London losing out due to ‘tourist tax’ as US and Gulf visitors opt for Paris and Milan instead August 14, 2023 London is losing out on wealthy foreign visitors splashing their cash in Oxford Street due to the so-called ‘tourist tax’, amid renewed calls to scrap it and make the capital more competitive. The removal of VAT free shopping for international tourists continues to hurt London retailers, with visitors from the US and the Gulf cutting [...]
Wellbeing disruptor UNTIL bags Dragon Steven Bartlett in bid to mend ‘broken’ industry August 14, 2023 Entrepreneur and star of Dragon’s Den, Steven Bartlett, has pumped cash in to London wellness disruptor UNTIL, as he joins the brand in a top executive role to drive its expansion. The investor joined as its new marketing co-founder to help fix the “broken” sector, following investment into the industry which is worth £3.5tn . [...]
Shaftesbury secures £200m loan as property giant juggles debt arrangements August 14, 2023 Newly formed London property giant Shaftesbury Capital has launched a new 10-year loan of £200m secured against a portfolio of assets within the Carnaby estate. The major London landlord said the financing highlights the “attractiveness” of the company’s mainly retail and leisure portfolio to a “broad range of institutional capital”. The loan will sit alongside [...]
John Lewis CEO: Bailey wants you to be gloomy – and it’s working August 13, 2023 The new Chief Executive of John Lewis has given a stark warning to the Bank of England, cautioning against higher interest rates that could “tip into recession”. Nish Kankiwala was appointed as the Partnership’s first Chief Executive in March and has since been laying out his recovery plan for the struggling high street favourites John [...]
Tesco to swap cheaper product lines into convenience shops August 11, 2023 Tesco is to swap cheaper product lines into its convenience stores as shoppers battle the rising cost of living. It revealed that more than 50 everyday products in its smaller Express shops will be replaced by better priced alternatives, many from its own-brand range. The move comes as German discounter rivals Aldi and Lidl have [...]
Versace owner Capri snapped up by Coach’s Tapestry in £6.6bn mega-deal to challenge LVMH August 11, 2023 Tapestry, the American fashion giant behind luxury brands such as Coach and Kate Spade, has agreed to buy Capri the owners of designer Versace in a $8.5bn (£6.6bn) deal. The merger will form a larger fashion conglomerate which will rival the likes of LVMH, the multibillion pound business behind designers such as Louis Vuitton and [...]
Watches of Switzerland: Tourist tax ‘biggest single frustration’ for UK retailers August 10, 2023 The government’s decision to scrap VAT-free shopping for tourists is continuing to hold UK retailers back, Watches of Switzerland has warned. Chief executive of the FTSE 250 luxury watch seller Brian Duffy told Morning Wire it was “probably the biggest single frustration” for the British retail sector. “I was in Italy this weekend and the [...]
Wilko collapses into administration, placing 12,000 jobs at risk August 10, 2023 Wilko has collapsed into administration today after the struggling high street retailer failed to find a rescuer. The 400 strong high street store has appointed PWC as administrator, after a number of talks to save the business failed to come to fruition. In a statement, chief of Wilko, Mark Jackson, said the company had been [...]
Deliveroo raises guidance for year despite orders slipping August 10, 2023 Deliveroo upped its guidance for the year to a range of £60-80m, ahead of previous range of £20-50m, as the group shows signs of weathering the economic storm. Total revenues rose five per cent to £1.02bn up from £972.9bn as the group increased the cost of payment fees it charges customers. The food delivery business, [...]
John Lewis hires Google Cloud to supercharge digital revamp in £100m deal August 9, 2023 John Lewis is trying to get back on its feet by partnering with Google to drive its digital revamp, and shift away from high-street reliance. Valued at £100m, the partnership aims to improve the efficiency of John Lewis and Waitrose employees, enabling them to provide a better customer experience. Struggling high street favourite John Lewis [...]