe as partner at its London office. Melanie, who is ranked as an expert in legal directories Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners, joined the team on 30 [...]
Napoleonic cellars and Peaky Blinders: How the old merchants of St James’s Street are fighting to stay relevant November 28, 2019 Reserved, polite and unashamedly old-fashioned, the shop-owners of St James’s Street do not offer many similarities with the brash retail bosses we so often see in the news. Unlike Mike Ashley or Sir Philip Green, they are not waging takeover wars or stirring up corporate controversies. They are cautious in their ambitions, and conservative in their tastes. But just [...]
Wealthy UK cities showing resilience to retail downturn October 28, 2019 A group of wealthy cities such as London and Cambridge are faring relatively well during the UK retail sector’s downturn while shops in poorer and more rural areas suffer, a new report has said. Read more: Retailers brace for tough Christmas as confidence slumps Shopping parks have also shown resilience as the bricks-and-mortar retail sector [...]
John Lewis have it right: changing tastes show retail’s centre cannot hold September 5, 2018 If you look past the shiny new signage on the front of the John Lewis & Partners flagship Oxford Street store, there is a much more interesting change going on inside. The retailer’s new name is not the only way it is signalling pride in its employees. Partners are becoming more visible throughout stores. “While [...]
Newsquest outbids Reach in race for local publisher JPI Media November 12, 2019 Regional publisher Newsquest is said to have tabled a surprise bid for i newspaper owner JPI Media, threatening to derail the takeover efforts of rival Reach. Newsquest, which owns a string of titles including the Oxford Mail and Brighton’s Argus, is now thought to be the frontrunner in the bidding war, the Guardian reported, citing [...]
Struggling House of Fraser’s brand perception is in decline June 13, 2018 Last week, retail store House of Fraser announced plans to close 31 of its 59 shops – including its flagship Oxford Street store – as part of a ‘rescue deal’. If the plans go ahead it could lead to the loss of 6,000 jobs across the UK. It is yet more bad news for the [...]
Selfridges posts record operating profit as investment programme pays off October 1, 2018 A major revamp has helped Selfridges increase sales by 11.5 per cent year-on-year, as operating profits rose to a record £181m for its latest financial year. The department store is now in the final 12 months of its four-year £300m investment programme, transforming its London store and increasing its digital capabilities. Read more: Analysts warn of Debenhams [...]