Sir Philip Green’s office furniture up for sale as administrators flog Arcadia assets after collapse March 22, 2021 Administrators have begun flogging Arcadia’s assets, including sewing machines and Sir Philip Green’s office furniture, following the collapse of his retail empire. Deloitte has appointed Hilco Global to sell the former Topshop owner’s London headquarters in a dramatic fall from high street royalty to the auction house. Arcadia collapsed into administration last year, putting 13,000 [...]
Thorntons to close all UK stores putting 600 jobs at risk March 15, 2021 Thorntons has announced it will close all of its stores, putting around 600 jobs at risk. The chocolatier said this afternoon that it will permanently shutter its 61 branches due to the restrictions on trading during the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement the Sheffield-founded brand said lockdown restrictions over the Easter and Christmas period and [...]
Oxford Street: This is what the UK’s shopping destination could look like after lockdown March 11, 2021 Oxford Street – the world famous shopping destination that attracts millions of Londoners and tourists every year – is set to look drastically different when the city emerges from the latest coronavirus lockdown. An arts centre, 25 metre artificial hill and play areas in bus lanes are among the ideas that have been floated to [...]
Marks & Spencer unveils plans to replace retail space with offices at Marble Arch store March 9, 2021 Marks & Spencer (M&S) has unveiled plans to redevelop its Marble Arch store, with some retail space set to be replaced by offices. Under proposals announced this afternoon, M&S said the lower levels of the West End store would remain as retail space offering its food and clothing and home ranges. However, the upper floors [...]
KPMG unit sale creates new restructuring behemoth Interpath Advisory March 4, 2021 KPMG has signed an unconditional agreement to sell its restructuring practice to Interpath Advisory, a newly-formed company backed by private equity firm HIG Europe. The sale will see 22 partners and around 528 staff currently employed in KPMG’s restructuring practice transfer to Interpath Advisory, making it the largest independent restructuring and turnaround business in the [...]
KPMG ‘to sell’ restructuring arm in £400m deal March 2, 2021 Big four accountancy firm KPMG is set to announce the sale of its UK restructuring arm in a deal worth £400m, according to reports, as the company braces for sweeping new audit reforms. The division, which will be renamed Interpath Advisory, will automatically become the largest restructuring firm in the UK by employee count, Sky [...]
What will Boris Johnson’s ‘roadmap’ for exiting lockdown look like? February 22, 2021 Boris Johnson has vowed to set out a “roadmap” for lifting lockdown measures this afternoon, as the UK continues to make rapid progress with its vaccine rollout. While the shape of the timeline has yet to be revealed, the Prime Minister has said he will provide dates for lifting specific measures “if we possibly can”. [...]
Arcadia collapse leaves bigger than expected £510m pension deficit February 19, 2021 The collapse of high street empire Arcadia has left a £510m pension deficit, some £200m more than previous estimates. Arcadia collapsed in December, becoming the largest casualty of the coronavirus pandemic and leaving thousands jobless. The news of a bigger-than-expected pension deficit, first reported by the Retail Gazette, paints a starker picture for individuals affected [...]
Coronavirus: London suffers ‘heaviest job losses in UK’ during pandemic February 16, 2021 London suffered the largest number of job losses of any UK region during the pandemic last year, as the capital continues to feel the weight of a “geographically unequal crisis”, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). The number of London employees on payrolls dropped 5.5 per cent between February and December last year, [...]
High street redundancies: Which retailers have cut jobs in the pandemic so far? February 13, 2021 Thousands of high street jobs have evaporated during the coronavirus pandemic, as retail chains have fallen under the pressure of lockdown restrictions on trading. The UK high street, which was already struggling before the pandemic, is set to look very different when shoppers return after lockdown following high profile collapses that have cost many retail [...]