Hamleys poised to be sold to a relative of House of Fraser’s Chinese billionaire owner October 18, 2015 A Chinese investor is said to be closing in on a deal to buy the UK’s most famous toy store Hamleys in the coming weeks. Ludendo, the French family-owned toy group, is in advanced talks to sell the chain to a Hong Kong company run by a relative of Yuan Yafei, the billionaire owner House [...]
Has House of Fraser lost the plot? Its Twitter account has come over all tired and emoji-nal February 1, 2016 House of Fraser's social media managers seemed to be feeling the love this morning when Twitter users thought someone had hacked into the retailer's account. The store began posting a string of emojis and artistically Photoshopped snaps of celebrities… Don’t worry John we’ve got your fairytale ending right here! @ChelseaFC #DeadlineDay #PrincessJohn pic.twitter.com/EHlfaBSSHY — House of Fraser (@houseoffraser) February [...]
Focus On Paddington: With Crossrail, a £775m glass cube and new homes, W2 is about to become one of London’s next property hotspots February 24, 2017 Believe it or not, Paddington, synonymous for so long with its eponymous cartoon bear and its fantastic transport links, is one of the most undervalued places in Prime Central London. Within walking distance to Hyde Park, Oxford Circus and smart neighbourhoods like Mayfair and Knightsbridge, it’s nevertheless not traditionally seen as a great residential location. [...]
Sirius Minerals shares tank as it reveals plans for new mine in Yorkshire – paid for by selling shares on the cheap November 2, 2016 Shares in Sirius Minerals were down 11 per cent today as the company released plans to secure $1.2bn worth of funding for a new mine in North Yorkshire. The company said it had secured $300m (£250m) from Gina Rinehart, the Australian boss of Hancock Prospecting, but it will raise the rest of the money by issuing new [...]
3i sells debt business as part of strategic focus away from credit October 25, 2016 Alternative asset manager Investcorp has snapped up venture capital group 3i's global credit business for £222m. Purchasing 3i Debt Management (3iDM), a business with $12bn of assets under management, will almost double Investcorp's portfolio. Simon Borrows, the chief exec of 3i explained that although the debt management business provided strong cash flows, strategically it was no longer the best fit for the group. [...]
Senior government officials are considering quitting because there’s no ‘clear’ Brexit plan November 17, 2016 London — The British government's lack of a clear Brexit plan is prompting senior officials to think about quitting, according to the former head of the Foreign Office in Britain, Sir Simon Fraser. Sir Simon said during a House of Commons Committee hearing that "civil servants don’t feel they have clear political direction at the moment," [...]
Sports Direct in talks to open Lillywhites concessions in House of Fraser November 15, 2015 Sports Direct is reported to be in talks with House of Fraser about introducing concessions of its famous Piccadilly store Lillywhites inside the department store chain. Dave Forsey, the chief executive of the sportswear group, has held early stage talks with House of Fraser boss Nigel Oddy, according to The Sunday Telegraph, which reported that proposals [...]
It’s a NewDay: Store card maker in private equity sale after dropping float plans October 11, 2016 Private equity firms Cinven and CVC Capital Partners today announced a deal to acquire store card maker NewDay. The private equity houses have agreed a deal to buy NewDay from Varde Partners and although sales value is unknown, it is believed to ascribe an enterprise value of around £1bn to the company. Read more: Why would anyone choose a [...]
House of Fraser reports strong Christmas trading period after first full year of being owned by Chinese conglomerate Sanpower January 11, 2016 House of Fraser appears to have shrugged off the festive blues plaguing other retailers, with sales up 5.3 per cent for the six weeks to 2 January. The figures The Chinese-owned department store, said it had had a strong Christmas trading period, starting with Black Friday, when sales were up 10 per cent on the previous [...]
Australia’s richest woman invests $300m in Yorkshire potash mine owned by fertiliser group Sirius Minerals October 25, 2016 The company directed by Australia's richest woman has signed a $300m (£246m) financing deal with fertiliser group Sirius Minerals for its Yorkshire potash mine. The British arm of Hancock Prospecting, chaired and directed by iron ore tycoon Gina Rinehart, will buy $50m worth of Sirius shares and a five per cent royalty stream of the first 14 megatonnes [...]