Just In-Time! Timpson saves watch repair firm from bankruptcy, and 110 jobs January 6, 2023 High street stalwart Timpson has swooped in to rescue watch and jewellery specialist In-Time from bankruptcy in a move that is set to save more than 100 jobs. Timpson, which provides repairs and engraving services, announced it had bought the firm in a pre-pack sale after administrators were called in to oversee the winding up [...]
Next boss Lord Wolfson: London’s High Streets had ‘more to worry about’ four years ago despite loss of brands like Topshop January 5, 2023 Next boss Lord Wolfson has “less reason to worry about the high street” compared to a few years ago, on the tail of a slew of household names shuttering. Physical retail was in a less concerning position than in recent years, when a switch to online shopping signalled a death knell for many staple retailers, [...]
Mother Goose review: Ian McKellen delivers pure theatrical ecstasy December 22, 2022 Mother Goose: Ian McKellen is as incredible as you’d hope in his first pantomime in fifteen years If pantomime is normal theatre distilled into only the most joyous parts, this production of Mother Goose starring Ian McKellen is the logical extension of that. Pure theatrical ecstasy from beginning to end. Of course, it’s all down [...]
The fate of John Lewis vs Debenhams is a parable in how to adapt to the future December 7, 2022 Emerging technologies, from AI and machine learning to edge computing and the metaverse, are fundamentally revolutionising how data is captured and used by businesses in the UK. The effective application of this data can have a transformational effect on the performance of an organisation. In the UK, we’ve had clear examples of this working to [...]
Boohoo amps up stake in troubled Revolution Beauty to 26 per cent November 28, 2022 Fast fashion retailer Boohoo has upped its stake in Revolution Beauty, as the troubled cosmetics firm announced a new chief. The online retailer said it had upped its strategic investment in the lipstick seller to 26.47 per cent of its issued share capital. Boohoo, which sells Revolution cosmetics on a number of its websites and [...]
Administrators make millions from Debenhams’ demise November 14, 2022 Debenhams‘ administrators have made millions in fees since the department store went under in 2020. According to reports from The Times, FRP Advisory has made more than £7.2m in fees since Debenhams filed for insolvency The administrators managed the sale of the store’s brand and website to Boohoo for £55m in January 2021, and documents reveal [...]
City sitdown: Private equity should learn to be more emotional, argues City grandee October 5, 2022 Whether you like it or not, private equity is a significant part of the UK economy and accounts for almost 50 percent of all deal value, double the level from just five years ago, according to a recent deal analysis from PwC. Its fingerprint has been all over household names including Asda, the AA, Morrisons and [...]
Mary Portas: Future of high street is ‘less retail but better retail’ August 18, 2022 The future of the high street will involve “less retail but better retail”, according to broadcaster and retail guru Mary Portas. More than nine in ten retailers believe the UK high street is suffering, according to new research from marketplace Ankorstore, backed by Portas. High street firms are facing turmoil including heightened energy bills, staff [...]
Frasers Group acquires fast fashion website I Saw It First after rescuing Missguided July 28, 2022 Mike Ashley’s retail emporium Frasers has inked a deal to acquire fast fashion firm I Saw It First. In an announcement on the London Stock Exchange on Thursday morning, the Sports Direct owner confirmed The Telegraph’s reports that it was to poach the website. I Saw It First was created by Jalal Kamani in 2017, [...]
Investment behemoth Hilco Capital joins race to snap up Paperchase July 22, 2022 Former HMV-owner Hilco has joined the race to snap up Paperchase, according to City sources.