Sir Philip Green’s wife spent millions on London homes as BHS collapsed October 5, 2021 Sir Philip Green’s wife spent millions on London properties while thousands of employees working at now-collapsed BHS prepared to lose their jobs. Details of Lady Tina Green’s spending were laid bare in the ‘Pandora Papers – leaked offshore financial documents published by the BBC. Tina Green used a company located in the British Virgin Islands [...]
The Queen of Shops: Helen Dickinson on Brexit, Labour and the changing face of retail August 5, 2024 Ali Lyon sits down with the head of the British Retail Consortium to discuss Brexit, Labour and the changing face of retail
Ikea to close Tottenham store in £1bn plans to speed up home deliveries in London March 30, 2022 Ikea has revealed it will be shutting shop at its Tottenham store, with some 450 employees set to be impacted. However, Ikea said it has plans to retain as many individuals as possible. It is also planning to create some 600 vacancies in the capital before the store shuts. The North London store will remain open [...]
Changing high street: Bingo halls and casinos shutter while gyms take advantage of cheaper rent January 31, 2022 Bingo halls and casinos have declined amid the pandemic, with the number of leisure venues targeted at older customers dropping in the last year. The number of bingo halls decreased to 360 in 2021, down from 370 in 2020, according to commercial law firm EMW. Elsewhere, the number of snooker clubs dropped to 700 last [...]
End of an era: Liquidators appointed to wind up Philip Green’s Arcadia empire July 13, 2021 The administrators of Philip Green’s collapsed Arcadia have appointed liquidators to wind up the companies, marking the end of an era for the tycoon’s once-booming retail empire. Arcadia operated a number of high street brands across the UK and globally, including Topshop, Burton and Dorothy Perkins, and employed over 13,000 people at its peak. The [...]
Revolution Beauty to make stock market debut July 13, 2021 Revolution Beauty are plotting a float on London’s alternative markets valuing the company at nearly half a billion pounds. The float has received strong support from shareholders and was significantly oversubscribed, the UK-based firm said this morning. Read more: Asos enters deal with Nordstrom to bolster Topshop’s US presence Adam Minto, the beauty firm’s boss [...]
Retail in 2022: Leisure explosion and flexible landlords will give the UK high street a much-needed boost this year January 11, 2022 Demand for property outside traditional retail and pragmatic landlords have given “renewed optimism” for some high streets and shopping districts despite the toll of the pandemic, according to industry experts. The pressure from lockdown measures, after a steady decline in recent years, saw vacancy rates across shopping destinations hit record levels in the second quarter [...]
Council says it wants to rid central London of ‘candy and tat shops’ March 3, 2022 Westminster City Council has outlined its intention to rid central London’s Oxford Street of “questionable candy and tat shops” as a part of a £150m rejuvenation. Rachael Robathan, leader of the council, tonight said “Oxford Street is Europe’s hardest hit street” by Covid and that the decline will continue without a serious intervention. Footfall on [...]
Pop-up firm Sook tops £1m sales as Instagram businesses dabble with bricks-and-mortar retail April 1, 2022 Pop-up retail company Sook has hit £1m sales, with CEO John Hoyle telling CityA.M. an “explosion” of social media brands are looking for flexible spaces. Speaking to CityA.M., Hoyle said small businesses who use TikTok and Instagram are increasingly keen to venture into physical retail on a flexible basis. The company has seven spaces in [...]
Cash down the back of the sofa: Loaf readies for £70m sale May 2, 2021 Home furnishings retailer Loaf is reportedly exploring options for a sale as it looks to cash in on pandemic-driven increased demand. Industry sources told The Times that a sale could raise as much as £70m. Read more: Bargain bin: Topshop’s former Oxford Street site on sale for £420m Loaf was born out of The Sleep [...]