London fintech Upp. pockets $10m as it eyes global expansion June 27, 2023 London-based fintech Upp. has secured $10m (£7.8m) in seed funding as its artificial intelligence and machine learning model wins over investors. The startup, which uses AI to automate online retail, has garnered support in a funding round spearheaded by Californian venture capital firm Bonfire Ventures. Mark Mullen, co-founder of Bonfire Ventures, said Upp. is “the [...]
Watches of Switzerland reports revenue growth as US customers keep spending December 7, 2023 Watches of Switzerland, the UK's largest luxury watch retailer, today reported revenue growth of two per cent in constant currency for the first half of its financial year.
Arts and crafts giant Hobbycraft sold to Ted Baker investor August 27, 2024 Hobbycraft, which is one of the UK’s biggest arts and crafts retailers, has been snapped up by a specialist investor whose team has previously supported chains including Paperchase and Tie Rack. Investment group Modella Capital announced it had bought the Bournemouth-headquartered company from its majority owner, the fund management group Bridgepoint, for an undisclosed sum. [...]
Ocado: Marks and Spencer-linked grocer is fastest-growing for third straight month May 21, 2024 Ocado has maintained its position as the fastest growing supermarket for the third month in a row, as efforts to cut prices continue to pay off.
Homebase could be on the market again after £1 sale February 27, 2024 Homebase could reportedly be put up for sale again after it was sold for £1 to Hilco Capital back in 2018. A number of parties have reportedly held talks with the restructuring giant about snapping up the garden chain including The Range and B&M Bargains. It was reported by The Times that there was speculation [...]
Selfridges chief quits in surprise move for struggling retailer July 30, 2024 The chief executive of Selfridges has unexpectedly quit, having been in the job since the start of the pandemic. Andrew Keith, who joined in 2020, will leave the company that owns the famous flagship London store to pursue new ventures in Autumn this year. He has been operational as CEO for three-and-a-half years, having been [...]
Asos under pressure as Gen Z shoppers switch to Shein April 9, 2024 Clive Black, analyst at Shore Capital, told City A.M. Asos has come off the back of three “really hard years” and is facing increased competition from Far East rivals Shein and Temu.
Marks and Spencer shares surge to the top of the FTSE 100 as it smashes analyst expectations May 22, 2024 Marks and Spencer has beaten analysts' expectations, posting a 58 per cent jump in profit before tax for the full year, as chief Stuart Machin reaps the benefits of the high street darling's turnaround plans.
Majestic Wine and Poundstretcher owner Fortress cuts costs July 10, 2024 The UK arm of Fortress Investment Group, whose portfolio includes the likes of Majestic Wine, Punch Pubs and Poundstretcher, saw its revenue and profit dip during 2023 as its US owner cut costs.
H&M follows Next, Zara and Boohoo to charge shoppers for online returns September 19, 2023 H&M has become the latest retailer to charge shoppers to return their online shopping purchases. Customers will now be asked to pay £1.99 when they want to take back purchases they made on the H&M website, according to reports in BBC. The retailer told the outlet it introduced the scheme during the summer. Fellow high [...]