Ryanair’s special status is tarnished – it’s now a question of fight or flight for O’Leary October 3, 2018 Michael O’Leary is not short of ambition. The chief executive of Ryanair has spoken of flying 200m passengers in a year, and of profits of €2bn per annum, adding more than a third to the highest achieved in a year to date. The target date is 2024, but questions are being asked if O’Leary will [...]
Pret a Manger to introduce full ingredient labelling following customer allergen death October 3, 2018 High-end sandwich store Pret a Manger has said it will label all the ingredients in its products following the death of a teenager from an allergic reaction to one of its baguettes. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, had a severe sesame allergy and died after eating a baguette, which did not list all of the ingredients, from [...]
Costa ad banned for telling consumers to pick bacon sandwiches over avocados October 3, 2018 The advertising watchdog has banned a Costa advert for encouraging consumers to chow down on a bacon sandwich rather than avocados. A radio ad told listeners there was "a great deal on ripen-at-home avocados", but added they'd only be ripe to eat "for about 10 minutes then they'll go off". Read more: Costa sold to Coca-Cola: [...]
Sports Direct and JD Sports join the race for Evans Cycles October 3, 2018 JD Sports Fashion and Sports Direct have taken up seats at the bidding table alongside Halfords for beleaguered firm Evans Cycles. Both sporting retail powerhouses have tabled indicative offers for Evans in the last week, Sky News first reported late last night. The bids come in addition to an offer from Britain's biggest bike firm [...]
The Gym Group appoints former Tesco and Asos finance director as chief financial officer October 3, 2018 Low-cost exercise chain The Gym Group has appointed former Tesco director Mark George as its chief finance officer. George was most recently the deputy at car dealing company Auto Trader and has also held senior finance positions at Tesco and fashion house Asos. He will join The Gym Group at the end of the month. Gym Group chief executive [...]
Topps Tiles shares go through the roof as full-year profits race ahead of expectations October 3, 2018 Topps Tiles shares are soaring ahead this morning after it said pre-tax profits for the year would be at the top end of market expectations. Shares in the tiling business rose as much as 11 per cent and are now are trading 10 per cent higher. A trading update said adjusted revenues for the 52 weeks up [...]
Tesco share price falls despite taking the fight to supermarket rivals with rising revenues October 3, 2018 Tesco aimed to cement its status as the UK’s largest supermarket today with rising revenue and operating margins as it fights off competition from merging rivals and cheaper competitors. However, shares fell more than seven per cent in morning trading as the retailer missed a key profit metric. The figures The retail giant posted a 13 [...]
Pret a Manger has work to do in the wake of customer allergen death October 2, 2018 In recent days, an inquest heard about the tragic case of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, a 15-year-old who died after suffering an allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger sandwich while on board a flight to Nice. Her death came after she ate a baguette containing sesame seeds – an allergen not listed on the wrapper – [...]
Soho House boss says second Canada venue has not been ruled out October 2, 2018 The boss of private members club chain Soho House said the company had not ruled out opening a second venue in The City following the success of The Ned, as the business reported boosted revenue in its 2017 results. Chief executive Nick Jones, who founded the original venue in Soho's Greek Street in 1995, told Morning Wire that [...]
Airbnb reveals its UK tax bill amid Tory calls for a digital services tax October 2, 2018 Airbnb paid just shy of £600,000 in UK tax last year, Morning Wire can reveal, as chancellor Philip Hammond raises calls for a unilateral digital services tax on tech firms. In financial accounts seen by Morning Wire and due to be published on Companies House later this week, Airbnb paid just £596,992 in corporate tax in the year [...]