Fast fashion: Mike Ashley’s retail behemoth Frasers Group eyes I Saw It First July 17, 2022 Mike Ashley’s retail empire may make a swoop for I Saw It First, an online fast-fashion brand owned by Boohoo founder Jalal Kamani. According to a report in The Telegraph, Frasers Group could add I Saw It First to its list of retail takeovers within a matter of weeks. The Telegraph’s sources told the newspaper [...]
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group snares stake in Australian fashion marketplace as retail swoop continues June 30, 2022 Mike Ashley’s retail empire has nabbed a 29 per cent stake in Australia’s fashion platform MySale. Frasers Group has snared a 28.7 per cent holding in MySale, in its latest retail swoop, it announced on Thursday morning. My Sale puts global buyers in touch with sellers to Australian and New Zealand e-commerce sites. London-listed Frasers [...]
650k retail jobs lost in the past five years amid fears of unfair high street tax bills ahead June 13, 2022 Some 650,000 retail jobs have been lost in the past five years, as the high street comes under threat once more with consumer spending dropping amid historic inflation. The Centre for Retail Research has found that some 645,204 retail jobs have been lost and 72,580 stores closed across the UK since 2017. High street heavyweights [...]
Letters: Some Parisian inspiration May 24, 2022 [Re: Woo investors to make Britain like France, Boris told, yesterday] The Centre for Policy Studies’ (CPS) conclusion that the UK needs to emulate the policies of France to attract investors offers interesting insights. This argument, however, must be put into context. Financial markets are in a precarious position with rising inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, and [...]
Exclusive: Logistics warehouses expanded by 200 football pitches worth of space last year May 20, 2022 Distribution warehouses expanded to the tune of more than 200 football pitches last year, as pandemic momentum for e-commerce firms continues to swell. An additional 1.5 mm² space has been snapped up by e-commerce firms, according to an analysis of official data by law firm RPC, exclusively shared with CityA.M. E-commerce sales were worth £28bn [...]
High street: Applications to convert shops to homes soar but councils reject almost half April 25, 2022 High street shop units are increasingly being targeted for conversion into homes, new data has revealed. Research by commercial law firm EMW found that the number of conversion applications leaped 37 per cent. Some 677 applications were made in 2020/2021, versus 494 in 2019/2020. However, out of the 677 applications for conversion, some 45 per [...]
Pop-up firm Sook tops £1m sales as Instagram businesses dabble with bricks-and-mortar retail April 1, 2022 Pop-up retail company Sook has hit £1m sales, with CEO John Hoyle telling CityA.M. an “explosion” of social media brands are looking for flexible spaces. Speaking to CityA.M., Hoyle said small businesses who use TikTok and Instagram are increasingly keen to venture into physical retail on a flexible basis. The company has seven spaces in [...]
Council says it wants to rid central London of ‘candy and tat shops’ March 3, 2022 Westminster City Council has outlined its intention to rid central London’s Oxford Street of “questionable candy and tat shops” as a part of a £150m rejuvenation. Rachael Robathan, leader of the council, tonight said “Oxford Street is Europe’s hardest hit street” by Covid and that the decline will continue without a serious intervention. Footfall on [...]
Former Kingfisher chief and one of the UK’s top brand experts battle it out for Channel 4 chairmanship February 22, 2022 Former chief of DIY retailer Kingfisher and one of the UK’s top branding experts are fighting to become Channel 4 chair as question marks remain over the broadcaster’s future. As first reported by Mark Kleinman for Sky News, Sir Ian Cheshire and Rita Clifton were interviewed for the role by Ofcom earlier this month. Clifton [...]
Changing high street: Bingo halls and casinos shutter while gyms take advantage of cheaper rent January 31, 2022 Bingo halls and casinos have declined amid the pandemic, with the number of leisure venues targeted at older customers dropping in the last year. The number of bingo halls decreased to 360 in 2021, down from 370 in 2020, according to commercial law firm EMW. Elsewhere, the number of snooker clubs dropped to 700 last [...]