Malmaison and Hotel Du Vin sold to Singaporeans June 17, 2015 Boutique hotel chains Hotel du Vin and Malmaison have been sold by their private equity owners to Singapore-based property group Frasers Hospitality for £363.4m. The hotel duo, which has 29 sites across the UK and is formally known as MHDV Holdings, has been sold by US group KSL Capital Partners, which bought the chain in [...]
Hamleys’ rival toys with takeover August 20, 2015 THE MIDDLE Eastern owner of Hamleys’ rival, The Toy Store, is said to be considering a takeover bid for the country’s most famous toy shop. Gulf Greetings has sent a letter of intent to Hamleys’ French owner Ludendo, highlighting its interest in acquiring the iconic Hamleys names, according to Retail Week. It is the second [...]
Kantar figures show Aldi and Lidl combined now account for 10 per cent of UK grocery market November 17, 2015 Budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl now account for 10 per cent of all spend on the British grocery market for the first time since they launched in the country, new figures reveal. The two grocers have stolen market share from the more established supermarkets in a short period of time. Just three years ago, their [...]
Black Friday UK 2015: Apps including HotDeals UK, Stocard, Amazon, Ebay and Waze will help find the best bargains on 27 November November 23, 2015 Black Friday is almost upon us. But if, come 27 November, you'd rather dodge the crowds and get straight to the bargains, you might need some help. After all, around one in six Britons are planning to make the most of the deals day to snare a bargain, with one in five of us expecting [...]
City Moves for 1 October 2015 | Who’s switching jobs September 30, 2015 APAM The commercial property asset manager has appointed Simon Hardwick as chairman. Hardwick was formerly at PwC Legal, where he lead its real estate practice. He is also an independent non-executive member of the management board at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and has over 35 years’ experience. BARINGS The investment firm has appointed [...]
Trouble for the big four supermarkets as Aldi and Lidl growth speeds up again October 20, 2015 German discounters Aldi and Lidl both saw growth rates return to over 17 per cent over the last three months, dashing hopes for the Big Four that a slowdown earlier in the year may have been part of a longer term trend. The cut-price chains have been the fastest-growing grocers in the sector for some time now. But in [...]
Seeking income: Three contrarian ideas for hunters, from Cyprus government bonds to energy companies November 19, 2015 Times have been tough for investors seeking regular income payments. Nearly all bond sectors have made losses for investors this year. Meanwhile, some of the companies which could once be relied upon for good dividend payments from their shares – such as Tesco and Glencore – have cut or scrapped them entirely. But specialist fund [...]
Amazon Fresh launches in London: Some postcodes now get one-hour chilled and frozen food deliveries through Prime Now October 8, 2015 Amazon is delivering fresh chilled and frozen food in selected London postcodes for the first time, testing out the waters for Amazon Fresh. A fresh pint of milk, tub of Ben and Jerry's or a packet of fish fingers for tea can be on some Londoners' doorsteps in less than 60 minutes with the new delivery service [...]
North Sea oil revenue tumbles to an all-time low August 23, 2015 North Sea oil revenue plunged to an all-time low in the first quarter of this year according to the Scottish Conservatives. The Scottish government's quarterly national accounts show that it received £168m in tax receipts from the industry between January and March. This is down from £969m in the same period last year the Scotsman has reported. [...]
Online House of Fraser lift September 24, 2014 HOUSE of Fraser, the department store chain recently sold for £48m, yesterday announced adjusted earnings of £8.6m for the first half, boosted by a 29 per cent rise in online sales. Like-for-like sales rose 4.2 per cent to £542m for the six months to 26 July and the earnings figure was well up on the [...]