The Notebook: Hunt must scrap the tourist tax if the UK wants to stay competitive January 29, 2024 Where the City’s movers and shakers have their say. Today, James Chapman, Director of Soho Communications, takes the Notebook pen. The tourist tax is causing the UK to fall behind European rivals Ahead of his Spring Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is casting around for measures to promote that most elusive of things, economic growth. It’s [...]
Central London Alliance calls for government to cut VAT for hospitality, tourism and leisure January 23, 2024 Central London Alliance (CLA) calls on the Government to address the UK’s lack of competitiveness on the global tourism market, beginning with a cut to VAT for the hospitality, tourism and leisure industries. Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that visits to the UK increased 112 per cent year-on-year, generating £30 billion [...]
London Oxford Street spend slips as pressure mounts to scrap tourist tax January 23, 2024 Bosses behind Oxford Street are piling fresh pressure on the government to scrap the tourist tax after visitors failed to splash the cash over the Christmas period. Dee Corsi, who heads up the New West End Company, said footfall grew three per cent over the holiday season but customers kept their purses shut, with spending [...]
Frasers Group: What Mike Ashley’s retail empire’s endgame could be after Boohoo, Asos, Currys, AO and N Brown investments January 19, 2024 City AM's UK Editor Jon Robinson asks why Frasers Group has continued increasing its stakes in the likes of Boohoo and Asos and what the endgame could be.
Retail sales crash 3.2 per cent in December as struggling high street hits Covid-era low January 19, 2024 UK retail sales plummeted 3.2 per cent in December, well below analyst expectations and the largest monthly fall since January 2021 when coronavirus restrictions pushed down sales. Analysts had expected sales to fall by 0.5 per cent in the last month of the year, but a significant drop in both food and non-food store sales [...]
Watches of Switzerland: Shares crater 30 per cent as demand for luxury flattens January 18, 2024 Shares in Watches of Switzerland have fallen by over 30 per cent after the luxury watch maker warned on its earnings for the year. . In an update, the Rolex seller said that it was bruised by “challenging macroeconomic conditions” over Christmas which impacted consumer spending in luxury retail. It now expects revenue for the [...]
London’s tourist tax: Struggling luxury brands LVMH, Mulberry and Burberry have other problems, too January 17, 2024 Mulberry has fallen out of fashion with investors as shares slumped over four per cent this morning, with the luxury retailers expressing growing concerns about flattening sales and the tourist tax. The British fashion house, best known for its leather handbags, has had around £3bn wiped off its market value in the last five months [...]
Mulberry blames tourist tax and slowdown in luxury demand for falling sales January 17, 2024 British fashion house Mulberry has blamed a slowdown in demand for luxury spending for a nine per cent decline in sales over the golden quarter.
Mulberry: Chief calls to scrap London tourist tax as losses widen November 30, 2023 Thierry Andretta, said that a weak economic outlook is impacting the entire luxury industry and called for UK government to bring back VAT free shopping for international tourists
Britain’s oldest Casino rolls dice for last time as high end tourists ditch London October 26, 2023 The president of Genting Casinos UK told the outlet that there is a “combination” of factors which have put high-end London casinos at a competitive disadvantage to other global marketplaces.