Harry Potter and the Cursed Child maker remains in the red amid West End troubles December 20, 2024 The company behind the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage play remains in the red amid falling sales and show closures, it has been revealed. The joint venture which produces the show across the world has reported a turnover of £41.3m for the year to 31 March, 2024, down from the £45.2m it achieved [...]
Harland and Wolff: Deal struck to buy troubled Titanic maker saving 1,000 jobs December 19, 2024 Troubled shipbuilder Harland and Wolff, which crashed into administration owing more than £160m earlier this year, has been saved. Spanish state-owned business Navanti has struck a deal to buy the Belfast-based company in a move which will secure 1,000 jobs at Harland and Wolff’s four shipyards – one in Belfast, two in Scotland (Methil on [...]
Wingstop more the doubles sales and returns to profit amid UK expansion December 19, 2024 Wingstop has more than doubled its sales as it continued its UK expansion, created hundreds of jobs and returned to profit, it has been revealed. The restaurant chain, which is known for its buffalo wings, has reported a turnover of £84.6m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2024, new documents filed with Companies House [...]
National World: Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman owner agrees £65m takeover December 18, 2024 Shareholders in National World, the media group whose titles include Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman, are set for a bumper pay day as a takeover deal which values it at over £65m was agreed. Irish media group Media Concierge, which currently holds a 26 per cent stake in National World, first tabled an offer worth [...]
Shops being ‘thwacked by colossal’ employment costs December 18, 2024 Business rates rises totalling £7.6m are being faced by shops in Scotland when the new tax year starts, according to new figures. A total of 4,520 shops liable for the intermediate and higher property rates will experience an increase in their rates bills, according to information obtained by Conservative MSP Craig Hoy and published by [...]
Tortoise Media acquires Observer newspaper as deal finalised December 18, 2024 The Observer newspaper’s sale to Tortoise Media has been confirmed after a deal was signed by The Scott Trust and Guardian Media Group (GMG). James Harding will take on the role of editor-in-chief while Lucy Rock has been appointed editor (print), the first woman to oversee the newspaper in 100 years. The Observer is being [...]
Shoe Zone shares crash as Budget deals major blow to profit plans December 18, 2024 Shares in Shoe Zone have plummeted to their lowest value for more than three years after the company warning the changes announced in the Autumn Budget has forced it to close a number of stores. The Leicester-headquartered retailer issued a trading update to the London Stock Exchange in which it revealed the impacted that “significant [...]
HS2 chair to step down as cost swells to £66bn December 17, 2024 The chair of the company behind High Speed Two (HS2) is to stop down next year, it has been announced. Sir Jon Thompson has served on the board of HS2 Ltd for almost four years after first joining as a non-executive director in April 2021. He was appointed as the company’s chair in February 2023 [...]
Frasers Group CEO measured up for Hugo Boss board seat December 17, 2024 The chief executive of Frasers Group, Mike Ashley’s retail giant which owns the likes of Sports Direct and House of Fraser, is in line to take a board seat at Hugo Boss. Michael Murray will take part in an election to become part of the German fashion retailer’s supervisory board. Frasers Group currently holds a [...]
How FTSE 100 giant Rolls-Royce became a ‘true phoenix from the ashes story’ after shares success December 17, 2024 If awards were being handed out for the best performer in the FTSE 100 this year, Rolls-Royce would surely be taking home all the top prizes after cementing its position as the index’s darling. The Derby-headquartered giant started 2024 with a share price of 298p which has since ballooned to a high of 594p, catapulting [...]