‘A beneficiary of recent UK economic malaise’: Pawnbrokers are still doing well. July 23, 2024 Britain’s biggest pawnbroker H&T reported strong sales in line with expectations for the first six months of the year despite improving an economic climate in the UK. The value of H&T’s pledge book, which tracks short term loans via the pawnbroker, increased by four per cent to reach £105m in the first half of the [...]
Compass: Return to office and university helps catering giant to double-digit growth July 23, 2024 Catering company Compass has reported double digit growth in the third quarter of 2024 as it looks to expand past North America and the UK. Revenue in Europe led with 12 per cent growth, while in North America it grew by 9.9 per cent and in the rest of the world grew by 8.5 per [...]
Luxury faces a reckoning: What do Gucci, Burberry and LVMH need to do to survive? July 23, 2024 The post-pandemic luxury market was unstoppable. Record profits driven by China’s reopening and the revenge-on-lockdown ‘urge to splurge’ sent profits at all the major luxury brands to unbelievable highs. Briefly, it looked as though the upswing was going to stick, with pundits – and papers – asking if it would ever end. Now, results season [...]
Grocers vs bargain chains: Discount competition is heating up July 23, 2024 The discount sector is crowded and competitive: Aldi, Lidl, Poundland and B&M are only a few of the retailers vying for space. The market for discount goods has been growing over the last few years, but not every company has been a winner – only a few stores have managed to attract and keep customers. [...]
LVMH-backed L Catterton, the new owner of Bicester Village is one of the world’s biggest retail investors July 22, 2024 Silver Bidco, a newly-formed Jersey-based vehicle of L Catterton, has bought Hammerson's stake in Value Retail, the owner of Bicester Village.
Former Tory chair Lord Ashcroft to ‘open discussions’ on selling Gusborne wines stake July 22, 2024 Ashcroft owns over 40m shares in AIM-listed Gusborne, equivalent to 66.76 per cent of the company. The company has a market cap of £40.17m.
A short history of leasehold, and why it’s taken so long to end the ‘feudal’ system July 20, 2024 In the King’s Speech, the Government finally outlined plans to phase the “feudal” system out of England and Wales. Here's why it took so long
‘Critical growth hub’: Hedge funds drive demand for office space in London July 19, 2024 Over $13.1 trillion (£10.4 trillion) in assets are managed in London, and the capital has remained the world's second-largest centre for hedge funds and private equity firms globally after New York.
Amazon Prime Day sales reach record high thanks to discount-hungry shoppers July 19, 2024 Amazon Prime Day hit record heights thanks to discount-hungry shoppers as sales passed £14.2bn during the two-day shopping event, according to new figures.
Consumer confidence hit highest level in three years July 19, 2024 Consumer confidence has risen to its highest level in three years in a tentative sign that the economy is leaving the cost-of-living crisis behind, new data from Deloitte shows. In its latest quarterly Consumer Tracker survey, Deloitte found that sentiment grew by 6.8 per cent year on year, boosted by a significant improvement in sentiment [...]