The Gym Group share price rises as it flexes its muscle and moves into the black March 14, 2017 Pay-as-you-go gym operator The Gym Group has posted its first full-year profit with revenues rising 22 per cent as it shows no signs of slowing expansion. Read more: How budget chain The Gym Group built up its muscle The figures The company, which owns 89 low cost gyms across the UK, reported revenue of £73.5m [...]
Revealed: Notes coffee shop nets £600,000 loan from challenger bank OakNorth to open two new London branches, despite Brexit uncertainty March 13, 2017 Notes has struck a deal for a £600,000 loan to open two further branches in London, including its largest site to date, Morning Wire has learnt. The coffee shop and wine bar chain, which already has six sites dotted around the capital, hopes to push ahead with aggressive growth plans in the near future and the [...]
Lush says Brexit sent “shockwaves” through the business and threatens to focus expansion outside the UK March 13, 2017 Lush has threatened to focus its future expansion outside the UK as Brexit sent "shockwaves" through the business. The natural cosmetics firm said the 20 per cent of its UK workforce who do not have British citizenship "suddenly felt unwelcome and understandably upset" after the UK voted to leave the European Union. The bath bomb [...]
British book worms are spending more on reading this year, sending sales up £100m March 13, 2017 Britons are reading more than last year and increased spending by six per cent on books by as much as £100m more compared to 2016, according to research from Nielsen Book Research UK. Printed book sales were up seven per cent, driven by greater reading amongst younger generations, despite commonly held assumptions that young people [...]
Aldi is harnessing the ’90s revival with a retro new logo March 13, 2017 Aldi has launched a retro new logo as it goes for a ‘90s update to the German supermarket’s blue, red and orange badge. Aldi Sued, the owner of the discount supermarket, rejected the flat design of its current logo, plumping instead for the gradient sheen beloved of companies when computers first became capable of giving [...]
Meet Aaron Simpson, the man building the world’s biggest superyacht for billionaires – and take a peek inside it March 13, 2017 A billionaire recently wanted to watch a romantic movie with his girlfriend on the beach, but did not want to get sand on his feet. What did he do? He covered the entire beach with carpets. The man who made this bizarre fantasy possible is Aaron Simpson of Quintessentially, a concierge service for billionaires. Founded [...]
How Camden Town Brewery is keeping its craft ale credentials after its £85m takeover by AB Inbev March 13, 2017 Brits are drinking craft beer as if it were going out of fashion. The number of new brewery openings in the UK surged 55 per cent to a record 520 last year, and between eight and nine per cent of the total beer sold in licensed premises in the UK is craft. That’s still significantly [...]
French Connection expected to announce ninth year of losses amid turnaround plan March 12, 2017 French Connection is set to record a ninth year of losses in its annual results this week. However, the group is expected to point out that it is only two-thirds of the way through its programme of closing loss-making stores, which is part of a wider turnaround plan. The company, which owns Toast, YMC and [...]
Tesco chairman: White men are an ‘endangered species’ on UK boards March 11, 2017 The chairman of Tesco, John Allan, has warned white men everywhere that they are an "endangered species" on UK boards and that to get to the top they are going to have to work "twice as hard" as women and ethnic minorities. Despite sitting three executive boards himself (he is also chairman of Barratt Developments, and [...]
Mars says chocolate prices will rise after Brexit if the UK doesn’t get a good trade deal March 10, 2017 Those with a sweet tooth should look away now. For the global president of Mars has warned that chocolate prices could rise if the UK doesn't secure a good trade deal after Brexit. Fiona Dawson said the absence of a deal with EU member states would mean tariffs of up to 30 per cent for [...]