Sports Direct denies reports Mike Ashley may block sale of Debenhams’ Danish arm Magasin du Nord September 16, 2018 Sports Direct have this evening denied reports its boss Mike Ashley is attempting to block a sale of Debenhams' Danish business Magasin du Nord. Reports suggested Ashley had threatened to halt the £200m of the business by Debenhams, in which he already has a 30 per cent stake, in the hopes of forcing the business into [...]
Sirius Minerals on track to complete Yorkshire mine but still chasing up to $600m September 27, 2018 Sirius Minerals expects to secure $3bn (£2.3m) funding towards its Yorkshire mine by the end of the year but is still exploring options to plug a cost overrun of up to $600m. The company, constructing a polyhalite mine under the North York Moors, said the project remained on track to be completed in 2021, [...]
Mixed bag for Britain’s grocers as market cools despite record Christmas spending forecasts December 11, 2018 Shoppers have been taking fewer trips to the supermarket in recent weeks after a bumper summer of demand, according to new data that suggests Britain's grocery sector has slowed to its lowest rate of growth in more than a year. Despite projections that spending this Christmas will break UK records, the supermarket sector grew at two [...]
Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin defends column copying in pub magazine January 18, 2019 Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin has defended the decision to reprint newspaper columns in his pub chain’s magazine, but admitted he was not sure about the intricacies of copyright law. The no-frills pub chain raised eyebrows today after it emerged its free magazine, Wetherspoon News, had lifted articles from national newspapers and magazines. Read more: JD Wetherspoon [...]
Debenhams chairman tells Mike Ashley to make a bid for the chain amid loan row December 16, 2018 The chairman of Debenhams has told Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley to make a bid for the entire department store chain if he is serious about taking control of the company. Sir Ian Cheshire today issued an ultimatum to the tycoon, who holds a 30 per cent stake in the struggling department store, amid a [...]
Billionaire Mike Ashley and The Entertainer may bid for iconic toy store Hamleys December 14, 2018 Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley and British toy retailer The Entertainer are among the bidders interested in a takeover of Hamleys, according to a report. The world's biggest toy shop has been owned by Chinese fashion conglomerate C.banner since 2015, but Sky News reported this morning that bids are now being considered for an acquisition [...]
Why M&S’ relegation from the FTSE 100 doesn’t mean the death of the High Street September 20, 2019 Marks and Spencer (M&S) is set to be relegated from the FTSE 100 after the close of business today. This will be the first time that the company has lost its blue chip status. The UK retailer was a founder member of the FTSE 100 and a stalwart of the UK High Street. But its [...]
Discounter Aldi ramps up market share as Easter approaches April 2, 2019 Cut-price supermarket Aldi continued its rise up the grocery food chain in March, achieving a record market share of eight per cent as it made ground on its rivals. The German-owned chain’s sales increased by 10.6 per cent in the 12 months to 24 March compared to a year earlier, pushing its market share up [...]
Innovation game: £1.6bn promised for the UK’s modern industrial strategy as entrepreneurs get a boost October 29, 2018 The chancellor today promised £1.6bn of new investment into the government's modern industrial strategy, in a bid to ramp up the UK's digital infrastructure and power the country's startups. It will also be followed by an additional £150m in funding for fellowships to foster the UK's burgeoning skills pool with both homegrown and international talent, and £115m for [...]
Debenhams shares skyrocket as Sports Direct mulls £61.4m bid March 27, 2019 The future of Debenhams is up in the air this afternoon as Mike Ashley battles with creditors to take control of the embattled department store chain. The Sports Direct boss and retail tycoon, who owns a near 30 per cent stake in Debenhams, revealed yesterday that he was mulling a £61.4m bid to take full [...]